In Buona Salute Magazine™ is published by Smokin’ Heffer, LLC.

2222 Francisco Dr. Ste 510-357, El Dorado Hills, CA 95762.

©2007 Salute Magazine. All rights reserved.

     “Tutti a bordo!” To some of our ancestors, those were the last words they ever heard in their homeland of Italy. Today, we invite all to “come aboard” as we leave for the bridge.

     This issue is a milestone. It marks the completion of our first volume; our first year in publication. It is one of many exciting goals that In Buona Salute Magazine™ has worked hard towards, and simply put – it is the first of many to come.

     When we started In Buona Salute™, we hoped that the magazine would have an impact on our people and, to some degree, influence the future direction of our heritage. We envisioned that it could amalgamate our disbanded groups, and provide a voice for a unified Italian America,
though we did not know exactly how to accomplish that; our main goal was to create an appealing publication.

     In Buona Salute™ quickly became much more than a magazine, though. It was apparent that the Italian communities of northern California wanted and needed something to identify with as cultural sustenance. The more people we spoke to, the clearer the message: help to preserve our heritage and build our future as Italian Americans.

     What was once a passion for Italian Americana, has turned into a mission fueled by the desires and necessities of our people and times.

      A recent letter to us from a very keen social observer shows a profound and penetrating look at what is happening around us with other cultures, and what our fate potentially holds.
      It reads:

     I recently attended a wedding reception where I observed first-hand the impact of our diminishing heritage. Italian offspring are not carrying on their ancestral traditions as much as one would have hoped.

    The wedding banquet involved 350 Hispanics, as the bride was half Hispanic and half Italian. What a different world they have from what we have. It was good to get a glimpse of the future of America at the banquet. We are not part of that future unless we figure out how to preserve what we have and build one for ourselves.

     The newer immigrant groups are building theirs on their own terms; they are the beneficiaries of the hard work, struggle and sacrifice of the
Italian Americans and others who have contributed so much to building what we have today. They are inheriting what we are leaving behind for them, and taking advantage of all that California has to offer in the way of entitlements.

     They are certainly a force – they are young, and have large families. The bride’s Hispanic side is far more supported by the sense of community, and the numbers of young people who identify with it, than her Italian side. It is natural that young people with options would go that way. Even though she was raised in part by her Italian immigrant grandmother, she is now an Hispanic activist who promotes that community. It’s an odd displacement – we’re not ready to leave the scene and yet they are replacing us at the same time.

     The Italian community does not benefit from these new immigrants or this cultural change, just the opposite. That makes it more difficult for us in the competition for resources and self preservation. As our status erodes, so does our ability to maintain our community of people. While Italian Americans have achieved one of the highest per capita incomes in the U.S., they also pay the highest taxes, which are used to support and benefit the new immigrants. That affects how much financial support we can expect from our own community, as they already feel hard pressed.

    The reality of Italian immigration through Ellis Island is that about one-third of Italian immigrants who made the transatlantic passage were sent back because they could not pass the mental and physical tests imposed on immigrants at that time. There were no social welfare programs to support them like the new immigrants have today. For them, they had to make it on their own – and the stoic Italian ability to endure hardship and sacrifice enabled most of them to gain a foothold at the bottom. They did not have the advantage of a bleeding heart culture to welcome them.

     It took three generations until Italian Americans were able to enter the mainstream of American Society. Italian Americans did not begin to enter the college system in substantial numbers until the 1960s. There was no special treatment. In the late ‘60s, the nation imposed affirmative action on us, which left us in direct competition with the
officially recognized minority groups for entry level jobs and admissions to college. In the Bakke decision by the Supreme Court, the Justice that wrote the decision approving racial preferences also said that it would not be fair to use those preferences against Italian Americans – but that was not to be the case. Even new illegal aliens benefit from preferential treatment policies at the expense of Italian Americans.      

     When the amnesty comes, to quote the former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, “We will
inherit the whirlwind.”

     I read the letter many times. It resonated in my mind. It clicked with other things I have heard – and it made sense to me how this could happen.

     As with any social challenge, there are steps that must be taken to ensure a meaningful and permanent transformation – if we are to keep our Italian heritage alive in this country.

     We need an intervention from within our own people. No one is going to help us, but us. Like most social recovery programs, the first step is
recognizing that there is a problem. If you are unaware that there is one, consider yourself informed. We should all be so in tune with our social position as the author of the letter above.

     This, my brothers and sisters, is the bridge. You’ll know when you’ve arrived – it is an epiphany.

     Fortunately, you don’t need to find the bridge by yourself – there are vehicles to take you there. They are everywhere if you look around: the magazine, the centers, the classes and the groups. Don’t mistake activity for achievement, though; it is possible to “eat and drink ourselves into oblivion” (to quote another observant Italian American). Achievement comes in the form of unification and solidarity as a whole group – “United we stand, and divided we fall.”

     In order to get our people to the bridge, we must each take a roll in our own recovery. Being Italian American is so much more than just eating pasta and drinking vino – however, too many of us are stuck in that mindset. The best way to find the bridge is to be lead there by someone who has already been across. There are many of us amongst you – those who drive the vehicles of change, and continually come back to take others.

     In Buona Salute Magazine™ is exactly that.

     How do you get on board? One way is to read the magazine... really read it. The message is in each issue. We take great care in selecting the material we publish in this magazine. We want to reach the core of the community, and perpetuate our future as Italian Americans.

     Now is the time. We cannot wait to unite. It is the responsibility of all generations of Italian Americans to work together towards this goal. The methods are many: learn to speak the language, or pass down a family recipe – archive and scan your family photos to preserve and organize them, attend events, and take part in the cultural education of our people, both young and old.

     Our favorite way is to subscribe to In Buona Salute Magazine™, or give a gift subscription – or just tell a friend. Each subscriber is one more Italian American who gets over the bridge. There are many other ways, as well – just get involved.

     Everyone can do something. You don’t have to spend a lot of time, or a lot of money. Just be proud of who you are, and take some measures to show it. Italian Americans have done many wonderful things for this country – let’s not allow our contributions to be forgotten.


Saluti cordiali,


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