The Internment of Italian Americans during World War II

Program Type:

Featured, Miss Breed, Citizenship and Immigration, Community Engagement

Age Group:

Adults
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Event Details

Join panelists Rebecca Romani, Kimber Quinney, and Tom Cesarini for an informative presentation on the Italian American Internment during World War II. During the war, the U.S. government saw Italian Americans as a threat to homeland security. Executive Order 9066 not only forced Japanese Americans from their homes into concentration camps, it also put immigrants from Italy under the watchful eye of the government. 

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Executive Order 9066 called for the compulsory relocation of many Italian Americans and restricted the movements of many more nationwide.  How were the civil rights of Italian Americans violated by the government? And what differences exist in the respective treatments of both Italian Americans and Japanese Americans?

Panelists:

  • Journalist Rebecca Romani a writer, curator, documentary filmmaker, and college instructor who lectures on film at San Diego State University and Palomar College.
  • Kimber Quinney assistant professor of history at Cal State San Marcos specializing on the history of individual Italian Americans, and the various ways in which they acted as informal diplomats and public intellectuals in an effort to shape U.S. policy toward Italy.
  • Tom Cesarini the founder and chief leadership officer of the Convivio Society, a nonprofit organization that promotes Italian cultural identity and culture in San Diego.

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This panel is part of the program series The Rebellious Miss Breed: San Diego Public Library and the Japanese American Incarceration. This project was made possible with support from California Humanities, a partner of the NEH. Visit calhum.org.

Accessibility

Need disability-related modifications or accommodations? Information and program content can be made available in alternative formats upon request by emailing JFRogers@sandiego.gov.