Page 9 - Italian-American Herald - May 2024

IN THE REGION
From preceding page
That came as no surprise to Charlie Sacchetti, a popular regional author who fills his books with memories of growing up in Southwest Philadelphia. He said he noticed the “flight” out of South Philadelphia as far back as the late 1960s and 1970s.
“I had strong ties in South Philly. It was my second home. All of my relatives lived there,” he said. “We spent just about every holiday visiting and shopped in the Italian Market on Ninth Street very often. The Italian stronghold of South Philly is nothing like it used to be. Crime, terrible leadership and
the dying off of the old family patriarchs and matriarchs are just a couple of reasons.”
Sacchetti, who now lives in Cinnaminson, N.J., believes that the decline in the Italian population is at least partly due to younger generations marrying outside their original ethnic group.
“When I was a kid, none of my Italian friends were named Scott, Chad or Dutton,” he said. “There was Tony, Louie and Frankie. Capeesh?”
In Delaware, Rick DiLiberto, head of the state’s Commission on Italian Heritage and Culture, said a key tenet of the organization’s mission is to engage and inspire young people to connect with their heritage. The commission
belongs to the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations, which held its second annual Italian Future Leaders Conference in January in Sunrise, Fla.
The conference focused on new organizations and events to “attract and engage young people around the Italian- American experience.”
“The path to success comes down to us getting out of the way,” said Basil M. Russo, the foundation’s president. “These young folks have the acumen, drive and charisma to chart a new course for the Italian American culture that pays tribute to our past and ignites a future built on their vision, not mine — and that’s the key. Our culture’s future is in
great hands; God bless them.” IAH
Joe Quartullo is a former data analyst with the U.S. Census Bureau who performed this analysis for the Italian-American Herald. For questions about census estimates, statistical significance, and census data tables, please contact him at joequar- tullo@gmail.com. Al Kemp is managing editor
of the Italian-American Herald. Contact him at akemp@todaymediainc.com
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