In this presentation, Kathleen Principe Crockett shares insights from her master’s thesis at the University of Massachusetts - Boston examining the early Italian immigrant community of Washington, D.C. Her research challenges the traditional image of tightly clustered “Little Italies,” demonstrating instead how Italians in the nation’s capital formed a dispersed yet deeply connected community shaped by geography, economic opportunity, and institutional life.
Blending archival research with personal stories, she highlights the artisans who helped build the Capitol, the families who lived in alleyways and row houses across the city, and the role of Holy Rosary Church and mutual aid societies in sustaining cultural identity. Through both analysis and individual narratives, this presentation reveals how Washington’s Italians built lives rooted in craftsmanship, faith, and resilience, proving that community does not require a single neighborhood to thrive.
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