It is ironic and sad that in a city known for its Spanish and Mexican heritage, right on Olvera Street no less, is a museum about Italian-Americans, while in San Diego, also known for its Spanish and Mexican history but, unlike LA, has an actual "Little Italy" neighborhood, there is not one. Why is that? At the IAMLA website it says, "Should history prove as inextricably connected to memory as it is to place, the Italian American Museum promises to assist Italian Americans in their journey of self-discovery, and provide all visitors with a more meaningful understanding of the multi-layered history of Los Angeles and that of the nation."

San Diego's Italian American community should tell its parts in the multi-layered history of America's Finest City and of the nation, we should have our own Italian-American museum, cultural and activity center, a home for the estimated 133,304 Italian-Americans of San Diego (4.7% of the population) (2000 US Census, provided by NIAF.org).

So please join us in our first steps in establishing that home by attending our event on October 21 (more details to come) and by contributing to our Italian digital archives, our museum in digital form until that home is built. In the comments below are links to our digital archive and to the Convivio Society. Here is a link to the Italian-American Museum of Los Angeles, which is a good model and example for us San Diegans to follow:http://italianhall.org/about/ And here is the link to our digital archives and Convivio Society: http://conviviosociety.org/heritage/