She knows Somali, Italian or Irish, newcomers are us

OLOL · October 14, 2005

Posted on Thursday, October 06 @ 10:19:06 CDT

Samantha Catanzaro's card wound up here because she knew of nowhere else to send it. "Obviously there was no address in the story," she said. "These poor people aren't going to make it any easier for troublemakers to find them. So I figured if I mailed it to you, they might somehow get the message. And if not, oh well, I tried."

Catanzaro, 28, referred to a Boston Herald article that told of how a Somalian family, having immigrated to this country from their war- ravaged native land, ended up in Winthrop after having encountered more unrest in Roxbury. Now, according to reports, members of the family have been beaten and stoned by attackers demanding they "go back to where you came from."

"When I read that," this Wakefield mom explained, "it blew me away. There's enough horrible stuff going on in the rest of the world. What sense can anyone make out of throwing a rock at a foreigner? Let's face it, we all arrived here at some point in time. My grandmother's Irish, my grandfather's Italian and I know their marriage was frowned upon in those days.

"I felt someone had to let these people know that everyone doesn't feel that way, that most of us would wish for them a life of peace, the same thing we wish for ourselves. So I bought a card and sent it to you, hoping it might find its way to them." That card will be personally delivered by reporter Brian Ballou. Here, with Catanzaro's permission, is what she wrote:

"I would like to apologize for the ignorance of a few people and let you know you made a brave choice leaving your homeland to come to America. This is the land of opportunity, and the foundation of this country is families like yours. I hope you know there are many people like myself who wish you happiness. Please don't be discouraged, and seek all paths in protecting your civil rights. You are owed that here. Everyone is.

"I wish you all the best and hope you can get past this ignorance. If there is anything I can do to help you, please write. Enclosed is my address which I hope you will use, even if it's just for another ear to listen to your concerns. Be safe and be healthy!"

Catanzaro's recollection of her own family's roots brings to mind a story told by Joe O'Donnell, the food concessionaire who almost bought the Red Sox a few seasons ago. Joe recalled how his parents had "a classic mixed marriage," rooted in Donegal and Modena, back in the days when everyone in Everett understood that Italians lived in the village while the Irish hung their hats on Ferry Street. His mother, Teresa, 85, still lives in the home that borders Everett Stadium where she and her late husband raised their family.

"I went to visit her one Sunday morning," he said, "and looked out the kitchen window to where there was once an open field. We used to jump the fence to get into the stadium. Today there are three duplexes where that field used to be."

"As I'm lamenting how thing have changed I see this Asian fellow coming out of one of those duplexes with three little kids following him like ducklings while the mother's bringing up the rear. They were headed to Immaculate Conception, where I used to be an altar boy.

"I asked my mother, 'Who are they?' She said, 'They're very nice people, Joey. That used to be us, remember?'" Teresa Cavicchi O'Donnell would understand Samantha Stebbins Catanzaro's concern. "Someday," Catanzaro said, "I hope the ones who did this will look back and be embarrassed. But right now, the rest of us can be embarrassed for them."

Source: By Joe Fitzgerald/ Boston Herald

http://news.bostonherald.com/columnists/view.bg?articleid=104542