So Goffredo the Superintendent who I have felt should be replaced back in the TikTok of it all is at it again. The TikTok of it all made international news. Essentially there was zero accountability on the part of the parents or offending students IMHO. Of course it is also my opinion that the teachers’ union should have been more supportive of the teachers talking to law enforcement, but hey can’t un-ring that homeroom bell, right?
In a time when our country is fraught with strife and anger and divisiveness and violence, Goffredo is allowing a club that is not some normal high school kids’ political club.
Let the not so subtley veiled attempts at indoctrination begin – the failed political Sabo duo want to “train” your kids and isn’t that special? If you have a problem with this: hcapetola@gvsd.org dgoffredo@gvsd.org jwexler@gvsd.org sotoole@gvsd.orgScreenshot
If this was a regular Republican or Democrat or even Independent or Libertarian political club, I personally wouldn’t give a damn. But this? This is something unlike all of the rest and well, even if in the end allowed, it puts forth a group think that is not actually peaceful or inclusive.
Someone commented on my blog’s Facebook page:
I recall similar groups throughout history who used to pass around flyers and recruit people. I think their activities were a little different but I’m sure the end goal is the same here. I don’t see this as a unifying club. Pretty clear how the language starts off with “Identify…” The only thing missing is a symbol and the letters. How about we start a club called “society” where EVERYONE is included and works together to find common ground and solutions that make sense rather than continuing to file every into Red or Blue and spreading hate while we all get fleeced by those in power.
Then of course we had these treasures who escaped from the echo chambers of hate:
Sigh…can’t even explain the difference between group and page to them, or point out their general ignorance. To not wish to live in the US when it feels like 1930s Germany with social media in the year of our country’s 250th anniversary is a very real feeling. Here we are loving our country, yet wondering why it has deserted her people in favor select factions, and yes this is a real feeling. Conflicted. Sad. Somewhat disgusted that freedom is only if you tow the party line.
So there is a school board meeting this evening. Great Valley School Board won’t do anything, honestly because I don’t know that they can or have the courage to do? However, they can get a new superintendent and exit Daniel F. Goffredo, Ed.D. and assistant superintendent Stephen O’Toole, Ed.D. (whose contract is up for renewal and is supposedly on agenda this evening?)
Below is the activities application which is tearing apart a high school….and community.
Oh and speaking of Great Valley? Kids upset with the new “club” who ripped down posters for it received detention and a fine? And rolling into this…
This “club” which does not have at it’s core an actual desire a real desire to embrace diversity of any sense of the word in a high school that does have a diverse population is really upsetting the KIDS. Not just parents. And the kids need to be taken into consideration here. Fair is fair and if that club gets a chance with this administration, why so punitive on kids upset about frozen feds everywhere? What is it that this school district doesn’t *get* about kids worrying that because of the shade of their skin or perhaps nationality that they will be safe going to school or going home from school?
Maybe Goffredo it is time to take your jackass self on out of this school district?
Today the bulldozers have arrived at 400 S. Leopard Road in Berwyn, Chester County and Easttown Township. We have been living this since the first fire in 2024. Charged with arson in one fire here is still Kathryn Calmus Frankel. She was charged in the new year with a dangerous fire in York County, PA. She was also charged with some sort of fire in Delaware County (Radnor Township.) I am uncertain as to which prison she is located in – I presume York County which is county of latest arson.
Frankel has not been tried in any of these cases as of yet, although I did notice this on the Delaware County, PA docket:
Is there a chance she pleads on all of these cases? Who knows. The media down here has not followed up and we haven’t heard anything out of the various District Attorneys’ offices about that have we?
I am so sad that this quirky old house is becoming something we will maybe remember for a while and then forget as ashes to ashes dust to dust…and we know a McMansion shall replace part of our Chester County history, but two brutal fires have killed this piece of history.
This is yet another reason why this country needs better mental health services.
Here is one more photo and then to follow current dockets from 3 counties and a couple of prior posts.
Bye house. You were once beautiful, quirky, and loved even by strangers driving by.
This whole billionaire is buying up a Main Line area village is disturbing, yet expected at the same time, isn’t it? Is it as simple as nothing says I’ve arrived like “I own you and all of this?”
Ok yes, slightly generalized and sarcastic but that is how this feels, doesn’t it?
Why Gladwyne village? Some might say “why not” but I honestly want to know why don’t you? To me, in my opinion, this doesn’t feel altruistic or having a love of historic structures. I can have that opinion, unless of course in this process the first amendment was purchased as well?
Doesn’t this feel more personal to you? I mean look, Jeff Yass, who is very much part of this is a self-made man of an extraordinary level? An impressive career and financial trajectory is undeniable. After all when you look up his Wikipedia page you see he was a guy from Queens, NY. Described as growing up in an average middle class family and now he’s the Sheriff of Yasswyne, err Gladwyne?
All snark aside, on its face it is impressive. BUT. And this is a big BUT. But why Gladwyne? Is it to be able to look out from what we grew up with as The Guard House, now part of the Union League Club to be able to wave and arm and declare ownership? I don’t have that answer only the little voice inside me says this is still not just about sprucing up a historically listed village, but most billionaires play things close to the vest don’t they? (Not actually a dig, it just makes sense.)
I don’t know that I like the idea of this all being bought up by a new entity who doesn’t seem to truly understand the history of Gladwyne or Gladwyne village. Or maybe it’s just I truly wonder do they care? Is this a passion project or an enormous exhibition of ego meets narcissism?
Things I really don’t like are the word of mouth and direct conversations with people who have been having land agents or realtors or whomever showing up unannounced and uninvited. Whomever these people or this person is, they are trying to chat people up to sell their property and why? They don’t seem to wish to disclose who they are representing and why? Is this deliberate vagueness? A question I have NOT heard asked is DO THEY HAVE SOLICITATION PERMITS FROM LOWER MERION?
What these smiley doorknockers are doing is door to door soliciting, so has the commissioner now representing Gladwyne actually looked into that matter? Shouldn’t he and shouldn’t Lower Merion? They aren’t exactly peddling Girl Scout cookies, after all.
In my opinion (again allowed to have) the more properties acquired means the project gets bigger. I found the house bought at the end of 2025 close to other acquired properties:
So this house is zoned residential, right? I guess then it has to be moved to like some kind of commercial zoning in order for it to be a viable part of the revamped village concept or whatever the hell they’re calling it?
When it comes to bending over for developers, the current director of building and planning at Lower Merion Township is an expert isn’t he? I mean, we all remember or some of us remember the days of eminent domain for private gain in Ardmore don’t worry?
I don’t trust Lower Merion Township. When Bob Duncan was head of Building and Planning you could always count on him doing the right thing, or at least giving you an honest answer, even if it was hard to hear. In my opinion, those days are long gone at far away. And then you look at the manager’s office – the guy formerly from West Chester Borough. He was at that job for 27 years until 2014. He is super development loving manager, look no further than the path he set for West Chester Borough, yes? So in my opinion, is he going to actually care about preserving the historic village center of Gladwyne, PA?
I don’t know enough about the composition of the current Board of Commissioners in Lower Merion to know if any of them really give a good goddamn about the Historic Village of Gladwyne being preserved and not turned into Peddlers Village do you? What I doknow is Lower Merion is prone to historically bad decisions. Look at the failed attempt at eminent domain for private gain years ago?
And for those who think houses can’t be torn down by subsequent owners? Remember La Ronda.
I grew up in Lower Merion and enjoyed it and loved the quirkiness of old Gladwyne. I laughed when with the presentation for the Yasswyne of it all people were ooohing over picnic tables. Why? Had they never visited the Gladwyne Lunch? Not new.
Again, adaptive reuse and restoration? Not a bad idea. But wobbly plans that seem too good to be true? Shall we contemplate they probably are? I’ve been looking at their plans and again no problem with restoration and adaptive reuse but there’s big question marks over the Walter Durham building that houses the pharmacy, etc. and it’s always been an awkward building.
That’s nothing new. I actually don’t think it’s worth saving as it doesn’t work. BUT what replaces it? This is listed historic district, correct? It can’t be too huge and average retail looking it has to be special. It has to fit with the historic district. Size and scale matters. Design matters and this is a historic village, it’s not a beige beige world with loads of stucco.
When you look at the back of the parking lot, which actually isn’t that expensive now you can’t help but wonder are those townhouses over that wall an eventual target of this “reimagining”?
And no matter what happens who protects the residential residents around this “reimagining” ? Why do I feel like the Civic Association isn’t doing much here? Are they afraid? Are they unsure? Are they ignoring it hoping it’ll all go away? And what about the commissioners, including the new guy in Gladwyne?
A wonderful piece of art on a building not owned by the current buyer uppers of the village
And other than the legal wrangling and wondering about commercial and residential deeds and commercial and residential zoning of it all, what about traffic and practical things? Like current traffic? The car rider lines for the Montessori school are no joke and even I have seen those over the years. And then there’s the car rider lines for the elementary school.
And parking. I think it’s a no secret that the Guard House doesn’t have sufficient parking right? So how do we know there will be sufficient parking for this proposed Shangri-La of a Main Line Peddlers Village?
I mean, come on wouldn’t that be better to start smaller and see how this all works? Restore and work with what they have and not tear down houses? or did they buy that house in December to put a business there? If so, what kind and where will the people park for that?
Should we ponder that this is about the soul, moral values of a community and what people want it to be in the future? Do these village purchasers actually want meaningful input from the community or are they paying the community lip service just to get what they want? Come on now, don’t act surprised that I said that because developers do that all of the time, don’t they?
I have written before that there’s a whole history here. That history should neither be ignored nor denied. One of the problems overall on the Main Line in general as newcomers have moved in is they’re there for the lore not the reality. You have all the funny bullshit of what the Main Line is supposed to represent and a lot of. It’s just realtor marketing, take Malvern, which isn’t actually the Main Line but every time you turn around somebody is saying it is.
The village of Gladwyne I first saw as a kid wasn’t perfect. It was quirky, it was old, it was historic, and it was kind of awesome. It still is kind of awesome and it doesn’t need to be tarted up, just spruced up and restored a little bit better.
But nothing is going to happen if concerned residents don’t get off of their behinds and start going to commissioners meetings. Every resident in that municipality has a right to public privilege of the floor as they call it. There is a section set aside for that for non-agenda items at every commissioners meeting. There is also public comment on agenda items, should any of these things about the village of Gladwyne come up on the agendas.
I have noticed that the Township of Lower Merion offers Zoom. I don’t know that they offer comment on Zoom but residents can ask. People can keep up with the agendas and things that have been filed that are loaded on the website as well.
Years ago, the then director of building and planning also often used to have specific mailing list for specific issues within the township. I don’t know if they still do that. But again, I do know that residents can’t depend on the civic or going to those civic association meetings alone. People have to go to the township meetings, when they can in person, an alternatively on Zoom. The residents need to speak for themselves.
But people should be polite. And I know it can be difficult when you’re dealing with a municipality and you don’t feel like you’re being heard. But taxes pay for those bureaucrats, etc., remember that.
It’s not hard to organize, but the people of Gladwyne have to want this for themselves. Because if they roll over now, no matter what happens they’re going to end up with stuff they’re not happy with because they did not participate.
These are just my opinions and observations. In my opinion on the specialist of Gladwyne, as in the village has lived in me since I was a kid. It does not have to be super expensive and overpriced. It just has to be nice. Gladwyne used to be a bit more inclusive.
At the end of the day, I’m also concerned because I have seen what random development does and I’ve seen it in Gladwyne in other parts of the 19035.
I actually do have friends who have had kids in Radnor School District past and present. And I’ve been asking them about this whole AI deep sexual fake thing that we all heard about for quite a while and then it exploded.
“Girls were pulled out of class after the situation was already widely known and visibly escorted to the principal’s office, increasing stigma, exposure, humiliation and distress. This happened despite the parents’ documented request to not interview the girls without speaking to a parent first. They were interviewed 1×1 by a 45 year old male.
So you have these hyper sexualized deep fake videos done by a freshman male who basically came right back to school yet the girls seem like they were doubted and grilled? And interviewed without parents permission or asked to be present in this situation?
“My daughter called me crying after being interviewed one-on-one by the assistant principal. This occurred after we had specifically requested that we be contacted before any such meeting took place, which did not happen. While crying, she said, “Mom, they think I’m lying,” and asked me to pick her up from school.
In my humble opinion, that’s a victim shaming.
One of Radnor School District’s excuses? They thought it was created off campus. But was it? Did the kid use like a Radnor tablet or whatever they give students? And this student did this because why to other students? It’s also just freaking creepy.
These girls, they stood up, they went to adults, and look at the lesson they’re learning? Essentially, it’s like they’re slut shamed by their own school district, isn’t it? Blame the victim, play Pontius Pilate, and wash hands.
We always tell kids they should speak up if something’s wrong, right? So what lesson do they learn when they speak up and they’re looked at like they did something wrong for speaking up?
Maybe it’s inconvenient to deal with the parents of these kids doing things that are actually wrong like the AI deep fake videos, but guess what? That is the job you signed up for isn’t it, Radnor Township School District?
I have had problems with this district over the years just observing how they don’t address bullying enough. And that includes on the school buses.
And then remember when the middle schoolers were acting like packs of wild animals at businesses in downtown Wayne? And Radnor School District did what exactly?
I mean on one hand I agree that they shouldn’t be doing the parenting for parents who aren’t doing the parenting. However, does that mean that these kids get by with no accountability for their actions? And the people these kids hurt are just left feeling vulnerable and exposed and betrayed??
These deep fake things are just another form of bullying. It’s similar what happened at the Great Valley School District and the way they treated the TikTok bullying of teachers by students. That made national news and really those kids had no accountability did they? Or their parents did they? 
These kids might be minors, but there has to be actual accountability. And I don’t feel like there’s not real accountability for the kids or their parents. The parents of the kids doing this crap also have to be held responsible and accountable.
Radnor High School and the school district are sending a message with their in action and double talk that girls don’t matter in my opinion.
What happened to these girls does matter and it wasn’t a harmless prank. It’s all well and good that they’re now looking at changing policy, but look at the damage they’ve done to those young women?
That moment when you see a friend post something totally scary.
This is a big warning to everybody who drives a car please look before you go through a green yes green light! at about 2:00 today I watched a very large heavy recycling/trash truck fly through a red light doing about 45 MPH at the intersection of Valley Hill Road and 401 the truck was heading towards RT 202 I was on Valley hill heading towards Bodine road a very small car in front of me was making a rt on a green light and it had not just changed it had been green as I was heading towards the light the car was inches from getting T boned and rear ended this person I hope knows how lucky they were, I my self slammed on my brakes sent all my groceries flying all over the back seat of my truck. For me I was also lucky 2 seconds sooner it could have been me. This light has a warning light telling drivers that the light is red way before they get to the light, there is absolutely no excuse to blow a red light there and at a fast speed in such a large truck. Please tell your kids to always look both ways before going through a green light never never trust another driver will be stopping. Now to try and get my heart rate back to normal. Be safe !!
This company sucks. Even with new owners they suck.
They fly in and out of my street and some weeks I wonder if they are going to end up in our front yards if not worse. I don’t use them. We use Opdenaker and they are terrific and not sloppy dangerous crazy.
My friend went and literally knocked on doors to get security camera footage and she got video. I will share it.
She said to me:
I have a video but it does not look as fast as he was going and you can’t see it was a red light. In the video it took me 6 seconds to cross because I totally stopped and looked at the light to make sure I was not going through a red light. Then I crossed super careful but I was rt behind the car that almost was hit.
She continued:
I am the white truck.
At the point the video catches him he was slamming on his brakes.
Also when I got home I found our recycling can emptied and a bunch of recycling all over the road and also our neighbors recycling the same like 7-9 pieces of trash.
I wonder if it was the same truck.
Well probably at least the same company because that is their usual M.O.
I told my friend to also call the PA State Police because 401 and Valley Hill where this happened is Charlestown Township and well they don’t have local police, they have Staties.
Let the not so subtley veiled attempts at indoctrination begin – the failed political types want to “train” your kids and isn’t that special? If you have a problem with this contact:
I think in the unpleasant political environment of this country at present, I find it foolhardy for this to be a school sanctioned activity. I would love to know why a health and physical ed teacher is doing this? Will this be monitored?
Using the word “train” has very unpleasant implications. It’s very 1930s Germany of Great Valley School District isn’t it?
Dustin Kasper is the advisor. Why are they meeting in a weight room? I mean, I get that he’s a health and physical teacher. What are they going do sets in between the indoctrination sessions? Kasper went to West Chester University with graduate work at Immaculata. He also apparently served in the military unsure of what branch. He’s also listed as a Realtor at Keller Williams.
So is somebody else leading this group? Or is it an essence led by the faculty advisor?? Sorry I don’t know I’m asking because when I was in high school I did sports and I was on the student newspaper. I never had a desire to be an Alex P. Keaton. I also belong to a service club and we used to do things like beautification projects around the community.
I think if this was just a high school Republican club or a high school Democrat club I wouldn’t care. It’s that other component and I don’t know Turning Point is not my jam and it has a religious component and if this is supposed to model that this is a public school and how does that work?
I have no problem with the restoration of a veterans memorial but where is this veterans memorial? But a weightlifting competition for a pseudo religious political organization? Isn’t that a little odd?
I just think it sounds a little vague. And it’s powered by a group that I don’t really believe promotes good as much as it promotes assimilation, but those aren’t mutually exclusive.
Whatever. The parents who are of a certain political bent will be delighted. I wonder if they will all have cute little uniforms?
I received some very interesting text messages this afternoon. And for those who will try to figure out who it is, it’s a reliable source and it’s not in my usual cadre of contacts.
I forgot all about the Chester County Democrats endorsement convention or whatever the heck they call it. Under the current leadership it has turned into an engineered circus. In my not so humble opinion, utterly defeating the purpose of PRIMARIES.
Anyway it seems the kids are starting to revolt on Grandma Charlotte and some of the others given the messages also passed to me.
This. Is. VERY. INTERESTING no?
Then the next question is, after will Charlotte Valyo resign before the end of her tenure and is she going to try to run unendorsed after drubbing it into people’s heads for the last 4 years that you can’t run unendorsed when of course that is the point of a primary, yes? If she tries to run unendorsed, she needs a T-shirt that says HYPOCRITE.
Now Brian McGuinness is on West Chester Borough Council. He was also at one point in time head of the Chester County Democrats – he had replaced Michelle Vaughn who is currently Register of Wills. But he had some political scandal time circa 2014, didn’t he?
Hans is I presume referring to Hans van Mol, a fairly newly minted Tredyffrin Supervisor with seemingly endless political aspirations. He even had a little campaign for state committee video. I loved his carefully chosen photos in said video , although I don’t know if having Cherelle Parker in the mix was good but it was at least A+ for obvious right?
At one time Hans ran for State Rep, and Warren Kampf defeated him which I still find amusing for many reasons.
And newly minted Downingtown Borough Mayor, Erica Deuso, was not endorsed as well. As of 38 minutes ago however, Ms. Runs for Everything is still trying to get on the ballot for state committee… although she absurdly says something to the effect of just because you get me on the ballot, doesn’t mean you have to vote for me. (Mmkay and I am the tooth fairy.)
I’ll be honest I’m still not an Erica fan and it’s solely because she’s always running for something. It’s not about service, it’s about her. So I guess we call that political narcissism, huh?
Deuso ran unsuccessfully for Downingtown Borough Council. Then with I still believe was Charlotte Valyo’s blessing she tried to primary Danielle Otten and well?
Those who were actually endorsed in the end, I am not certain of at this point in time. I guess I am just sort of stunned that the status quo didn’t just get a hall pass. And I think that is what’s important here.
Democrats in Chester County are sending other Democrats in Chester County a message, as well as the rest of the state. So I think this is interesting and is well worth watching. I am taking this as a positive.
Of course, the next thing I’m wondering is will Charlotte finish out her term? I think it ends at some point this year, right? Or does she have other ambitions? What are the ambitions of the others not endorsed this week?
Tick tock. Politics is a dance meets a multi act play, is it not?
Oh, look there she is! It’s Lisa Borowski there for a photo op! and you can always tell when it’s election season because she gets a fresh haircut and her bangs are out of her face and she looks less like a Muppet.
Former do much of nothing Radnor Township Commissioner now State Representative Lisa Borowski likes long walks, nature, photo ops. But what does she actually do? Most people are still trying to figure that out.
She is still very much on PA HB2151 which will remove the rights of Pennsylvanians and their municipalities when it comes to AI data centers.
She was also on that last bill (HB 502) that failed miserably in 2025. So what was she promised if she was on this HB2151 and was Josh Shapiro‘s little cheerleader Muppet?
So she’s out doing her nominating petition, and is announcing events where they’re going to be signing these petitions throughout Delaware County in her district. Here are the locations and dates:
Your mission should you choose to accept it is to show up at these events as well as call her office and tell her to get off of the data center bill. The number is PA HB2151.
If that bill goes through, it will affect our power grid which affects our PECO bills. It affects our water usage. Data Centers are not environmentally friendly. data centers are also extraordinarily noisy in a very pervasive negative way.
Lisa Borowski needs a field trip to Louden County, Virginia and needs to get her head out of her ass about this issue.
If Lisa Borowski wants to be reelected, she needs to do the right thing here. If not, she deserves to not be reelected.
BE POLITE when you contact her and I know for some that’s a challenge because she seriously has annoying affectations and mannerisms.
Make it an easy thing for Lisa to understand: if she wants to stay in office, she needs to get off of bad bills like this that only helps special interests, not everyday Pennsylvanians.
PS her municipality seems eminent domain happy so you might want to ask the state representative where she stands on eminent domain as well.
You know, sometimes when I don’t write something right away, although is something on my mind. Such as the case with my writing this post a few days after receiving a thoroughly ugly comment.
This was in response to another post I had written. Specifically about the two West Whiteland 7th precinct Republican committeemen and their shall we say performance last week. It was those two gentlemen and one who did not identify himself other than being from Ship Road who referred to little brown men.
I am still at a loss for words for this performance at a public meeting. And I’m not saying people don’t have their right to address their government. They do and our Constitution allows it. Our forefathers fought blood and died for it, but it’s what they said. It’s how can so much hate be fomented into three minutes or less? How can they spew hatred like this?
So I discovered these two Republican committeemen seem to have education in their backgrounds as in being teachers. I’m not sure if one is still a teacher or not but the other one most assuredly is and parents are very, very concerned.
I will note we haven’t heard anything out of the Republican Party of West Whiteland about this incident have we?
Anyway, on Saturday, I received a very vile comment as mentioned:
In case you can’t read the screenshot of what the lovely Olivia said here it is:
The immigration is harming my quality of life. Legal immigration.
Why should I have to experience degraded quality of life for your vision of how the world should be?
Your position HARMS me and HARMS my family. If I object, you then label me with pejorative labels and personal attack, emotional blackmail, character assassination- I am ignorant, racist, a xenophobe.
Do you have any idea what it is like having people harm you, and act morally-superior, and attack you if you complain that you are being harmed? “Sit down, shut up, you are just racist, you will be harmed and you will LIKE it or say NOTHING. We are superior to you, we know best.”
I have no idea if this is a real or made up name. It doesn’t really matter it just kind of blows my mind. Like many of these comments, it was left late at night. I didn’t see it until Valentine’s Day morning. Immigration is personally harming her life? HOW? What kind of a nut bag is she? Never mind don’t answer it. I know what kind of a nut bag they are. My opinion harms nothing, their opinion destroys lives.
And then there are the people who leave these insane comments about how former administrations treated immigration enforcement in this way. They did?
Also also interesting to know I think immigrants should be legal. But what is different today than what has previously existed is the way things are enforced, correct? In my opinion it’s literally like watching 1930s Germany come to life on social media. And then we see these people that are just kind of being profiled and then surrounded and pounced on in the midst of our communities, leaving the rest of us at risk and terrified, and then what happens to them? Is there actual due process? Where are the warrants for these people?
What we see is terrifying chaos. It’s not orderly. Honestly, this is no law-enforcement we’ve ever known. And we’re a country founded by immigrants.
What have we become?
And the thing is this some of these people that are being targeted? They are people who are immigrants have been following the guidelines and working a green card program, etc.
Ask anyone that lived from World War II or had relatives who lived through World War II and they will tell you this is indeed like 1930s Germany with social media.
So it was like a gift when I discovered something this morning about a small town in Pennsylvania.
So well, some people like to say I am this elitist, horrible human being ruining their life like that woman who left a comment this weekend, I am just one of millions of literally immigrant stories of this country. And that’s how we all started no matter how many years ago some of our families came here more than two centuries ago.
The town’s name is Roseto. It is the very embodiment of the immigrant American dream. it was even featured on PBS’s The American Experience.
I never knew this town existed. And part of my DNA is very much Italian American. It’s really cool people from a similarly named area of Italy. So they immigrated here to escape poverty and re-created their village in Pennsylvania.
With the founding of this borough, they became the first 100% Italian American borough in the United States. It was incorporated in 1912 and those who immigrated here did so to work in slate quarries. Apparently there were also mills and I guess sewing factories. The first immigrants arrived around 1882 according to what I’ve read. They were from Roseto Valfortore in the Apulia region of Italy.
It was described as this area became a self-sufficient And close knit enclave. The area was also studied in the 1960s because of its low rate of heart disease known as “the Roseto effect.”
Roseto incidentally means “rose garden.”
The most recent article I could find was from 2016 and it was about a resident who had passed away at 100.
So imagine if immigrants like that had not come to this country? And Italians were totally discriminated against. My grandfather and his brothers had a factory in Philadelphia. They had to change the name during World War II because they didn’t want anti-Italian American sentiment to kill their business.
As a kid and I wasn’t particularly ethnic looking, I was occasionally called any number of derogatory names like Dago or Wop when we first moved to the Main Line. That was one of my early introductions to the Lower Merion School District. It was funny they never said much about my Irish ancestry or German. Just the Italian.
But I do remember the stories my maternal grandfather who was Irish American told me. He told me about the little signs in the shop windows of Philadelphia that said “Irish need not apply.” and his mother, an American citizen, was in service to the Cassatt family in Haverford. She was the summer housekeeper at the location we now know as Merion Cricket Club.
I think it’s almost bizarre at times how this country is founded on immigrants can be so horrible to subsequent generations of immigrants.
I read this amazing, albeit brief, essay this weekend.
We live in an extremely complex world that attempts to make sense of itself by generalizing issues, experiences, and people. It happens everywhere. We hear these generalizations from our world leaders to the people in our communities. What happens, instead, is we inhibit our ability to properly understand each other. …..This is why we need to tell each and every story. When you elevate the individual narratives of immigrants, you’re not only made aware of the rich complexities and differences, but the ways in which we all share common ground.
It’s not a very long essay, but I felt it was a powerful one. I only left an excerpt here. I suggest you read the whole thing.
These people that want to say immigrants are the reason for misfortune. I have to ask them are they really? I mean we’re all responsible for our own lives aren’t we?
And how can people, even some I am related to who are literally descended from immigrants be so horrible about immigrants? I just don’t understand it.
I am not advocating for immigrants who are here illegally per se. But often their story is very different than we imagine or very different than just being not here legally.
We all are descended from immigrants. So why are we so ugly about them?
America is literally a melting pot.
But I suppose someone will think it’s a bad position that I’m asking these questions or thinking these thoughts. But hey, it’s also afforded to me under the United States Constitution is it not? These people think that theirs should be the only voice. To them I pose a simple question. How would you feel if you no longer had the ability to have that voice?
If we don’t change the trajectory of this country, that could be something we face for real.
I still say it’s pretty goddamn sad that people that included at least one teacher spouted this hatred at a public meeting, don’t you agree?
