Discrimination in America has mainly publicized certain races, such as African Americans, Native Americans, Hispanics, Middle Easterners, and even Asians. One race rarely publicized for its discrimination in America are Italian Americans. Many are unaware of the discrimination that Italian immigrants faced during their first wave in America, and even today. During their early days in America, labor struggles were forced upon them. Just as today with Mexicans who came to America to make money for their loved ones back home, Italians crossed the seas to earn a living to send home to their families. And just like today, many thought that Italians stole jobs because they were willing to work for the lowest wages. This was only the beginning of anti-Italian discrimination in America (Salvatore J., 1999). Trade union struggles were not the only fire that Italian immigrants had to deal with. According to La'Gumina, during the first years of Italian immigration they faced many conflicts such as virulent prejudices and nativist hostility (p. 22). Starting from Ellis Island, even though less than two percent of Italians were turned away, if an Italian had even a small trace of a disease like trachoma he had to return to Italy. As stated in La'Gumina's documentary, for many Italians of the time Ellis Island was renamed L'Isola dell Lagrime, the Island of Tears (p. 43). However, even those who made it successfully navigated many Ellis Island conflicts. Many did not speak English, so the regulations were confusing, many people were disoriented, unsure of what to do or where to go. Every single person who arrived in the United States had to be registered by name in the official registry book and, because of the f...... middle of paper...... Goodfellas, The Godfather and Casino put Italians in the spotlight of common Anti-heroes of cinema. However, there are still prejudices that are slandered against Italians today. Reality shows like Jersey Shore have defined Italians as other races and greatly insult the Italian-American community. The oppression that Italians have had to deal with over decades is not as publicized as others, but it happened and continues to happen today. Works Cited Billington, J. H. Congress, Immigration History (2014). Italian immigrants. Retrieved from the Library of Congress website: http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/immigration/italian.htmlSalvatore J., L. (1999). Wow! a documentary history of anti-Italian discrimination in the United States. (pp. 1-165). New York: Straight Arrow Books.