When I think about where my family was 100 years ago, the first thing I feel is grateful. Although not much is known about their history before emigrating, I know the journey was hard and full of sacrifice. Here is that journey.

In the winter of 1914, my great-grandfather emigrated to the United States. He settled in Buffalo, became a farmhand and worked the land like he did in Sicily. My grandfather was born in 1935, and came up in New York’s rural landscapes. His extended family was always around, like most Italians, and his community and neighborhood were filled with more of the same.