East Fort Street: A Sentimental Return to a Street Long Ago, But Not Forgotten...Detroit in 1943-War, Riots and Uncommon Friendship

By I.C. Bono

A budding friendship between two woman, one white, one colored in Detroit, 1943, during a hectic year of World War II and racial violence.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Mar 31, 2011
• ISBN: 9781257301461

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Acknowledgments

Chapter 1

Her family and friends affectionately called her VV , a short version of her full name of Vita Venti and at forty-two, she was a healthy, married woman, mother of three with a loving husband and an army of relatives and friends. Here in Detroit, Michigan in 1943, she lived with her family in a large two-story clap-board house on East Fort Street, a few miles from downtown Detroit. Her aging parents, Mama Paulina and Papa Mario lived next door in a smaller wood-framed house that was connected by a large fenced backyard which hosted a variety of fruit trees and two large vegetable gardens. It was here on East Fort Street that over the past twenty years many Sicilian immigrants came to settle after securing jobs in the growing industries of this vibrant northern city.

After the Great War, thousands came from small towns and villages in Sicily like Terrasini, Alcamo, Cinisi, Trapani and Partinico to seek a new life and to fulfill dreams that were inspired by the larger dreams of industrial titans who had prepared the path.

VV and her younger brother and sister, Salvatore and Rosa, were born in the quiet seaside village of Terrasini on the Golfo del Castellammare in the Province of Palermo west of the Sicilian capital, Palermo. Her parents, Mario and Paulina Visazza, made a comfortable living from the sale of fish and vegetables from a small store at the front of their three room stone home that faced the main piazza and a stone’s throw from the waters of the Golfo. Paulina’s family had long lived in this picturesque site, a favorite of German and English tourists through the years. Mario came from the nearby inland town of Alcamo which was nestled near the slopes of Monte Bonifato where healthy vineyards flourished, producing a treasured white wine from the Catarrotti grapes.

It was in those vineyards that Mario had labored as a young man for one of the ancient noble families that had controlled these fertile Sicilian fields for centuries. Love for an alluring daughter of a distant relative finally gave him the courage to escape those back-breaking jobs in the fields as he followed his heart to the hometown of Paulina and then joined her father’s crew on a fishing boat on the Golfo del Castellammare. He soon married Paulina, settled in Terrasini, raised a family and never regretted his choice of the sea over the vineyards.

Their three children, Vita, Salvatore and Rosa obtained the required minimum education in the local school, equivalent to a fourth grade education, however, most of their practical education came from the home and from skills they learned from their mother. Together, they learned how to plant, nourish and harvest a variety of crops which grew on a plot of land owned by their grandfather on the outskirts of Terrasini near the village of Cinisi. While their father and grandfather harvested the Golfo for fish and Paulina and the children cared for their little farm, many of their fellow-Sicilians headed for the great Port of Messina to embark on ships that would take them to a land that promised a better life. There, their hopes and dreams that were denied them in their birthplace would be fulfilled! That land was America!

VV’s Uncle Vincenzo had already taken his family to this new world where jobs were plentiful, money was flowing and opportunities were endless, as his letters trumpeted repeatedly. Mario read these letters with the intense interest of a child reading an adventure tale. They and the many other stories of America, circulating in the streets of Terrasini, ignited a spark that would not be quenched! Uncle Vincenzo had found a good place to live. It was a great city in the Midwest of the new country where there were rivers and lakes and many, many jobs! There, the great Enrico Ford, had built many factories where cars were made that everyone could afford! This city, Detroit, Michigan, was sitting on a great river across from the nation of Canada and it was growing into one of the largest cities in the United States. To make this city more appealing, Vincenzo emphasized that this Detroit had many paesani and that Mario and his family would find many friends and many job opportunities. Vincenzo made a point to end his letters with, This is where the future is. This is where you should raise your children. This is where God has given many blessings! Don’t delay! I am here to help you!

Mario did not need any convincing but Paulina was another matter! She would not hear anything about moving to some distant strange land even though she had seen so many of her relatives and friends make the move. How could I leave my family, my birthplace and my brothers and sisters to go to this foreign land? she cried out. She declared that she would never leave her beloved Terrasini and her aging parents for an uncertain future across the ocean. She mocked Mario’s dreams and ran off to the great church on the piazza to seek help and guidance from the Madonna delle Grazie who was enshrined there. However, her tears and wailing did little to sway her determined husband, so as a final resort, she convinced her brother, Nicolo, to take her to the magnificent Cathedral at Monreale in the province of Palermo. There, many supplicants from all over Italy and Sicily came to seek their wishes and marvel at the great mosaics that covered the inner and outer walls. There, Paulina, knelt before the great altar which was surrounded by mosaic renderings of the life and passion of her Savior and there she made her plea that Mario would change his plans.

For whatever reasons, the Madonna in Terrasini and her Savior at Monreale did not listen to her pleas and Paulina protests went unheard while a growing stream of her countrymen continued to be seduced by a dream of a better life in America. She saw her own brothers and sisters give in to these dreams, as one by one they made their plans to leave Terrasini and head for New York, Chicago, St. Louis and Detroit.

Paulina’s became a lonely voice as Mario’s voice got louder with a determination to make preparations to join the emigrating masses of Sicilians. Paulina’s pleas went unheeded as VV, Rosa and Salvatore were prepared for a journey which held many mysteries for them. Their reluctant mother had no choice, and once all the tickets were purchased, the luggage packed, and the farewells competed, they made their trip to Messina and boarded the great ship S.S. Taormina on a warm August day in 1920.

VV was twenty years old with a healthy full figure and a pleasing chubby face while her sister, Rosa, stood tall with an enticing figure and a face that made her the belle of the village. Salvatore, at five, was a hearty, healthy boy and looked forward to his new adventure. The girls had sympathized with their mother but it was obvious to them that their beloved Terrasini was thinning out as many of their relatives and friends were already settled in America.

Eligible bachelors and eligible young girls had all been bundled up with their parents and now living the better life in the distant land. Like Mario, their fathers saw little hope for their children in the land of their birth and they had agreed with Vincenzo that the opportunities were across the sea in the great nation of the United States of America. He had continually reminded Mario that he did not need to fish anymore since large companies like Edison, the Gas Company, and the many auto plants were hiring. He also made Mario’s decision less doubtful when he assured him that he had rented a big house for the family from a distant cousin on a paved street called East Fort Street. Once they got off the train, a large house and a job would be waiting for the Visazza family!

This East Fort Street was a broad, paved street that went from one end of the city, east to west. It was just a few blocks from the wide Detroit River and not far from the Great Lakes they had seen in their geography books. The street not only was paved, but it had cement sidewalks that were lined with tall shade trees. All along this street were large one and two story wood-framed homes with front and back porches which looked out on big backyards where one could grow vegetables and plant fruit trees.

Along this East Fort Street, Vincenzo said many of their cugini and amici from Terrasini and nearby villages lived. It would not take long for any Sicilian to be right at home in this friendly street. Vincenzo added that he knew that Paulina would soon be happy there too since there were churches everywhere! One of them, Our Lady of Perpetual Help was just a few blocks away and it had a large community of Sicilians and Italian speaking priests. Then, right down East Fort Street, going west toward the Detroit downtown area, was the Mother Church of the Sicilians.

This was the church of The Holy Family where all the adored Madonnas of Sicily are enshrined, especially Terrasini’s Madonna delle Grazie enthroned on an altar of her own! In this Church, Sicilians from all over the city of Detroit, came to honor their Madonna and celebrate their traditions and festivals. The ways of the old country lived on here, right in this American city, and no Sicilian could feel lonely since so much of their past had a future here!

Mario didn’t get a fishing job in Detroit, but with the help of his brother he did attain an assembly job at the giant Chrysler auto plant on Jefferson Avenue, a few miles from his home. In spite of her anguish, Paulina learned to enjoy her large house, and she soon made good use of the backyard by planting a garden and putting in three fruit trees. She soon discovered that most of her neighbors were Sicilians from the Terrasini area in Sicily and many of those were her own relatives! She was further comforted by the fact that she was in a parish where the priests spoke Italian and where most of the parishioners were Sicilians. These realities made her adjustment to her new environment an easier burden and a lot easier on Mario and the family.

VV, Rosa and Salvatore had few problems getting use to their new home even though Paulina continually reminded them to never forget where they were born. To Paulina, the Old World would always be better than this new one and her children would have to share her guilt for leaving it. She and the children did as her husband demanded and they would all make the best of their fate. The force of destiny was too strong to resist as their future was in the Hands of God and Mario!

During those early years on East Fort Street, the Visazza family did well as Mario brought home a decent pay check. Paulina harvested productive gardens with the help of her daughters and Sal enjoyed classes at the parish Elementary School at Our Lady of Help Parish. When the Great Depression came, Mario was able to hang onto his job as he was willing to work a variety of shifts at his job. Paulina, with her bountiful garden crops never wasted a pea, assuring there was always a hearty meal on their table. Besides attending Sunday Mass at their parish church, the family would often attend Mass at Holy Family which was situated a few miles west on East Fort Street and Hastings Street. There, they would enjoy the company of many other Sicilians who lived in other parts of the city and celebrate their many traditional feasts and Patron Saint Days.

VV had lost most of the extra weight she had brought over from Sicily and soon stood out as one of the best looking young ladies in the parish while Rosa still took the prize for the most attractive girl on East Fort Street. Mario and Paulina kept a close eye on them and scrutinized any suitor that made his way to their home. Most of the young men were sons of friends or sons of distant relatives but all were Sicilians! While Rosa enjoyed flirting and breaking a few hearts, VV remained the older responsible sister, who always followed her mother’s admonitions. Both girls were favorites among their many relatives and were often called to be bridesmaids at weddings of cousins and other distant relations. At these weddings and other family gatherings, the Visazza girls had ample opportunities to meet eligible bachelors who were ready to settle down and start up a family. Paulina was always on the alert for a suitable match for her eldest daughter who at twenty-two was ready for a husband.

Uncle Vincenzo’s daughters, Angela and Caterina, were already married to hard-working men whose families came from Terrasini and Cinisi. One held a reliable job at the huge Ford plant at River Rouge and the other worked for a growing produce company owned by a family from Partinico. Both couples rented large apartments near their father’s home on the shaded streets of Lafayette and McDougall, just up the street from East Fort Street. They seemed happily married as babies blessed their homes and the loving support of their family and relatives was always close by. VV loved going over to her cousins homes either to baby sit for them or just to gossip about their womanly interests. They would urge VV to find a young man and join them in their married bliss but VV knew very well that no decision would be made on that subject until her parents had their say!

Paulina had her possible son-in-law antenna aimed at a well-manicured man of thirty-five, Marco, who came from a prosperous construction company owning family which had migrated from the Sicilian city of Trapani. Due to a doting, domineering mother and four sisters who could not find husbands, Marco took on the role of guardian for the four frustrated sisters, in addition to managing many of his father’s work sites. This left him little time to look for a wife. Paulina and VV knew the family from Our Lady of Help Church socials where Marco was considered a prize for any single girl in the parish. VV admired the hard-working Marco but she felt that he was too old for her and she certainly did not want to join his harem of a domineering mother and four sisters! So she made it clear to her mother that he was not the one for her.

Paulina ranted and wailed that VV would never find a better husband. Where else would she find such a mature man, an heir to a construction company, living in a grand house on McDougall Street and who went to Mass every Sunday? Today, a woman must marry for security. Love will come with time, she shouted at her disinterested daughter. Fortunately for VV, she had an ally in her father who didn’t feel comfortable in seeing his eldest daughter marry into a family with so many unmarried sisters and a tyrant of a mother who would make a living hell of her young life. He was realistic, but he hoped that VV would somehow find someone nearer her age and one she showed some interest in.

This Marco had too many family responsibilities to give much attention to a young wife who would soon be under his mother’s control. Mario actually didn’t know of any particular man he would select for VV, but he would have loved to see her marry someone from Terrasini or his hometown of Alcamo.

It wasn’t long after the Marco incident was resolved when Mario showed some interest in a young man, a brother of one of his fellow workers at Chrysler’s who had immigrated from the Sicilian town of Partinico. This older brother, Frank Venti, had become a close friend of Mario and had often spoken of his younger brother,Vito, who was a baker by trade, holding a respectable job at the giant World Bread and Biscuit Company on Vernor Highway. This Vito Venti was twenty-six, with a tall slim body and a very handsome face that caught the attention of all who met him. He was a quiet, unassuming man, who worked hard and gave his brother and sister-in-law, Carmela, who he lived with, no problems.

Mario was curious and told his dubious wife that he wanted to invite the trio over for a Sunday dinner when they could take a good look at this Vito. VV was not consulted on the invitation but she knew that her father was up to something when he asked her to bring up some of his finest wines from the cellar. As for Paulina, she reluctantly agreed to her husband’s plans, but she made it clear that she had no intentions of seeing her eldest daughter marry a simple baker! She would prepare a grand dinner for this trio from Partinico, but she would not agree to anything else.

Rosa was more excited than VV when she heard of this good-looking young man coming to dinner so she did her hair up, wore her Sunday best and encouraged VV to do the same.

The table was set with the finest and Mario reminded all to be on their best behavior. None had to wait long because Frank, Carmela and Vito were at the front door on time and soon were sitting at the dining room table ready to enjoy Paulina’s feast. After the initial introductions and a few reminiscences of Sicily, all seemed a little lost for words even though they all knew why they were there. VV said very little and Vito only spoke when he was spoken to while Rosa fumbled with some witty comments as she gawked at the young handsome man. It was Paulina who finally broke the silence by letting go a barrage of trivia on her cooking and then another barrage of questions on the Venti boys background.

Carmela brought an immediate smile to Paulina’s face when she praised all the dishes which she had served. Then Frank joined in by recounting how he and Vito came to America looking for jobs in New York and St. Louis and finally settled in Detroit where they found their secure positions. They hoped to bring their parents over once they were settled but the old couple showed little interest in making the move. In the meantime, their sister, Marina, looked after them in Partinico while they sent money each month.

When Vito did say a word, he expressed his appreciation for the invitation and the opportunity to meet such a well-respected family. He said all this in a very polite and refined manner. There was no doubt that his quiet and dignified demeanor impressed Mario as his good looks impressed the girls! Here was no braggart or uneducated blow-hard but a respectful man who thought before he spoke in an earnest and heartfelt manner.

VV was obviously impressed with this well-spoken man, even if she didn’t understand all he said while Paulina gave some approving but guarded nods as he spoke. As for their part, Frank and Carmela did all they could to praise Vito much to his discomfort.

He tried to get the focus off of himself by asking Salvatore how he was doing at school and what subjects he liked. He mentioned that he always enjoyed school and that he loved to read history books and the poetry of Sicilians like Ciullo. He joked that he had more than enough time to think as he prepared biscuits and baked bread! This comment got some laughs and a warm smile from VV as Paulina gave a irritated smirk and tried her best to speak of other things.

That first meeting between the Visazzas and the Ventis went relatively smooth and there was no doubt that a small spark of admiration was ignited between Vito and VV, though she had said practically nothing to encourage him. Yet, that first meeting was the start of a relatively short courtship which Mario and Frank encouraged while Paulina did her best to find every reason that would nix the entire affair.

Again, the saints were not on her side and, with Mario’s blessing, Vito and VV were engaged and prepared for a summer wedding in l922. VV wasn’t sure what love was all about but she did feel comfortable around Vito and did love his gentle and patient manner. She knew that she respected him and was convinced that love would follow.

On June l5th, l922, Vito Venti and Vita Visazza were married at Holy Family Church on the corner of East Fort Street and Hastings Street. She swore before the Madonna delle Grazie that she would honor, obey and love this Vito Venti and give him a healthy and happy family. Mario beamed with pride, Rosa showed adoring admiration and Paulina gave restrained but accepting gestures that indicated her blessings. As a wedding gift, Mario gave the couple a down payment on the house next to his. It had been vacated by one of Paulina’s cousins who had built a new home near the affluent area of Grosse Pointe.

Vito and VV’s new house was bigger than the one she lived in since it had two floors with three bedrooms downstairs and a separate apartment upstairs that could be rented to help pay the mortgage. The house also had a large living room, a dining room, kitchen, one bathroom, many closets. There also was a full basement that had a laundry, kitchen and sitting room, plus a coal bin and wine cellar. The upstairs apartment needed some work which Mario agreed to help Vito complete in the hope that he could soon rent it. There was no doubt that Vito also thought that this cozy apartment would be just the right place for his parents when they decided to come to the States. This hope was shared by VV since she knew how much it meant to him.

VV was more than happy with her new home since she just had to move next door! She had dreaded a move from East Fort Street where she had lived since she came over from Sicily. Here where her parents lived and so many of her relations and friends had homes was the only neighborhood she knew in America. She loved it, the parish, the proximity to downtown, the nearby river and the closeness to Holy Family Church. The only person who was a little skeptical about the arrangement was her sister-in-law, Carmela, who felt that they would be living too close to VV’s parents. She felt that they should give themselves a fresh start somewhere else. However, Vito made it clear that he loved the neighborhood with all his paesani living nearby and, more important, he was now much closer to his job which he could walk or drive to.

He added that he and Vita would soon have a family and it would be good for his children to grow up near relatives, a good school and a church nearby. When the time came for them to need a bigger house, they would build one. For now, he was fortunate to have a good wife, a good home and a good job to pay for it all !

Chapter 2

Vita Visazza now Vita Venti was still referred to as VV by all who loved and knew her. She had joked to Vito that they were both VVs and he lovingly added that soon there would be more little vs to add to their family.

In l923, their first child, Norina, was born and named after Vito’s mother in Partinico. She was a healthy but attention craving baby who demanded all the care her mother could give her. The second child was also a girl, born in l927, and named after VV’s mother,Paulina. In contrast to her older sister, Paulina had a quiet, loving personality with a quick smile