The Power of Persuasion Figs & Famiglia

Welcome to Figs and Famiglia, a podcast that shares stories of the Italian American experience. My name is Tonya Russo Hamilton and for this first series of episodes, I’ve been interviewing my father, Antonio Russo about his journey from Naples, Italy to the U.S. by himself as a ten year old boy. In this episode, Tony is finally reunited with his biological family. It had been 4 years since he’d seen them last and he was anxious about what was awaiting him at their reunion. His life had finally settled into a rhythm in Portland, with his aunt, uncle, and baby cousin and now he was being sent away yet again. He landed in New York, now a teen, not the young boy he was the first time around, and the memories came flooding back. But as emotional and wonderful as the reunion was, Tony held fast to the promise that he had made to his aunt the day he left Portland. He told her, he’d be back, and he stayed true to his word, and set a plan in motion to convince his parents to make yet another journey and move across the U.S. from Brooklyn, New York to Portland, Oregon.