Discrimination in America has primarily made certain races known, such as African Americans, Native Americans, Hispanics, Middle Easterners, and even Asians. Italian Americans are a race rarely publicized for discrimination in America. Many are unaware of the discrimination Italian immigrants faced during their first wave in America, and even today. In their early days in America, workers' struggles were imposed on them. Just like today, with Mexicans coming to America to earn money for their loved ones back home, Italians crossed seas to earn a living and send it home to their families. And just like today, many felt that Italians were stealing their jobs because they were willing to work for the lowest wages. This was only the beginning of anti-Italianist discrimination in America (Salvatore J., 1999). Labor struggles were not the only fire Italian immigrants faced. According to La'Gumina, during the early years of Italian immigration, they faced many conflicts such as virulent prejudice and nativist hostility (p. 22). Starting with Ellis Island, although less than two percent of Italians were turned away, if an Italian had even a small trace of a disease such as trachoma, they had to return to Italy. As noted 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 through managed to deal with many of the conflicts on Ellis Island. Many did not speak English, so the regulations were confusing, many people were disoriented, not knowing what to do or where to go. Each person arriving in the United States had to be entered by name in the official register and, because of the medium of paper, Goodfellas, The Godfather and Casino put the Italians in the spotlight on the common Anti-Heroes of cinema. However, there are still slandered prejudices against Italians today. Reality shows such as Jersey Shore have defined Italians as other races and greatly insult the Italian-American community. The oppression that Italians have faced over the decades is not as publicized as others, but it has happened and even continues to happen today. Works Cited Billington, JH Congress, Immigration History (2014). Italian immigrants. Retrieved from 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.