Giovanni Vincenzo Desica

The Immigrants Giovanni Vincenzo Desica

"As his ship entered New York City's harbor, it seemed everyone on board stood on deck, filled with unblemished anticipation. People pressed tightly together against the front railings that ran along the edges of the ship's deck. Everyone was noisy, exhilarated, stretching and peering to get a better view of the giant city that seemed to rise up beyond the waters everywhere before them and the strong lady who stood tall and proud in the middle of the harbor ahead. "Donna Liberta." Someone whispered. The words seemed to come now from several places in the crowd. Suddenly, one man shouted loudly, "Donna Liberta!... Donna Liberta!" Then another. Then another. "Donna Liberta!" The crowd grew louder, restless. Buzzing, talking, stirring about. Another man shouted, "America, America.... o Dio mio, America!" A few people began to clap. Suddenly, more and more wee clapping and shouting. "America!..." "Liberta!" ... "Donna Liberta!" The many people moved, shouted, clapped together. They ebbed and flowed, a throng of bodies pulsating, alive as one. Alive with excitement, enthusiasm! Anticipation! And dreams of what America might mean for them. What "Donna Liberta!" really meant."