On September 23 and 24, 2022, Tulane University and the John D. Calandra Italian American Institute collaborated in presenting a symposium titled "The Italian Immigrant Experience: Between Black and White." The symposium was held in New Orleans, on the Tulane campus. The symposium featured scholars who study the Italian American and the Black experiences in New Orleans as well as throughout the United States. This book is a compilation of the papers presented at the symposium.At the forefront of organizing this event was a desire to provide students and the public with historical knowledge regarding the Italian immigrant experience during the late nineteenth century. The speakers who presented their papers are among the many scholars who have dedicated their lives to researching these topics, and they adhere, as well, to criteria of historical accuracy.

As the author and critic Robert Viscusi implored us, we must actively engage and preserve our own culture and history, or we risk allowing others to shape the narrative in ways that may not reflect our true identity. It is crucial to take ownership of our heritage to ensure it is represented accurately and authentically. He articulated such notions in his "three rules of IAWA (Italian American Writers Association): "Read one another. Write or be written. Buy our books."