The Deputy Mayor of the Newark Mayor’s Office of International Relations and Diaspora, Ligia S. De Freitas, invited Cav. Dr. Gilda Rorro to attend and give remarks at the Sister City Signing Ceremony between the City of Newark and the Comune of Spilinga, in Calabria, Italy. The virtual event took place on 6 July in the Newark City Hall’s Press Room, where Hon. Mayor Ras J. Baraka was in attendance.

Mayor Baraka, former Honorary Consul of Italy in Clifton, Dominic Vincent Caruso, and Dr. Gilda Rorro greeted the mayor of Spilinga and the residents of the town in English and Italian. Mayor Baraka lauded the contributions of the Italian American community in Newark, and Dr. Rorro spoke about the Sister City Relationships she helped organize as Honorary Vice Consul for Italy, Emerita, in Trenton.

She cited the most recent, between Our Lady of Sorrows Elementary School in Hamilton Township, New Jersey, with its counterpart in Monteleone di Spoleto, and the Nottingham High School paired with the Liceo Scientifico Beato Simone Fidati di Cascia. Both schools in Italy are in the central region of Umbria.

Dr. Rorro mentioned that, at a recent Zoom meeting at Nottingham High School, Mayors Reed Gusciora of Trenton and Jeff Martin of Hamilton Township were present to greet their Umbrian counterparts. Evaluation results of students and faculty involved in the project in both countries were overwhelmingly positive.