Italian Jersey Heritage: Patrick O’Boyle
As Italian Heritage Month continues, I would like to recognize a Jersey guy that is making a significant contribution to our culture: Patrick O’Boyle. Yeah, the name. I know. Stick with me. I paid homage to Patrick a few years ago on my other blog for his contributions. Since then, he has continued to bring important topics to light and is working...
Spectators gather for 35th annual Columbus Day Parade in Bloomfield
The Columbus Day Parade has been a tradition for 35 years in Pittsburgh’s Little Italy. The parade made its way down Liberty Avenue in Pittsburgh’s Bloomfield neighborhood Saturday morning as spectators of all ages lined the streets. “Everybody’s here, having a beautiful day, enjoying the parade, that’s the only thing that matters,” said James Pion...
The Italian Cultural Center set to officially open in Delaware County
On Saturday, the doors will open to the Delaware Valley region's first Italian museum. It was a long road to this moment, and the curated collection is a historical celebration of the area's Italian roots. "Our goal is to showcase the greatness and the ingenuity of the Italians and what they've brought to America," says historian Michael DiPilla. T...
These prominent Philadelphia landmarks are still named after Christopher Columbus
As Philadelphia prepares to celebrate its third Indigenous Peoples Day, several monuments, statues, and commemorations of explorer Christopher Columbus remain throughout the city. Despite a recent national movement to remove or recast them, the U.S. still had at least 149 monuments honoring the Italian explorer, per a 2021 audit from local art and...
Orange/West Orange UNICO Chapter Celebrates Italian American Heritage Month with Flag Raising
On Wednesday, October 4, residents gathered at town hall to celebrate Italian American Heritage Month with the Orange/West Orange chapter of UNICO. Italian American month began in 1989 when President George H. W. Bush and the Congress issued a special proclamation for Italian American Month in 1989. It overlaps with Columbus Day, which falls on the...
Trenton’s First Italian Immigrant Families 1793-1850
Sunday, October 8 · 2 - 3:30pm EDT. William Trent House Visitor Center - Across from Hughes Justice Complex - 15 Market Street Trenton, NJ 08611. It is estimated that 10,000 Italians immigrated to the United States between 1793 and 1850 including the first to establish residence in Trenton. One immigrant to Trenton, Giovanni Battiste Sartori (known...
Nutley-Belleville Columbus Day, Italian Heritage Parade Is Back
An annual Columbus Day and Italian Heritage parade will return to Nutley and Belleville for 2023. According to a news release from Nutley Township, the parade will kick off at Belleville High School at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 8. The parade route will travel along Joralemon Street, turn at Franklin Avenue, and continue to the Nutley Park Oval. The...
Seaside Heights becomes Little Italy this weekend as Italian Festival comes to town
All things Italian will take center stage this weekend in Seaside Heights, as the borough hosts the annual Italian Festival and Ocean County Columbus Day Parade. The Italian Festival will be held on Friday, Saturday and Sunday on Grant Avenue, and will feature food, music, crafts and performances by an Italian folkloric group, Citta' dei Trulli, a...
Italian Child “Slaves” of the 19th Century: Kidnapped and Forced to be Musicians
In the midst of the Civil War, on May 14, 1864, in the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia, George Richardson posted a two-hundred-dollar reward in the Daily Dispatch for the return of his runaway slave, Henry. On the same day, Italian padrone, Pasquale Falvella posted a reward in the New York Herald for the return of Antonio Pricolo, an elev...
First Lady Jill Biden to Host First-ever Italian American Heritage Month Delegation at White House
Basil M. Russo, in his capacity as president of the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations (COPOMIAO), wrote the First Lady in July requesting that she host an event to celebrate her Italian heritage and honor the 18 million Americans of Italian descent. On Sept. 25, the First Lady agreed and graciously invited a large del...
Judge Carolyn Carluccio belongs on Pa. Supreme Court
In the legal community, Judge Carolyn Tornetta Carluccio is a name synonymous with experience, integrity, and pioneering leadership. As the first woman President Judge in the history of the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas, she is now vying for a seat on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, where her qualifications speak for themselves. But before...
October is Italian-American Heritage Month in Little Falls
The Little Falls Township Council has officially proclaimed the month of October as Italian-American Heritage and Culture Month in the Township. Italian-American Heritage and Culture Month, recognized since 1989, is an opportunity to pay tribute to the enduring legacy of Italian Americans in the United States. From the early explorers to the 5.5 mi...