Chris Vaccaro, the executive director of the Italian American Heritage Society of Long Island, spoke about preserving Italian heritage and culture today at the annual conference for the Long Island Chapter of the American Association of Italian Teachers.

“I told them emphatically that we will advocate to protect and maintain Italian language programs in school districts and colleges across Long Island, he said. “If we lose Italian programs, we lose Italian teachers, and if we lose teachers, we lose a connection for students to learn about Italy and the language our ancestors spoke.”