Today, we celebrate the proud heritage of Italian Americans in our Nation, whose contributions and character have shaped our country’s soul. I believe we are the only Nation in the world with a heart and soul that draws from old and new.  For some Italian-American families, the stories they share about their ancestors’ lives in this country stretch back generations.  

They are stories about immigrants who left everything behind to sail across an ocean and chase the American Dream for the hope of a brighter future.  They are stories about ancestors who helped build this country and found America’s middle class — and their traditions and recipes still bring joy to their families today. They are stories of Italian-American artists, laborers, lawmakers, and leaders who never gave up on the idea of America.