Forty years ago, this week an Italian American woman named Geraldine A Ferraro made history by being the FIRST woman to be nominated by a major political party to run for Vice President in the United States! In her acceptance speech, she said, "The daughter of an immigrant from Italy has been chosen to run for vice president in the new land my fath...

If it is true - as it is - that Italian Americans have a lot of Italian culture in their DNA, one of the most obvious proofs is the role of women in the family. Both in Italy and in the Italian American community, women are the fundamental pillar of the family, but they are also very much more. Time’s passing and society’s evolving lead to a due, t...

October 12 2020 Roma, Italy / The United States

As a psychotherapist, my curiosity about the effects of ethnicity on personality development was heightened by my early work with patients.  There was little in the literature about Italian American ethnic identity and mental health before the late 1970s. While looking for answers–and missing the big family I left behind in Brooklyn some 20 years e...

The Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations brought its message of unity to Chicago recently. Conference Chair Dr. Aileen Sirey, and Vice Chair Basil Russo met with representatives of 20 member organizations of the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans. The meeting was hosted by JCCIA President Sergio Giangrande. The m...

Why are we so eager to search out scapegoats for the injustices of history? Whatever the reason, Christopher Columbus is now the fall guy for the sins of slavery, the exploitation of indigenous peoples, the rape of natural resources and most of the legal, financial and territorial abuses that followed the first European steps in the New World. His...

The National Organization of Italian American Women is honoring three women who have been leaders in their communities, paying special tribute to U.S. Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro, D-3. The Connecticut Region of the NOIAW will hold its 10th annual Epiphany brunch to honor “Three Wise Women” from Connecticut from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Jan. 13 at the New Haven L...

In this episode, we talk with Dr. Aileen Riotto Sirey, one of the founders and the first president of the National Organization of Italian American Women (NOIAW). She discusses the role of Italian American women before, during, and after the feminist movement, as well as her own journey straying from then returning to embracing her heritage. In the...