Former Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-Glen Cove) and Italian-American advocacy groups have criticized Nassau County Legislator Mazi Pilip’s campaign for referring to Suozzi as the “godfather of the border crisis.” The phrase “godfather,” particularly in usage against Italian-Americans, carries a negative stereotype of association with the Mafia, as a result of...

Italian American organizations from around the country are heeding the call championed by COPOMIAO President Basil M. Russo: by uniting together, the Conference of Presidents, in part, commands the respect and international recognition that's oftentimes impossible to achieve on an individual basis. In the past two years alone, COPOMIAO leaders have...

Chicago’s Italian American community, represented by the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans (JCCIA), came together this week to address opportunities and challenges that are elevating and impacting our shared heritage. JCCIA President Ron Onesti convened the meeting and invited COPOMIAO President Basil Russo to speak on the transformative s...

Dear friends, What a month! So many things, so many friends, so many events! It always happens in October, but this year has been extraordinary! It actually started at the end of September, when in Florence I had the honor of representing We the Italians and the Italian American community at the Made in Italy event organized by Maurizio Mancianti,...

Hon. Basil Russo was formally inducted as a “Knight of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Italy” on Sunday, Oct. 8. The Order, established in 1951, is the highest-ranking honor of the Italian Republic. The official ceremony took place in Little Italy at Angelo’s Nido Italia, where Russo earned the Cavaliere dell’ Ordine al Merito della’ Repubbli...

First Lady Jill Biden hosted a delegation of Italian American leaders Thursday evening at the White House to highlight a bellwether of cultural progress that has taken shape within the community. Dr. Biden, the nation’s first-ever Italian American First Lady, met with Basil M. Russo — president of the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian Ameri...

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...

September 9-10 2023 Detroit, MI, United States

Basil Russo, John Viola, and the IAFL team conducted a special seminar in Detroit last weekend at the request of Italian Consul Allegra Baistrocchi. Its purpose was to bring together future leaders of the Italian American community and offer them a platform to collectively express their pride in their heritage, to formulate plans as to how they can...

In preparation of Italian and Hispanic American Heritage Months in October, would you like educators in your school district to receive a new, innovative tool to stimulate critical and analytical thinking about complex issues in society? If so, the New Jersey Italian Heritage Commission (NJIHC) is pleased to offer its “An Italian’s Dream: Leads to...