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A resolution making Aug. 9 Indigenous Peoples Day in Cleveland initially started as a much more ambitious resolution that would have removed Columbus Day from city calendars. The city council passed the resolution on Wednesday. Indigenous People's Day was passed to reaffirm Cleveland's commitment to promote the well-being and growth of the city's N...

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The National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) is pleased to announce that directors Joe and Anthony Russo, who collaborate with NIAF and the Italian Sons and Daughters of America (ISDA) to offer The Russo Brothers Italian American Film Forum, are projected by the film industry to set global box office records this weekend with the release of thei...

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On March 14, 1891 a mob of anywhere from 8,000 to 20,000 people hung, shot and clubbed 11 Italian immigrants outside Parish Prison in New Orleans. This was the largest recorded mass lynching in American history. Nine of the immigrants had been charged with the murder of the city’s police chief, David Hennessy. A lawful trial had been held and the j...

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An epoch has come to an end with the retirement of Josephine Petitti as executive director of the Midwest District of the Italian Sons and Daughters of America. “It’s been a long and wonderful run, and it’s been an honor to serve,” says Petitti, who has more get-up-and-go at 90 than most folks do at half her age. A driving force for the local ISDA...

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Columbus Day has become synonymous with Italian Heritage Day, a time in which Italian Americans remember the sacrifices made by their parents and grandparents, and the contributions Italian Americans have made in the U.S. The time-honored Columbus Day parades began in the late 1800s as Italian immigrants strived to create a sense of self-esteem and...

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As cities across the country increasingly reject Columbus Day, choosing instead to celebrate Indigenous People’s Day, Italian-Americans have sent a clear message: Their holiday isn’t going down without a fight. Columbus Day, named for the Italian explorer who sailed to the Americas on behalf of Spain more than 500 years ago, has become a painful re...

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Each October, we come together and celebrate National Italian American Heritage Month. It is a time set aside for the 18 million Americans of Italian descent to reflect on their family’s history, traditions and values. The most meaningful way to do this is by making certain your family’s story is kept alive:  Pass it on to your children, grandchild...

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Italian Sons and Daughters of America (ISDA) is making history with its dramatic growth. Hundreds of delegates gathered in Buffalo, N.Y. at ISDA’s Biennial Convention last week, and were the first to hear the news: National President Basil Russo unveiled plans for three lodges — one in New York City and two in New Jersey — that will become new corn...

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My father was the child of two Italian immigrants who were born in Longi, Sicily. His mother, Rosalia, died at 32 years of age shortly after giving birth to her sixth child. My grandfather, Basilio, from whom I received my name, was a tough Sicilian immigrant who found himself with five young children to raise (the sixth child, Domenico, had died a...

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On May 31, the Italian American Museum of Los Angeles (IAMLA) unveiled the newest addition — the iconic Captain America shield — to its permanent exhibition, Italians in Hollywood. The latest piece showcases the achievements of record-smashing directors Joe and Anthony Russo, best known for Avengers: Infinity War, and Captain America: Civil War. Bo...

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