The Art Commission has voted to remove the Christopher Columbus statue in Schenley Park. They voted 3-0 in favor of removing the Columbus statue, which was vandalized twice this summer. It follows emotional debates between members of the Italian American community and Native Americans. The statue has stood in Oakland for more than 60 years, a symbo...

A documentary project about the World Series of Bocce Documentary has been awarded a production grant from The Russo Brothers Italian American Film Forum. This grant is on behalf of the National Italian American Foundation and the Italian Sons and Daughters of America. For those that don't know, The Russo brothers directed the Captain America and A...

In July, Charles Geno Marsala, the President of the American Italian Federation of the Southeast and a District National Vice-President the Italian Sons and Daughters of America (ISDA), was one of eight chosen for the 2020 Russo Brothers Italian American Film Forum Grants.   The program was started by Anthony and Joseph Russo who have a cinematic r...

On April 1, 2020 The Russo Brothers Italian American Film Forum Committee, along with its sponsors, the National Italian American Foundation and Italian Sons and Daughters of America (ISDA), announced the postponement of the naming of the 2020 grant award recipients due to the health concerns relating to the coronavirus. The committee has decided t...

Nihilo sanctum estne (Is nothing sacred)? The philosophical Latin question takes on new meaning as vandals continue to destroy and deface statues, from Christopher Columbus and George Washington, to Jesus and the Virgin Mary. Meanwhile, churches are being torched under suspicious circumstances and city leaders are all too eager to stay mum on the s...

A new organization is seeking to dispel the myths surrounding Christopher Columbus, and it is being backed by the five largest Italian American organizations in the United States and their millions of members and followers. In the wake of the unprecedented attacks on the reputation of Christopher Columbus that have spread throughout the country, th...

Coronavirus restrictions have begun to bleed into the warmer days, forcing summer holiday festivities and traditional family gatherings to be canceled—this, of course, includes our beloved Feast Day celebrations. The oldest feast of its kind, the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Feast — set to take place in Williamsburg, Brooklyn — will not be held this ye...

For many Italian Americans, the start of summer means the start of “Feast Season,” but the summer of social distancing looks like it’s also destined to be the “summer of no feasts”… or is it? In this week’s episode, our team discusses how the current COVID-19 crisis has affected the most tangible representation of the Italian American community at...

Charles Marsala, President of the American Italian Federation of the Southeast, met with Basil Russo, President of the Italian Sons and Daughters of America at the 2019 National American Italian Federation Convention. Initial start-up funding for the lodges was provided from the Marsala Cultural Fund. Each lodge was opened with twenty-five paid mem...

Dear ISDA members, this is your invitation to join our 2020 biennial conventions, for both the Order and Fraternal Association, which will be held at the Hilton Hotel in Cleveland, Ohio from Aug. 8 to Aug. 12. The Ohio District, under the the leadership of ISDA Vice President Marie Frank, will host the conventions, and the committee has planned an...