The “Father of Italians” in New Haven was Paul Russo. When contemplating the meaning of the Christopher Columbus monument to Italian immigrants, I only could imagine the disappointment that Paul Russo would have felt if he knew a future mayor of New Haven would break the bond between government and the Italian people by removing the statue. Read about Russo in the Sunday Herald, April 27, 1952, newspaper article, “Paul Russo Overcame Poverty to Win Fame.”
Here are the latest stories about everything Italian: The death toll of victims of a hydroelectric plant’s explosion in Italy rises to 7. Italian Fashion Designer Roberto Cavalli passed away at age 83. High earning “digital nomads” will receive visas to live in Italy. A Newark, New Jersey Columbus statue finds a new home.
Welcome to Ashley Testa, our latest newsletter subscriber! Now is the time to encourage others to join as we approach 180 full members and subscribers.
Italian-American Defense League’s Actions and Happenings
During the past week, Elm City Filmmaker Steve Hamm interviewed IADL’s president about what the Christopher Columbus monument means to us. At City Hall, IADL’s president answered questions by the City of New Haven’s attorney in a deposition, which will be used in our court case to return the Christopher Columbus statue to its pedestal in Wooster Square. And IADL’s president continues to build a relationship with the Native American Guardian’s Association, and will participate in an online solidarity session tonight. We encourage IADL members and subscribers to individually join NAGA at this link. Watch this interview between Primo Magazine and Eunice Davidson, President of NAGA.
Upcoming Events
Wooster Square Cherry Blossom Festival – Today, April 14, 2024, 12-4:30 PM
Wooster Square's Cherry Blossoms have been celebrated each spring since 1973, when 72 Yoshino Japanese Cherry Blossom Trees were planted by the New Haven Historic Commission in collaboration with the New Haven Parks Department and Wooster Square neighborhood residents. The festival attracts thousands to Wooster Square and includes food vendors and local musicians. Continue reading about the festival on its website.
Stamford, CT Board of Education Meeting – April 30, 2024, 7 PM
Show people of Italian descent are united in honoring Columbus Day and Veterans Day in public schools. Give support to UNICO Stamford in its effort to create a Columbus Day curriculum in Stamford schools, which could be used as a state-wide model.
IADL Monthly Regular Meeting, Guilford, CT – May 6, 2024
Are you interested in attending a Board of Directors meeting? Would you like to meet us, or provide your input? IADL meets every first Monday of the month at 4PM in Guilford, CT except when the first Monday is a holiday. Contact us ahead of time to attend our monthly meeting because of limited space. We would like to meet you in person and welcome more members to be involved.
Learn more about the Italian-American Defense League.
Website: https://iadlnow.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IADLnow/
Twitter (now X): https://twitter.com/IADLPresident
Member of COPOMIAO: https://copomiao.org/
Italian-American Defense League is a 501(c)4 nonprofit charity and social welfare organization. The primary purpose of the Italian-American Defense League (IADL) is to promote mutual cooperation among its members, reinforce social welfare ideals with community involvement, and preserve the historical significance and achievements of Italian Americans. The IADL’s secondary purpose is to serve as a lobbying and advocacy group to local, state, or federal authorities and the private sector on matters of interest to Italian Americans.
Give to the IADL here! Donations are NOT tax-deductible.
Now is the time! l
Welcome to our latest member: Chris Lovas! Today’s newsletter is about reaching out to others in a shared mission to counter cancel culture. Later in this newsletter, examples are given showing Connecticut’s newly adopted public school’s social studies framework is focused on identity politics. Read the full social studies framework here.
At our last board meeting, IADL directors voted to join the Native American Guardian’s Association. We will collaborate as partners in the Seven Generations Alliance. NAGA Founder and President Eunice Davidson said it is vital “for our communities to come together, share experiences, and explore strategies to combat the negative impacts of cancel culture. By standing in solidarity with one another, we can challenge the erasure of our histories and promote a more inclusive and equitable society." By joining the Seven Generations Alliance, members agree that:
As patriotic Americans representing diverse ethnic backgrounds, histories, and cultures, we seek to foster mutual respect and preserve our individual races, cultures, traditions, historic figures, holidays, monuments, statues and all other forms of recognition of our unique contributions to our blended ethnic mosaic that is America. We believe that cancel culture is at the root of dividing Americans largely along racial lines as it seeks to eliminate history and tradition from society, and as such, cancel culture itself must be eliminated.
We encourage IADL members and subscribers to individually join at this link: https://www.nagaeducation.org/general-9-1 .
Italian-American Defense League’s Actions and Happenings
The IADL will present at the New Jersey Italian Heritage Commission annual event. Topics include integration of the commission’s Christopher Columbus curriculum in public schools; what’s happening with our statues, the Roman legacy in the creation of America, video: Gianni Berenego Gardin’s Tale of Two Cities about Venice, and St. Francis Xavier Cabrini. The event will take place on April 20th at the Douglas Student Center at Rutgers University. Our presentation will share how the Roman legacy curriculum could be integrated into social studies instruction in public schools.
Surprisingly during preparation for the conference, I found the newly adopted Connecticut social studies framework is void of any reference to Columbus and mentions Italians, Rome, and Christians only one time each, in contrast to LGBTQ+ which is mentioned five times. Each example is below.
1.Geo.3.a. Use maps to identify Indigenous communities and cultural enclaves both past and present in Connecticut (e.g., recognized and unrecognized tribal communities, Jamaican, Puerto Rican, Italian, Albanian, Jewish, Portuguese, Sikh, Pakistani, Brazilian, Polish, Russian).
6.His.2.a. Classify a series of historical events and developments in a region as examples of political change and continuity (e.g., Fall of Rome, Korean Demilitarized Zone, Fall of Saigon, Partition of India).
US.His.15.a. Identify both long term causes and triggering events to develop historical arguments about efforts to abolish legalized racial segregation, discrimination, and disenfranchisement (e.g., Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Black Panther Party, Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, American Jewish Congress, American Indian Movement, United Farm Workers, Congress of Racial Equality).
[The} the CSDE partnered with state and national reviewers and content specialists in the areas of African American history, Latino history, Native American history, Asian American history, and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and other sexual orientations, and gender identities (LGBTQ+) history for assistance in the writing and review of the standards.
2.His.14.a. Generate reasons about why national and state observances and celebrations have been established to honor individuals, groups, and events in the CT Social Studies Standards -DRAFT 9- page 32 United States (e.g., National Hispanic Heritage Month, Veterans Day, Black History Month, Women’s History Month, Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Memorial Day, LGBTQ Pride Month, Juneteenth).
7.Geo.4.a. Explain how norms regarding gender and sexuality influence the daily lives of people (e.g., LGBTQ+ rights, family structures, matrilineal societies, division of labor, political participation).
MW.His.1.f. Investigate the ways in which antisemitic beliefs and other discriminatory policies in Europe led to the persecution and murder of millions of Jews as well as Roma, disabled people, LGBTQ+ individuals, and political prisoners during the Holocaust (e.g., Nuremberg Race Laws, Final Solution, Aktion T4).
US.Civ.5.b. Evaluate the effectiveness of individuals, groups, and institutions in addressing issues of civil rights and justice in the post-World War II era (e.g., disability, education, environmental justice, LGBTQ+ rights, poverty, racial and gender equity, voting access).
All hope in public education should not be lost. This weekend I attended a Christian Educators conference in Hartford. If you know an educator who values their faith and is against cancel culture, have them read about Christian Educators at this link: https://christianeducators.org/ . Joining this organization as an educator is life changing.
Upcoming Events
IADL Monthly Regular Meeting, Guilford, CT – May 6, 2024
Are you interested in attending a Board of Directors meeting? Would you like to meet us, or provide your input? IADL meets every first Monday of the month at 4PM in Guilford, CT except when the first Monday is a holiday. Contact us ahead of time to attend our monthly meeting because of limited space. We would like to meet you in person and welcome more members to be involved.
Learn more about the Italian-American Defense League.
Website: https://iadlnow.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IADLnow/
Twitter (now X): https://twitter.com/IADLPresident
Member of COPOMIAO: https://copomiao.org/
Italian-American Defense League is a 501(c)4 nonprofit charity and social welfare organization. The primary purpose of the Italian-American Defense League (IADL) is to promote mutual cooperation among its members, reinforce social welfare ideals with community involvement, and preserve the historical significance and achievements of Italian Americans. The IADL’s secondary purpose is to serve as a lobbying and advocacy group to local, state, or federal authorities and the private sector on matters of interest to Italian Americans.
Give to the IADL here! Donations are NOT tax-deductible.
Now is the time!
After reading the Biden Administration banned religiously themed Easter eggs from the White House’s Easter Egg Art Contest, I decided to search for the true meaning of Easter in newspaper archives, instead of the popular cultural celebration of bunnies and candy. During at time of global conflict, editors of this Italian newspaper, La Verita, Corriere del Connecticut, April 03, 1942, article, described the faith and Patriotism of Americans during a time of war in the United States (translated by Google). Buona Pasqua e La Pasquetta, and read more about Italian Easter traditions here.
How did we go from our faith as Americans in the Resurrected Christ leading the United States to victory against evil in World War II, to stopping children from designing religiously themed eggs during the White House Easter egg contest because Christianity might offend somebody?
It is the first war Easter which is celebrated in America since the time of the world conflict a quarter of a century ago. Therefore the first wish, which flows from our hearts today, is a vibrant wish for victory for the Starry Flag, which once again flutters over the skies of history and the world, as an unconquered and luminous symbol of freedom, of justice, democracy and human solidarity'. This wish echoes unanimously and solemnly from the Atlantic to the Pacific, from north to south, throughout all the lands near and far, where the Bands and the Stars shine and everywhere there is the eternal sign of creative civilization, inextinguishable and warning of America.
This serene, conscious and powerful wish, which makes Christian Easter sweeter and more beautiful, is also a cry of victory and a cry of hope for a better future for humanity, today gripped by the pangs of and from the terrors of fraternal carnage. Because America's victory means spiritual and material care for all the peoples of the earth; it means justice and understanding for the benefit of all, without racial discrimination, without differences in beliefs, without differences in politics or regimes. Because today America is fighting not only for its threatened security; but she still fights chivalrously, for the highest and most noble ideals of life and history; fights so that individual and collective freedoms are not forever trampled by sinister oppressions and so that the sacred heritage of dignity and civil conquests of the centuries is not confined and left to rot in the museum of memories and [die] disconsolately.
In the tremendous battle in which today is America is busy and all Americans are busy, there is the dazzling light that shone from the hearts of Mazzini and Garibaldi; of the Apostle, that is, of all the liberties of history and of the Hero of the Two Worlds, who with his glorious sword drawn, ran everywhere, where there was a tyranny to be suppressed, an unjust surprise to avenge, an ideal of humanity and civilization to triumph kings and everywhere the liberties of the people were threatened by tyrants. The same light shines today from the Capitol in Washington, in the shadow of the sacred memory of the Father of the Country and the Martyr President and as long as this light shines and illuminates the destinies of the Nation and the destinies of all humanity, it seems hope[ful], that all is not yet lost and that the day of resurrection will be certain.
In this first Easter of war, with the clear vision of the certain victory of tomorrow and with the hope of a better future for the whole world, after the horrendous blood bath, we approach the Glorious Risen One, while the camps Christian jubilees ring in celebration and while the white and crusader banners of the Church chatter in front of the moved hearts, the anxious souls and the eyes bathed in tears. Hearts, souls and eyes, which are passionately turned towards the battlefields, where our children are defending the honor and security of the homeland and are writing with blood and heroism, the new history of America rich and perhaps also that of the world. We feel close to them; we wrap them in our immense and grateful love and formulate our brightest wishes and most ardent wishes for them and for the entire fortunes of the country.
America is today more than ever, reaching out towards its fighters, who are fighting with indomitable courage, astonishing the world and astonishing the enemy himself. While they hold out for the greater glory of the Starry Flag, the whole Nation feels the indispensable duties of showing itself worthy of its fighters, worthy of its compact spiritual and political harmony become more intense and more pressing; worthy in its total cooperation; worthy in all its gigantic efforts to prepare for victory; worthy in its solidarity towards the Government, on whose shoulders lies the most terrible weight in history.
We couldn't in a better and more suitable way, greet the Resurrected is this first Easter of war, that of promising ourselves and our fighters, to silence all the passions that wear out our souls and wills and instead to unite the one and the other, to make the most of us triumph soon, the cause that America is committed to all humanity, to defend and support to the bitter end. Only with this firm promise and these firm resolutions, we can wish our distant children a very happy Easter and wish it to ourselves, while the cannon thunders and the sacred bronzes. [Adjusted Google translation]
Italian-American Defense League’s Actions and Happenings
In Chicago, activism by the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans, convinces city officials to reconsider the proposed ordinance to change Columbus Drive to Barack Obama Drive. Recently, IADL led an initiative to unify organizations in Connecticut by sending a letter in support of Columbus Day to Senators Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy. Though education and socializing are crucial elements of embracing Italian heritage, expressing our opinions to decision makers is another key element. Here are the liaisons to these groups and some individuals who signed the letter.
Society of Saint Maria Maddalena
American Italian Women of Greater New Haven
President, Italian American Alliance – Connecticut
The Council of Italian American Societies of Greater Bridgeport
Constitution State Educators
Native American Guardian’s Association
Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America
Saint Sebastion Men’s Club
UNICO National Stamford Chapter
Italian-American Defense League
Sons and Daughters of Italy, Valley Regional Lodge
Lafayette Club
Former Consul of Italy in Connecticut
Greater Hartford Chapter of UNICO
Canicattinese Society
Milford Columbus Committee
Classic Shows LLC
Abys Consulting LLC
Michael and Anthony Argento
Getachew Dires
Victor V. Fraulo
Frank Gentilesco
Ryan Wessels
Upcoming Events
IADL Monthly Regular Meeting, Guilford, CT – April 1, 2024 (NO JOKE!) Click here to view a copy of the meeting agenda.
Are you interested in attending a Board of Directors meeting? Would you like to meet us, or provide your input? IADL meets every first Monday of the month at 4PM in Guilford, CT except when the first Monday is a holiday. Contact us ahead of time to attend our monthly meeting because of limited space. We would like to meet you in person and welcome more members to be involved.
Learn more about the Italian-American Defense League.
Website: https://iadlnow.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IADLnow/
Twitter (now X): https://twitter.com/IADLPresident
Member of COPOMIAO: https://copomiao.org/
Italian-American Defense League is a 501(c)4 nonprofit charity and social welfare organization. The primary purpose of the Italian-American Defense League (IADL) is to promote mutual cooperation among its members, reinforce social welfare ideals with community involvement, and preserve the historical significance and achievements of Italian Americans. The IADL’s secondary purpose is to serve as a lobbying and advocacy group to local, state, or federal authorities and the private sector on matters of interest to Italian Americans.
Give to the IADL here! Donations are NOT tax-deductible.
Now is the time!
Today, our newsletter begins with newsworthy headlines about everything Italian. First, famous pianist Maurizio Pollini died at the age of 82. Listen to the Grammy winning pianist on YouTube. Second, read about and listen to the music of jazz musician Vanessa Racci, who won the ISDA 2024 Donna Distinta Award. Learn more about Racci on her website. Third, the Chicago City Council is considering a proposal to change the name of Columbus Drive to Barack Obama Drive. Fourth, a Jewish writer proudly explains that Jews fleeing Spain were crucial crew members during Columbus’ voyage in 1492.
Once again, Journalist and Editor Umberto Mucci shares a digital copy of “We the Italians” magazine. The March 2024 edition includes an interview with Connecticut resident Cristina Carabetta. The attorney and member of the Italian American Future Leaders conference discusses the racial and ethnic categorization of Italian Americans.
Italian-American Defense League’s Actions and Happenings
It was a pleasure meeting new IADL members at the Cabrini movie on Monday night. If you haven’t gone yet, we highly recommend seeing it on the big screen. Also, recently IADL received donations. Thank you for your generosity as we continue to educate, portray Italians positively, and preserve traditions. IADL’s legal efforts to return the Columbus statue to Wooster Square continue through the court system.
On Tuesday, I had the opportunity to speak to Radio Host Vinnie Penn on air as his guest. IADL’s segment isn’t available online, but other links show that Italian heritage is on Penn’s mind. Listen to 960 AM short clips (two radio clips and three Facebook videos): 1. Why Not Paul Russo? (Which refers to IADL’s opinion piece in the New Haven Register); 2. St. Joseph’s Day Menu; 3. New Haven’s Little Italy is Getting Really Little; 4. Just a Made-Up Family Statue; 5. A Love Letter to Fair Haven.
Upcoming Events
IADL Monthly Regular Meeting, Guilford, CT – April 1, 2024 (NO JOKE!)
Are you interested in attending a Board of Directors meeting? Would you like to meet us, or provide your input? IADL meets every first Monday of the month at 4PM in Guilford, CT except when the first Monday is a holiday. Contact us ahead of time to attend our monthly meeting because of limited space. We would like to meet you in person and welcome more members to be involved.
Learn more about the Italian-American Defense League.
Website: https://iadlnow.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IADLnow/
Twitter (now X): https://twitter.com/IADLPresident
Member of COPOMIAO: https://copomiao.org/
Italian-American Defense League is a 501(c)4 nonprofit charity and social welfare organization. The primary purpose of the Italian-American Defense League (IADL) is to promote mutual cooperation among its members, reinforce social welfare ideals with community involvement, and preserve the historical significance and achievements of Italian Americans. The IADL’s secondary purpose is to serve as a lobbying and advocacy group to local, state, or federal authorities and the private sector on matters of interest to Italian Americans.
Give to the IADL here! Donations are NOT tax-deductible.
Now is the time!
Welcome Joe Limauro, our newest IADL member! Tomorrow, Monday, March 18th at 7:10 PM at Cinemark in North Haven, CT, we will have an informal gathering of members and friends who would like to watch the film CABRINI. Before and after the movie we can meet and greet one another, and discuss the film. Tickets can be purchased on the movie theater’s website here. Here is Fr. Mike Schmitz, a famous Catholic priest, and his reaction to the movie.
If a city knows how to throw a party, it is New Orleans. During March, there are several Italian-Irish heritage parades and activities. With St. Joseph’s Day (San Giuseppe) on March 19th, what a wonderful time to celebrate together! Happy St. Patrick’s Day and La Festa di San Giuseppe, and onomastico del nome Giuseppe e Patrick!
Italian-American Defense League’s Actions and Happenings
Last week was a busy week for IADL. Our opinion editorial, March 14, 1891 lynchings were a catalyst for the Columbus monument, was published in the New Haven Register. The reaction was overwhelmingly positive, and the more people who read it, the better. Please share the link on social media to family, friends, and groups.
Also, the Native American Guardian’s Association (NAGA) announced a Seven Generations Alliance with Italian heritage organizations. Together with NAGA, we will oppose the “cancelation” of Columbus and Native American logos. We will officially vote to join this alliance at our next meeting. All people, groups, and organizations against political revisionist history, anti-Americanism, and cancel culture are welcome to join.
Why is it so important to come together? This convicted vandal, representing the American Indian Movement (AIM), toppled the Minnesota Columbus statue in 2020. He defends his anti-Americanism, proclaims lies about Columbus, and justifies his anti-Americanism in this interview. NAGA passionately opposes the actions and tactics of AIM.
We’ve made progress where coalitions committed to oppose cancel culture.
In New Hampshire, the bill to eliminate Columbus Day was defeated. The Friends of Italian Americans group was crucial in the win. Additionally, the House Committee on Rules did not take up the bill to eliminate Columbus Day and Virginia. Right in New Britian, Italian-American Alliance-CT won a public campaign to keep its Columbus statue on public display.
Upcoming Events
IADL Monthly Regular Meeting, Guilford, CT – April 1, 2024 (NO JOKE!)
Are you interested in attending a Board of Directors meeting? Would you like to meet us, or provide your input? IADL meets every first Monday of the month at 4PM in Guilford, CT except when the first Monday is a holiday. Contact us ahead of time to attend our monthly meeting because of limited space. We would like to meet you in person and welcome more members to be involved.
Learn more about the Italian-American Defense League.
Website: https://iadlnow.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IADLnow/
Twitter (now X): https://twitter.com/IADLPresident
Member of COPOMIAO: https://copomiao.org/
Italian-American Defense League is a 501(c)4 nonprofit charity and social welfare organization. The primary purpose of the Italian-American Defense League (IADL) is to promote mutual cooperation among its members, reinforce social welfare ideals with community involvement, and preserve the historical significance and achievements of Italian Americans. The IADL’s secondary purpose is to serve as a lobbying and advocacy group to local, state, or federal authorities and the private sector on matters of interest to Italian Americans.
Give to the IADL here! Donations are NOT tax-deductible.
Now is the time!
Welcome Joseph M. Caruso, Sr., as IADL’s latest newsletter subscriber. Calling all IADL members, on Monday, March 18th at 7:10 PM at Cinemark in North Haven, CT, we plan to have an informal gathering of members and friends who would like to watch the film CABRINI. Before and after the movie we can meet and greet one another, and discuss the film. Tickets can be purchased on the movie theater’s website here. Please reply to let IADL know you are attending. Then we can look for you.
On Thursday afternoon, Phil Dickey, IADL Director, was interviewed by WTNH at the Christopher Columbus statue cornerstone at Wooster Square in New Haven. Though Dickey was recorded for an extended period of time, only a brief comment was included in the story. Dickey stated, “Our board is divided on the aesthetics of the [new immigrant] statue, but we’re happy to see it. We’d just like to see the Columbus statue back on its pedestal behind it.” Several members of the IADL board disagree with the decision of Marc-Anthony Massaro, the sculptor, who placed the woman immigrant behind the man. However, overall, the IADL supports new statues but not replacing the statues that our ancestors erected in the past. Read the text and watch the full news story at this WTNH link.
In Columbus, Ohio, the city government is seeking public input on Tuesday, March 12, about HOW to display its Columbus statue after it was removed on June 1, 2020. The decision to return the statue was possible because people of Italian descent and other stakeholders in Columbus, Ohio united together to ask for the statue’s return. Continue reading this story here.
Italian-American Defense League’s Actions and Happenings
Here is a preview of IADL’s letter to the editor that will appear in The New Haven Register next week:
March 14, 1891 Lynchings: Catalyst for the Creation of Wooster Square's Columbus Monument
The words cast on the plaque of Wooster Square’s Columbus Monument were “A Cristoforo Colombo Gl’ Italiani di New Haven.” The Italians of New Haven erected the Columbus Monument in 1892 after violence and lynchings against Italian immigrants in West Virginia and New Orleans. In the aftermath of the New Orleans lynchings of eleven Italian immigrants on March 14, 1891, a group of prominent Italian men from New Haven met and denounced the lynchings. The energy at that meeting was the catalyst for the planning and preparation of the events to follow.
On October 11, 1892, thousands at the Columbus Day parade lined the streets of New Haven for miles, including members of civic organizations from throughout the city. Two days later, the hands of Italians laid the cornerstone, and the Columbus statue was dedicated a little more than a week later on the twenty-first. Paul Russo, representing United Italian Societies, also a banker and first Italian to earn a degree from Yale Law School, dedicated the monument to Christopher Columbus on October 21, 1892. The statue, fully funded by Italian residents, faced Long Island Sound, the route to the New World. Columbus set the path for New Haven Italians to follow to the Land of Opportunity, and they admired him for his faith, courage, and spirit of enlightenment.
Without a strong national identity in Italy and living in the tenements of “Little Naples” in Wooster Square, 1892 marked an important date. It was the first time Italians felt part of a nation, part of America, because it was one of their own, Christopher Columbus, who connected two worlds 400 years earlier. Children across the United States pledged their allegiance to the flag for the first time on Columbus Day, 1892, showing its roots as a patriotic holiday. The Italians in Wooster Square championed the anniversary in New Haven with visitors from every part of the state.
The Wooster Square Columbus Monument marked two moments in history, 1492 and 1892. We are the beneficiaries of the New Haven Italians of 1892, and it is our duty to honor their wishes to keep their Columbus monument erected in perpetuity. It is an injustice that that statue was removed by an angry mob and complicit mayor.
Upcoming Events
IADL Monthly Regular Meeting, Guilford, CT – April 1, 2024 (NO JOKE!)
Are you interested in attending a Board of Directors meeting? Would you like to meet us, or provide your input? IADL meets every first Monday of the month at 4PM in Guilford, CT except when the first Monday is a holiday. Contact us ahead of time to attend our monthly meeting because of limited space. We would like to meet you in person and welcome more members to be involved.
Learn more about the Italian-American Defense League.
Website: https://iadlnow.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IADLnow/
Twitter (now X): https://twitter.com/IADLPresident
Member of COPOMIAO: https://copomiao.org/
Italian-American Defense League is a 501(c)4 nonprofit charity and social welfare organization. The primary purpose of the Italian-American Defense League (IADL) is to promote mutual cooperation among its members, reinforce social welfare ideals with community involvement, and preserve the historical significance and achievements of Italian Americans. The IADL’s secondary purpose is to serve as a lobbying and advocacy group to local, state, or federal authorities and the private sector on matters of interest to Italian Americans.
Give to the IADL here! Donations are NOT tax-deductible.
Now is the time!
Welcome Jason Ysco, our 176th and newest IADL member! Additionally, fifteen independent organizations and another seven influential individuals agreed to collaborate on the Connecticut Council of American Italian Organizations, with its first initiative to oppose the Anti-Columbus/Italian US Senate bill.
On Friday afternoon, IADL was invited to a “briefing for Italian-American leaders following President Biden’s bilateral meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at the White House.” The meeting was held remotely on Zoom. White House staff briefed leaders and included remarks from National Security Council Senior Director for Europe Andrew Johnson and Director for European Affairs Agnieszka Kurzej. The question we submitted was answered during the briefing, “How will the White House continue to build its strategic relationship with Italy and communicate its importance with the American people?”
Increasing trade, providing support to Ukraine, and stoppling human trafficking across Italy’s border were topics of discussion, along with air dropping humanitarian aid in Gaza. One major problem that both countries are facing is illegal immigration across their borders. The G7 summit in June will be a crucial moment to showcase the US-Italy partnership globally. Prime Minister Meloni and President Biden’s press conference can be viewed on CSPAN at this link.
Cabrini, a film by Angel Studios, will be released on March 8, 2024 on International Women’s Day. After viewing the film at a screening last summer, I cannot wait to view it for a second time. It is a beautiful story of a tenacious Italian woman who overcame all odds to achieve her dream of giving. The film was produced with Hollywood special effects and cinematography and is like no other film I’ve ever seen about immigrants, America’s first saint, and a woman. Watch the movie’s trailer on YouTube and listen to Andrea Bocelli’s new release, “Dare to Be,” which is on the movie’s soundtrack.
Italian-American Defense League’s Actions and Happenings
IADL representatives attended Stamford’s Board of Education meeting on Tuesday, February 27th. More than 150 Veterans and Italian-Americans, some both, packed the meeting room on the Fifth Floor of Government Center, and were in favor of traditional American holidays. Thirteen speakers spoke in favor of maintaining Columbus Day and Veterans Day as holidays and days off on the school calendar. No citizen spoke in favor of keeping students in school on that day. At key moments, the 150 attendees cheered during public comments by representatives of UNICO, parents of students, and leaders of Veterans organizations. Despite overwhelming support for the holidays, the Board of Education would not revote on the school calendar.
At last month’s meeting by a 5-3 vote, with one member absent, it voted to keep students in school on the holidays. Read one reporter’s account of the evening here. The attendees were very civil and cooperative, and I disagree with the reporter’s depiction of the crowd’s “emotions,” which plays into stereotypes. Watch IADL’s YouTube video of public comments including UNICO representatives, Veterans, and parents.
One board member, Versha Munshi-South refused to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. These are the six board members against the holidays: Antonia Better-Wirz, Jackie Heftman, Michael Hyman, Gabriella Koc, Joshua Esses, Versha Munshi-South. Here are their email addresses: abetterwirz@Stamfordct.gov, jheftman@Stamfordct.gov, mhyman@Stamfordct.gov, gkoc@Stamfordct.gov, jesses@Stamfordct.gov, and vmunshisouth@Stamfordct.gov. Feel free to contact them to explain that you support the people of Italian descent and Veterans, disagree with their decision, and ask that they reverse their decision at the next meeting.
Upcoming Events
IADL Monthly Regular Meeting, Guilford, CT – March 4, 2024
Are you interested in attending a Board of Directors meeting? Would you like to meet us, or provide your input? IADL meets every first Monday of the month at 4PM in Guilford, CT except when the first Monday is a holiday. Contact us ahead of time to attend our monthly meeting because of limited space. We would like to meet you in person and welcome more members to be involved.
Learn more about the Italian-American Defense League.
Website: https://iadlnow.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IADLnow/
Twitter (now X): https://twitter.com/IADLPresident
Member of COPOMIAO: https://copomiao.org/
Italian-American Defense League is a 501(c)4 nonprofit charity and social welfare organization. The primary purpose of the Italian-American Defense League (IADL) is to promote mutual cooperation among its members, reinforce social welfare ideals with community involvement, and preserve the historical significance and achievements of Italian Americans. The IADL’s secondary purpose is to serve as a lobbying and advocacy group to local, state, or federal authorities and the private sector on matters of interest to Italian Americans.
Give to the IADL here! Donations are NOT tax-deductible.
Now is the time!
Welcome new IADL members, Getachew Dires and Joey Catanzaro, and newsletter subscriber, Cheryl Marceau increasing our membership to 175. Additionally, we have 303 followers on Facebook. Furthermore, IADL’s initiative to form a Connecticut Council to oppose Senate Bill 2970 which literally rewrites Columbus Day out of U.S. Code is succeeding. American Italian Women of Greater New Haven and Constitution State Educators signed on in favor of the Connecticut Council of American Italian Organizations’ initiative. IADL believes that to win on this issue we need statewide support from all citizens, not just Italian Americans. The movement to destroy American traditional symbols and beliefs is anti-American and anti-Christian, not only anti-Italian. To date, these are the people and groups that support collaboration and unification in Connecticut.
Joseph Abys, Abys Consulting LLC,
Fran Calzetta, President, American Italian Women of Greater New Haven
Joey Catanzaro, President, Italian American Alliance – Connecticut
Christopher Caruso, President, The Council of Italian American Societies of Greater Bridgeport
Michael Costanza, Founder, Constitution State Educators,
Eunice Davidson, President, Native American Guardian’s Association
Paul DeRiu, Connecticut State President, Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America
Mathew DiGiovanni, Saint Sebastion Men’s Club
Getachew Dires, CTRA
Victor V. Fraulo, I Vote
Dr. Alfred B. Fusco, Columbus Day Chairman, UNICO National Stamford Chapter
Frank Gentilesco
Matthew Guarnieri, President, Italian-American Defense League
Cheryl Marceau
Bob Orchano, Lafayette Club
Alfonse Panico, Former Consul of Italy in Connecticut
MaryJoan Picone, President, Greater Hartford Chapter of UNICO
Buddy Prete, President, Milford Columbus Committee
Ludwig Spinelli, Owner, Classic Shows LLC
Ryan Wessels, Physician's Assistant
(Updated 3/2/2024)
Now let’s take a look at local, regional, and national Italian-American headlines in the news. In Stamford Connecticut, Italians, Hispanics, and Veterans teamed up to record a public service announcement in favor of Columbus Day and Veterans Day as holidays in Stamford Public Schools. In Virginia, the efforts of Democrat Paul Krizek to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples’ Day failed in the legislature. And read an opinion piece in the Washington Examiner about the omission of Italian Americans from a presidential statement which overlooked the 600,000 Italian Americans who were designated as “enemy aliens” during World War II.
Italian-American Defense League’s Actions and Happenings
On February 15, 2024, political activists took over St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Details about the incident can be found at this link or in this Fox News article. The activists danced in the pews and referred to the deceased individual as the “Mother of Whores” on the alter. Watch the video here on Twitter, now X. The following is IADL’s statement, “The abhorrent and sacrilegious takeover of St. Patrick's Cathedral by more than 1000 radical LGBTQ+ activists on February 15th was motivated by hate. St. Patrick's Cathedral has been a mecca for Italians since the Great Arrival and its desecration must be condemned."
Upcoming Events
Stamford Board of Education Meeting – February 27, 2024 at 7PM at the Government Center
If you would like to join a group from the IADL to support our friends in Stamford at this meeting, please contact us. This address is for the parking garage at Government Center: 888 Washington Blvd, Stamford, CT 06901. I know of a few IADL members who plan to attend. Please email me today or Monday to join us. The meeting will take place on the Fifth Floor of Gov’t Center.
IADL Monthly Regular Meeting, Guilford, CT – March 4, 2024
Are you interested in attending a Board of Directors meeting? Would you like to meet us, or provide your input? IADL meets every first Monday of the month at 4PM in Guilford, CT except when the first Monday is a holiday. Contact us ahead of time to attend our monthly meeting because of limited space. We would like to meet you in person and welcome more members to be involved.
Learn more about the Italian-American Defense League.
Website: https://iadlnow.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IADLnow/
Twitter (now X): https://twitter.com/IADLPresident
Member of COPOMIAO: https://copomiao.org/
Italian-American Defense League is a 501(c)4 nonprofit charity and social welfare organization. The primary purpose of the Italian-American Defense League (IADL) is to promote mutual cooperation among its members, reinforce social welfare ideals with community involvement, and preserve the historical significance and achievements of Italian Americans. The IADL’s secondary purpose is to serve as a lobbying and advocacy group to local, state, or federal authorities and the private sector on matters of interest to Italian Americans.
Give to the IADL here! Donations are NOT tax-deductible.
Welcome new IADL members: Joe Abys, Anthony Tedeschi, MaryJoan Picone, Sebastian Testa, and Peter Prizio, and newsletter subscribers: Michael Argento, Anthony A. Argento, and Sebastian Mozzicato.
Now let’s take a look at local, regional, and national Italian-American headlines in the news. Opening on March 8, on International Women’s Day, is the film Cabrini. Read the reaction of viewers during a sneak preview. Known as “The Big Ragu,” New York Knick’s Donte DiVincenzo is pursuing the opportunity to play for the Italian national basketball team. The Italian American One Voice Coalition (IAOVC) and Native American Guardian’s Association announced an alliance to oppose cancel culture and the Senate Bill to eliminate Columbus Day. The City of Denver officially decided not to return statues of Christopher Columbus and Kit Carson to outside the Civic Center. Read more about Kit Carson, pioneer, here.
Italian-American Defense League’s Actions and Happenings
I had the honor of sitting down with Greater Hartford UNICO on Monday and giving a brief presentation about the IADL and its initiatives. The future is promising by collaborating to promote Italian education, portray Italians positively, and preserve Italian-American traditions.
On the same evening in Stamford, residents rallied at the Government Center to protest the removal of Columbus Day and Veterans Day as holidays and days off for students. Watch the CBS New York news story here on YouTube or read about the protest at this link.
Never before has it been more important to unify people of Italian descent and those who desire to maintain American traditions. That is why IADL is facilitating the creation of the Connecticut Council of American Italian Organizations. Note that America is first as the nation where Italian immigrants finally created a national identity, something they didn’t have in Italy. Already the Connecticut Council has written and verbal commitments from the following to oppose Senate Bill 2970 to eliminate Columbus Day:
Greater Hartford UNICO
Orders Sons and Daughters of Italy in America-CT
Native American Guardians Association
Alfonse Panico ... Former Consul of Italy in Connecticut
Ludwig Spinelli, LLC Classic Shows
Joseph Abys, Abys Consulting, LLC
Victor Fraulo
Michael and Anthony Argento
Italian American Alliance-CT (verbal)
UNICO Stamford (verbal)
American Italian Women of Greater New Haven (verbal)
Council of Italian American Societies of Greater Bridgeport (verbal)
Upcoming Events
Stamford Board of Education Meeting – February 27, 2024 at 7PM at the Government Center
If you would like to join a group from the IADL to support our friends in Stamford at this meeting, please contact us. This address is for the parking garage at Government Center: 888 Washington Blvd, Stamford, CT 06901. More details will follow.
IADL Monthly Regular Meeting, Guilford, CT – March 4, 2024
Are you interested in attending a Board of Directors meeting? Would you like to meet us, or provide your input? IADL meets every first Monday of the month at 4PM in Guilford, CT except when the first Monday is a holiday. Contact us ahead of time to attend our monthly meeting because of limited space. We would like to meet you in person and welcome more members to be involved.
Learn more about the Italian-American Defense League.
Website: https://iadlnow.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IADLnow/
Twitter (now X): https://twitter.com/IADLPresident
Member of COPOMIAO: https://copomiao.org/
Italian-American Defense League is a 501(c)4 nonprofit charity and social welfare organization. The primary purpose of the Italian-American Defense League (IADL) is to promote mutual cooperation among its members, reinforce social welfare ideals with community involvement, and preserve the historical significance and achievements of Italian Americans. The IADL’s secondary purpose is to serve as a lobbying and advocacy group to local, state, or federal authorities and the private sector on matters of interest to Italian Americans.
Give to the IADL here! Donations are NOT tax-deductible.
In Stamford, Connecticut, there is a RALLY FOR COLUMBUS DAY on Monday, February 12th at 4:30 at the Government Center. Press and newspapers are expected to be there. Veterans and Italian Americans will stand together in support of Columbus Day and Veterans Day. Showing unity at this rally will send a message to the Stamford Board of Education before its February 27th meeting.
In Washington, D.C. the National Italian American Foundation’s mansion is for sale. NIAF’s mission is to “celebrate and advance the inspiring achievements and uplifting values of the Italian culture and presence in America and to strengthen and empower ties between the United States and Italy.“ What does this mean for the organization?
In New York City, Richard Gambino, Italian American studies pioneer at Queens College, passed away at age 84. Gambino’s achievements, “illuminated the complexities and richness of Italian American identity, offering a powerful counternarrative to the prevailing stereotypes.” Read more about Gambino here.
Italian-American Defense League’s Actions and Happenings
The New York Times, which has a history of anti-Italianism, rejected it, but the Southern heritage group Abbeville Institute published IADL Director Dr. Phil Dickey’s opinion editorial calling for unity against cancel culture. Previously, the Italian-American Defense League opened a dialogue with the Native American Guardian’s Association, which also is a target of the Marxist elimination of traditional American symbols. Each group has its reasons for maintaining its symbols, and although we may not agree on every detail, we can offer each other mutual respect, support, and cooperation.
Dickey writes, “What do pro-Israel Jewish Americans, Italian Americans, and American Southerners have in common? First and most obviously, they have proud traditions based on Judeo-Christian ethics. Judaism, Catholicism, and Protestantism, the predominant religions in the groups, share belief in God though there are many and complex variations in their beliefs and practices. Second, another important thing they have in common is that their cultures are increasingly under attack in America, particularly with respect to removal and desecration of their monuments and symbols.” Continue reading here.
Stamford Board of Education Meeting – February 27, 2024 at 7PM at the Government Center
If you would like to join a group from the IADL to support our friends in Stamford at this meeting, please contact us. This address is for the parking garage at Government Center: 888 Washington Blvd, Stamford, CT 06901. More details will follow.
IADL Monthly Regular Meeting, Guilford, CT – March 4, 2024
Are you interested in attending a Board of Directors meeting? Would you like to meet us, or provide your input? IADL meets every first Monday of the month at 4PM in Guilford, CT except when the first Monday is a holiday. Contact us ahead of time to attend our monthly meeting because of limited space. We would like to meet you in person and welcome more members to be involved.
Learn more about the Italian-American Defense League.
Website: https://iadlnow.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IADLnow/
Twitter (now X): https://twitter.com/IADLPresident
Member of COPOMIAO: https://copomiao.org/
Italian-American Defense League is a 501(c)4 nonprofit charity and social welfare organization. The primary purpose of the Italian-American Defense League (IADL) is to promote mutual cooperation among its members, reinforce social welfare ideals with community involvement, and preserve the historical significance and achievements of Italian Americans. The IADL’s secondary purpose is to serve as a lobbying and advocacy group to local, state, or federal authorities and the private sector on matters of interest to Italian Americans.
Give to the IADL here! Donations are NOT tax-deductible.
Good morning and welcome Mario Di Natale, our newest IADL member!
To begin today’s newsletter, Dr. Al Fusco published his response to the Stamford Board of Education’s decision to eliminate Columbus Day and Veterans Day as holidays and days off from school. Fusco also mentioned the Italian-American Defense League’s efforts to unify Connecticut in this in-depth CT Examiner article.
“Fusco said several cities in Connecticut are interested in the Columbus debate, including New Britain, Branford and Clinton, and he plans to speak to them. The Italian American Defense League is exploring how to address it statewide, he said.”
And Alfonso Panico, former Honorary Vice Consul of Italy and newspaper correspondent, interviewed us for the Italian newspaper La Voci di New York. Click this link to read the article, “Il comitato scolastico di Stamford rimuove le feste dei veterani e del Columbus Day.”
Futhermore, here is the IADL’s OpEd submitted and published in the Hartford Courant. The full text is below. https://www.courant.com/2024/02/03/italian-american-defense-league-open-letter-to-stamford-board-of-education-on-christopher-columbus/ .
Open letter to the Stamford Board of Education: Christopher Columbus: An Advocate for Taino People
Christopher Columbus, once commemorated for the grandest achievement of human history, connecting two worlds in 1492, is now the target of the decolonize movement, which has the goal of decentering European culture in the United States. Decolonizers blame Columbus for all the sins of human history, without acknowledging the historical facts that prove war, slavery, rape, and murder existed in every society on every continent since the beginning of human history, including in the Americas long before Columbus ever encountered the Taino and Carib peoples. As matter of fact, Columbus not only followed the laws of his time, but advocated for the Taino people repeatedly during his voyages.
In Stamford, Connecticut, five board of education members sided with the decolonize movement. Versha Munshi-South, Josh Esses, Michael Hyman, Gabriela Koc, and Antonia Better-Wirz voted to eliminate Columbus Day as a holiday and day off for students. To further the decolonize agenda, the five board members also removed Veterans Day. More than 1.5 million Italian Americans served in the U.S. Armed Forces during World War 2, and eliminating Veterans Day is an insult to them, every American that served, and anyone who reaps the benefits of those who sacrificed. The rest of this piece will focus on Columbus and his legacy.
When describing instruction in Stamford Public Schools, Versha Munshi-South, clearly stated in the Stamford Advocate, “The students were using primary sources to investigate the true history of Columbus and I can tell you that based on primary source research, no, they did not conclude that Columbus was a hero.” Contrary to Munshi-South's opinion, Columbus demonstrated an admiration and respect for Chief Guacanagari and the Taino people. Columbus referred to the Tainos’ intelligence, physical features, and peaceful nature in his journal (Columbus, Journal of the First Voyage). Columbus formed an alliance with Chief Guacanagari and protected the Taino people from the Caribs. After the Santa Maria capsized, Columbus was forced to leave a group of Spaniards behind in Hispaniola forming the first settlement with the aid of the Tainos. Columbus gave the Spaniards specific orders to respect the Natives and to stay away from the Taino women. To form the opinion that Columbus was not a hero, without reservation, is pure indoctrination.
Columbus also wrote letters to Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand advocating for the rights of the Taino people. He asked for missionaries to be sent to the New World to teach the Natives Christianity. In today’s world, many may feel that this infringed on the Natives’ religious rights. But remember, freedom of religion was the eventual consequence of Columbus’ discovery. During Columbus’ time, prisoners of war were forced to convert at best, enslaved or murdered at worst.
While exploring the Caribbean, Columbus encountered Carib tribes and defended the Taino, freeing Taino slaves. On later journeys, when chiefs of warring tribes tried to gain favor by offering Columbus women, Columbus sent the women back untouched (The Life of the Admiral Christopher Columbus by his son Ferdinand). Columbus’ request to teach the Natives Christianity and constraint show he saw the humanity of the Natives, and that he was concerned about their salvation. Are these facts being taught in Stamford Public Schools?
By 1503, the encomienda system was in place, with the original intent to decrease the abuse of Natives who were prisoners of war; however, the practice is viewed today as a form of enslavement (www.britannica.com). It was Columbus’ responsibility to enforce these laws, though his capability of enforcing the protection of Natives was limited. According to Bartolomé de Las Casas, known as the “Protector of Indians,” actions in the New World before the death of Queen Isabella in 1504 were just (A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies). When forming an opinion about the legacy of Columbus, it is crucial to consider the intent behind the laws Columbus supported with principles of civil rights and humanitarianism in mind in the context of his times.
Globalization commenced and a new era began. The Columbian Exchange increased food production and the exchange of goods to every continent around the globe. The sharing of ideas led to the improvement of human rights. The Laws of the Indies added more protections to Indigenous rights, the intersection of peoples from three continents created a new race of Hispanics/Latinos, and centuries later, it was written in the Declaration of Independence that our rights as Americans are endowed on us by our Creator, and the Thirteenth Amendment of the Constitution abolished legal chattel slavery.
I would like to say that Versha Munshi-South, Josh Esses, Michael Hyman, Gabriela Koc, and Antonia Better-Wirz know better, but what do they really know? Why would they side with the decolonize movement over American traditions? Why do educators simplify history and follow a political agenda? Stop Italian hate and anti-Americanism.
Italian-American Defense League’s Actions and Happenings
IADL Monthly Regular Meeting, Guilford, CT – February 5, 2024
Are you interested in attending a Board of Directors meeting? Would you like to meet us, or provide your input? IADL meets every first Monday of the month at 4PM in Guilford, CT except when the first Monday is a holiday. Contact us ahead of time to attend our monthly meeting because of limited space. We would like to meet you in person and welcome more members to be involved.
Stamford Board of Education Meeting – February 27, 2024 at 7PM at the Government Center
If you would like to join a group from the IADL to support our friends in Stamford at this meeting, please contact us. More details will follow.
Learn more about the Italian-American Defense League.
Website: https://iadlnow.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IADLnow/
Twitter (now X): https://twitter.com/IADLPresident
Member of COPOMIAO: https://copomiao.org/
Italian-American Defense League is a 501(c)4 nonprofit charity and social welfare organization. The primary purpose of the Italian-American Defense League (IADL) is to promote mutual cooperation among its members, reinforce social welfare ideals with community involvement, and preserve the historical significance and achievements of Italian Americans. The IADL’s secondary purpose is to serve as a lobbying and advocacy group to local, state, or federal authorities and the private sector on matters of interest to Italian Americans.
Give to the IADL here! Donations are NOT tax-deductible.
Start today’s newsletter by listening to an interview with Mark Rotella, director of the Coccia Institute for the Italian Experience in America at Montclair State University in New Jersey. Rotella talks about how New York Giants Quarterback Tommy Devito’s hand gesture sparked a conversation about the Italian American experience.
Next, let’s focus on a controversial decision by the board of education in Stamford, Connecticut. In a 5-3 vote, the board voted to eliminate Columbus Day and Veterans Day as holidays and days off for students. On Thursday, NBC 12 Connecticut informed its viewers with the news story. New York and Fairfield County television and print media covered the story, including this informative electronic print article. Here is Dr. Alfred Fusco’s detailed response in the Connecticut Examiner, which shines light on a bigger problem regarding the teaching of history in Stamford schools. Dr. Fusco is a founding director of UNICO Stamford and member of the IADL.
Italian-American Defense League’s Actions and Happenings
In efforts to support people of Italian descent, IADL responded to the Stamford board of education with these words:
In the past months, I have witnessed attacks on American heritage that I never imagined possible. Sadly, as a result, the decision to eliminate Columbus Day and Veterans Day on the Stamford Public Schools calendar doesn't surprise me the least. The decolonize movement has been pushing for the replacement of traditional American holidays for decades.
Perhaps you do agree with decolonize theory and action. However, more likely, when decisions such as yours have been made, often they are characterized by an absolute apathy, or even contempt, for Italian American heritage. In the most extreme cases, eliminating Columbus Day is a deliberate attack on Judeo-Christian values and American Exceptionalism.
In education, there are teachable moments. Members of the board, this is a teachable moment. In this case, leaders of the Italian American and Veterans communities are the teachers. As students, it will take courage for you to admit the decision was wrong, and reinstate the holidays. Most politicians are cowards and would never admit a mistake. Don't be a politician, be a leader. That will earn you the respect of the citizens of your city. In turn, you'll become the teacher, and we'll all learn from your integrity.
New Initiative – Creation of a Connecticut Council of Italian Organizations
To end today’s newsletter, in addition to IADL’s lawsuit against the City of New Haven, here is our newest initiative. It is time we form a Connecticut Council of Italian Organizations. We are too fractured and divided across the state. I will take the lead, but we need leaders of Italian organizations from throughout the state. Each organization alone cannot win. From Stamford to Stonington and Hartford to New Haven, we must unite as Americans of Italian descent. Those who come on board will, and those who do not, we cannot worry about. We may even be surprised of the friends we make along the way, like those in the Native American Guardian's Association. Any leader interested in joining, respond to this newsletter. The location, date, and time of the founding meeting will be announced soon.
The IADL is bridging talk to action. The goal is to create unity by providing resources and support to local Italian organizations and to be proactive at the state level, rather than reactive which is a losing strategy. Members of the council will collaborate on shared goals without interfering in the operations of individual organizations. Siamo forti uniti!
Upcoming Events
IADL Monthly Meeting, Guilford, CT – February 5, 2024
Are you interested in attending a Board of Directors meeting? Would you like to meet us, or provide your input? IADL meets every first Monday of the month at 4PM in Guilford, CT except when the first Monday is a holiday. Contact us ahead of time to attend our monthly meeting because of limited space. We would like to meet you in person and welcome more members to be involved.
Learn more about the Italian-American Defense League.
Website: https://iadlnow.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IADLnow/
Twitter (now X): https://twitter.com/IADLPresident
Member of COPOMIAO: https://copomiao.org/
Italian-American Defense League is a 501(c)4 nonprofit charity and social welfare organization. The primary purpose of the Italian-American Defense League (IADL) is to promote mutual cooperation among its members, reinforce social welfare ideals with community involvement, and preserve the historical significance and achievements of Italian Americans. The IADL’s secondary purpose is to serve as a lobbying and advocacy group to local, state, or federal authorities and the private sector on matters of interest to Italian Americans.
Give to the IADL here! Donations are NOT tax-deductible.
Yesterday, IADL members viewed and discussed the documentary: Sacco and Vanzetti by Peter Miller at the Henry Carter Hull Library in Clinton, CT. This informative and thought-provoking film is available in its entirety for free on YouTube: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3. We can learn from the past by the murder trial and unjust execution of these two Italian immigrants.
In this newsletter read about Sam Avolicino, a 103-year-old WW2 veteran, whose advice to the younger generations is for them to focus on family and faith and Umberto Mucci’s interview with Author Tessa Floreano about her book, “Italians in the Pacific Northwest.” Plus, watch this Primo interview with Arthur Piccolo about relocating New York City’s Verrazano monument for the 500 anniversary of NYC, which is now barricaded by plywood in Battery Park.
Italian-American Defense League’s Actions and Happenings
On February 17, 2024, Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America in Massachusetts is inviting New England Italians to a free special event in Watertown, MA. They contacted us at IADL to extend the invitation to members, friends, and their families ages 21-40. This is a great opportunity to engage and excite “younger” Italian Americans about our heritage.
MA OSDIA is having a new & free event which we are hosting in Watertown, MA to unite young Italians from throughout New England to meet each other, network, coordinate cultural events, and plan out the future of our Italian culture. On Saturday 17 February at 9am the Sons & Daughters of Italy in Watertown, MA are hosting a free event for Italians between the ages of 21-40 to have open and honest conversations about the future of our Italian culture. We are looking to gather college students, young professionals, members of various Italian clubs, and those who are not involved yet, but want to be. We are respectfully asking you to share this information with your friends, family, and groups. Please have the candidate fill out a registration form at the link below.
If you have any questions, please contact IADL and we will obtain the information for you. If you or someone you know participates, we’d appreciate it if you let us know. Register here: https://form.jotform.com/233387950481161 .
Upcoming Events
IADL Monthly Meeting, Guilford, CT – February 5, 2024
Are you interested in attending a Board of Directors meeting? Would you like to meet us, or provide your input? IADL meets every first Monday of the month at 4PM in Guilford, CT except when the first Monday is a holiday. Contact us ahead of time to attend our monthly meeting because of limited space. We would like to meet you in person and welcome more members to be involved.
Learn more about the Italian-American Defense League.
Website: https://iadlnow.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IADLnow/
Twitter (now X): https://twitter.com/IADLPresident
Member of COPOMIAO: https://copomiao.org/
Italian-American Defense League is a 501(c)4 nonprofit charity and social welfare organization. The primary purpose of the Italian-American Defense League (IADL) is to promote mutual cooperation among its members, reinforce social welfare ideals with community involvement, and preserve the historical significance and achievements of Italian Americans. The IADL’s secondary purpose is to serve as a lobbying and advocacy group to local, state, or federal authorities and the private sector on matters of interest to Italian Americans.
Give to the IADL here! Donations are NOT tax-deductible.
Welcome new member Dante Rubano! IADL has over 160 members and subscribers and is a member of 62 nationwide organizations in COPOMIAO. We keep growing!
To begin this week’s newsletter, read about how the Russo Brothers’ Italian American Filmmaker Forum will recognize Louis D’Esposito, co-president of Marvel Studios, with its inaugural Renaissance Award. A COPOMIAO delegation will attend the Hollywood event on January 18th. It is our hope that Hollywood will commit to more positive portrayals of Italians in film and media. Furthermore, the Russo Brothers will expand their independent filmmaking grant program. The application process begins January 17th and more information can be found here.
Italian-American Defense League’s Actions and Happenings
On January 10, 2024, in Groton, Connecticut, the Representative Town Meeting had the opportunity to overturn a November 21, 2023, vote (7 Yea, 0 Nay, 1 Recused, 1 Absent) by the Town Council that changed Columbus Day to Italian Heritage Day/Indigenous Peoples Day. After receiving a letter from the Groton Italian American Club in support of restoring the Columbus Day holiday, 6 members of the Town Meeting voted in support of Italian Americans; however, 17 representatives did not. IADL received an email stating the RTM will maintain Italian Heritage Day/Indigenous Peoples’ Day in a vote of 17-6. Official minutes of the meeting should be available later this week. Take a “first look” at IADL’s response below.
Title: Preserving Tradition: A Critique of the Groton Town Council and RTM’s Decision Against Columbus Day, in Favor of Decolonization
The recent decision by Groton’s Town Council on November 21st to eliminate Columbus Day and replace it with Italian Heritage Day/Indigenous Peoples' Day, and the January 10th decision of the RTM to uphold the council’s vote, raises important questions about politicizing and rewriting history. While these elected officials may have positive intentions by acknowledging the ill effects of colonization on Native Americans, their compromise is unjust and flawed for many reasons. Before moving on, let me offer a solution that restores Columbus Day to the second Monday of October and honors “The Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples” on August 9th in solidarity with all indigenous peoples around the world.
Firstly, renaming Columbus Day as Italian Heritage Day erroneously redefines Columbus Day as only a niche, Italian American holiday. Like Independence Day, Columbus Day is a day to recognize the achievement of Americans throughout its history, as proclaimed by President Benjamin Harrison in 1892, stating Columbus Day is, “a general holiday for the people of the United States. On that day let the people, so far as possible, cease from toil and devote themselves to such exercises as may best express honor to the discoverer and their appreciation of the great achievements of the four completed centuries of American life.” Italians, who never maintained a strong national identify in their home country, formed a national identity in the United States as Americans. In turn, they championed expressing gratitude to Divine Providence, Faith, and American ingenuity on Columbus Day. Public officials must no longer ignore Columbus Day’s wider cultural significance.
Secondly, re-examining truths of history and acknowledging, or even apologizing for, the sins of the past, are worthy of consideration in their own right. By combining Italian Heritage Day with Indigenous Peoples' Day, the unintended effect is diluting the history and recognition of both peoples’ role in the betterment of America. Once again, if the recognition of these groups is only specific to their own experiences and histories, and not to their overall contributions to the United States, then it would be necessary to have an ethnic holiday for every immigrant group. Those lines of division are unhealthy for a prosperous America, and practically speaking, there are not enough days on the calendar.
Furthermore, renaming Columbus Day excludes and disrespects those of us who have researched and re-examined the history of Christopher Columbus, desiring to preserve his legacy, while also believing in the need for a more equal and inclusive society. No significant Native American event has taken place on the second Monday of October, which leads to a more just solution. The Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples on August 9th, established by the United Nations, gives Americans the time and space to honor the achievements of Native Americans to our great nation while experiencing their unique cultural heritages.
In their reexamination of history and cultural symbols, community leaders, in places such as Groton, must take a more positive approach, other than dividing groups by their cultural heritages. Rather than Indigenous Peoples’ Day symbolizing decolonization and anti-Americanism by replacing Columbus Day, a more American solution that emphasizes heritage instead of victimization, involves recognizing The International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples on August 9th while maintaining Columbus Day on all school, municipal, and state calendars.
Upcoming Events
IADL Monthly Meeting, Guilford, CT- Are you interested in attending a Board of Directors meeting? Would you like to meet us, or provide your input? IADL meets every first Monday of the month at 4PM in Guilford, CT except when the first Monday is a holiday. Contact us ahead of time to attend our monthly meeting because of limited space. We would like to meet you in person and welcome more members to be involved.
Henry Carter Hull Library, Clinton, CT, Sat. 1/20 from 2:00pm to 4:00pm: Sacco and Vanzetti: The Trial of Two Italian Immigrants in the 1920s. Director: Peter Miller. 2006. 80 min. Two Italian immigrant anarchists, Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, were accused of murder in 1920, and executed in Boston in 1927 after a notoriously prejudiced trial. Their ordeal came to symbolize the bigotry and intolerance directed at immigrants and dissenters in America. Millions of people around the world protested on their behalf, and their story continues to have great resonance as civil liberties and the rights of immigrants are again under attack. For more information, click on this link. Email us at iadlnow@yahoo.com if you plan to attend, so we know how many members will attend in advance.
Learn more about the Italian-American Defense League.
Website: https://iadlnow.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IADLnow/
Twitter (now X): https://twitter.com/IADLPresident
Member of COPOMIAO: https://copomiao.org/
Italian-American Defense League is a 501(c)4 nonprofit charity and social welfare organization. The primary purpose of the Italian-American Defense League (IADL) is to promote mutual cooperation among its members, reinforce social welfare ideals with community involvement, and preserve the historical significance and achievements of Italian Americans. The IADL’s secondary purpose is to serve as a lobbying and advocacy group to local, state, or federal authorities and the private sector on matters of interest to Italian Americans.
Donations are NOT tax-deductible.
Welcome new member Alessandro Abys! IADL has over 160 members and subscribers and is a member of 62 nationwide organizations in COPOMIAO. We keep growing!
To begin IADL’s first newsletter of the new year, read high interest stories from New England and around the globe. Restaurants in Boston’s North End are suing Mayor Wu for anti-Italianism, the same mayor who excluded people of European descent from a December Christmas party. Next, “We the Italians” magazine published its free digital issue, N. 170, which features Sylvester Stallone as its Italian of the Year. Last, learn more about the second annual Italian American Future Leaders conference that takes place in 5 days for participants ages 21 – 35, to carry our Italian heritage through the 21st century.!
Italian-American Defense League’s Action and Happenings
Our next meeting is on Monday, January 8th at 4 PM. For better communication with members, here is our agenda.
Call to Order:
Roll Call:
PRESIDENT’S Report
Minutes
Treasurer’s Report
Old Business
New Business
Adjourn
Upcoming Events
IADL Monthly Meeting, Guilford, CT- Monday, January 8, 2023: Are you interested in attending a Board of Directors meeting? Would you like to meet us, or provide your input? IADL meets every first Monday of the month at 4PM in Guilford, CT except when the first Monday is a holiday. Contact us ahead of time to attend our monthly meeting because of limited space. We would like to meet you in person and welcome more members to be involved.
Henry Carter Hull Library, Clinton, CT, Sat. 1/20 from 2:00pm to 4:00pm: Sacco and Vanzetti: The Trial of Two Italian Immigrants in the 1920s. Director: Peter Miller. 2006. 80 min. Two Italian immigrant anarchists, Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, were accused of murder in 1920, and executed in Boston in 1927 after a notoriously prejudiced trial. Their ordeal came to symbolize the bigotry and intolerance directed at immigrants and dissenters in America. Millions of people around the world protested on their behalf, and their story continues to have great resonance as civil liberties and the rights of immigrants are again under attack. For more information, click on this link. Email us at iadlnow@yahoo.com if you plan to attend, so we know how many members will attend in advance.
Learn more about the Italian-American Defense League.
Website: https://iadlnow.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IADLnow/
Twitter (now X): https://twitter.com/IADLPresident
Member of COPOMIAO: https://copomiao.org/
Italian-American Defense League is a 501(c)4 nonprofit charity and social welfare organization. The primary purpose of the Italian-American Defense League (IADL) is to promote mutual cooperation among its members, reinforce social welfare ideals with community involvement, and preserve the historical significance and achievements of Italian Americans. The IADL’s secondary purpose is to serve as a lobbying and advocacy group to local, state, or federal authorities and the private sector on matters of interest to Italian Americans.
Donations are NOT tax-deductible.
It is New Year’s Eve, so how do you celebrate the arrival of 2024, Italian-style? First, take a trip online to 10 places in Italy to learn customs in locations throughout Italy. Second, from lucky underwear to lentils, there is still time to adopt these traditions. Last, the festival of La Befana takes place on the Epiphany. Learn more about how La Befana relates to the story of the three magi.
Italian-American Defense League’s Action and Happenings
After receiving a letter from the Italian-American Defense League regarding the lack of programming and anti-Italianism by the Henry Carter Hull Library by ignoring Italian-American heritage and history during Italian-American Heritage Month in October, I am glad to share that the story of Sacco and Vanzetti will be included in a January civil rights video series at the library. I encourage IADL members to attend the event on Saturday, January 20, 2024. Email us at iadlnow@yahoo.com if you plan to attend, so we know how many members will attend in advance. More information is available via the link in the next paragraph.
Henry Carter Hull Library, Clinton, CT, Sat. 1/20 from 2:00pm to 4:00pm: Sacco and Vanzetti: The Trial of Two Italian Immigrants in the 1920s. Director: Peter Miller. 2006. 80 min. Two Italian immigrant anarchists, Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, were accused of murder in 1920, and executed in Boston in 1927 after a notoriously prejudiced trial. Their ordeal came to symbolize the bigotry and intolerance directed at immigrants and dissenters in America. Millions of people around the world protested on their behalf, and their story continues to have great resonance as civil liberties and the rights of immigrants are again under attack.
On December 30, 2023, IADL attended a Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations meeting. Here are some highlights:
Lastly, the format of our newsletter has changed. To start, IADL will include links to interesting articles about current events and history. The second part of the newsletter will highlight Italian-American Defense League’s action and happenings. Last, upcoming events, meetings, and IADL links will be included.
Upcoming Events
IADL Monthly Meeting, Guilford, CT- Monday, January 8, 2023: Are you interested in attending a Board of Directors meeting? Would you like to meet us, or provide your input? IADL meets every first Monday of the month at 4PM in Guilford, CT except when the first Monday is a holiday. Contact us ahead of time to attend our monthly meeting because of limited space. We would like to meet you in person and welcome more members to be involved.
Learn more about the Italian-American Defense League.
Website: https://iadlnow.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IADLnow/
Twitter (now X): https://twitter.com/IADLPresident
Italian-American Defense League is a 501(c)4 nonprofit charity and social welfare organization. The primary purpose of the Italian-American Defense League (IADL) is to promote mutual cooperation among its members, reinforce social welfare ideals with community involvement, and preserve the historical significance and achievements of Italian Americans. The IADL’s secondary purpose is to serve as a lobbying and advocacy group to local, state, or federal authorities and the private sector on matters of interest to Italian Americans.
Donations are NOT tax-deductible.
It is New Year’s Eve, so how do you celebrate the arrival of 2024, Italian-style? First, take a trip online to 10 places in Italy to learn customs in locations throughout Italy. Second, from lucky underwear to lentils, there is still time to adopt these traditions. Last, the festival of La Befana takes place on the Epiphany. Learn more about how La Befana relates to the story of the three magi.
Italian-American Defense League’s Action and Happenings
After receiving a letter from the Italian-American Defense League regarding the lack of programming and anti-Italianism by the Henry Carter Hull Library by ignoring Italian-American heritage and history during Italian-American Heritage Month in October, I am glad to share that the story of Sacco and Vanzetti will be included in a January civil rights video series at the library. I encourage IADL members to attend the event on Saturday, January 20, 2024. Email us at iadlnow@yahoo.com if you plan to attend, so we know how many members will attend in advance. More information is available via the link in the next paragraph.
Henry Carter Hull Library, Clinton, CT, Sat. 1/20 from 2:00pm to 4:00pm: Sacco and Vanzetti: The Trial of Two Italian Immigrants in the 1920s. Director: Peter Miller. 2006. 80 min. Two Italian immigrant anarchists, Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, were accused of murder in 1920, and executed in Boston in 1927 after a notoriously prejudiced trial. Their ordeal came to symbolize the bigotry and intolerance directed at immigrants and dissenters in America. Millions of people around the world protested on their behalf, and their story continues to have great resonance as civil liberties and the rights of immigrants are again under attack.
On December 30, 2023, IADL attended a Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations meeting. Here are some highlights:
Lastly, the format of our newsletter has changed. To start, IADL will include links to interesting articles about current events and history. The second part of the newsletter will highlight Italian-American Defense League’s action and happenings. Last, upcoming events, meetings, and IADL links will be included.
Upcoming Events
IADL Monthly Meeting, Guilford, CT- Monday, January 8, 2023: Are you interested in attending a Board of Directors meeting? Would you like to meet us, or provide your input? IADL meets every first Monday of the month at 4PM in Guilford, CT except when the first Monday is a holiday. Contact us ahead of time to attend our monthly meeting because of limited space. We would like to meet you in person and welcome more members to be involved.
Learn more about the Italian-American Defense League.
Website: https://iadlnow.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IADLnow/
Twitter (now X): https://twitter.com/IADLPresident
Italian-American Defense League is a 501(c)4 nonprofit charity and social welfare organization. The primary purpose of the Italian-American Defense League (IADL) is to promote mutual cooperation among its members, reinforce social welfare ideals with community involvement, and preserve the historical significance and achievements of Italian Americans. The IADL’s secondary purpose is to serve as a lobbying and advocacy group to local, state, or federal authorities and the private sector on matters of interest to Italian Americans.
Donations are NOT tax-deductible.
To begin this newsletter, read about mom’s favorite holiday cookies, decide if you agree with this ranking of Italian Christmas desserts, and “travel” from Italian city to city learning about “lights, romance, and traditions.” Back in the States, Giants Quarterback Tommy Devito will take on the Philadelphia Eagles on Christmas Day. Italian Americans are proud of his achievements, but are the negative stereotypes worth it?
If none of those articles catch your interest, maybe the first Christmas in the New World will. On December 25, 1492, the Santa Maria capsized leading to the first European-American alliance in history. Taino Chief Guacanagari and Admiral Columbus befriended one another. This unlikely encounter, which Columbus believed was God’s plan, reveals his commitment to Guacanagari and desire to retake Jerusalem for Christendom. Think about these questions as you read the following excerpt from the Journal of Columbus.
Tuesday, 25th of December. Christmas. Navigating yesterday, with little wind, from Santo Tomé to Punta Santa, and being a league from it, at about eleven o'clock at night the Admiral went down to get some sleep, for he had not had any rest for two days and a night. As it was calm, the sailor who steered the ship thought he would go to sleep, leaving the tiller in charge of a boy. The Admiral had forbidden this throughout the voyage, whether it was blowing or whether it was calm. The boys were never to be entrusted with the helm. The Admiral had no anxiety respecting sand-banks and rocks, because, when he sent the boats to that king on Sunday, they had passed to the east of Punta Santa at least three leagues and a half, and the sailors had seen all the coast, and the rocks there are from Punta Santa, for a distance of three leagues to the E.S.E. They saw the course that should be taken, which had not been the case before, during this voyage. It pleased our Lord that, at twelve o'clock at night, when the Admiral had retired to rest, and when all had fallen asleep, seeing that it was a dead calm and the sea like glass, the tiller being in the hands of a boy, the current carried the ship on one of the sand-banks. If it had not been night the bank could have been seen, and the surf on it could be heard for a good league. But the ship ran upon it so gently that it could scarcely be felt. The boy, who felt the helm and heard the rush of the sea, cried out. The Admiral at once came up, and so quickly that no one had felt that the ship was aground. Presently the master of the ship, l whose watch it was, came on deck. The Admiral ordered him and others to launch the boat, which was on the poop, and layout an anchor astern. The master, with several others, got into the boat, and the Admiral thought that they did so with the object of obeying his orders. But they did so in order to take refuge with the caravel, which was half a league to leeward. The caravel would not allow them to come on board, acting judiciously, and they therefore returned to the ship; but the caravel's boat arrived first. When the Admiral saw that his own people fled in this way, the water rising and the ship being across the sea, seeing no other course, he ordered the masts to be cut away and the ship to be lightened as much as possible, to see if she would come off. But, as the water continued to rise, nothing more could be done. Her side fell over across the sea, but it was nearly calm. Then the timbers opened, and the ship was lost. The Admiral went to the caravel to arrange about the reception of the ship's crew, and as a light breeze was blowing from the land, and continued during the greater part of the night, while it was unknown how far the bank extended, he hove her to until daylight. He then went back to the ship, inside the reef; first having sent a boat on shore with Diego de Arana of Cordova, Alguazil of the Fleet, and Pedro Gutierrez, Gentleman of the King's Bedchamber, to inform the king, who had invited the ships to come on the previous Saturday. His town was about a league and a half from the sand-bank. They reported that he wept when he heard the news, and he sent all his people with large canoes to unload the ship. This was done, and they landed all there was between decks in a very short time. Such was the great promptitude and diligence shown by that king. He himself, with brothers and relations, were actively assisting as well in the ship as in the care of the property when it was landed, that all might be properly guarded. Now and then he sent one of his relations weeping to the Admiral, to console him, saying that he must not feel sorrow or annoyance, for he would supply all that was needed. The Admiral assured the Sovereigns that there could not have been such good watch kept in any part of Castille, for that there was not even a needle missing. He ordered that all the property should be placed by some houses which the king placed at his disposal, until they were emptied, when everything would be stowed and guarded in them. Armed men were placed round the stores to watch all night. "The king and all his people wept. They are a loving people, without covetousness, and fit for anything; and I assure your Highnesses that there is no better land -nor people. They love their neighbours as themselves, and their speech is the sweetest and gentlest in the world, and always with a smile. Men and women go as naked as when their mothers bore them. Your Highnessses should believe that they have very good customs among themselves. The king is a man of remarkable presence, and with a certain self contained manner that is a pleasure to see. They have good memories, wish to see everything, and ask the use of what they see." All this is written by the Admiral.
Wednesday, 26th of December. To-day, at sunrise, the king of that land came to the caravel Nilla, where the Admiral was, and said to him, almost weeping, that he need not be sorry, for that he would give him all he had; that he had placed two large houses at the disposal of the Christians who were on shore, and that he would give more if they were required, and as many canoes as could load from the ship and discharge on shore, with as many people as were wanted. This had all been done yesterday, without so much as a needle being missed. "So honest are they," says the Admiral, "without any covetousness for the goods of others, and so above all was that virtuous king." While the Admiral was talking to him, another canoe arrived from a different place, bringing some pieces of gold, which the people in the canoe wanted to exchange for a hawk's bell; for there was nothing they desired more than these bells. They had scarcely' come alongside when they called and held up the gold, saying Chuq chuq for the bells, for they are quite mad about them. After the king had seen this, and when the canoes which came from other places had departed, he called the Admiral and asked him to give orders that one of the bells was to be kept for another day, when he would bring four pieces of gold the size of a man's hand. The Admiral rejoiced to hear this, and afterwards a sailor, who came from the shore, told him that it was wonderful what pieces of gold the men on shore were getting in exchange for next to nothing. For a needle they got a piece of gold worth two castellanos, and that this was nothing to what it would be within a month. The king rejoiced much when he saw that the Admiral was pleased. He understood that his friend wanted much gold, and he said, by signs, that he knew where there was, in the vicinity, a very large quantity; so that he must be in good heart, for he should have as much as he wanted. He gave some account of it, especially saying that in Cipango, which they call Cibao, it is so abundant that it is of no value, and that they will bring it, although there is also much more in the island of Española, which they call Bohio, and in the province of Caritaba. The king dined on board the caravel with the Admiral and afterwards went on shore, where he received the Admiral with much honour. He gave him a collation consisting of three or four kinds of yams, with shellfish and game, and other viands they have besides the bread they call casavi. He then took the Admiral to see some groves of trees near the houses, and they were accompanied by at least a thousand people, all naked. The Lord had on a shirt and a pair of gloves, given to him by the Admiral, and he was more delighted with the gloves than with anything else. In his manner of eating, both as regards the high-bred air and the peculiar cleanliness, he clearly showed his nobility. After he had eaten, he remained some time at table, and they brought him certain herbs, with which he rubbed his hands. The Admiral thought that this was done to make them soft, and they also gave him water for his hands. After the meal he took the Admiral to the beach. The Admiral then sent for a Turkish bow and a quiver of arrows, and took a shot at a man of his company, who had been warned. The chief, who knew nothing about arms, as they neither have them nor use them, thought this a wonderful thing. He, however, began to talk of those of Caniba, whom they call Caribes. They come to capture the natives, and have bows and arrows without iron, of which there is no memory in any of these lands, nor of steel, nor any other metal except gold and copper. Of copper the Admiral had only seen very little. The Admiral said, by signs, that the Sovereigns of Castille would order the Caribs to be destroyed, and that all should be taken with their heads tied together. He ordered a lombard and a hand-gun to be fired off, and seeing the effect caused by its force and what the shots penetrated, the king was astonished. When his people heard the explosion they all fell on the ground. They brought the Admiral a large mask, which had pieces of gold for the eyes and ears and in other parts, and this they gave, with other trinkets of gold that the same king had put on the head and round the neck of the Admiral, and of other Christians, to whom they also gave many pieces. The Admiral received much pleasure and consolation from these things, which tempered the anxiety and sorrow he felt at the loss of the ship. He knew our Lord had caused the ship to stop here, that a settlement might be formed. "From this", he says, "originated so many things that, in truth, the disaster was really a piece of good fortune. For it is certain that, if I had not lost the ship, I should have gone on without anchoring in this place, which is within a great bay, having two or three reefs of rock. I should not have left people in the country during this voyage, nor even, if I had desired to leave them, should I have been able to obtain so much information, nor such supplies and provisions for a fortress. And true it is that many people had asked me to give them leave to remain. Now I have given orders for a tower and a fort, both well built, and a large cellar, not because I believe that such defences will be necessary. I believe that with the force I have with me I could subjugate the whole island, which I believe to be larger than Portugal, and the population double. But they are naked and without arms, and hopelessly timid. Still, it is advisable to build this tower, being so far from your Highnesses. The people may thus know the skill of the subjects of your Highnesses, and what they can do; and will obey them with love and fear. So they make preparations to build the fortress, with provision of bread and wine for more than a year, with seeds for sowing the ship's boat, a caulker and carpenter, a gunner and cooper. Many among these men have a great desire to serve your Highnesses and to please me, by finding out where the mine is whence the gold is brought. Thus everything is got in readiness to begin the work. Above all, it was so calm that there was scarcely wind nor wave when the ship ran aground. This is what the Admiral says; and he adds more to show that it was great good luck, and the settled design of God, that the ship should be lost in order that people might be left behind. If it had not been for the treachery of the master and his boat's crew, who were all or mostly his countrymen, in neglecting to layout the anchor so as to haul the ship off in obedience to the Admiral's orders, she would have been saved. In that case, the same knowledge of the land as has been gained in these days would not have been secured, for the Admiral always proceeded with the object of discovering, and never intended to stop more than a day at any one place, unless he was detained by the wind. Still, the ship was very heavy and unsuited for discovery. It was the people of Palos who obliged him to take such a ship, by not complying “with what they had promised to the King and Queen, namely, to supply suitable vessels for this expedition. This they did not do. Of all that there was on board the ship, not a needle, nor a board, nor a nail was lost, for she remained as whole as when she sailed, except that it was necessary to cut away and level down in order to get out the jars and merchandise, which were landed and carefully guarded." He trusted in God that, when he returned from Spain according to his intention, he would find a ton of gold collected by barter by those he was to leave behind, and that they would have found the mine and spices in such quantities that the Sovereigns would, in three years, be able to undertake and fit out an expedition to go and conquer 'the Holy Sepulchre. "Thus", he says, "I protest to your Highnesses that all the profits of this my enterprise may be spent in the conquest of Jerusalem. Your Highnesses may laugh, and say that it is pleasing to you, and that, without this, you entertain that desire." These are the Admiral's words.
Source: Columbus Journal of the First Voyage: https://web.as.uky.edu/history/faculty/myrup/his206/Columbus%20-%20Journal%20of%20the%20First%20Voyage.pdf
The journal entries of December 25, and 26, 1492 reveal the intentions of Columbus. He was fond of the natives and vowed to defend Chief Guacanagari and the natives from their enemies, the Caribes. Columbus did desire gold, not for selfish purposes, but for re-establishing Christianity in the Holy Land. The actions of Columbus show that he wanted to set up trading posts and planned to leave the Caribbean within three years, with the blessing of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. Reading accounts from these two days turn arguments of modern-day Columbus critics upside down. Is Christmas Day the time when God chose to reveal his covenant to the Americas?
Upcoming Events
IADL Monthly Meeting, Guilford, CT- Monday, January 8, 2023
Are you interested in attending a Board of Directors meeting? Would you like to meet us, or provide your input? IADL meets every first Monday of the month at 4PM in Guilford, CT except when the first Monday is a holiday. Contact us ahead of time to attend our monthly meeting because of limited space. We would like to meet you in person and welcome more members to be involved.
Henry Carter Hull Library, Clinton, CT Sat. 1/20: Sacco and Vanzetti: The Trial of Two Italian Immigrants in the 1920s. Director: Peter Miller. 2006. 80 min. Two Italian immigrant anarchists, Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, were accused of murder in 1920, and executed in Boston in 1927 after a notoriously prejudiced trial. Their ordeal came to symbolize the bigotry and intolerance directed at immigrants and dissenters in America. Millions of people around the world protested on their behalf, and their story continues to have great resonance as civil liberties and the rights of immigrants are again under attack.
Italian-American Defense League is a 501(c)4 nonprofit charity and social welfare organization. The primary purpose of the Italian-American Defense League (IADL) is to promote mutual cooperation among its members, reinforce social welfare ideals with community involvement, and preserve the historical significance and achievements of Italian Americans. The IADL’s secondary purpose is to serve as a lobbying and advocacy group to local, state, or federal authorities and the private sector on matters of interest to Italian Americans.
Merry Christmas. Buon Natale!
From All of Us
Learn more about the Italian-American Defense League.
Website: https://iadlnow.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IADLnow/
Twitter (now X): https://twitter.com/IADLPresident
Donations are NOT tax-deductible.
In this newsletter, read about IADL’s efforts in Groton, Connecticut and view the documentary, “Columbia Inspires the American Spirit, the 1891 New Orleans Massacre of Italians led to Columbus Day,” produced and written by Charles Geno Marsala, and read about Quarterback Tommy DeVito’s big performance on Monday Night Football.
In Groton, Connecticut, the Town Council voted to change Columbus Day to Italian Heritage Day/Indigenous Peoples Day. Representatives never contacted or sought the input of the Groton Italian-American Citizens Club. The council’s inaction to include Italian-Americans in the conversation is unacceptable and offensive. In the past two weeks, Italian-American leaders in Connecticut and nationally began working collaboratively with members of the Italian-American community in Groton and the town’s Representative Town Meeting (RTM) members who can veto or change the Town Council’s vote. Last Wednesday, the RTM agreed to consider restoring Columbus Day by sending the issue to committee. Below is a copy of IADL’s proposal to the RTM and a list of the proposal’s signatories.
Thank you to the coalition that formed to support our friends in Groton.
RE: Groton, CT Representative Town Meeting
December 12, 2023
I. Issue
Adjusting the title and terminology used in regard to the Columbus Day holiday, in the Town of Groton.
Background
On November 21, 2023, the Town Council approved “the name change and reference of the Columbus Day holiday in the town of Groton to Italian Heritage Day and Indigenous Peoples Day.” Members of Italian American organizations were not invited to the conversation to present information about Columbus, Columbus Day, and the holiday’s importance to the Italian American community and all Americans. Only one side of the issue was considered.
II. Groton, CT Town Charter - Representative Town Meeting
Sec. 4.1.2 Powers.
Action in conformity with all provisions of law, now or hereafter applicable to the transaction of town affairs in meeting, shall, when taken by the RTM in accordance with the provisions of the Charter, have the same force and effect as if such action had been taken in a town meeting open to all the electors of the Town. The RTM shall have the power to veto any legislative ordinance passed by the Council as hereinafter specified in Sections 4.6 and 5.5.5.4 of the Charter. The RTM shall have the power of initiative as specified in Section 4.5.
Sec. 4.5 Power of Initiative.
The RTM, upon a majority vote of its total membership, shall have the power to propose to the Council any legislative ordinance or resolution except an ordinance or resolution appointing or removing officials or specifying the compensation or hours of work of officials or employees or pension or retirement agreements or expressly directing the Council to appropriate funds. Ordinances or resolutions submitted to the Council by power of initiative of the RTM and passed by the Council without change shall not be subject to a referendum of electors in the Town. If the Council fails to adopt such ordinance or resolution without change within forty-five (45) days after such proposed ordinance or resolution shall have been filed with the Council, it shall be submitted to the electors, who may adopt or reject the same at a referendum held within ninety (90) days after such proposed ordinance or resolution was originally filed with the Council.
The RTM, upon a two-thirds (2/3) vote of its total membership, shall have the power to reject any legislative ordinance passed by the Council, except an ordinance appointing or removing officials, or specifying the compensation or hours of work of officials and employees, or pension or retirement agreements, or terms and conditions of employment, or approving an ordinance of consolidation. Such veto shall be filed with the Town Clerk not more than forty-five (45) days after the enactment of such ordinance by the Council.
III. Alternatives Not Considered
IV. Rationale for Honoring Columbus Day
President Joseph BIden’s Columbus Day Proclamation on October 9, 2023 describing the importance of Columbus Day.
Today, we celebrate all the Italian Americans, whose courage and character reflect and help define our Nation.
In 1891, 11 Italian Americans were murdered in one of the largest mass lynchings in our Nation’s history. In the wake of this horrific attack, President Benjamin Harrison established Columbus Day in 1892. For so many people across our country, that first Columbus Day was a way to honor the lives that had been lost and to celebrate the hope, possibilities, and ingenuity Italian Americans have contributed to our country since before the birth of our republic.
More than a century later, we mark Columbus Day with that purpose — celebrating the heritage of Italian Americans, whose hands helped build our Nation and whose hearts have always carried faith in the American Dream. For many Italian Americans, the story of Christopher Columbus’ voyage — from the Spanish port of Palos de la Frontera on behalf of Queen Isabella I and King Ferdinand II — remains a source of pride. It reflects the stories of trips across the Atlantic that so many Italian Americans grew up hearing at the dinner table, whether tales of ancestors who set sail on wooden boats across rough waters to begin new lives on our shores or grandparents who immigrated here with little more than hope in their hearts. These are stories of people leaving everything they knew and loved behind for the promise of opportunity in the United States.
Today, we honor those stories told around the dinner table and celebrate what these hopeful Italian American newcomers brought to our Nation. Italian Americans are educators, service members, doctors, engineers, artists, Government officials, and leaders and innovators in every field. The Italian American community is also a source of strength for our Nation’s enduring relationship with Italy — an essential NATO ally and partner in the European Union. Together, we are working to address the challenges of our time, especially supporting the people of Ukraine in defense of their freedom.
America was founded on an idea: that we are all created equal, endowed by our creator with certain inalienable rights, and deserve to be treated equally throughout our lives. Though we have never fully lived up to that idea, our aspirations have never let us walk away from it either. Today, we honor all the Italian Americans who never walked away from our fundamental creed and who, for generations, have helped realize the full promise of our Nation.
In commemoration of Christopher Columbus’ historic voyage 531 years ago, the Congress, by joint resolution of April 30, 1934, and modified in 1968 (36 U.S.C. 107), as amended, has requested the President proclaim the second Monday of October of each year as “Columbus Day.”
NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim October 9, 2023, as Columbus Day. I direct that the flag of the United States be displayed on all public buildings on the appointed day in honor of our diverse history and all who have contributed to shaping this Nation.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2023/10/06/a-proclamation-on-columbus-day-2023/ (December 8, 2023)
V. Ordinance Proposal
Signers, below, ask Representative Town Meeting members to propose “the name change and reference of the Italian Heritage Day and Indigenous Peoples Day holiday in the town of Groton to Columbus Day annually. The town of Groton recognizes and honors Indigenous Peoples’ Day on August 9th annually, in solidarity with Indigenous communities throughout the world.”
https://www.un.org/en/observances/indigenous-day/background
VI. Veto November 21, 2023 Resolution by Two-Thirds Vote of RTM
We, members of the RTM, reject Town Council approval of Item 2023-938, Columbus Day Holiday, Resolution to update the name and reference of the Columbus Day holiday.
Submitted by:
Multiple Signatories include:
Italian American Defense League is a member of Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations (COPOMIAO), a coalition of 61 Italian American organizations, https://copomiao.org/ .
Upcoming Events:
IADL Monthly Meeting, Guilford, CT- Monday, January 8, 2023
Are you interested in attending a Board of Directors meeting? Would you like to meet us, or provide your input? IADL meets every first Monday of the month at 4PM in Guilford, CT except when the first Monday is a holiday. Contact us ahead of time to attend our monthly meeting because of limited space. We would like to meet you in person and welcome more members to be involved.
Italian-American Defense League is a 501(c)4 nonprofit charity and social welfare organization. The primary purpose of the Italian-American Defense League (IADL) is to promote mutual cooperation among its members, reinforce social welfare ideals with community involvement, and preserve the historical significance and achievements of Italian Americans. The IADL’s secondary purpose is to serve as a lobbying and advocacy group to local, state, or federal authorities and the private sector on matters of interest to Italian Americans.
Donations are NOT tax-deductible.
In this newsletter, we include an urgent call for action, share IADL’s mission statement, and provide updates to our bylaws. Our next meeting is Monday, December 11 at 4PM. Email IADL for more information.
IADL’s slogan is “Now is the time!” That is truer now than ever before. Andre DiMino, Executive Director of Italian American One Voice Coalition, says one phone call is worth 20 emails (and takes less time). Together with IAOVC and COPOMIAO, IADL is asking you to call your United States Senators to SAVE COLUMBUS DAY as a FEDERAL HOLIDAY!
Take action to oppose Senate bill S.2970, which seeks to eliminate Columbus Day and rename it Indigenous Peoples Day. We believe this proposed legislation unfairly discriminates against Italian Americans and undermines the celebration of our rich cultural heritage.
Attached, you will find details about the anti-Italian American bill, including its sponsors, along with a suggested calling format for reaching out to senators and a list of their phone numbers. We are counting on you to lend your voice to our cause and help us educate these bill sponsors about the unintended consequences of their actions. In addition, they must know the history of Columbus Day and its importance to the Italian American community.
While we recognize the significance of Indigenous Peoples Day, which is already recognized by the United Nations on August 9th, we firmly believe that removing Columbus Day is not the solution. Instead, we propose a collaborative approach that respects and celebrates the contributions of both Italian Americans and Indigenous Peoples on separate days.
Italian Americans have played a vital role in shaping the diverse tapestry of our nation, contributing to its progress, culture, and identity. It is essential that we promote understanding and inclusivity rather than singling out one community at the expense of another.
We urge you to contact the bill sponsors and your senators to express your concerns about the discriminatory nature of S.2970. Together, let us work towards fostering a society that embraces the rich mosaic of American heritage.
Thank you for your attention to this matter. We appreciate your support in preserving the cultural diversity that makes our nation truly great.
Calling your senators is STEP 1 in a multistep plan to save Columbus Day. Spend two minutes leaving a message at your two Senators’ phone numbers this week before they leave for the holidays. Please contact IADL with any questions about the information sent out today.
Mission Statement
At our Annual Meeting, attendees reviewed the Mission Statement of the IADL. Read it here.
Bylaws
At IADL’s Annual Meeting, attendees updated our bylaws. Read the Bylaws here.
Upcoming Events:
IADL Monthly Meeting, Guilford, CT- Monthly Meeting Postponed until December 11, 2023
Are you interested in attending a Board of Directors meeting? Would you like to meet us, or provide your input? IADL meets every first Monday of the month at 4PM in Guilford, CT. Contact us ahead of time to attend our monthly meeting because of limited space. We would like to meet you in person and welcome more members to be involved.
Italian-American Defense League is a 501(c)4 nonprofit charity and social welfare organization. The primary purpose of the Italian-American Defense League (IADL) is to promote mutual cooperation among its members, reinforce social welfare ideals with community involvement, and preserve the historical significance and achievements of Italian Americans. The IADL’s secondary purpose is to serve as a lobbying and advocacy group to local, state, or federal authorities and the private sector on matters of interest to Italian Americans.
Donations are NOT tax-deductible.
Italian-American Defense League is a registered charity in the State of Connecticut and a 501(c)(4) nonprofit
All donations are NOT tax-deductible
Copyright © 2023 Italian-American Defense League - All Rights Reserved.
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