IADL NewsLetter

June 26, 2022

There is conflicting news in Martha’s Vineyard for Italian Americans. On one hand, Italian American history is being recognized as Author Elisa M. Speranza signs her book, The Italian Prisoner, set in 1943 in New Orleans, at a local bookshop. “The Italian Prisoner does a smoothly confident job drawing readers into the world of wartime New Orleans. The dynamics of foreign prisoners of war spending years quartered in American cities and towns will be unfamiliar to many readers, and those dynamics are well-drawn in these pages. The novel belongs entirely to [the main character] Rose, but nevertheless, the large cast of secondary characters are well fleshed-out and often represent different life-paths or choices than the ones Rose herself makes.” For more information and to read the rest of the article about today’s book signing, click here.

On the other hand, the trend to “cancel” Columbus Day, a traditional American and Italian holiday, continues in Massachusetts as more Martha’s Vineyard schools replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples’ Day. This initiative against Columbus Day is the exact opposite of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Read more about Martha’s Vineyard’s Diversity Coalition’s decision, here. Does this decision help rich and entitled members of the coalition feel good about themselves and justify their wealth and privilege?

Promote Education

Interfaith coalitions have become a force in social change, specifically in the canceling of Columbus Day and anti-Catholic propaganda. In Rochester, New York, the city council and mayor passed a resolution to change Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples’ Day. “Throughout the process, Pollack [Planning Committee Member] said she sought to center Indigenous perspectives while also highlighting the shortcomings of the Catholic Church among her non-Native peers.” Again, this is evidence that the “canceling” of Columbus Day is a by-product of a larger social agenda. Looking back at the 500th Anniversary of Columbus’ discovery, the National Council of Ministers in Christ in the USA, more of a political than religious organization, passed an anti-Columbus resolution.

It is ironic that a coalition of Protestant ministers criticize Columbus when it was the Dutch and English that decimated Native Americans in the Northeast. In 1637, English Captain John Mason, in an alliance with about 500 Niantics, Mohegans, Narragansetts, and 90 English colonists massacred Pequots living near today’s Mystic, Connecticut, without sparing women and children. The Dutch sided with the Pequots eventually losing the war. Furthermore, this leads to important questions: When will these interfaith coalitions and Native Americans take ownership of their own roles in the destruction of Native American civilizations? When will they stop playing the blame game against Columbus while disregarding the importance of Columbus Day to Italian Americans and Catholics?

Portray Italians Positively

Two athletes of Italian descent are being recognized today, one posthumously and another at the onset of his professional career. Former Pittsburgh Panther and NFL Defensive Tackle Tony Siragusa passed away at the age of 55 last week. Siragusa was known for his focus, strength, and determination as a member of the Super Bowl Champion Baltimore Ravens. On and off the field, Siragusa was known for his “larger than life” personality as a player and broadcaster. Read about Siragusa’s career in the New York Times, read social media tributes, and watch a Raven’s video from May 2022. In Siragusa’s book, he wrote, “"I was born in Kenilworth, [NJ] a two-square-mile borough that seemed like it was 99 percent Italian. My mother used to stand on the back steps and yell, 'Anthony!' and twenty kids would come running. We had pasta for every meal."

Just like many Americans, a closer examination of one’s descent is a mixture of ethnicities and races. This is true for Former Duke University basketball standout Paolo Banchero. Banchero is the first person of Italian-American descent to be the number one pick in an NBA draft. He is an Italian citizen and played for the Azzurri, Italy’s national team. Last year, Banchero led Duke to the Final Four, averaging 17 points per game. Banchero reflected on his family background by saying, “I’m proud to wear the Azzurri jersey. I will never forget when I received it for the first time. I have it framed in my room. I’m proud to be playing for Italy and proud of the heritage of my family.” Now Banchero is a player on the Orlando Magic.

Preserve Traditions

Today, Sunday, June 26th, is the last day to attend the 122nd Saint Andrew Society Festa of Italian American Culture in New Haven, CT. Watch this video of Thursday’s opening night. For more information about the Saint Andrew Festa, follow them on Facebook. Learn more about St. Andrea, the patron saint of Amalfi and his feast day. Here is today’s schedule of events in New Haven:

10 a.m. Old World Traditional Procession Through Historic Wooster Square
11:30 a.m. A Liturgical Mass at the Church of Saint Michael in Wooster Square
2:30 p.m. “Let the Festa Begin” at 515 Chapel Street
3 p.m. Connecticut Yankee Barbershop Chorus
4 p.m. Jukebox 45: 50’s and 60’s Oldies and Doo Wop Dance Band
7 p.m. Honors, Scholarships, and Awards Ceremony

Here is a list of upcoming events. There is so much to do to honor and celebrate Italian heritage. Please email IADL if you would like to add an event to this list:

In Clinton, CT, the Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring an International Food and Beer Festival on Friday, July 8th from 4 – 8 p.m. behind the town hall at 54 East Main Street. There will be 15 to 20 vendors, Italian wines, and entertainment that includes an Italian opera singer.
Southington, Connecticut’s Italian American Festival is set for Friday, July 29th, Saturday, July 30th, and Sunday July 31st. Read about the event, here, sponsored by the Sons of Italy, Sorelle d'Italia in America and Southington Unico.
In New Britain, CT on Sunday, September 25th, enjoy food, fun, eating contests, homemade wine contests, and raise funds for scholarships at Festa Italiana at 13 Beaver Street beginning at 9 a.m. “Chi mangia bene, vive bene!”
The Greater New Haven Italian American Heritage Committee held its kickoff event at Silver Sands Beach Club last week. The committee is seeking sponsors and marchers for its October 9, 2022 Columbus Day Parade in East Haven, Connecticut. For more information, read this article and go to the committee’s website.

Though IADL membership is free, consider making a donation. Help IADL fulfill its mission by joining and donating, here! Receive a free book, Christopher Columbus the Hero: Defending Columbus from Modern-Day Revisionism by Rafael Ortiz, with a $30.00 donation or more. IADL is an all-volunteer organization and needs your support. Or click on one of the donor links to pay with PayPal or debit/credit card. Levels of Donors: Tier 1: Giovanni da Verrazzano - $20.00 . Tier 2: Amerigo Vespucci - $50.00 . Tier 3: Christopher Columbus - $100.00 . Follow IADL on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/IADLnow. Have family and friends join the IADL at: https://iadlnow.org/become-a-member. If you have any questions about the IADL or Christopher Columbus, email us at iadlnow@yahoo.com. Now is the time!

IADL Newsletter

June 19, 2022

Often Italian Americans are asked the question: Why should we celebrate Christopher Columbus when there are so many other Italians we can honor? No doubt, there are many people of Italian descent that have made major contributions to the human race, past and present. Though there are many individuals to honor, there is no one better than Christopher Columbus. Columbus was a faithful man of modest circumstances from the Italian peninsula. He waited almost his entire life to have the privilege of sailing as a trusted servant of Queen Isabella. He sought to spread Catholicism, set-up trade posts with the Grand Khan of Asia, and earn respect for his family’s name. Because his discovery united the entire world and began what we call today globalization, millions of immigrants seeking a better life had and will have the opportunity to become Americans – all because of the courage, knowledge, and vision of one man. As an Italian-American, I am humbled to be connected to the origins of America’s founding. Read more about how Columbus brought the world together, here.

Special Fundraising Opportunity

Make a donation to the IADL and receive Christopher Columbus The Hero: Defending Columbus from Modern-Day Revisionism by Rafael Ortiz as a free gift. For a $30 online recommended donation to the Italian-American Defense League, we will mail you a free copy of Ortiz’s book. Click here to donate $30 and receive the free 237-page book. When paying online, write “Spanish” if you would like a copy in Spanish. The book counters every anti-Columbus accusation, a perfect gift for indoctrinated high schoolers or college students. Also, give a copy to local board chairs or representatives. Plus, you’re helping a good cause!

Promote Education

Two years ago, then high school student Tessa Rock, with little knowledge about Columbus, wrote in a petition to remove New London’s Columbus statue. “Columbus never stepped foot in North America, and he represented a time in which Native people were exploited for the benefit of European powers.” Her statement shows her immaturity because the Caribbean is part of North America and Columbus sailed along the coast of South America, Central America, and Cuba. Furthermore, Ponce De Leon and Amerigo Vespucci were sailors accompanying Columbus on his four voyages, so to discredit Columbus’ European discovery is juvenile at best. The second part of Rock’s statement shows that those discrediting Columbus know nothing about him. They are using Columbus as a symbol to represent all the sins of the past, rather than looking at the details.

New London Mayor Passero gave in. On June 9, 2020, the city’s Columbus statue was vandalized. On June 14th, Passero removed the statue for “public safety” and the City Council voted to permanently remove the statue on June 16th. The following November 2020, the City Council voted to change Columbus Day to Italian Heritage Day, without any consideration from Italian-American Organizations. The statue was a gift to the city by Italian immigrants on October 12, 1928.

In January 2021, IADL was founded after multiple speaking attempts by individuals were ignored in New London, New Haven (more on that next week), and across the nation. People of Italian descent and patriotic Americans must continue to unite to honor the past, but recognize mistakes, so we can build a better future. The good outweighs the evil, and that is something to celebrate. New London’s Christopher Columbus Statue remains in an undisclosed location despite multiple groups offering to accept the statue.

Portray Italians Positively

Here is a break from Columbus, as we tune-in to the beauty of everything Italian. There is no one who better portrays Italians than Tenor Andrea Bocelli. He is touring the United States and will make an appearance in Bridgeport, CT on Sunday, December 11, 2022. Bocelli is described as “the timeless, global sound of classical opera music.” Read more, here or listen to his “Music for Hope,” April 2020 performance to unite the world in love and healing.

Preserve Traditions

Even though Father’s Day in Italy is celebrated during March on the Feast of Saint Joseph, Festa di San Guiseppe, happy Father’s Day to all the Italian American fathers. Even today, we can keep in mind that St. Joseph is the epitome of an all loving and selfless father figure.

Here is a list of upcoming events. Added this week is Festa Italiana in New Britain! So much to do to honor and celebrate Italian heritage. Please email IADL if you would like to add an event to this list:

On Saturday, June 25, 2022, the Gravinese Society will sponsor a dinner dance with tarantella dancers, an open bar, and live music by Vanessa Racci. Cocktails start at 6:00 with dinner following. For more information, email GravineseSociety@gmail.com . Location: Italian Center of Stamford, 1620 Newfield Avenue, Stamford, CT; Cost is $125 per person.
In Clinton, CT, the Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring an International Food and Beer Festival on Friday, July 8th from 4 – 8 p.m. behind the town hall at 54 East Main Street. There will be 15 to 20 vendors, Italian wines, and entertainment that includes an Italian opera singer.
Southington, Connecticut’s Italian American Festival is set for Friday, July 29th, Saturday, July 30th, and Sunday July 31st. Read about the event, here, sponsored by the Sons of Italy, Sorelle d'Italia in America and Southington Unico.
In New Britain, CT on Sunday, September 25th, enjoy food, fun, eating contests, homemade wine contests, and raise funds for scholarships at Festa Italiana at 13 Beaver Street beginning at 9 a.m. “Chi mangia bene, vive bene!”
The Greater New Haven Italian American Heritage Committee held its kickoff event at Silver Sands Beach Club last week. The committee is seeking sponsors and marchers for its October 9, 2022 Columbus Day Parade in East Haven, Connecticut. For more information, read this article and go to the committee’s website.

Though IADL membership is free, consider making a donation. Help IADL fulfill its mission! IADL is an all-volunteer organization and needs your support. Click on one of the donor links to pay with PayPal or debit/credit card. Levels of Donors: Tier 1: Giovanni da Verrazzano - $20.00 . Tier 2: Amerigo Vespucci - $50.00 . Tier 3: Christopher Columbus - $100.00 . Follow IADL on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/IADLnow. Have family and friends join the IADL at: https://iadlnow.org/become-a-member. If you have any questions about the IADL or Christopher Columbus, email us at iadlnow@yahoo.com. Now is the time!

IADL Newsletter

June 12, 2022

At the Madison, Connecticut board of education meeting on Tuesday, June 7, the VFW awarded Italian-American Christopher Pagliuca its “Teacher of the Year” award. Watch the brief video clip, here. Congratulations to Pagliuca on his achievement, dedication to students, and respect for veterans. Earlier in the evening, the IADL President read a public statement regarding Columbus Day on the school calendar. Listen to the statement on YouTube. I am optimistic that there will be a positive outcome in Madison. The superintendent and board acts with professionalism and kindness.

In Stonington, Connecticut, Board of Education Chair Farouk Rajab amended the agenda upon IADL’s arrival to exclude diversity, equity, and inclusion from the agenda. Was this coincidence or a tactic because public comment at the onset of the meeting is only on agenda items? When attempting public comment, Rajab stated that only Stonington residents could comment. The IADL President cited Open Meeting Law and was permitted to speak. Here is the video of the public comments. At the end of the meeting during additional board concerns/comments, Rajab asked the tech department to shut off the microphone because he said he researched Open Meeting Law and it is past practice that only Stonington residents could speak. At the end of the meeting, Rajab tore up my card and said, “You are not welcome in Stonington!” One might question if Rajab is fit for public office.

Special Fundraising Opportunity

Make a donation to the IADL and receive Christopher Columbus The Hero: Defending Columbus from Modern-Day Revisionism by Rafael Ortiz as a free gift. For a $30 online recommended donation to the Italian-American Defense League, we will mail you a free copy of Ortiz’s book. Click here to donate $30 and receive the free 237-page book. When paying online, write “Spanish” if you would like a copy in Spanish. Also include your mailing address. In person, we recommend a donation of $20. The extra $10 online covers PayPal fees, packaging, and postage costs.

Promote Education

Here are some little-known facts about Italian-American history by the Sons of Italy and National Italian American Foundation:

John Cabot [1450 c. - 1498], born Giovanni Caboto, discovered North America in 1497. Cabot sailed for the British. His voyage led to the English colonization of America. His son, Sebastian Cabot [1482-1557] explored South America for Spain.
Two signers of the Declaration of Independence were of Italian descent: Maryland’s William Paca and Delaware’s Caesar Rodney.
Five to ten thousand Italians fought in the Civil War for both the Union and the Confederacy. Three were Union generals. One Union officer, Col. Luigi Palma di Cesnola received one of the first Medals of Honor. He later became the first director of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Italian immigrant Attilio Piccirilli and his five brothers carved the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. They also carved the lions on the steps of the New York Public Library and the facade of the Brooklyn Museum among many other works.
In 1978, at age 38, A. Bartlett Giamatti (1940-1989) became the youngest president of Yale University in 200 years and the first president not of Anglo-Saxon heritage. He served until 1986, leaving to become president of the National League and later commissioner of major league baseball.
Ed McBain (1926-2005), a master of the police novel, was born Salvatore Albert Lombino in New York’s East Harlem, but changed his name when a publisher told him it was “too hard to pronounce.” Over 50 of his novels were published, some under the name “Evan Hunter.” Many focused on the work of beat cops and forensic detectives.
The only enlisted Marine in World War II who earned the nation’s two highest military honors, the Navy Cross and the Medal of Honor, was John Basilone, a U.S. Marine sergeant, who died at the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II. He received the U.S. Medal of Honor in 1942 and was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross for heroism at Iwo Jima during February 1945. He was honored with a commemorative stamp in 2005.
Robert Gallo, M.D., a research scientist and virologist, co-discovered the AIDS virus in 1984 and developed a blood test to screen for the disease. In 1978, he discovered and isolated the virus that is linked to leukemia.
Susan Sarandon, Bruce Springsteen and Georgia O’Keeffe are of Italian descent

Source: https://www.osia.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Columbus05_factvsfiction.pdf

Portray Italians Positively

The American-Italian Women of Greater New Haven have an inner fortitude and appreciation for Italian-American Heritage and Culture that many men on the Wooster Square Monument Committee lacked. The Wooster Square Committee chose to compromise and approve an Italian immigration statue, but the Italian women know true facts about Columbus, not political revisionist lies. Columbus ties Italians to the founding of this nation which makes Columbus Day an American holiday, not just an Italian-American holiday. The Italian women face a set-back with their lawsuit against the City of New Haven, but they haven’t given up! Read about how the court dismissed the lawsuit, but there is still time for the Italian women to refile.

Preserve Traditions

Here is a list of upcoming events. Please email IADL if you would like to add an event to this list:

On Saturday, June 25, 2022, the Gravinese Society will sponsor a dinner dance with tarantella dancers, an open bar, and live music by Vanessa Racci. Cocktails start at 6:00 with dinner following. For more information, email GravineseSociety@gmail.com . Location: Italian Center of Stamford, 1620 Newfield Avenue, Stamford, CT; Cost is $125 per person.
In Clinton, CT, the Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring an International Food and Beer Festival on Friday, July 8th from 4 – 8 p.m. behind the town hall at 54 East Main Street. There will be 15 to 20 vendors, Italian wines, and entertainment that includes an Italian opera singer.
Southington, Connecticut’s Italian American Festival is set for Friday, July 29th, Saturday, July 30th, and Sunday July 31st. Read about the event, here, sponsored by the Sons of Italy, Sorelle d'Italia in America and Southington Unico.
The Greater New Haven Italian American Heritage Committee held its kickoff event at Silver Sands Beach Club last week. The committee is seeking sponsors and marchers for its October 9, 2022 Columbus Day Parade in East Haven, Connecticut. For more information, read this article and go to the committee’s website.

IADL Newsletter

June 5, 2022

The story of Chula Vista, California near San Diego is similar to that of New Haven and New London, Connecticut. City officials removed Columbus statues in each of the cities. What will come of these statues? San Diego’s Knights of Columbus and Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America are interested in receiving Chula Vista’s statue, but city officials are requiring the recipient to cover the costs. New Haven is set to erect a new immigration statue, but what about the removed Columbus statue? Worse yet, New London officials refuse to even engage in a dialogue about relocating the city’s statue. Do you believe in the preservation of art history?

In Madison, Connecticut, a board of education meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, June 7 at 7:30 at Daniel Hand High School. Columbus Day and the school calendar are not on the agenda, but it is important to speak in favor of returning Columbus Day to the school calendar during public participation.

In Stonington, Connecticut, a member of the public Ashley Toole spoke in favor of Columbus Day at the board of education’s May 12th meeting. The draft meeting notes state, “She would like administration to revisit the issue of Columbus Day on the school calendar. She suggested maybe there is an opportunity to recognize both days Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples Day.” The next BOE meeting is scheduled for Thursday, June 9 at 6:30 in the District Office Board Room.

Special Fundraising Opportunity

Make a donation to the IADL and receive Christopher Columbus The Hero: Defending Columbus from Modern-Day Revisionism by Rafael Ortiz as a free gift. For a $30 online recommended donation to the Italian-American Defense League, we will mail you a free copy of Ortiz’s book. Click here to donate $30 and receive the free 237-page book. When paying online, write “Spanish” if you would like a copy in Spanish. Also include your mailing address. In person, we recommend a donation of $20. The extra $10 online covers PayPal fees, packaging, and postage costs.

Promote Education

June 2nd was Italian Republic Day, a national holiday, similar to our Fourth of July, to celebrate the decision of the Italian people to choose a republic over a monarchy after WWII in 1946. Also this week in honor of D-Day, June 6, 1944, read about the battle for Italy. “For almost two years during the Second World War (1939-45), the Allies fought an attritional campaign in Italy against a resolute and skillful enemy. Far from being the ‘soft underbelly of Europe’, Italy became one of the war’s most exhausting campaigns.”

Portray Italians Positively

After receiving three negative comments about being Italian in three days, this opinion piece struck a chord with me. One comment had to do with being inducted into the mafia, one about Italians being overly emotional, and another comparing a leadership role to being the Godfather. Enough is enough! Let us focus on “the positive contributions that Italians have made in the world.”

Preserve Traditions

Southington, Connecticut’s Italian American Festival is set for Friday, July 29th, Saturday, July 30th, and Sunday July 31st. Read about the event, here, sponsored by the Sons of Italy, Sorelle d'Italia in America and Southington Unico.

The Greater New Haven Italian American Heritage Committee held its kickoff event at Silver Sands Beach Club last week. The committee is seeking sponsors and marchers for its October 9, 2022 Columbus Day Parade in East Haven, Connecticut. For more information, read this article and go to the committee’s website.

IADL NEWSLETTER

May 29, 2022

Special Fundraising Opportunity

Recently, I was speaking to a parent of a high school student. The parent left a copy of the book: Christopher Columbus The Hero: Defending Columbus from Modern-Day Revisionism by Rafael Ortiz on the kitchen counter. Upon seeing the book, the child and her friends started repeating many of the lies that they are being taught about Columbus. Wouldn’t the book be a great gift for students or any adult taking an honest look at historical events in context?

For a $30 online recommended donation to the Italian-American Defense League, we will mail you a free copy of Ortiz’s book. In person, we recommend a donation of $20. The extra $10 online covers PayPal fees, packaging, and postage costs. Make a difference in the lives of children in your life and adults who are against political revisionist history and could use a resource to battle the propaganda that many accept as fact, today. Click here to donate $30 and receive the free 237-page book. Copies are also available in Spanish.

In other news, Actor Ray Liotta, most famous for his role in “Goodfellas” died at the age of 67. Did you know that Liotta was adopted by Italian-American parents and recently discovered he was of Scottish descent? Read about Liotta’s life and achievements in this Vanity Fair article. There is no doubt about Liotta’s contributions to some of the most successful films of all time.

Promote Education

In honor of Memorial Day, read the story of fifteen Italian-American soldiers (If you open the link in a Google browser, you may have to click “translate” to read the article in English), heroes who paid the ultimate sacrifice to save the world and liberate Italy during World War II. This long forgotten platoon is remembered today. “The "Silver Star" and "Purple Heart" were awarded to all the "fifteen: Sgt De Flumeri, Sgt Vieceli, T / 5 Tremonte (also awarded the" Bronze Arrowhead "), T / 5 Sirico, T / 5 Leone, T / 5 Libardi, T / 5 Squatrito rest in the Florence American Cemetery; Sgt Noia and Lt Traficante in the Calvary Cemetery in Woodside, NY; Lt Russo in the Immaculate Conception Cemetery of Upper Montclair, NJ, T / 5 Mauro in St. John's Cemetery in Middle Village NY, T / 5 Calcara in Mazara del Vallo and a park in Detroit is dedicated to him, T / 5 Farrell (also awarded the Bronze Arrowhead) in St. Thomas' Cemetery in Fairfield Connecticut, T / 5 Di Sclafani in the Cypress Hills Cemetery, NY, T / 5 Savino in the Long Island National Cemetery in East Farmingdale NY.”

Portray Italians Positively

East 189th Street and Belmont Avenue in Little Italy in New York City are now named “Phil Foglia Way.” Foglia was a Bronx Assistant District Attorney who “filed a federal lawsuit against City University of New York (CUNY), alleging that the university routinely discriminated against Italian Americans in its hiring practices. A legal settlement was reached between CUNY and Foglia, which led the university to officially recognizing Italian Americans as an underrepresented demographic group in its staff hiring decisions.” Read about this champion of New York’s Italian-American community, here.

Preserve Traditions

Now that the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic is over, many municipalities and civic organizations are moving on with traditional parades and celebrations. For example, the 43rd Annual Italian Heritage Festival is on in Clarksburg, West Virginia in September. Also, the Italian American Alliance is holding Festa Italiana in Waltham, Massachusetts on Saturday, June 11th. In East Haven, Connecticut, the Greater New Haven Italian-American Heritage Committee is holding its parade on Sunday, October 9, 2022. Read more about the committee on its website.

IADL Newsletter

May 22, 2022

Local boards of education seem to be breaking their own policies. In Stonington, Connecticut where Indigenous Peoples’ Day replaced Columbus Day, Policy 6111 states, “The school calendar shall show school days in each school month, the number of school days in each month, legal and local holidays, staff development days, early closing days, vacation periods, and other pertinent dates, including graduation for students in grade twelve."

In Guilford, Connecticut where there is a shared Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples’ Day on the school calendar, BOE Policy 6110 states, "The school calendar shall show and identify school days in each school month, the number of school days in each month, legal and local holidays, staff development days, early closing days, vacation periods, and other pertinent dates.” Columbus Day has more precedent over Indigenous Peoples’ Day because that is the name of the Federal Holiday. Furthermore, U.S. Congress and presidents of four different time periods passed laws honoring Native Americans in November or the Friday after Thanksgiving, yet Indigenous Peoples are now recognized during Italian-American Heritage and Culture Month, not Native American Heritage Month.

In Madison, Connecticut the Board of Education Policy Committee is reviewing Policy 6030 on Tuesday. On the district calendar, the second Monday of October is listed as “School Holiday,” with no mention of Columbus Day. The policy states, “The Board of Education shall establish an official school calendar which shall show the number of school days in each month, legal and local holidays . . . observe Labor Day, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Thanksgiving Day (Thursday and Friday), Martin Luther King Day, Good Friday, and Memorial Day as holidays for students;”. Will the BOE add Columbus Day in October, Indigenous Peoples’ Day in November, and Juneteenth in June, days worthy of celebration for all Americans? Stay tuned.

Promote Education

Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America published a document explaining what Columbus accomplished. Here is an excerpt from OSDIA.

HISTORICAL:

Columbus proved that it was possible to safely cross the Atlantic Ocean.
Columbus founded the first permanent European settlement in the Western Hemisphere, Hispaniola (now Haiti and the Dominican Republic).
Columbus was the first to open relations between Europe and the Western Hemisphere. His voyages mark the beginning of more than 500 years of cultural, economic and political relations between Europe and the Americas.
The recorded history of the Western Hemisphere begins with Columbus. There was no written history about these vast continents before his arrival in 1492.

NAVIGATIONAL:

Columbus was the first European to realize the full importance of the Atlantic wind pattern called the prevailing Westerlies, which blew steadily west to east. This convinced him it was possible to sail west with the Trade Winds to the New World and return to Europe with the Westerlies.
During his four transatlantic voyages, Columbus chartered the route for what today are the islands of Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, the Lesser Antilles and the coasts of Panama, Honduras and Venezuela.
Columbus’ trans-Atlantic route lay the foundation for future navigation in the region. His maps were used by Amerigo Vespucci (after whom the American continent takes its name), whose maps were used by later explorers of South America.
The route across the Atlantic Ocean that Columbus charted in the 15th century is still used by sailors today.
Columbus introduced the principle of compass variation (the variation at any point on the Earth’s surface between the direction to magnetic and geographic north) and observed the rotation of the Pole star.

(Source: https://www.osia.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Columbus05_factvsfiction.pdf)

Portray Italians Positively

CEO and President Andre Dimino of ADM Tronics is a champion of Italian-American civil rights as Communications Director of the Italian-American One Voice Coalition. In the field of science and engineering, he carries on the tradition of Italian ingenuity. His company ADM Tronics uses cutting edge technology to create medical devices. Recently, Dimino was honored by his appointment to the board of the New Jersey Manufacturing Extension Program. Like Italian Physicist Guglielmo Marconi and these 23 Italian physicists, Dimino represents people of Italian descent positively.

Preserve Traditions

Since, 1880 the Italian-American newspaper called “Il Progresso” has been a medium that connected Americans with all things Italian. In 1988, another newspaper called “America Oggi” was founded. Italian-American newspapers served the Italian-American community with news, heritage, and culture. This summer, North Sixth Group will revamp the two newspapers and create a digital platform called, “America Domani.” CEO and Publisher Al DiGuido says, “As a proud Italian American, it is an honor to bring together Americans of all backgrounds who share a passion and love for Italy.” Read the entire article, here.

IADL Newsletter

May 15, 2022

At a recent board of education meeting, a superintendent provided his rationale for recognizing both Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples’ Day on the same calendar date, the second Monday of October. He called the Italian-American Defense League’s solution of recognizing Indigenous Peoples’ Day on the Friday after Thanksgiving, “arbitrary.” Contrary to the superintendent’s opinion, the facts counter his point for these reasons:

In 1986, the 99th Congress passed a joint resolution that was signed into law by the president to “authorize and request the president to proclaim the week of November 23, 1986 to November 30, 1986 as ‘American Indian Week.’” Of course, that is the week of Thanksgiving.
In 1990, the 101st Congress passed a joint resolution to “proclaim the month of November 1990, and thereafter as ‘Native American Indian Heritage Month.’”
In 2008, the 110th Congress passed a joint resolution that was signed into law by the president “that designates Friday, November 28, 2008 as ‘Native American Heritage Day.’”
In 2009, the 111th Congress passed a joint resolution that was signed into law by the president that stated, “the Friday immediately succeeding Thanksgiving Day of each year would be an appropriate day to designate as Native American Heritage Day.” That means Native American Heritage Day now reoccurs every year. Furthermore, the 2008 and 2009 laws call to “encourage public elementary and secondary schools in the United States to enhance understanding of Native Americans by providing curricula and classroom instruction focusing on the achievements and contributions of Native Americans to the Nation.”

Nowadays, it is more common to call Native Americans, Indigenous People. Other than the change of terms, the Friday after Thanksgiving as “Indigenous Peoples’ Day” during the month of November has more precedent than celebrating “Indigenous Peoples Day” on Columbus Day during Italian Heritage and Culture Month.

Promote Education

Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America published a document explaining Columbus facts and fiction. IADL will share one fact and one fiction from that document each week.

FICTION: COLUMBUS AND OTHER EUROPEANS STOLE THE NATIVES’ LAND.

FACT: A sad fact of human civilization is that powerful nations usurp the land of the vanquished.

The Spanish conquistadors who followed Columbus in the 16th and 17th centuries were establishing an empire through military conquest. They did what Egypt, Persia, Rome and China did before them in the Middle East, Europe and Asia. They also did what the Aztecs, Mayans, Incas and many North American Indians did in the Americas. “The Iroquois Federation in North America subjugated so many Indians,” writes Richard Gambino, “that historian Francis Parkman calls them ‘the Romans of the New World.’” But Columbus himself had no part in this. It is worth pointing out that the Europeans brought considerable benefits to Latin America. Their arrival gave the entire continent a common language, while in North America, land taken from the Iroquois and other tribes eventually became the United States, a haven for the poor and oppressed from all over the world, who find opportunities and freedoms here that their own countries deny them. And it all started with Columbus. (Source: https://www.osia.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Columbus05_factvsfiction.pdf)

Portray Italians Positively

Thomas Golisano is both an entrepreneur and philanthropist. This year Golisano has been chosen to be the Grand Marshal of the Columbus Day Parade in New York City by the Columbus Citizens Foundation. Past Grand Marshals include Frank Sinatra, Lee Iacocca, Sophia Loren, Mario Cuomo, Joe Dimaggio, Mario Andretti, and Justice Antonin Scalia. Golisano states, ““Be brave, be fair, act with integrity and above all, always strive to create a good deal for everyone." He certainly did as founder of Paychex and supporting three Golisano Children’s Hospitals. Read more about Golisano on his foundation’s website, here.

Preserve Traditions

As families plan for Memorial Day Weekend, read this opinion piece posted on the Italian Sons and Daughters of America website, about finding the true meaning of Memorial Day. As early as the American Revolution, Italians contributed to U.S. wars including the founding of our Nation. According to an excerpt from The New York Times, in “1779, two overseas regiments with Italian recruits arrived to fight for the American cause. They were the 3rd Piemont with 473 men, and the 30th Du Perche with 1064 men.” It could be assumed that people of Italian descent sacrificed their lives in this early period of U.S. history.

IADL Newsletter

May 8, 2022

The Italian-American Defense League updated its website. Click here to listen to Attorney Robert Petrone’s complete series of podcasts on Christopher Columbus. You can listen in any order and may choose to start with Episode 50, a review of all the episodes. Also, don’t believe the anti-Catholic, anti-Western civilization, pro-Marxist propagandists. Read primary source translations yourself via links on IADL’s website.

Calls to Action

In Guilford, Connecticut: School Year Calendar Creation is on the Monday, May 9, 2022 Board of Education Meeting Agenda. The 7:30p.m. meeting will only be held in person at the Guilford High School Library, but can be streamed on YouTube. In summary, the Guilford BOE designated the second Monday of October Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples' Day. At the last meeting, BOE Chair Balestracci stated that they added Indigenous Peoples' Day because of Biden's Presidential proclamation, but she said she would consider putting the item on the agenda. People of Italian descent waited from 1892 until 1971, almost eighty years to have Columbus Day celebrated as a federal holiday. Why after one presidential proclamation, should Columbus Day be the only holiday on the calendar to be shared? Here is a link to the full agenda. IADL asks Guilford residents to speak in favor of keeping Columbus Day on the second Monday of October and moving Indigenous Peoples' Day on the Friday after Thanksgiving.

IADL is optimistic that the Madison, Connecticut Superintendent of Schools and Board of Education will address the school calendar at a future meeting. It is our hope that the board will vote to restore Columbus Day to the second Monday of October and add Indigenous Peoples’ Day to the Friday after Thanksgiving. It may take another meeting or two for the Board to write a statement/rationale for revisiting the school calendar and updating it. It would be meaningful if Madison residents attend the Tuesday, May 10th Regular Board of Education meeting and speak with a positive tone about restoring Columbus Day to the calendar and adding Indigenous Peoples’ Day to the day after Thanksgiving which is already designated Native American Day by the U.S. Congress. If you know a Madison resident, contact them. Use the above links to the meeting agenda. Public comments begin promptly at 7:30. A Zoom link is included in the agenda if you only can attend remotely.

Promote Education

Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America published a document explaining Columbus facts and fiction. IADL will share one fact and one fiction from that document each week.

FICTION: Columbus destroyed the balance between man & nature.

FACT: Columbus and the other Europeans brought with them Old World agricultural techniques, including crop rotation and animal breeding.

They also introduced new tools (including the wheel) as well as new plants and domesticated animals, including the horse. These imports led to improved farming methods, a greater diversity of crops and a more dependable food supply that benefited the native populations. Perfected over the centuries, they have helped make the nations in the Western Hemisphere a significant source of food for the rest of the world. (Source: https://www.osia.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Columbus05_factvsfiction.pdf)

Portray Italians Positively

Italy’s first female ambassador to the United States, Mariangela Zappia and Judge Basil M. Russo, who leads the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations, are holding an international summit in Italy to discuss economic and cultural relations among Americans and Italians. Russo will address the Italian Parliament. In June 2021, the Italian Parliament passed a motion to defend Christopher Columbus. Russo’s leadership during a new wave of anti-Italianism beginning in June 2020 brought leaders of the largest Italian-American organizations together for the first time in American history.

Preserve Traditions

The second Sunday of May is Mother’s Day in the USA and Italy. Surprisingly, La Festa della Mamma was first celebrated in 1933 by the Fascist government to celebrate mothers raising good fascists. After WWII, Italians continued the American tradition, including exchanging greeting cards. Some attribute the holiday’s root to ancient Rome’s goddesses. Of course, being that Mother’s Day is on Sunday, many Italians attend church and honor the blessed Mother who is held in the highest regard in the Roman Catholic Church. Like in the United States, Mother’s Day is a day to spend as a family, near or far, in person if possible or with a phone call at the minimum. Of course, video-conferencing apps like WhatsApp or Facebook messenger are popular to use during the holidays. Lastly, read this poem by Edmondo De Amicis who wrote “Se Fossi Pittore (If I Were A Painter)” for his mother.

Happy Mother’s Day!

IADL Newsletter

May 1, 2022

After attending the Madison, Connecticut Board of Education meeting last Tuesday, IADL is optimistic that the Superintendent and Board of Education will add the school calendar to the May 10th agenda. It is our hope that the board will vote to restore Columbus Day to the second Monday of October and add Indigenous Peoples’ Day to the Friday after Thanksgiving. IADL will keep you up-to-date. Madison could set a unifying example for other school systems to follow in Connecticut. Contact board members to show support for IADL’s solution.

IADL Founder & President Matthew Guarnieri discusses Columbus and Italian-American history on The Murray Renshaw Report. The interview is in response to The City of New London eliminating Columbus Day and removing its statue of Christopher. Watch the two-part video using this YouTube link: The Renshaw Report - April 21, 2022 . Since the interview, the Italian American Alliance has contacted Mayor Passero and is awaiting a response as the statue continues to be held in storage.

A legislator in New Hampshire proposed a bill to adopt Indigenous Peoples' Day in August, but "That was not good enough for progressives who want to eliminate the celebrations for Christopher Columbus." The fact that anti-Columbus legislators and activists are unwilling to entertain a compromise shows their intent to twist history to fit a divisive political agenda, in stark contrast to the inclusivity of Italian-American organizations choosing to honor Indigenous Peoples’ Day in addition to Columbus Day.

The score is 1-1 in the battle of patriotism verses cancel culture last week. In Dartmouth, Massachusetts there is a win against cancel culture. Local residents voted to maintain the Indian logo with the support of local Wampanoag members. However, in Hackensack, New Jersey the local board of education voted to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples’ Day. IAOVC Communications Director Andre Dimino stated, “nothing positive at all! There were a number of students AND teachers who made statements against Columbus, spewing the distorted falsehoods. One teacher actually read from Howard Zinn’s book claiming these were facts. I and other Italian Americans spoke about the importance of Columbus to Italian Americans, America and Western culture. We were even able to have Rafael Ortiz, indigenous person and author of 4 books defending Columbus to counter the false facts. Unfortunately, it was obviously a set-up! Columbus Day is gone, replaced by Indigenous People’s Day! The Hackensack school board is a complete and utter disgrace!”

Promote Education

Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America published a document explaining Columbus facts and fiction. IADL will share one fact and one fiction from that document each week.

FICTION: Columbus committed genocide.

FACT: The destruction of the native populations of North and South America over the centuries is a complex historical tragedy. (Read this CBS News article to learn about 150 skulls that were found in Mexico.)

No one knows exactly how many people were here when the Europeans arrived. The numbers vary from 8 million to 145 million. Many researchers believe the number to be around 40 million. Columbus made four voyages to the Caribbean in a twelve-year period (1492-1504), spending from only seven months to two years and nine months (including the year he was shipwrecked on his fourth voyage.) It is inconceivable that he could have killed millions of people in so short a time. Responsibility for the deaths of many thousands of natives can justly be attributed to the Spanish conquistadors and other Europeans who followed Columbus here. But even in this case, since there were more natives than Europeans, the loss of millions of lives could not have been caused by the Spaniards’ warfare and forced labor alone. In fact, most of the native populations perished because they lacked immunity to such diseases as small pox, typhoid and diphtheria as well as the non-fatal childhood diseases of measles and mumps that they caught from the Spanish explorers. These diseases were not transmitted deliberately and cannot be considered a tool of genocide. Scholars estimate that 80% of those who died were infected without ever seeing a white man. Tragic as this epidemic was, it also bears remembering that prior to the Europeans’ arrival, the Western Hemisphere was no Garden of Eden. New medical research on pre-Colombian mummies in Peru, Chile and remote areas far from the early European colonies reveals that tuberculosis, long thought European in origin, was rampant among the Indian tribes before the arrival of Columbus. Arthritis, periodontal disease and significant bone erosion also afflicted the native populations well before the voyages of Columbus and other Europeans. Most adults, only in their 20s and 30s, had terrible teeth or none at all. Very few lived past age 40. The native populations gave the early explorers syphilis, which they brought back to Europe. Clearly, blaming Columbus for the extermination of the native populations is as fair as blaming the native populations for killing people who die from using tobacco and cocaine, which the natives introduced to the Europeans.

Portray Italians Positively

New York State Senator Alessandra Biaggi dishonored her own grandfather, former Congressman Mario Biaggi. Mario Biaggi was a strong supporter of Italian Americans and was heavily involved in the celebration of Italian-American heritage and culture, including the celebration of Columbus Day. For this, IADL says that Mario Biaggi represented Italians positively. However, his granddaughter Alessandra, said the Columbus statue in Columbus circle should be removed. Furthermore, she believes Columbus circle should be renamed. Alessandra Biaggi is another example of an Italian American, with all the benefits of living in the United States and having the opportunity to live freely today because of the sacrifice and hard work of her ancestors, who throws her heritage away for her own political agenda with little regard for her own grandfather. On the website of the National Italian American Foundation, it states, “A proud son of Italian immigrants whose parents, Salvatore and Mary Campari, emigrated from Piacenza, Rep. Biaggi was born in East Harlem, New York. He was extremely proud of his Italian ancestry and a longtime supporter and strong champion of NIAF.” Read more of NIAF’s statement to honor the late congressman, here.

Preserve Traditions

There is positive news in Baltimore, Maryland regarding the preservation of Italian-American history. A sculptor has recreated the Christopher Columbus statue that was toppled and dragged into the city’s harbor in 2020. Local Italian Americans are constructing a new immigrant statue to replace the destroyed Columbus statue. In addition, this recreation of the original Columbus will be erected in another location. The original statue was dedicated in 1984 with President Ronald Reagan giving an inspiring speech.

IADL Newsletter

April 24, 2022

The Madison, Connecticut Board of Education has a meeting on Tuesday. Public comment is the fourth item on the meeting agenda. The Madison Board of Education designated the second Monday of October as “School Holiday” instead of Columbus Day on its school calendar. Here is the meeting information listed on the district website: April 26, 2022 at 7:30 PM - Board of Education Regular Meeting, Town Campus Hammonasset Room, 10 Campus Drive, Madison, CT 06443.

Last week, IADL President Matt Guarnieri was interviewed by Lee Elci on 94.9 FM News Now. The segment starts at the 1:01:05 mark. The discussion is about Italian-American heritage, Christopher Columbus, and an update on New London’s Columbus statue.

Help Andrea Natale, a friend of Italian Americans, and sign his online petition to President Joe Biden! Natale wrote, “Dear Italian-American Defense League, I write to you to ask your signatures on the following petition in support of Colombo and Columbus Day as symbols of Italianity, equality, and brotherhood.” Share his petition with family members and friends.

Promote Education

Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America published a document explaining Columbus facts and fiction. IADL will share one fact and one fiction from that document each week.

FICTION: Columbus was a racist.

FACT: No evidence indicates that Columbus thought the islanders he met were racially inferior in any way.

In fact, in the journal of his first voyage, Columbus describes the Tainos and other tribes as “well-made with fine shapes and faces...their eyes were large and very beautiful...straight-limbed without exception and handsomely shaped....” He praises their generosity, innocence and intelligence, saying they could “readily become Christians as they have a good understanding.” Initially, Columbus had friendly relations with the five Taino tribes he met during his first voyage. These relations soured with four of the five tribes after he found the colony of men he had left behind in the fort Navidad had been slaughtered. He became good friends, however, with one tribe of Tainos led by Chief Guacanagari, who helped Columbus build his fort and fought alongside Columbus against the Taino tribes that wanted to kill the Europeans. Guacanagari paid heavily for his friendship with Columbus. His village was burned; he was wounded in battle and fled to the mountains where he died (https://www.osia.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Columbus05_factvsfiction.pdf).

Furthermore, according to Anthropologist Carol Delaney, Columbus adopted one of the sons of a Taino Chief as a godson. On August 31, 2021 at 7:32 pm, Delaney wrote, “I did years of research for my book, Columbus and the Quest for Jerusalem. He was a good man, friends with the natives, the son of one chief became his adopted godson and traveled with him. People know very little about Columbus and are blaming him for things he did not think or do. He thought he was traveling to China where he intended to set up a trading post as had Marco Polo. [T]he funds from this were to finance a crusade to take Jerusalem back from the Muslims. This is in his writings and his agreement with Queen Isabella.”

Portray Italians Positively

Author Don Winslow in his new book called “City of Fire” tells the story of two rival criminal empires in New England – one Irish and the other Italian. On one hand, the book plays into the negative stereotyping of Italian Americans as mobsters, but on the other hand, it shows how both the Irish and Italians were trying to find a place and foothold in WASP America. Is this book a modern-day Greek tragedy, or another poor depiction of 20th century immigrants? Read Winslow’s interview about why people are interested in the mafia.

Preserve Traditions

April 25th is Liberation Day in Italy, known in Italian as “Festa della Liberazione.” The national holiday commemorates national broadcast and call for an uprising against the Fascist regime and Nazi occupation during World War II, essentially a call for a civil war. Read more about this holiday and listen to the song “Bella Ciao,” the song of the resistance.”

IADL Newsletter

April 17, 2022

Be sure to tune in Monday, April 18, 2022 and listen to the Lee Elci Show at 7:05 a.m. The IADL President will be a guest on the 94.9 News Now radio show. Here is the online live audio link. We will talk about the Italian-American Defense League, cancel culture, and saving Columbus Day!

Promote Education

After reading Samuel Eliot Morison’s book: Admiral of the Ocean Sea: A Life of Christopher Columbus, it was clear that despite Columbus’s noble intent, there was pain and suffering on the island of Hispaniola. Taino factions attacked Columbus, his Taino allies led by Chief Guacanagari, and the Spanish Hidalgos. Caribs continued their raids against Chief Guacanagari’s Taino men, including taking women and children as captives. Spanish Hidalgos refused to work and the Spanish Crown expected a profit from the voyages.

I asked Author Rafael Ortiz, “Did Columbus write a letter to the Sovereigns explaining his intent for the 500 prisoners of war he sent back to Spain during the second voyage? Can you share a digital copy if there is one?” The following is Ortiz’s reply:

No. Columbus made a treaty with a Taino chief that he would protect him from his enemies, especially the Caribs. The Caribs were cannibals who were terrorizing the Caribbean, enslaving people, raping the women, castrating the young, and sometimes killing all the men of entire islands. Columbus mentioned his intentions to take them as prisoners in a letter to Luis de Santangel during his return from his first voyage. There are no surviving documents for the 2nd voyage, except a letter called Memoradum, where he lightly mentioned the subject, but the Queen said no to the issue. Both letters are on Writings of Christopher Columbus and Select Letters of Christopher Columbus. Both ebooks are free on Google Books.

Columbus' men were murdered by a rival chief to his ally chief. His ally chief (Guacanagari) asked Columbus for help because his enemy (Caonabo) also murdered one of his wives. Columbus fought the enemies of his ally and sent some of them to Spain along with the Caribs he previously captured. Because of this, the Queen allowed Columbus to "enslave" only those who were enemy combatants for a period of time. According to the Memoradum, the prisoners/ slaves were to be well treated, and the "slavery" was suspended at the end of Columbus' 3rd voyage.

Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America published a document explaining Columbus facts and fiction. IADL will share one fact and one fiction from that document each week.

FICTION: COLUMBUS WAS A SLAVE-TRADER.

FACT: Columbus never owned any slaves or brought any to the Western Hemisphere from Africa.

During his first voyage in 1492, Columbus landed on the island of Hispaniola (now Haiti and the Dominican Republic). There, with the help of a tribe of friendly Taino Indians, he built a fort called Navidad and left 40 of his crew there when he returned to Spain in January 1493. On his return to Hispaniola in November 1493, he learned that all his men had been massacred by another Taino tribe. Columbus and his men fought with these Indians, capturing about 2,000 and in 1495, sent 500 of these prisoners of war (POW) to Spain to be sold as slaves, as was the custom in 15th century Europe. He sent another 30 Indian POWs to Spain the following year, but the Spanish monarchs ordered him to stop the practice and he never again sent Indians to Europe to be sold as slaves. It is important to note that slavery was not unique to Europe. Columbus found it practiced in the Caribbean by the Caribs and Canibs who made slaves of the tribes they conquered and also ate their victims. (Hence the word “cannibal”.) Later Spanish explorers in Mexico and Central America found that even the more advanced civilizations of the Aztecs, Incas and Mayans kept slaves. These civilizations also practiced torture, ritual murder and the human sacrifice of their own women and children as well as of prisoners of war. Such practices horrified the Spanish and caused them to look down on native cultures. In fact, the Spanish arrival in the New World was the decisive factor that eventually ended human sacrifice and cannibalism there. (Source: https://www.osia.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Columbus05_factvsfiction.pdf).

We have to remember that Columbus was a man of his time. It wasn’t 2022, it was 1492. A conqueror would have slaughtered the 2,000 prisoners of war. They worked on the island and were required to pay a tribute to local Spanish and Native American leaders. Columbus asked for the 500 prisoners, or “slaves,” to be baptized and returned to the island to teach Christianity. Of course, that was the Spanish crown’s decision, not his, and out of respect Columbus would obey the king and queen’s decision if they wished to sell the prisoners into slavery. Could you have handled the situation on Hispaniola any better than Columbus?

Portray Italians Positively

Estimates of up to 1.5 million soldiers of Italian descent fought for the United States during World War II. At the same time, 600,000 Italian immigrants in the United States, many of whom were citizens, were affected by travel restrictions, government search and seizures, and interment in the United States. It wasn’t until 2001 that this dark period of history was acknowledged and apologized for by the United States government.

At the 2022 Boston International Film Festival, a James Verniere of the Boston Herald states, “The story told by Zach Baliva’s eye-opening documentary “Potentially Dangerous” is truly shocking.” Read the article, here. Or go to the film’s website and watch the trailer. It will give you goose bumps!

Preserve Traditions

To counter the misinformation about Christopher Columbus, not only Italian Americans, but historians, and defenders of truth are developing websites with content based on facts, not political revisionism. According to The Columbus Education Project, its mission is, “to help dispel the many negative myths that exist surrounding Christopher Columbus.” Content on the website includes:

Where and when the falsification of Columbus' achievements and legacy originated.
How these lies took root in our educational system and continue to spread every year.
Who the dishonest perpetrators are that continue to spread these falsehoods.
What is the political end goal of organizations that repeatedly deceive the public and our children with their distorted history.
Ultimately that Christopher Columbus was the first indigenous rights activist of the New World, and he should be celebrated for this reason, among others.

Buona Pasqua!

IADL Newsletter

April 10, 2022

Connecticut Regional School District 18, which includes Old Lyme, removed the names of all holidays on its school calendar. According to the Italian-American Defense League, this is the worst change that school officials can make. Instead of recognizing significant dates in history, the regional board chooses to label those days as “School Holiday.” Instead of taking on the charge of engaging students from multiple historical perspectives, the board relinquishes its responsibility. Is the goal of Regional School District 18 to ignore history? Are board members afraid of offending someone? Instead, they ignore everyone. Contact board members and let them know how you feel. Remember to be concise and respectful. IADL supports honoring Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples’ Day on two separate days, as well as celebrating other federal holidays.

Currently, the Madison, CT BOE continues to call the second Monday of October “School Holiday/No School/Prof. Dev,” while all other holidays are named. The Guilford, CT Board of Education refuses to talk to Italian-American leaders about separating the two holidays on its school calendar. In Stonington, CT, the second Monday of October is listed as “Indigenous People Day,” even though it was reported that Columbus Day would return to the calendar by a 3-2 vote in August 2021. Stonington Board Chair Farouk Rajab stated in an email, “The Board voted to recognize the second Monday in October as Indigenous People Day starting the school year 2021-2022. There was a resolution proposed by a board member, last year, to reverse that decision but it failed to pass with a 3 Yes and 3 No vote.” How could everyone at the meeting be confused by reporting a 3-2?

Remember, where there has been local activism, progress has been made. Syracuse, New York’s Columbus monument still stands. Several Columbus statues stand in Connecticut. In six more days, the bill to eliminate Columbus Day in Massachusetts will die in committee. In Branford, CT, Columbus Day was restored to the school calendar. (We would still like to see it separated from Indigenous Peoples’ Day). Now is the time to get involved!

Promote Education

Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America published a document explaining Columbus facts and fiction. IADL will share one fact and one fiction from that document each week beginning today.

FICTION: COLUMBUS FOUND SOPHISTICATED NATIVE CIVILIZATIONS.

FACT: Most of the native tribes Columbus found were hunter-gatherers who engaged in bloody tribal wars and, in the case of the Arawaks, Caribs and Canibs, slavery, torture and cannibalism. To survive, the native populations depended on “slash-and-burn” cultivation of the land along with hunting, fishing and collecting edible wild plants, seeds and shellfish. They had no written language, history or literature. In their struggle for survival, these peoples were not the champions of the environment that they are often portrayed as today. (Source: https://www.osia.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Columbus05_factvsfiction.pdf).

Portray Italians Positively

Bobby Rydell, teen idol and singer in the 60s, died at the age of 79. Born in Philadelphia, Rydell’s name was Robert Louis Ryderelli before Americanizing it. Rydell appeared in the film “Bye, Bye, Birdie,” and sang a cover of “Volare.” Here he is on the “Dick Clark Beech-Nut Show” performing “Volare.” Read more about Italian-American performers who changed their names.

Preserve Traditions

With Easter on Sunday, April 17th, it is time to review some Italian Easter traditions. If those are not enough, here are more from North to South, some familiar and some not. I remember, as a child, receiving a giant, hollow chocolate Italian Easter egg with a prize in the center. What Easter traditions do you remember?

Be sure to tune in Monday, April 18, 2022 and listen to the Lee Elci Show at 7:05 a.m. The IADL President will be a guest on the 94.9 News Now radio show. Here is the online link. Though IADL membership is free, consider making a donation. Help IADL fulfill its mission! IADL is an all-volunteer organization and needs your support. Click on one of the donor links to pay with PayPal or debit/credit card. Levels of Donors: Tier 1: Giovanni da Verrazzano - $20.00 . Tier 2: Amerigo Vespucci - $50.00 . Tier 3: Christopher Columbus - $100.00 . Follow IADL on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/IADLnow. Have family and friends join the IADL at: https://iadlnow.org/become-a-member. If you have any questions about the IADL or Christopher Columbus, email us at iadlnow@yahoo.com. Now is the time!

IADL Newsletter

April 3, 2022

The Italian-American Defense League is growing and growing. IADL is a registered charity with the Secretary of the State in Connecticut with the intent to operate as a 501(c)4 with the IRS. Recently, IADL applied for the IRS to determine our 501(c)4 status. The filing fee was $600. As a result, we started this Columbus travel mug fundraiser. The fundraiser will last one more week. Please consider supporting IADL by purchasing this stainless-steel high-quality mug. Not only will more than $4 per mug go to the IADL, you’ll also receive a hot and cold travel mug, designed and shipped by Custom Ink. Thank you to all IADL members who have contributed a donation or purchased a travel mug.

In Christopher Columbus news across the country, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot stated that she expects the city’s Columbus statue to be re-erected in Grant Park. Italian-American civic leader Ron Onesti is pleased to hear the news and hopes that other Columbus statues in the city will also be returned to their rightful places. In New Hampshire, Italian Americans offered a compromise to state legislators to include two different days as holidays, one being the traditional Columbus Day and a second as Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Instead of being inclusive and diverse, radical activists refuse to support the unifying compromise. It is their way or no way at all as they try to “kill” the dual holiday bill that was introduced to the state legislature. In Minnesota, a bill to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples’ Day moved from committee to a full vote by the house. It is time for Italian and patriotic Americans to advocate for a different solution in Minnesota before “cancel culture” strikes again.

Promote Education

Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America published a document explaining Columbus facts and fiction. IADL will share one fact and one fiction from that document each week beginning today.

FICTION: COLUMBUS DID NOT DISCOVER THE AMERICAS. THE VIKINGS DID.

FACT: In 1950, a map surfaced in Europe that shows the “Island of Vinland” in the northwest Atlantic Ocean. The map’s text in Medieval Latin explains that Leif Erickson and his Vikings found Vinland in the year 1000 A.D. The Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., dates the map’s parchment to around 1434 A.D. – nearly 60 years before Columbus’ first voyage. But when researchers at London’s University College used a laser technique to test the map’s ink, they found it contained a chemical substance called anatase, which was not synthesized until 1923, proving that the map is a forgery. Did Columbus “discover” America? In every significant way, he did. Even if others visited the continent sporadically before he did, their voyages had no historical significance. Columbus’ voyages, however, marked the end of thousands of years of isolation between the Western Hemisphere and the rest of the world. The recorded history of the Americas and the Caribbean starts with Columbus. (Source: https://www.osia.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Columbus05_factvsfiction.pdf).

Portray Italians Positively

Italian Americans are more than pizza, pasta, pastries, meatballs, and mobsters. At least four out of five of those are good! Even today, stereotypes stigmatize Italian Americans, most frequently as the ignorant goon or mafioso. Despite the many contributions of Italian Americans and Italians to society, we can’t shake this stereotype. Fifty years ago, the Italian mobster became an archetype. Read this analysis which discusses Italian cultural authenticity and stereotyping in The Godfather, which includes a Saturday Night Live clip featuring John Belushi portraying Marlon Brando.

Preserve Traditions

Primo Magazine interviewed Nicholas J. Pirro and Anthony J. Pietrafesa of the Columbus Monument Corporation in Syracuse, New York. Recently the state’s Supreme Court ruled that Syracuse’s Columbus Statue must stay in its place. Watch to delve into a coordinated effort and legal battle to preserve traditions, history, and culture. Syracuse’s success story can serve as a model of local activism for other towns and cities. Italian Americans and all Americans of European descent deserve respect and honor, too!

Follow IADL on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/IADLnow. Share IADL’s posts with your Facebook friends. More likes and follows may lead to increased membership. The more members we have, the stronger our voice. Have family and friends join the IADL at: https://iadlnow.org/become-a-member. If you have any questions about the IADL or Christopher Columbus, email us at iadlnow@yahoo.com. Now is the time!

IADL Newsletter

March 27, 2022

There have been positive outcomes in the preservation of Columbus Day in Syracuse, New York and Westborough, Massachusetts. At a Westborough town meeting, residents voted 151-84 to honor Columbus Day. Read these letters to the editor in Syracuse and watch this phenomenal YouTube interview with Thomas Damigella of the Italian American Alliance – MA who is leading the charge against a bill to end Columbus Day in all of Massachusetts.

Promote Education

The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York City on March 21, 1911 was the largest workplace disaster in the city’s history for 90 years. Many of the 146 victims were immigrant women of Italian and Jewish descent. Most of the women factory workers who died were in their teens and twenties. Today we can be thankful for our working conditions in honor of their sacrifice.

Portray Italians Positively

This Italian 23-year-old female fighter pilot in Italy was previously in the news for an alleged hazing incident and now claims she is fighting in the Ukraine. Apparently, Guilia Schiff is filming her time defending the Ukrainian Resistance. How much of this is fact and how much is fiction? It is unclear if her actions are positive, or not. Either way, it is an interesting story.

Preserve Traditions

Following and cheering for the Italian national soccer team, the Azzurri, is a favorite pastime of those still connected to their home country. After Italy won the 2020 European Championship in 2021, delayed because of Covid-19, many were optimistic about the team’s performance in World Cup qualifiers. Unfortunately, after the team’s March 24th loss to North Macedonia, Italy will fail to qualify for its second World Cup in a row.

IADL Newsletter

March 20, 2022

Italian American civic organizations and local citizens await responses from boards of education in Guilford, Madison, and Stonington, CT, explaining their rationale and process for changing the traditional American holiday on their school calendars. In other towns, progress has been made. For example, in Pennsylvania, the Greensburg-Salem school board voted to keep traditional American holidays on its school calendar, which include Columbus Day, Christmas Break, and Easter Break. It is refreshing to hear that the board approved the calendar by a vote of 8-1, instead of ignoring that these three holidays exist. In Syracuse, New York, activists say they will continue to protest the city’s Columbus statue after the NY State Supreme Court ruled that the statue must stay. Mayor Ben Walsh continues to repeat many of the political revisionist lies of the late Howard Zinn, a member of Communist Party USA.

Promote Education

Across the country and here in the Northeast, “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” initiatives are in full force in public institutions, including schools. A product of DEI is the canceling of Columbus Day and the removal of Columbus statues as the symbol of colonization. More often than not, Catholic, Italian, and Irish histories are lumped together as European, as if it were Italian and Irish immigrants who are guilty of all the ills of Western civilization. These distortions are made in the name of “social justice” while ignoring the suffering, discrimination, plundering, and exploitation of southern Italians and Irish Catholics by Northerners in their home countries, including the British in Ireland and Britain & France in Italy, the same nations that propagated the exploitation of Native Americans and African slaves in the Caribbean. It is quite convenient that people of British and French descent, including leaders of Protestant churches, make Columbus the scapegoat of many of their ancestors’ sins. The story of “social justice’ for Italian and Irish people began long before they departed their own shores. Read about the circumstances that led both Italian and Irish people to the United States during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Why would proponents of DEI benefit from passing the blame?

Portray Italians Positively

Up and coming novelist, Marie-Helene Bertino talks about the portrayal of Italians in films as masculine, mafia, and machismo. Bertino says “I am part Italian, and I grew up with not a small amount of cognitive dissonance around why I didn’t relate to the idea of Italian-Americaness I saw on film. I was growing up with an enormous wealth of feeling around being an artist, and I didn’t have much to look to as far as examples. Nothing I saw of the Italian-American experience on film reflected the artistry I was very much longing to be part of.” Listen to a podcast explaining why the 1987 film “Moonstruck” is meaningful to her as an Italian American woman and artist.

Preserve Traditions

March 17, 2022, not only was St. Patrick’s Day, but was the 161st anniversary of the unification of Italy, part of the time period known as the “risorgimento.” Though it is not a national holiday, Italian Unity Day is celebrated annually in Italy. With St. Patrick’s Day and St. Giuseppe’s Day in the same week, some Catholic parishes in the United States sponsor Italian and Irish festivals on the same day. For Italians, you can add Italian Unity Day, too. This article from a couple of years ago explains the historical significance of the date. Some would argue that unification brought hardship to the Italian South, but who knows how history would have unfolded if unification did not occur?

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IADL NEWSLETTER

March 13, 2022

The New York Supreme Court ruled that Mayor Ben Walsh of Syracuse did not have the authority to remove the city’s Columbus statue. In fact, the court ruled that the city must care for the statue for “the rest of its useful life.” Expect more litigation and appeals, but this is a win for The Columbus Monument Corporation for now. This is proof that a local and dedicated group can make a difference.

The Minnesota Department of Education is teaming up with left-leaning political organizations and representatives to change Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Is blaming Columbus for all the sins committed during colonization an unbiased point of view? Does the Minnesota DOE support teaching that many Native American groups participated in cannibalism, human sacrifice, and slavery?

Removing New York City’s Teddy Roosevelt statue isn’t enough. Now a “decolonize” activist group wants the statue destroyed instead of being relocated to a museum. This situation is proof that the anti-statue groups are anti-American. The “decolonize” movement regrets that the United States was ever founded.

Promote Education

Americans are gearing up for Saint Patrick’s Day on March 17th. Most know that Saint Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland, but did you know he had parents of Roman descent? That is correct. Saint Patrick was Italian. Read about the Catholic saint, here. And should Italians adopt the holiday?

Portray Italians Positively

The Italian American One Voice Coalition released the name of its 2022 recipient of the Festa Della Donna Award. Maria Ricupero, the recipient, is an educator committed to celebrating and defending her Italian heritage and culture. The IAOVC states, “she is authoring a side-by-side comparison of Howard Zinn’s ‘A People’s History of the United States’ to primary documents from Columbus’ time period.” Most modern-day false narratives about Columbus grew from Zinn’s politically revisionist history to discredit the founding of the United States. Recupero’s work will be a valuable tool in countering the radical left’s false narrative which many middle of the road Americans now believe.

Preserve Traditions

Saturday, March 19th is Saint Joseph’s Day, also known as La Festa di San Giuseppe and Father’s Day in Italy. The holiday is known for St. Joseph’s Table, zeppole, and festivals. Read about the tradition of Saint Joseph’s Table and about a feast rooted in Catholicism. Did you know “onomastico” means “name day” in Italy? A name day honors the feast day of the Saint with your name. Be sure to wish anybody with the name “Joseph” a Happy Name Day on Saturday. Also, wish any father a Happy Father’s Day!

IADL Newsletter

March 6, 2022

There is confusion in Stonington, Connecticut. In the August 13, 2021 article in the New London Day newspaper, Joe Wojtas, a reporter, stated that Columbus Day was restored to the Stonington school calendar by a 3-2 vote. Upon further research into the matter, IADL found that Indigenous People Day is still on the 2022-23 school year calendar. Furthermore, the August 12, 2021 meeting notes now show a 3-3 vote which DID NOT PASS the motion to restore Columbus Day to the calendar.

1. Why were the meeting participants, reporter, and the public confused?

2. Is the 3-3 vote an error in the meeting notes?

3. Is this something else?

In Chicago, Lori Lightfoot, Mayor of Chicago, who is apparently anti-Italian, made a "big" proclamation described in a recent lawsuit against the city. Lightfoot allegedly had a tirade at city officials about one of the city’s Columbus statues. Does this show the mayor’s anti-Italianism? You decide. Now Chicago Italian Americans are demanding an apology.

Promote Education

Sadly, March 14th is the anniversary of the lynching of 11 Italian-American immigrants in New Orleans in 1891. After the Civil War, mostly Sicilian and Southern Italian immigrants escaped poor economic conditions in their home country to fill labor shortages in the American South. The newcomers were greeted with anti-Italian sentiment, bigotry, and discrimination. According to history.com, “March 14, 1891 would go down in history as one of the darkest moments in the United States’ long history of anti-Italian discrimination.” The following year President Benjamin Harrison made the first proclamation to celebrate Columbus Day and Italian Americans became champions of the holiday ever since. For the first time, Italian Americans felt a connection to America’s founding by celebrating the brave explorer from Genoa. Read about one of the largest single lynchings in U.S. history.

Portray Italians Positively

It is official. Philadelphia Attorney George Bochetto, a defender of Italian Americans and Christopher Columbus, is running for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania. Bochetto joins a crowded field of Republicans. His platform supports funding the police and is against today’s “wokeness”. Learn his backstory, here.

Preserve Traditions

Photojournalist and Author Carla Gambescia showcases the days leading to Lent in the city of Venice. Gambescia writes, “Venice calls to us like a beguiling seductress. In celebration of Carnevale and Martedi Grasso allow these mysterious and captivating images to take you there.” Traditionally, the celebration of Carnevale and Mardi Gras are the last days of indulgence for Catholics before preparing for the holy season of Lent. Enjoy Gambescia’s photo blog featuring Venice and Kathleen Ann Gonzalez’s “Seductive Venice” here.

IADL Newsletter

February 27, 2022

In several school districts, the Italian-American Defense League is having discussions about separating Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples’ Day on two different dates. Stonington, Connecticut and Madison, Connecticut are two districts that are regressive in their understanding of the significance of Columbus Day. The Stonington Board of Education replaced Columbus Day with Indigenous People Day and the Madison Board of Education calls Columbus Day, “School Holiday.” As a body of educators, this poorly reflects on the two towns in a climate of renewed political Marxism and anti-Italianism in the twenty-first century. If educators believe myths claiming Columbus was evil and the "Black Legend”, it is a sign of failure in their school districts.

The Italian-American Defense League’s mission is to promote education, portray Italians positively, and preserve traditions. As Italians, we love being American. We love the traditions of this great Nation. Maybe that is why we are being attacked. Members of Italian American groups must use their knowledge and understanding of Italian American history to meet the goals of IADL’s mission. Contact members of the Stonington Board of Education to share your understanding about Columbus and to request that “Columbus Day” is added to the school calendar. Here are the Stonington board members’ email addresses: frajab@stoningtonschools.org, daniel.kelley@stoningtonschools.org, heidi.simmons@stoningtonschools.org, christopher.donahue@stoningtonschools.org, cesposito@StoningtonSchools.org, kevin.agnello@stoningtonschools.org, sara.baker@stoningtonschools.org. Also, contact Madison board members at: cawleyg@madison.k12.ct.us, connellym@madison.k12.ct.us, gordonj@madison.k12.ct.us, infantinevyced@madison.k12.ct.us, klaskins@madison.k12.ct.us, lewismh@madison.k12.ct.us, millerc@madison.k12.ct.us, pynns@madison.k12.ct.us, rosenthale@madison.k12.ct.us .

Promote Education

Eighty years ago, President Franklin D. Roosevelt began the internment of “enemy aliens” of the United States against their will. Today, many know about the internment of Japanese Americans. Did you know Italian and German Americans were also held against their will? Read about this critical moment in United States WWII history.

Portray Italians Positively

Robert Deko, Jr., local police officer and Italian American, is going above and beyond honoring local heroes in his community. Deko founded “Our Community Hero’s, Inc.” The corporation describes itself in this way: “Our Community Hero’s Corporation is a non-profit which has been established exclusively for charitable purposes. Our Community Hero’s Corporation will be targeting members of our community who have dedicated themselves to make society a better place. Our Community Hero’s Corporation knows the sacrifices the family members of front-line workers also endure, so understanding that, we will also be focusing on helping them as well.” From veterans, people with special needs, to school teachers, Deko and his organization are recognizing unsung heroes. Go to this Facebook page to learn more about Our Community Hero’s, Inc.

Preserve Traditions

March is Women’s History Month and the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans will be recognizing Italian American Women on its website all month. The JCCIA describes the month’s theme as, “Providing Healing, Promoting Hope” — they will honor Italian-American doctors, nurses, police officers, firefighters, teachers and counselors with 90-second videos posted throughout the month on the JCCIA website.” On March 8, they will host La Festa della Donna, a dinner to honor the women and share the videos.

IADL Newsletter

February 20, 2022

Here is an update regarding far-left attacks on Columbus Day, an American and Italian tradition, with some successes and other works in progress.

In Westfield, New Jersey the superintendent says that the board of education will restore Columbus Day to its school calendar.
Magnolia, Texas Independent School District added Columbus Day to its school calendar for the first time.
In Guilford, Connecticut the superintendent and chairperson of the board suppressed public comment about Columbus Day. That was after “School Calendar” was included as an agenda item. Speakers were asked to wait until the end of the meeting to speak, which at that point there could be no vote taken to restore Columbus Day to its own day. The change of Columbus Day to Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples’ Day was never discussed at three previous meetings. Watch a representative from Italian American Alliance-Connecticut speak before comments are stopped.
The Italian American Alliance – Massachusetts sent a letter to legislators at the statehouse to oppose Bill H3191/S2027 that calls to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples’ Day. IAA with the IADL and other groups stated, “We are writing to you as ONE UNIFIED VOICE of Italian American Organizations regarding the sponsored bill to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day as a State Holiday. There has been much misinformation circulating in the past few decades regarding the history of Christopher Columbus, and in a misguided effort to be inclusive and sensitive to all cultures, this bill produces the opposite effect - it foments exclusion and resentment, especially among Italian-Americans, who have struggled for decades to be accepted into the American national life.” The letter goes on to explain the holiday’s historical significance and offers a positive solution of honoring both holidays on separate dates.

Promote Education

If you are interested in Italian-American history and scholarly writing, read Diasporic Italy: Journal of Italian American Studies Association. Here is one article: Remembering Columbus, Forgetting Ethnicity: Memory, White Supremacy, and Italian American Identity in the American South. The article leans left but the author makes a well-taken point that Italian-American history is being forgotten in today’s divisive political climate.

Portray Italians Positively

Two candidates of Italian descent from Connecticut were in contact with the IADL. Both value the significance of honoring Columbus Day. Gubernatorial candidate Susan Patricelli Regan and Secretary of State candidate Dominic Rapini are proud of their families’ Italian-American heritage. Here is a link to Regan’s website and to Rapini’s article supporting Columbus Day. IADL welcomes all public figures and candidates to support the holiday.

Preserve Traditions

From Carnival in Venice to the Sanremo Music Festival, the month of February is full of events and celebrations as Roman Catholics traditionally have a little fun before preparing for Lent. Read more about February in Italy, here.

IADL Newsletter

February 13, 2022

Calls to Action

1. The Guilford, Connecticut Board of Education will hold a meeting on Monday, February 14, 2022 at 7:30 p.m. The meeting will be held on Zoom.

The decision of board members to call Columbus Day "Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples' Day", is everything but inclusive, unintentionally or not. The decision artificially pits both groups against each other and fails to give both groups the recognition they deserve. The Italian-American Defense League and its supporters call on the Guilford Board of Education to implement a unifying solution of honoring Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples' Day on two separate calendar dates. Even the Native American Guardian's Association agrees with that statement. Vocal activist groups do not speak for all Italian Americans, all Native Americans, or all Catholics. To change Columbus Day is grossly offensive to the majority of Italian Americans in Guilford and across the country.

Suggestions of a possible Indigenous Peoples’ Day date include August 9th (The International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples), September 23rd (Native American Day in California), or the Friday after Thanksgiving, the most appropriate date based on New England history with no additional cost to the district.

Use this link to make a public comment during the meeting: https://zoom.us/j/99371400353 . Public comment is the fourth item on the agenda and will happen early in the meeting.

If you wish to just watch the BOE meeting while it is livestreaming and do not wish to comment on video, please use the below link to our YouTube Channel: Public link to meeting: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRi1yfH9015HWCEn5vFS2ng .

These are trusted resources from the Knights of Columbus that explain why we should continue to celebrate Columbus Day. https://www.kofc.org/en/news-room/columbus/index.html . Also consider reading this concise and well written article on Columbus myths versus facts. Comments will be limited to 3 minutes. Use these resources to plan your comments. We recommend brevity and respectful language. Mute your microphone upon entering the meeting.

2. Counter this petition in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. Keep the pressure on to honor both groups on different days. We will need to act now if we want to have any chance of making a difference. The committee may vote on the calendar during their Feb. 16 meeting. Here is a link to the contact information for the school board and superintendent.

Email Superintendent Joseph Sawyer, Chair Jon Wensky, Vice Chair Sandra Fryc, Secretary Lynsey Heffernan, B. Dale Magee M.D., and Jason Palitsch at jsawyer@shrewsbury.k12.ma.us ; jpalitsch@shrewsbury.k12.ma.us ; dmagee@shrewsbury.k12.ma.us ; lheffernan@shrewsbury.k12.ma.us ; sfryc@shrewsbury.k12.ma.us ; and jonwensky@shrewsbury.k12.ma.us .

Promote Education

Thank you to a member of the IADL for sharing this information about the killing of Italians by Tito’s partisans during and after World War II. Since 2004, this date in Italian history has been acknowledged on February 10th. Read more about “National Memorial Day of the Exiles and Foibe,” here.

Portray Italians Positively

Photojournalist Carla Gambescia put together another collection of photos from Italy. She says, “Today’s Postcards take us on a passeggiata through Naples’ historic center—a fascinating labyrinth of narrow streets. Enjoy this visual feast of exuberant street art and mouth-watering Neapolitan street foods.” Click here to enjoy the latest edition of Postcards from the Boot.

Preserve Traditions

New Hampshire GOP legislators introduced a bill to celebrate Indigenous Peoples' Day in August. Finally, there are some politicians with a unifying solution! The opposition was organized at a public hearing. This is a case where legislators have to connect with Italian-American organization BEFORE the public hearing.