Italian America Magazine Fall 2013

Tell Me OUR Story!

Books for Our Children

Coast to Coast Culture Italian American Museums

The Taste of Time Italian Christmas Cookies

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October Special on For the Love of Italian Cooking!

Looking to freshen up those traditional recipes? We’re bringing back free shipping so you can get your copy of For the Love of Italian Cooking, the official cookbook of the Sons of Italy, in time to celebrate Italian American Heritage Month!

From our table to yours, this cookbook showcases hearty fall recipes to warm you up like "Pasta Fagioli," and classic Italian combinations like "Sausage and Polenta," to make you feel like you're back in your mother's kitchen!

Proceeds from the sale of this publication will be used to fund the cultural, educational and charitable programs of the Sons of Italy.

FREE SHIPPING ON ALL ORDERS

PLACED BY MIDNIGHT ON THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31!

Every book: $24.95 plus $5.00 FREE shipping & handling Please send me _____ copies for $24.95 each. (Includes discounts; must be shipped to same address.)

TOTAL DUE: $_________________ SHIPPING INFORMATION (*required information) Title:____________ First name*:________________________ Last name*:__________________________________ Address*:_______________________________________________________________________________________ Address 2:_______________________________________________________________________________________ City*:______________________________________________ State*:_____________ ZIP*:_____________________ Email:______________________________________________ Phone*:_____________________________________ BILLING INFORMATION (*required information)  Billing address is same as the shipping address.  My check is enclosed (payable to OSIA Supreme Lodge)  Please charge my: Amex / MC / Visa Expiration*:__________ CCV*:_________ Credit card number*:______________________________________________________________________________ Name as it appears on card*:________________________________________________________________________ Billing Address*:__________________________________________________________________________________ Billing Address 2:_________________________________________________________________________________ Billing City*:_________________________________________ State*:_____________ ZIP*:_____________________ Email your order to: nationaloffice@osia.org | fax to: 202.546.8168 | or mail to: OSIA, Attn: Cookbook, 219 E St NE, Washington DC 20002. (Note: In order to receive special discount, email and fax orders must be received by 10/31 at midnight; mail must be FALL 2013 by b10/31;

ITALIAN AMERICA postmarked and phone orders will be accepted during normal business hours.)

FALL 2013

VOL. XVIII No. 4

Italian America T h e O ff i c i a l P u b l i c a t i o n o f t h e O r d e r S o n s o f I t a l y i n A m e r i c a

Features

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COAST TO COAST CULTURE Today’s Italian American Museums

By Gabi Logan

TELL ME OUR STORY

Children’s Books On Italian Heritage

By Emily Will

18 22 2 3 4 5 9 10 15 16 17

National Officers Elected

By Carol Elfo Cummings

THE TASTE OF TIME The Story of Italian Christmas Cookies

By Anthony Sementilli

HIGH PROFILE NATIONAL NEWS OGGI IN ITALIA PAGINA ITALIANA BOOK CLUB OUR STORY IT’S “ONLY” A MOVIE ON THE BULLETIN BOARD SPEAKERS BUREAU

OSIA’s 53RD BIENNIAL CONVENTION

D e pa r t m e n t s 21 GIOVINEZZA! 24 OSIA NATION 26 FOUNDATION FOCUS 27 YOUR NATIONAL OFFICE 28 FIGHTING STEREOTYPES (CSJ) 29 letters to the editor 30 THE LAST WORD 32 THE SONS OF ITALY

CHRISTMAS SHOPPERS GUIDE

ON THE COVER: On the rise are stories about Italy and Italian Americans aimed at a younger audience. See article beginning on page 12.

Italian America Magazine is a publication of the Order Sons of Italy in America (OSIA), the nation’s biggest and oldest organization for people of Italian heritage. To subscribe, see www.osia.org or call 1-800-552-6742.

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High Profile DAVID CATANIA, 45, the new chair of Washington, D.C.’s Committee on Education has introduced legislation to reshape the city’s public schools. Catania, who has served as an at-large member of the city council since 1997, drafted seven bills tackling the poor performance of DC schools. “So long as our school system ...disproportionately fails poor people and people of color, it permits a culture division,” he recently told The Washington Post.

MARK De MARIA, a meteorologist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Center for Satellite Applications and Research, developed wind speed prediction models used to calculate Hurricane Sandy’s wind speed and time of landfall in 2012.

For over two decades, he has been working on methods to forecast changes in hurricane intensity, and is currently working on the Hurricane Forecast Improvement Project.

He is also working on a lightening mapper, which could tell us more about a storm’s intensification.

ALYSSA MILANO, 40, told Parade Magazine she attributes her long, successful career to her Italian family. She began as a child star and is still working today because, Milano says, “Many of the kids who got into trouble didn’t have supportive families.” Known for her roles on “Who’s the Boss?” and “Melrose Place,” she currently stars on ABC’s “Mistresses.”

RAY “BOOM BOOM” MANCINI, former lightweight boxing world champion, is the subject of a new documentary, “The Good Son.” Mancini, 52, known for his ruthless style in the ring, which led to 23 victories via knockout, lets the genuineness of his persona shine through in the film.

The documentary details some of his bleakest moments including the match with South Korean Duk-koo Kim on Nov. 13, 1982, which resulted in Kim’s death.

DAN TANGHERLINI is the new head of the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) effective July 5, following 15 months acting GSA administrator. The agency is responsible for improving the government’s workplace by managing assets, acquisitions, historic property, and technology. It includes more than 12,500 employees, and oversees more than 370 million square feet of work space and 200,000-plus vehicles.

FRANCESCA ZAMBELLO, head of the Washington National Opera, has transformed the summertime Glimmerglass Festival in Cooperstown, NY into a true opera company by nurturing artists’ allegiance to the company FALL 2013

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Italian Americans in the NEWS

and bringing in renowned singers as artists-in-residence.

To contribute to the love of opera in younger generations, she’s maintained the festival’s children’s chorus.

AND “ADDIO” TO...

VINCENZO CERAMI, co-author of the screenplay, “Life is Beautiful,” died July 17 at age 72 in Rome. Besides writing the Academy-Award-winning, “Life is Beautiful,” starring Roberto Benigni, he co-wrote over 40 other screenplays, the most recent being “A Tiger in the Snow,” and “Manuale d’amore.” He began his career as a protégé of the late Italian writer and director, Pier Paolo Pasolini.

DAN NAPOLITANO, director of teacher education & special programs at the National Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C., died suddenly of a heart attack Sept.

15 at age 52. He held positions in education and development during his 13-year tenure there. Before joining the Museum, he studied for the priesthood and was a faculty member of the Religious Studies Department at Georgetown Preparatory School.

LAURA N. RINALDI, Esq., an attorney who fought for Washington, D.C.’s children with special needs, died July 29 in an accident. A 2001 graduate of George Washington University Law School, she was instrumental in winning a court case against the D.C. public school system, after the city failed to provide appropriate and necessary special education services to one of its students. A former juvenile and special education clinical professor at the University of the District of Columbia’s law school, she was a member of the D.C. Bar Pro Bono Program. She was 38.

Compiled by Carol Elfo Cummings

Christmas Gifts at Special OSIA Discounts!

Looking for special Christmas gift ideas? Visit our special XMAS SHOPPER’S GUIDE in this issue on page 31.

Also, see www.osia.org at the “Market Place” section for discounts on Italian products and specialty items, including Murano glass, fine stationery, kitchenware, art posters, books and more!

ITALIAN AMERICA

National News

Italian American issues and events

FBI Founder Remembered The contributions of Charles Bonaparte, the founder of the F.B.I. were recalled during the 53rd annual memorial ceremony in his honor held this year on August 23rd at the Department of Justice (DOJ).

He was a Baltimore-born, Harvard-educated lawyer, who supported liberal causes, including the rights of African Americans at a time when Jim Crow laws and segregation were part of the national fabric. He served as Secretary of the Navy in President Theodore Roosevelt’s cabinet and later became U.S. Attorney General. As such, he created the Bureau of Investigation, which, in 1935, became the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The keynote speaker for the memorial ceremony was Lisa Monaco, assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism. In her remarks, Ms. Monaco asked the audience to consider why it is important to honor the nation’s 46th attorney general. “[There are] many answers, but mine is: tradition. Tradition is important–particularly for those of us from Italian families–and it’s worth preserving. It reminds us where we come from and how we got to be who we are. I’ve come to appreciate that more and more as I’ve gotten older,” she said.

She then described her childhood in Boston, the granddaughter of a southern Italian immigrant, a barber who set-

tled in Philadelphia and raised four children, including her father. “Being Italian-American didn’t seem like something that made me special when I was growing up,” she said. “Sometimes it made me feel different.

Charles Joseph But over time, my identity as Bonaparte [1851-1921]. an Italian-American, and my family’s traditions, have become a source of great strength and enduring pride. So it’s particularly meaningful to me not only because of Bonaparte’s Italian roots but because of his legacy in the Justice Department of founding the Federal Bureau of Investigation,” she said.

The event was organized by Francesco Isgro, the president of OSIA’s International Lodge #2522 in Washington, D.C. Co-sponsors were OSIA’s national headquarters in the capital and the Lido Club. Mr. Isgro is senior litigation counsel at the DOJ’s Office of Immigration Litigation. Welcoming remarks were offered by another OSIA member, Francis Allegra, a judge on the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, and by Luca Franchetti Pardo, deputy chief of mission at the Embassy of Italy.

[L. to R.] Judge Francis Allegro, Lisa Monaco & Francesco Isgro at the 2013 Bonaparte Memorial Ceremony in Washington, D.C. FALL 2013 3 ITALIAN AMERICA

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Oggi in Italia

Italy’s news, politics and culture

Sicily’s First Gay Governor Fights Mafia

By Carol ELFO Cummings

A year ago this month, Sicily elected Rosario Crocetta as its first openly gay governor, who garnered nearly 31% of the vote, beating his nearest rival who was backed by former Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi.

Since his election in October 2012, the 62-year-old member of Italy’s Democratic Party has become the toughest politician to fight organized crime that the island has seen in recent years. The former mayor of the coastal town, Gela, as governor Crocetta has cancelled tainted state contracts, appointed an anti-mafia judge to head a major procurement department, and passed a law to aid witnesses to mafia crimes.

Crocetta is also openly gay, making him one of the unlikeliest candidates to govern the ultraconservative island.

Italy is the only country in Western Europe without any type of legal recognition for same-sex couples. Despite his sexual identity, Crocetta’s hard-hitting tactics seem to be what the island needs to recover during Italy’s tough economic crisis. He has opened communication with the national prosecutor’s office in Palermo, a step that has led to 20 investigations so far. He also has joined the movement to end pizzo or forced protection payments that the

Mafia inflicts on small businesses throughout the island.

In the last few months, he’s put a hard-line to end cronyism.

His largest task so far has been unraveling the millions Rosario Crocetta, of Euros in misspent funds Sicily’s present governor, fights the Mafia. and bad state deals that have pushed Sicily close to defaulting on its debts and caused the last governor to resign after being charged with corruption and close ties to the Mafia. Crocetta’s stiff anti-mafia policies haven’t come without a risk to his life. He currently travels with a 24-hour security detail and frequently changes his sleeping arrangements.

Sicily isn’t the first of Italy’s regions to elect a gay governor. Seven years ago, Nichi Vendola won election in Apulia and has since become a national figure on the Italian left. “The fact that I’m here is almost inconceivable. Even I’m surprised,” Crocetta was quoted in The Washington Post.

Italy’s Fatal Traffic Accidents Among World’s Highest Italy enjoys a worldwide reputation for its sports cars and famed racing drivers. Unfortunately, the country’s love affair with speed places it number 4 in the top ten nations with the most fatal car accidents. About 98 deaths for every million are due to car accidents. Perhaps signs like this one are part of the problem.

CHECK IT OUT! Visit your OSIA web site WWW.OSIA.ORG for updates on the latest OSIA news, reports & issues.

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ITALIAN AMERICA

Pagina Italiana

Per chi studia la nostra lingua

San Franceso D’Assisi Il Santo Patrono D’Italia

Quest’anno, per la prima volta nella storia, la Chiesa Cattolica ha un papa che si chiama “Francesco.” Jorge Mario Bergoglio ha scelto questo nome per ricordare uno dei santi più amati ed ammirati sia in Italia che altrove.

Ma chi fu San Francesco?

Francesco nasce nel 1182, il figlio di un ricco mercante, ma non vuole seguire il padre che s’occupa di stoffe e pensa solo ad arricchirsi. Francesco vuole diventare un cavaliere, famoso per il suo coraggio. Vuole sposare una donna nobile ma conduce una vita abbastanza dissoluta finchè una notte fa un sogno che lo porta ad una crisi spirituale. Decide di vendere tutto quello che possiede per aiutare la gente povera. Fra non molto, 12 giovani decidono di seguirlo. Dormono all’aperto; camminano a piedi nudi tutto l’anno e vestono come Francesco di un rozzo saio cinto da una corda.

Gli inizi sono molto difficili in quanto le idee di San Francesco sulla povertà e sulla semplicità della vita non sono capite nè dalla gente e nè dal clero. Francesco insieme ai suoi compagni per molti anni aiutano nei lebrosari ma non accettano denaro per il bene che fanno. Tutti i frati devono lavorare con le proprie mani, aiutando i contadini nei campi, oppure accettando qualsiasi lavoro, purché onesto.

In cambio possono accettare soltanto un po› di cibo.

Ai tempi di Francesco la Chiesa promuove crociate per recuperare la Terrasanta. Francesco va in Egitto, durante la quinta crociata, per persuadere i crociati a non uccidere

ma nessuno lo ascolta. Allora si presenta nel campo nemico e rimane diversi mesi fra gli ‘infedeli’ a predicare, ed è trattato con molto onore dal sultano.

San Francesco d’Assisi [1182-1226]. Anche gli animali capiscono le sue parole.

Francesco passa la vita a predicare. A tutti porta un saluto di pace e ripete le parole di Cristo di volersi bene. Un contemporaneo dice che Francesco è capace di “catturare l’attenzione di qualsiasi persona”. Riesce perfino a farsi ascoltare dagli uccelli: è un miracolo famoso, molte volte rappresentato nelle immagini per dimostrare che anche gli animali possono capire le sue parole.

Nel 1224 San Francesco riceve le stigmata di Cristo-un miracolo mai accaduto prima di allora. Sentendosi vicino alla morte, San Francesco si fa portare ad Assisi dove muore su un giaciglio sulla nuda terra il 4 ottobre 1226.

Nel 1228, Papa Gregorio IX lo proclama santo. Nel 1939, Papa Pio XII proclama San Francesco il Patrono d’Italia. Oggi ricordiamo San Francesco che voleva vivere in povertà come Cristo, e come lui, amare e capire la sofferenza dei miseri. San Francesco predica l’amore per il prossimo e per la natura. Ci consiglia: “Se vuoi essere perfetto va e vendi tutto quello che possiedi e donalo ai poveri, così avrai un tesoro in cielo.”

Fonte: CristoEnciclopedia dei ragazzi (2005) di Chiara Frugoni

S. Francesco Ed Il Presepio É stato Sam Francesco a creare la prima rappresentazione vivente della Natività. Fu a Greccio, un paese vicino a Roma nel 1223. Tommaso da Celano, cronista della vita del santo, descrive la scena: “si dispone la greppia, si porta il fieno, sono menati il bue e l’asino. Si onora ivi la semplicità, si esalta la povertà, si loda l’umiltà e Greccio si trasforma quasi in una nuova Betlemme. Oggigiorno, molte famiglie italiane ed italoamericani mettono su un piccolo “presepe” o “presepio” che rappresenta con statuette la nascita di Cristo in una stalla.

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Un presepio napoletano Greccio dove nasce il presepio ITALIAN AMERICA FALL 2013 5

Today’s Italian American Museums

By Gabi Logan

The end of the 19th century saw the beginning of Italian immigration to the United States. For the next century, these immigrants and their descendents strove to become Americanized without losing their Italian heritage. Fortunately, today’s Italian Americans have a new guardian of their history and culture: Italian American museums. Three of the largest are found on opposite sides of the nation: in Manhattan, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

EAST COAST/WEST COAST As New York City’s Little Italy threatened to disappear completely into Chinatown, Dr. Joseph V. Scelsa raised millions of dollars to purchase three adjacent row houses on Mulberry Street in Manhattan. In 2008, he used one of them to house the Italian American Museum.

It collects memorabilia, documents and other materials and also sponsors cultural programs to raise public awareness and appreciation of the accomplishments and contributions of Italian Americans to the American way of life.

On the other side of the country, in the city that is home to the fifth-largest A Sicilian “opera dei pupi” puppet used in Orlando Furioso was donated to the Italian American Museum in NYC. [Photo: Gabi Logan]

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Italian American community, the newest Italian American museum will open in 2014. The high-tech Italian American Museum of Los Angeles has a collection of over 6,000 artifacts, photographs and documents dating from the 18th century to the present, according to its director, Marianna Gatto. It is the only repository of its kind in the western states. When it opens next year, it will also offer film screenings, Italian classes and live performances.

Although these museums document Italian American history, enterprising curators are pushing the boundaries of how the Italian American experience is remembered and interpreted. As Gatto explains, her museum’s work centers on California’s social history. “We’re not here to compete with the art museums although we do have works of art. But we hope that whether you’re Italian or you’ve recently emigrated from Cambodia, you can find something here that has meaning for you.”

North of Los Angeles, in “the city by the bay,” sits il Museo Italo Americano di San Francisco, which opened in the 1970s. One of the oldest Italian American museums, it emphasizes Italian Americans’ achievements over their art. “We strive to inform people of the littleknown struggles and successes of Italian Americans,” says its curator, Mary Serventi Steiner. “We especially want to get rid of the ‘Sopranos’/mafia stereotype. We show how important Italians and Italian Americans have been to America.”

The Italian American Museum of Los Angeles renovation of the Italian Hall is scheduled to open in 2014.

[Photo: Courtesy of the Italian American Museum of Los Angeles.]

who curated the exhibit, “Baseball mirrored Italian assimilation into American culture. In the 1930s, there was still a lot of prejudice because they were the newest ethnic group to come in a big wave. They were seen as taking jobs from ‘Americans.’ Baseball was the means by which a lot of these first-generation Italian Americans were able to identify as Americans.”

Though Steiner often explores Italian American issues on a national or even international scale, the museum also zeroes in on local Italian American history through exhibits, such as the 2007 Planting Roots, Reaping the Harvest: The Contribution of Italian Immigrants and their Descendants to the Napa and Sonoma Wine Industry.

HISTORIC ROOTS

The museum’s highly acclaimed 2012 baseball exhibit, “Italian Americans at Bat: From Sand Lots to the Major Leagues” featured the Italian Americans who shaped baseball, from players to management. According to Steiner,

These museums are literally rooted in their communities because they are housed in historic or landmark buildings. The Italian American Museum of Los Angeles is in the Italian Hall. Built in 1908, the hall was the

An exhibit at the American Italian Renaissance Museum in New Orleans

The Italian American Museum in New York City’s Little Italy on Mulberry Street

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for a developer to partner with so he can expand the space, the preserved elements of the bank will remain unchanged.

AND ELSEWHERE...

There are a number of smaller and/or more specialized museums dedicated to Italian Americans in other parts of the country. New Orleans has the American Italian Museum whose exhibits tell the history of Italian Americans in the southeastern states through photographs, articles, family histories, and memorabilia.

Chicago’s National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame, founded in 1977 as the Italian American Boxing Hall of Fame, was later expanded to honor Italian American athletes in all sports. The museum collection includes artifacts from its more than 200 honorees, including Mario Andretti’s Indy 500 racecar. The Windy City also has the Italian American Veterans Museum and Library, a small but unique museum.

Baseball led to acceptance for some first-generation Italian Americans. Seen here (L to R) Rugger Ardizoia, George Puccinelli and Ernie Orsatti, all sons of immigrants, who went from sandlot ball to the majors.

[Photo: Courtesy of Rugger Ardizoia.]

focal point of the city’s Italian community, used for wedding banquets and holiday celebrations, until the state purchased it under eminent domain in the 1950s. The hall was rented to commercial tenants, fell into disrepair, and was slated for the wrecking ball until the local Italian American community stepped in and raised $2 million to restore it about 20 years ago.

In New York about 12 years ago, when Scelsa set out to find a permanent home for the Italian American exhibits he had mounted at the New York Historical Society, the former Stabile Bank was on the market. In 1885, Francesco Rosario Stabile opened a full-service bank and resource center for Italian immigrants living in Lower Manhattan.

It helped them find jobs and housing, and also assisted immigrants with their letters to Italy, money transfers, and travel arrangements. “I wanted to find a place that made sense, not something on Fifth Avenue,” says Scelsa. “So I established the museum in Manhattan’s Little Italy, which was the largest of all with more Italian Americans than the Bronx’s Arthur Avenue or Brooklyn’s Bensonhurst.”

Many of Stabile’s original implements are preserved in the museum today, including the bank vault and teller cages. Though Scelsa has recently announced the search

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New York’s state capital, Albany has the American Italian Heritage Museum, run by the American Italian Heritage Association. Founded in 1979, the association has members in 36 states as well as Canada and Italy. It focuses more on Italian art than the other museums, but also has artifacts, including nativity scenes from the past.

On New York City’s Staten Island stands a small museum with a big mission. The Garibaldi-Meucci Museum is in the cottage where Antonio Meucci developed his prototype of the telephone years before Alexander Graham Bell. He also hosted the Italian “George Washington,” Giuseppe Garibaldi, who went on to unify Italy. Today, the museum has artifacts from both historical figures as well as a rich selection of Italian classes for children and adults, and culture programs. It is owned by the Sons of Italy Foundation.

By combining a thoughtful reminder of the past with energetic events laying the groundwork for the future of their local Italian American communities, Italian American museums today are preserving our nation’s Italian American culture.

As Joseph Scelsa notes, “Today’s Italian Americans are successful, but the ones who came here weren’t. They were children of serfs, a fact that many grandparents didn’t reveal. Transmitting their stories to their grandchildren— that’s our job.”

Gabi Logan is a freelance writing living in New York City. Contact her at gabi@gabilogan.com.

ITALIAN AMERICA

The Sons of Italy

Book Club

The Marquis of Roccaverdina

By Luigi Capuana.

Translated by Santi V. Buscemi Written by one of Italy’s acclaimed 19th century authors, this novel reveals the life-altering choices of a Sicilian aristocrat who is forced to choose between love and social standing.

Hailed as a psychological tour de force by critics, Capuana’s novel belongs to the Italian verismo literary movement, which portrayed life as a struggle with social and political forces. Verismo aims to reveal il vero or “the truth” about society and its problems objectively without sentimentality or even compassion. [$18.95; paperback; 242 pages; Dante University Press]

FALL 2013 Selections

The Reach of Rome

By Alberto Angela.

Translated by Gregory Conti Best-selling Italian author Alberto Angela examines what life was like for the ancient Romans, from senators to slaves, through the unique narrative lens of a coin. We follow its travels through the Roman Empire that once reached from Scotland to Kuwait. How were the Romans able to create an empire from so many diverse peoples? Angela answers that question by following the coin as it changed hands and in the process paints a colorful picture of daily life in Ancient Rome. [$26.95; hardcover; 432 pages; Rizzoli ExLibris]

The Girls of Piazza D’Amore

By Connie Guzzo-McParland Set in Calabria during the 1950s, this novel presents three teenage village girls who fall in love, but are forced to leave home for a new life across the ocean. Told by one of the girls, it reveals the difficult choices each makes out of necessity rather than desire. The story also captures the difficulties of life in post-war southern Italy 60 years ago at a time when people struggled with politics, employment and providing for the family. [$13.95; paperback; 161 pages; Linda Leith Publishing]

Also Worth Reading Italian Days, Arabian Nights Coming of Age in the Shadow of Mussolini

By Vittorio Palumbo Separated from his family at age 6, the author spends WWII scrounging for food in war-torn Italy.

When at last reunited with his relatives, he discovers they are now strangers. This memoir is both a historical document and a personal story of courage and resilience. [$19.95; paperback; 268 pages; Story Trust Publishing, LLC]

The Bitter Taste of Strangers’ Bread

By Elena Gianini Belotti The title comes from Dante, who also was an exile like the protagonist of this novel, based on the diary of the author’s father, an early 20th century immigrant, who leaves Italy for a better future but instead finds suffering, discrimination and poverty which drive him back to Italy. [$24; paperback; 442 pages; Bordighera Press].

Reviewed by Carol Elfo Cummings FALL 2013 9 ITALIAN AMERICA

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Our Story

Italian American history and culture

Buon Natale! Italian Christmas Traditions Christmas is the most important holiday in Italy, Italian children expect a visit from Babbo Natale especially where food is concerned. On la Vigilia (Santa Claus), but they also hope that La Befana di Natale (Christmas Eve), families gather for il (an old woman) will come on January 6th, La Festa dell’Epifania (Epiphany). She rewards good cenone (the big supper), a meatless meal. They children by filling their socks with candy or fruit. eat sea food, but there must be an odd number If they have been bad, they get coal. of dishes: 3, 5, 7, etc. On the menu, le vongole (clams); le cozze (mussels); la baccalà (dried Legend has it that the Three Wise Men (I codfish); le sarde (sardines) and l’anguilla (eel) tre Magi) were lost and saw an old woman along with pasta and vegetables. For dessert, sweeping her front steps. They asked her for zeppole and struffoli (fried and sugared balls of directions to Bethlehem, but she shooed them dough) or roasted chestnuts may be served along away with her broom. Later, she regretted her with fruit, cheese, and nuts. After dinner, Italian bad manners and set out to find the Three Wise families play tombola (Bingo) and other games. Buon Natale e Felice Men. She still rides her broom, searching for Capodanno! them at Christmas time. “Befana” is believed On Christmas Day, Italian families again gather in the afternoon for il pranzo (dinner). It begins to be a corruption of the word, epifania (e-pi-fa-NI-a). with antipasti (appetizers), followed by pasta; then a meat For New Year’s Eve (il Veglione), Italians set off fireand vegetables course and ends with spumanti (sweet crackers and eat a traditional dinner of lentils and a special champagne) and panettone, a sweet bread filled with sausage called cotechino, which is supposed to guarantee pieces of candied fruit and raisins. wealth in the coming year.

The Lost Art of the Needle

By Dona De Sanctis

Italy has long enjoyed a well-earned reputation for producing exquisite embroidery. The tradition goes back 1,300 years to Palermo where the first embroidery workshops were opened by the Muslims who had conquered Sicily. Within 100 years, other workshops opened in Genoa, Pisa and Venice. By the Renaissance, embroidery had become an art form.

In the 19th century, fashion called for the so-called “white embroidery” which decorated towels, sheets and underwear. The art of the needle became widespread and skillful embroidery techniques became the hallmark of young Italian women of all classes, who produced hand-embroidered articles that filled their hope chests in preparation for marriage. Many women also supported themselves and their families with their needle skills.

These delicate pieces of work found their way into the suitcases and trunks of families immigrating to America.

Once here, mothers taught the art of the needle to their daughters, but with the invention of the sewing machine, hand-embroidering eventually died out. Second, third and fourth generation Italian American women rarely learned the art.

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An exception was Giuseppina D’Alisa, born in a small town near Naples in 1915. She lost her An example of “white mother when she was only embroidery” by Giuseppina D’Alisa three and her father, a sharecropper, apprenticed her at age 6 to a local woman, who for the next 10 years or so taught her to sew and embroider so she could learn a trade.

Eventually, Giuseppina married a tailor and together they created custom-made clothing for men and women.

In 1957, the couple with their young daughter immigrated to New York City where they worked in the garment district. She died in 1994 at age 79.

She left her daughter a number of embroidered pieces, including bed linens and towels; night gowns and men’s night shirts of pure white linen with extensive embroidery.

Now her daughter is seeking to donate these items to museums that will keep them displayed. Interested parties should contact Rose D’Alisa at 215 343 6994. Email: roda0348@verizon.net.

ITALIAN AMERICA

Our Story

Italian American history and culture

Our History…On Film

By Brandon Pinto

Who films our history? Not Hollywood with its stereotypes. Thanks go to independent documentary film makers, who have captured many little-known chapters of our history. Below is a sampling of available DVDs. They make good presents for birthdays or Christmas and could also be donated to local school and public libraries.

ASSISI IN SILENCE. During WWII, a secret network organized by Assisi’s clergy and supported by the townspeople saved all 300 of the Jewish refugees who had fled there from other nations. Includes first-person interviews; historical footage; and a message from Pope John Paul II. Italian and English versions on same DVD. [37 minutes. Call 619 407-0374 (CA) or see info@orienteoccidente.com.]

“I’M STAYING WITH MY BOYS…” Here is the story of U.S. Marine Sgt. John Basilone, the only enlisted man in WWII to earn both the Medal of Honor and the Navy Cross. A hero at Guadalcanal, he came home to raise millions in war bonds, but insisted on returning to “his boys.” He died on the black sands of Iwo Jima. [45 minutes. Call 1-888 827-2762.]

I TA L I A N A M E R I CA N S A N D FEDERAL HILL. Little Rhode Island is 20% Italian American and boasts a vibrant Little Italy in Providence. This two-set DVD gives the history, traditions and challenges faced by its early immigrants who helped make it today a bustling center of upscale stores, restaurants and homes. [89 minutes. Call 1-866-734-7437.]

LA MIA STRADA. This compelling documentary by gifted film maker Michael Angelo DiLauro offers a personal perspective on ethnicity and culture as it links ancient and contemporary Italian culture with its Italian American counterpart. It explores the music, poetry, and oral histories of the Abruzzo, Molise and Puglia regions.

[70 minutes. See lamiastrada.org] LINCIATI: Lynching of Italians in America. At least 50 Italians were lynched in the South as well as in Colorado, Illinois and even New York between 1885 FALL 2013 11 ITALIAN AMERICA

and 1915. Historian M. Heather Hartley explores the prejudice, social, economic and historical causes of such violence. [51 minutes. Order through Amazon.com] PRISONERS AMONG US. Directed by Michael Angelo DiLauro, this award-winning documentary looks at how Italians became part of American society through interviews, archival footage, and photographs. Includes extensive coverage of the internment of Italians in the U.S. during WW II. [110 minutes. Call 724 775 3126 or see prisonersamongus.com] PRISONERS IN PARADISE. Thousands of Italian POWs were interned in the U.S. during WWII. Talented film maker Camilla Calamandrei follows the stories of six of these men who married American women. Includes first-person interviews; archival footage and photos. [58 minutes. Call 917 327 9579 or see prisonersinparadise.com.]

THE DIARY OF SACCO AND VANZETTI. The trial and execution of these two Italian immigrants in the 1920s is told through letters, speeches and documents that show they were guilty only of being Italian. Made for PBS by noted director, David Rothauser.

[57 minutes. Call 510 208 1700 or contact akpress.org/diaryofsaccoandvanzettidvd.]

THE RIGHTEOUS ENEMY. During WW II, Italian military officers saved more than 40,000 Jews in countries occupied by Italy. Joseph Rochlitz reveals their bravery and humanity through interviews with some of these heroes and the Jews they saved. Includes previously unseen German newsreel footage and archival photos. [84 or 60 minute versions available. Call 781 736 8600 or see jewishfilm.org] THE STONE CARVERS. This Academy-Award-winning documentary by Marjorie Hunt and Paul Wagner colorfully captures the work of two of the Italian American master carvers, who spent their lives and ruined their health sculpting the gargoyles, saints and angels that decorate the Washington Cathedral. [29 minutes. Call 202 537 6267 or see amazon.com]

ITALIAN AMERICA FALL 2013 11

Our

Tell Me

Story

By Emily Will

The joy of reading together unites the generations and provides a pageturning opportunity to share stories of ancestral roots. A bounty of children’s books about Italian Americans is available in bookstores or through Amazon.com. They are beautifully illustrated, clearly written, and packed with information to help teach the younger generation about their Italian heritage while entertaining them with a good story.

The books below are only a sampling. They have been grouped by topic and age level with the publisher and publishing date in parenthesis.

Why not give the gift of heritage with one or more of these books?

Immigration & History

These nonfiction and historical fiction books are about the early immigrants, their Ellis Island experiences and participation in momentous events.

Picture Books/Early Elementary All the Way to America: The Story of a Big Italian Family and a Little Shovel by Dan Yaccarino. [Knopf.

2011.] Yaccarino‘s family handed down a small shovel through four generations and with it the advice to “work hard, enjoy life and never forget your family.” The trowel captures

the attention of little ones, who may want to search for it, Waldo-style, in the playful illustrations.

Coal Mine Peaches by Michelle Dionetti. [Orchard. 1991.] A young girl shares what her grandfather has told her about his boyhood in Italy, included work in a mine, and his life after coming to the U.S. Journey to a New Land: An Oral History by Kimberly Weinberger.

[Mondo. 2000.] Based on an Ellis Island history project, this title shares a girl’s 1916 voyage from Italy and of her family’s road to surviving— and eventually, thriving—in America.

Story time is a good time to teach young Italian Americans about their heritage and history.

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strange customs, and ethnic slurs, Italian immigrants built new lives in America. Their ordeals and triumphs are told through diaries, letters, interviews, and articles from magazines and newspapers of the period.

Stefano and the Christmas Miracles by Paul Salsini [CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform] It’s nearly Christmas so Stefano and his grandfather are putting together the traditional nativity scene one figure a day. As they create the nativity, “Nonno” tells his little grandson of the miracles surrounding Christ’s birth.

Grades 4-7 Hear My Sorrow: The Diary of Angela Denoto, a Shirtwaist Worker, New York City 1909 by Deborah Hopkinson. [Scholastic. 2004.]

Based on a true story, but written as a fictional diary, Angela Denoto takes part in a strike to protest the long hours and dangerous conditions of the garment sweatshop where she works in New York City. The 14-year-old also records the 1911 fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory that killed 146 women, including her sister.

Italian Immigrants, 1880-1920

by Anne M. Todd. [Capstone Press.

2002.] One in a series of 12 about immigrant groups in America, this title explores why Italians left Italy

HERITAGE & CULTURE

and their contributions to U.S. society.

With text, historical photos, illustrations, maps, craft and recipe ideas, and sidebar quotes from diaries and other primary sources, this book packs a lot into 32 pages.

A Place for Joey by Carol Flynn Harris. [Boyds Mills Press. 2004.] In 1919, a tanker carrying 2.3 million gallons of molasses exploded in the Boston harbor, sending 15-foot waves of the syrup through the streets. The young protagonist, 12-year-old Joey, is now torn between his immigrant parents’ plan to buy a farm and his desire to remain in the neighborhood he loves.

Grades 8 & Up Alligator Bayou by Donna Jo Napoli. [Wendy Lamb Books. 2010.]

Based on the real-life 1899 lynching of Sicilian grocers in Louisiana, Napoli weaves a tragic tale of a 14-year-old Sicilian boy—with a secret crush on an African American girl—who gets caught up in Jim Crow segregationist practices and bigotry he fails to understand.

The Italian American Family Album by Dorothy & Thomas Hoobler with an introduction by Mario Cuomo. [Oxford University Press. 1998.] Despite a new language, FALL 2013 13 ITALIAN AMERICA

Wise nonne, a gruff father and a pioneer schoolgirl are among the colorful characters cast in these fictional stories of times past and present revolving around family, relationships and cultural values.

Picture Books/Early Elementary A Christmas Adventure in Little Italy by James Doti. [Jabberwocky Books. 2010.] During a Christmas Eve biscotti-making visit with Nonna, Jimmy’s dog, Blackie, runs off into the snow, his tracks quickly covered, in this memoir/story from the 1950s.

Nonna Tell Me a Story: Lidia’s Christmas Kitchen by Lidia Bastianich. [Running Press Kids. 2010.]

While decorating the tree, TV chef Lidia Bastianich shares with five grandchildren her childhood memories of Christmas in Italy, when simple joys rather than extravagant spending marked the holiday. Includes recipes and directions for easy-to-make tree decorations.

Peppe the Lamplighter by Elisa Bartone. [Lothrop, Lee & Shepard.

1993.] Although his cranky father disapproves, Peppe takes to tending the streetlamps. The task’s value is illuminated when Peppe doesn’t light them one evening and a young sister, afraid of the dark, doesn’t come home.

The book’s illustrator, Ted Lewin won an award for his luminous watercolors of early-1900s Little Italy in New York City.

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Grades 4-7 Granny Torrelli Makes Soup by Sharon Creech. [HarperCollins.

2005.] When best friends Rosie and Bailey quarrel, Granny guides them through their feelings—with stories from her own childhood in Italy— while cooking zuppa and cavatelli with the 11-year-olds.

Penny from Heaven by Jennifer Holm. [Yearling. 2007.] “Don’t-talkabout-how-he-died” tension between her mother’s “plain old American” family and her deceased father’s Italian family paints the backdrop for this gentle read set in 1953, when Penny turns 12. An Author’s Note provides background on World War II camps where Italian Americans were imprisoned.

A Portrait of Pia by Marisabina Russo. [HMH Books. 2007.] Pia, 13, a budding artist, imagines her life will fall into place if she can get to know her mysterious Italian father, who left before her birth. She secretly writes him. He invites her to Italy, where she learns new things about her parents—and struggles to accept them, imperfect as they are.

Grades 8 & Up West to a Land of Plenty: The Diary of Teresa Angelino Viscardi

by Jim Murphy. [Scholastic. 1998.]

Sibling rivalry and family dynamics are center stage in this story of an Italian American family traveling in a covered wagon to Idaho Territory in 1883.

Teresa, 14, who opposes moving from New York City, narrates.

Antonio and the Electric Scream: The Man Who Invented the Telephone

by Sandra Meucci. [ Branden Books.

2010.] Antonio Meucci, who was born in Florence and immigrated to Staten Island, NY, filed a patent caveat for a telephone in 1871. Five years later, in 1876, he lacked the money to renew it. That same year, Alexander Graham Bell received his patent. Lawsuits and controversy regarding who invented the telephone have since ensued. Sandra Meucci, a distant relative of this brilliant inventor, shares his intriguing story in this biography.

Joe DiMaggio: A Biography by David Jones. [Greenwood. 2004.] A sophisticated treatment of Joltin’ Joe’s life and career, from his childhood in a large Sicilian immigrant family to a baseball legend who struggled with the limelight that fame shone on him.

Fables & Fairy Tales

Picture Books/Early Elementary Fabrizio’s Fable/La Favola di Fabrizio by Patricia Brady-Danzig.

[Woodpecker Press. 2011.] A clever mouse outwits a hungry cat in this bilingual book, accompanied by a CD in which the author reads the story in both English and Italian, and a choir sings “Fabrizio’s Song.”

Strega Nona by Tomie dePaola.

[Simon & Schuster Books. 1975.]

This classic tale is about Strega Nona—Grandma Witch—and her doofus helper, Big Anthony, who learns the spell to get Strega’s magic pot cooking, but not the charm to stop it. Still popular after 40 years, this and other Strega Nona and Big Anthony stories are available in various formats, including board book, e-book and audio book. [Editor’s Note: DePaola used the Calabrese spelling of “nonna”] For more books, see www.leterrae. com, an Italian children’s bookstore with titles about famous Italians, Italian history picture books in Italian and more.

Emily Will is a freelance writer in Akron, Pa. Contact her at emilysww@yahoo.com.

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How stereotyping shapes the public image of today’s Italian Americans.

Send your contributions to ddesanctis@osia.org or mail to: “It’s Only a Movie,” Italian America Magazine, 219 E Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002. Include name and daytime telephone number. No telephone calls please. Mailed submissions cannot be acknowledged. Contributors’ names, when known, are in parenthesis.

By Dona De Sanctis

• CHILLING THOUGHT “Let us put you on ice,” offers The Ice Mother & Sons, which promotes itself with Godfather imagery in its logo and peddles Italian ices from a truck. Among the flavors we find Bada Bing Bubble Gum, Wacked Watermelon, and Berried 6 feet under. In her defense, owner Dawn “R.” says she’s an Italian from Brooklyn who prides herself on “keeping it clean and fun.” So who’s laughing?

[Sebastian D’Elia] • DOCTORING THE SCRIPT Why does Hollywood make the “bad guy” an Italian even when the book that a movie is based on does not? For example, in the novel, The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot that Disney turned into a movie, the name of the novel’s gifted teacher, Frank Giannini was changed to Patrick O’Connell and the villain is an Italian hairdresser, who is not untrustworthy in the novel.

In the 1995 film, To Die For, based on a true story, after the protagonist has her blue collar Italian husband murdered, his family hires a hit man to kill her. In real-life, the only Italians involved were the two state attorneys, Paul Maggiotto and Diane Nicolosi, whose successful prosecution of the crime resulted in a life sentence for the murderess. [Julia Tartaglia & the Italic Institute of America] • A SLIPPERY SLOPE What do you call a lubricant for guns? Why “Italian Gun Grease,” of course even though the product is made in the USA and has nothing to do with Italy. But wait...there’s more! You can also buy “Guido Gear” shirts and supplies to prove you are really macho, claims the Tennessee-based online company. The company response to complaints was the same old same

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old “No offense intended. We respect & admire Italians.” See italiangungrease.com. Tel: 615-713-2023.

Email: info@italiangungrease.net [Manny Alfano] • MAMMA MIA? If the idea were not ridiculous enough, Shannon Smurthwaite’s The Mormon Mama Italian Cookbook goes the extra yard to offend Italians and their classic cuisine. After each far-from-authentic recipe the author adds what she considers a funny comment.

Among them, “Italians change their hair oil every two weeks,” and “Why don’t Italians have freckles? Because they keep sliding off.” [Terry Simpson] • WHAT’S WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE? Need concrete proof that Italian American men are secondclass citizens compared to men of African, Jewish and Hispanic descent? Check out Dreamstime. com, which has more than 18 million stock photos that it sells to newspapers and magazines worldwide.

It presents all four men but only the Italian American looks unprofessional. (See below.) Despite the stereotype Dreamstime promotes, the U.S. Census Bureau reports that two of every three Italian Americans in the workforce are in white collar jobs. Contact Dreamstime at 800 243 1791. [Manny Alfano]

The African American Man

The Hispanic American Man The Jewish American Man

The Italian American Man

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Bulletin Board

What’s new: discounts, services and events

Promoting Authentic Italian Cuisine Colavita, a leading importer of authentic Italian olive oil, has launched two initiatives to promote Italian cuisine in the U.S. The first is a contest Colavita is holding to encourage developing dishes that substitute olive oil for butter. If you have such a recipe, you could win a round-trip to Rome for two. Just make a three-minute video of you preparing the recipe and submit it to “Better than Butter Contest.” For details and an example, go to italycontest. com. Deadline: January 15, 2014.

Colavita also has funded the creation of a demonstration kitchen in the newly renovated Italian Cultural Foundation’s Casa Belvedere on Staten Island, NY. Amateur and professional chefs will use its state-of-the-art equipment “to learn and experience Italy’s great culinary traditions,” says Giovanni Colavita, CEO of Colavita’s

Italian Mystery Series Now Available on TV and DVD DVD sets of popular Italian mystery/detective series, aired on Italian television are now available in Italian with English subtitles.

They include “Don Matteo,” an Italian priest in Umbria who solves mysteries; “Il Commissario Montalbano,” set in Sicily, starring the charismatic Luca Zingaretti; and the newest DVD set, “InspecThe newest Italian mystery DVD series, “Inspector tor Vivaldi Mysteries,” Vivaldi,” introduces an featuring an old-school old-school cop, who solves cop adapting to a vastly crimes in Trieste. different world of crimesolving in the northeastern city of Trieste.

Each series is set in a different part of Italy, including Bologna, Milan and Ferrara with stories that are not violent yet present Italy at its most intriguing. The sets make ideal gifts for those studying Italian. For more information and to order, see http://shop.mhznetworks.org FALL 2013

16

Chefs at work in the “Cucina Colavita” at Casa Belvedere on Staten Island, NY. [Photo: Iwona Adaczyk] US distribution company in Edison, NJ. The “Cucina Colavita” will include cooking classes, wine tastings and other special events. See www.casa-belvedere.org.

Bulletin Board — News You Can Use Three new books on Italian American heritage are now available to enrich your family’s library and/ or to donate to your local school or public library.

They are: • Gridiron Gladiators by Fausto Batella. Batella, a football researcher in Italy, has collected statistics on Italian Americans in college, semi-pro and pro football from the beginnings in 1925 through the forties. The first of a projected series.[Paperback; $18.95; iUniverse Publisher] • Long Island Italian Americans by Salvatore J. LaGumina. The history and contributions of one of the nation’s largest Italian American communities are detailed here, showing how they helped develop this famous suburb of New York City.

[Paperback; $19.99; the History Press] • Phila-Italy Americana by Gerardo Perrotta.

Postage stamps don’t just help deliver the mail, according to author Perrotta. “They tell a story.”

Through stamps, we learn how Italy and Italian Americans helped create our nation. [Paperback; $16.60; Xlibris]

ITALIAN AMERICA

Bulletin Board

What’s new: discounts, services and events

Sons of Italy Speakers Bureau Need a speaker for your club meeting or a special event? Contact these speakers directly. Some may require travel expenses and/or honorariums. For more speakers see: www.osia.org at “Studies in Culture.”To apply, contact Dona De Sanctis at ddesanctis@osia.org.

ANYWHERE, USA Food historian Francine Segan on popular Italian cuisine as well as what people ate in Ancient Rome and during the Renaissance. Book signings. Contact: 212/722 8285 (NY) Email: FSegan@verizon.net Website: FrancineSegan.com And...Pianist Robert Marrelli Kelley and flutist Susan Hayes perform a concert of classical music by Italian composers and others on request. Contact: 703/385 0814 (VA) Email: Fermatamail@gmail.com.

CALIFORNIA WW II Vet and author Leon Weckstein who, as a GI, saved the Leaning Tower of Pisa, shows a documentary on this monument and his role in preserving it. Contact: 805/496-0508 (CA). Email: LWeckstein@aol.com Website: LeonWeckstein.com Will travel.

MID-WEST Author Dominic Candeloro, professor of Italian American studies (ret.) on Italian Americans of

Ask the Lawyer Advice on Italy’s Legal System

QUESTION: What happens when there is no Last Will and Testament?

ANSWER: Under Italian law, if a person dies “intestate” or without leaving a will, the legal concept of “legitimate inheritance” prevails. It is based on family relationship (kinship), which must be legally documented upon the known family tree. For example: father and son are first degree relatives; grandmother and nephew or niece are second degree; uncle and nephew are third; cousins are fourth; sons and daughters of cousins are fifth. After the sixth degree of kinship there is no right to any inheritance. Any remaining estate balance reverts to the Italian government.

Here are some examples of how the intestate law works:

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Chicago; Italian American literature; and more. Book signing of Italians of Chicago. Contact: 708/354 0952 (IL) Email: Dominic.Candeloro@gmail.com.

Also will Skype.

N O RT H E A S T & B E YO N D Poet and jour nalist R i c k B l a c k on the poetry of Nick Virgilio of NJ whose haiku poems have become classics. Contact: 908/227-7951(VA) Email: rick@turtlelightpress.com Website: turtlelightpress.com SOUTH CAROLINA Author Frank Pennisi on his novel, Sciatu Mio that follows three generations of Sicilians from Italy to America. Book signing. Contact: 843/272-9997 (SC). Email: fpennisi@sc.rr.com

• A married man with three children dies intestate.

One-third of his estate goes to his wife with the other two-thirds equally divided among his children.

• An unmarried woman dies, leaving a father and two sisters. The father inherits one-half of the estate, with the remaining half equally divided between the two sisters.

• An unmarried man with no parents or siblings dies.

His estate goes to his closest relative until the sixth degree of kinship, after which the estate reverts to the Italian government. If two distant relatives are found to have the same degree of kinship, they divide the inheritance equally.

If you have questions about inheritance or degrees of kinship, you should retain an Italian lawyer to represent your full legal interests.

Giampaolo Girardi, Esq. is a member of the Italian Bar Association and the Managing Partner of Legal And Fiscal, a combined law and accounting firm in Rome. For U.S. contact and support, see www.ItalyLawyerForAmericans.com.

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Sons of Italy Holds 53rd Convention New Officers Elected

By Carol Elfo Cummings

The Order Sons of Italy in America (OSIA), the oldest and largest national organization for men and women of Italian heritage, unanimously elected Anthony J. Baratta of Illinois as national president during its national convention in Philadelphia from August 11 to August 18, 2013.

Mr. Baratta was sworn in as OSIA’s 34th national president on August 17. He is a retired sergeant with the Cook County Sheriff’s Office and was president of the Commission for Social Justice (CSJ) from 2007- 2009. He previously served OSIA as national first vice president for four years, beginning in 2009. [See profile on page 19.]

OSIA’S New National Officers Joining OSIA President Baratta are the following officers, all serving a first term in their new positions: • Joseph A. Russo of Massachusetts, National First Vice President • Daniel J. Longo of Maryland, National Second Vice President • Anthony F.M. Spaziani of Ohio, National Third Vice President • Vera Girolami of California, National Fourth Vice President • Nancy Di Fiore Quinn of New York, National Fifth Vice President and • Thomas Lupo of New York, National Financial Secretary • Frank J. Panessa of Maryland, National Treasurer • James DiStefano of Massachusetts, National Recording Secretary • Robert A. Bianchi, Esq. of New Jersey, National Orator • Anthony J. Panaggio, Jr. of Massachusetts, National Historian • The Rev. R. Adam Forno of New York will remain OSIA’s national chaplain.

Outgoing OSIA National President Joseph DiTrapani of New York was elected to lead the Sons of Italy Foundation (SIF), OSIA’s philanthropic branch. Established in 1959, the SIF has donated more than $126 million to scholarships, medical research, disaster relief, cultural preservation and other special projects.

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The opening ceremony of OSIA’s 53rd biennial convention began with a color guard ceremony by members of the Philadelphia Police Department.

Carlo Carlozzi, Jr. of Connecticut was elected national president of the CSJ, OSIA’s anti-defamation arm. The CSJ fights the stereotyping of Italian Americans by the U.S. entertainment, advertising, and media industries. It also collaborates with other groups to ensure that people of all races, religions and cultures are treated with dignity and respect.

Convention Highlights About 200 OSIA national officers, trustees, state presidents, national delegates, and their guests attended the convention. One of the guests was Josie Cumbo, national president of the Order Sons of Italy in Canada.

The convention members reviewed OSIA’s last two years of activities and set the organization’s administrative, philanthropic and cultural agendas for 2013-2015.

Among the most significant developments was the decision to give the vote to OSIA social members who belong to local lodges. This category of membership applies to people who are not of Italian heritage. In the past, they could attend and speak at meetings and participate in lodge events but could not vote or hold office. They are still ineligible to hold office.

More good news came from the membership committee. In 2012, OSIA ran “Just Ask One,” a membership ITALIAN ITALIANAMERICA AMERICA

campaign for nine months. OSIA offered a trip to Italy for two to encourage current OSIA members to bring in new ones. As a result, members recruited 2,800 new members. The Italy trip drawing was won by an OSIA member in Massachusetts.

A traditional highlight of OSIA national conventions is the donations made by state grand lodges to the SIF. During the convention, OSIA lodges announced they had raised more than $310,000 for the charities and causes supported by OSIA. These include OSIA’s three national charities: the Alzheimer’s Association, the Cooley’s Anemia Foundation, the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism, as well as OSIA’s Garibaldi-Meucci Museum, cancer research, and disaster relief.

The money was raised by members and their lodges over the past two years through fund-raising dinners, coin drops, raffles, etc. The biggest donor was New York State, which raised $140,000; followed by Massachusetts ($27,100) and Florida ($25,500).

Convention Awards Three Italian Americans were honored during the convention for their contributions and achievements. Jennifer Rizzotti, women’s basketball Hall of Famer and University of Hartford head coach, received the 2013 OSIA Sports Award. She is the first woman to receive the award in its 20-year history. Past honorees include baseball’s Yogi Berra (1999) and basketball’s Rick Pitino (2001).

Angelo R. Bianchi, Esq. of New Jersey was honored with the 2013 OSIA Sellaro Award for his many years of service to OSIA at the local, state, and national levels. Mr. Bianchi was president of the CSJ from 1997 to 1999. In 1978, he became the first Italian American appointed commissioner of banking for New Jersey. The Sellaro Award is named after Dr. Vincenzo Sellaro, founder of the Order.

And finally, U.S. Congressman Thomas A. Marino, representing Pennsylvania’s 10th Congressional District, was presented with the 2013 Guglielmo Marconi Award.

Named for the great Italian physicist responsible for wireless telegraphy, it is OSIA’s highest honor. Congressman Marino has belonged to OSIA for nearly a decade. He previously served two terms as a state district attorney and then was a U.S. attorney for the middle district of Pennsylvania.

Founded in 1905, OSIA holds its national conventions biannually. This was its 53rd. The 2015 biennial convention will be in Florida.

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Meet Anthony Baratta, OSIA’s New National President Anthony J. Baratta was unanimously elected the 34th national president of the Order Sons of Italy in America (OSIA) on August 16th, during the Order’s 53rd Biennial Convention in Philadelphia.

Tony has been active in OSIA for nearly 20 years, holding leadership posiOSIA’s 34th tion at the local, state and national levels. national presiIn 1994, he founded the Law Enforcedent Anthony ment Lodge #2680 in Chicago and, J. Baratta of after serving there for nine years, was Illinois. elected state president of the Grand Lodge of Illinois in 2003. Four years later, he became national president of the Sons of Italy Commission for Social Justice.

During the Order’s 2009 convention, he was elected OSIA’s national first vice president. For the past four years, Tony has worked hard to retain and increase OSIA’s membership. At his own expense, he has crisscrossed the country, representing the OSIA national board at lodge events and new lodge installation ceremonies while encouraging the state Grand Lodges to “keep the lion on the move.”

A native of Des Moines, Iowa, Tony and his sister, Phyllis grew up in a close-knit family with roots in Calabria.

Tony’s mother, Josephine, and father, John, were married for more than 60 years. His father immigrated to the United States at age 16 and worked as a tailor for about 50 years.

As a young boy, Tony worked in his Italian grandparents’ grocery store.

After attending Miami-Dade Jr. College in Miami, Florida, he went on to receive his bachelor’s degree from Drake University in Des Moines. After graduation, Tony worked as a buyer for men’s clothing at Hart Schaffner & Marx, first in Minneapolis and then in Chicago. After 15 years with the company, he decided to change careers and joined the Cook County Sheriff’s Office. He began as a deputy in the Civil Process Department; was promoted to sergeant; and then became supervisor of the Civil Division.

He retired in 2008 after 20 years in law enforcement.

Tony splits his time between Chicago and Goodyear, Arizona. He and his partner of 12 years, Michele Longo are particularly proud of their grandsons, Nicholas and Frankie.

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The 2013 Sports honoree, basketball coach Jennifer Rizzotti with incoming OSIA national president, Anthony J. Baratta.

Carlo Carlozzi of Connecticut is the new national CSJ president.

Outgoing OSIA National President Joseph DiTrapani [R] and Terry Lattavo of Ohio display the banner used during OSIA’s 50th anniversary convention in 1955.

The 2013 Sports Luncheon. Outgoing OSIA First Lady Carol DiTrapani is in the lower right foreground.

Past OSIA national president, Joseph DiTrapani (L.) congratulates his successor, Anthony J. Baratta.

Past national presidents of OSIA. [From L. to R.] Robert Messa; Paul Polo; Peter Zuzolo; Joanne Strollo; Philip Boncore; Joseph DiTrapani and Joseph Sciame.

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Marconi honoree, U.S. Congressman Tom Marino of Pennsylvania with past national president Joanne Strollo.

Angelo Bianchi, Esq. [R] accepts the 2013 Sellaro Award from OSIA’s Joseph DiTrapani.

Joseph DiTrapani, immediate past national president of OSIA, now is president of the Sons of Italy Foundation.

The officers on OSIA’s 2013-2015 national board prepare to be sworn in.

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Giovinezza!

News for Young Italian Americans

Italian for Toddlers Children in the City by the Bay now can learn Italian the way children in Italy do through a unique program offered at the non-profit Scuola Internazionale di San Francisco. Classes are taught entirely in Italian through the “total immersion” approach. At present, the school has only pre-school, 1st and 2nd grades, but plans to reach the 8th grade by adding one grade each year, according to Giada Barbini, the office manager.

Formerly known as “La Piccola Scuola Italiana,” it began as a home-based play group program so that the founders’ children could learn Italian. The school grew into a more structured recreational program, and then into a fully licensed preschool. More than 140 children are currently enrolled.

The program isn’t cheap. Tuition can rise to $20,000 per academic year for full-time students, but 20% of the

Toddlers at the Scuola Internazionale learn to speak and understand Italian. elementary school families are eligible for financial aid.

See lascuolasf.org. Email: admin@lascuolasf.org. Phone: 415/558-9006

Italian Language Study Grows in U.S. Italian language enrollment in the U.S. is increasing at both the college and public school levels, according to reports from two leading organizations that track American foreign language instruction.

The number of students studying Italian at U.S. colleges and universities grew by more than 20% between 2002 and 2009, the latest year available from the Modern Language Association (MLA), the professional association for language faculty at the nation’s colleges and universities.

In its survey of more than 2,500 colleges and universities that confer bachelor and graduate degrees, the MLA found that nearly 80,700 college students were studying

Italian in 2009 compared to 63,900 in 2002 – an increase of nearly 17,000 students in seven years.

The 2009 figure also reveals nearly a 40% growth in Italian language studies since 1998 when there were 49,300 university students of Italian. However, Spanish, French and German continue to lead as the most studied languages at American institutes of higher education with Italian in fifth place after American Sign Language, but ahead of Japanese and Chinese.

Italian is becoming more popular at the elementary and high school levels, according to the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), which tracks foreign language enrollment from kindergarten through high school in U.S. public schools.

In its most recent enrollment study, ACTFL compared foreign language enrollment figures from the 2004-05 school year to the 2007-08 year. It found that Italian studies increased by nearly 20% in the 27 states that reported enrollment data for the study.

Italian language studies are on the rise in U.S. schools and universities.

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Of those 27 states, 14 offered Italian to 65,000 students in 2004-05. Only two years later, in 2007-08, however, 18 states provided Italian instruction to more than 78,000 students – an increase of 13,000 students. Italian had larger enrollments that Chinese, Russian and Japanese, but still lagged behind Spanish, the ACTFL study found.

ITALIAN AMERICA FALL 2013 21

By Anthony Sementilli

For many Italian Americans, the Christmas season is rich with traditions and rituals that their ancestors brought here more than a century ago: Christmas Eve Dinner, often called “the Feast of the Seven Fishes,” is as important as Christmas Day’s meal. New Year’s Eve is celebrated with fireworks and banging pots.

And while the Church recognizes Epiphany on January 6th as the day the Three Wise Men reached Bethlehem to pay tribute to the Christ child, many Italian Americans, like their cousins in Italy, celebrate it as the day their homes are visited by La Befana, the old lady who fills children’s shoes with candy and oranges if they’ve been good and with coal if they have misbehaved. Keeping these traditions has had the power to unite Italian Americans across time and space.

Christmas Cookies One of the most popular traditions is baking Christmas cookies and giving them to friends and relatives. It is a ritual that has withstood the test of time or, as I like to think of it, the “taste” of time.

My family makes car tedatte (bowties), using a recipe brought over fr om Bari more than 80 years ago. Despite our hectic lives and schedules, we pick a day in December when my grandfather comes FALL 2013

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over and three generations of our family spend an entire day baking cartedatte. They are gone within the week.

Our recipe is simple: six teaspoons of baking powder; six cups of flour; twelve eggs; and one shot-glass of oil. In keeping with tradition, we mix and knead the dough by hand. This is messy, but fun. After the dough is made, we roll it through a pasta machine; cut it into strips; pinch the strips into bowties; deep fry them in oil; and finally, coat them with hot honey and sprinkles. By nightfall, the scent of the cartedatte dances in the air, making it impossible not to overindulge.

A Cookie With Many Names What is the history of these Christmas cookies? According to my Calabrese grandfather, Italians have made them “forever.” But his family called them scalille, his dialect for “little ladders.” When I gave a dish of cartedatte to one of my Italian teachers, she thanked me for the chiacchiere! She said the name means “chats” or “small talk,” presumably because you eat them during visits to friends and family.

Curious, I began researching the cookies and discovered more names for them, depending on the different dialects and regions across Italy. For example, my paternal grandmother, from a town south of Rome, called them The Sicilian version of “struffoli” is called “pignolata” for its pinecone shape ITALIAN AMERICA

frappele, or “butterflies” in her Ciociaria dialect. But my aunt, who came from a town only 16 miles from my grandmother’s, called them noche, or “bows.”

Perhaps the oldest and best-known Christmas cookie comes from Naples: struffoli, those little balls of fried dough covered with honey or nuts and flavored with lemon or orange zest. Who invented struffoli? Some scholars trace them back 2,500 years to the 6th century B.C. Greeks, who founded the city. They think the name might be a corruption of strongolos, Greek for “round.” Others believe struffolo comes from the Italian word, strofinare (“to rub”) because the dough is first rolled into long ropes before being cut.

A friend, whose mother hails from Sicily, makes Christmas pignolata, which taste like cartedatte, but look like struffoli. The name means “pine cone” because they are piled on a plate in that shape, and covered with honey, chocolate, sugar, or nuts.

“Chiacchiere,” also called “scalille” and “cartedatte”

It is amazing how one cookie has evolved over the centuries. All versions share a flour and egg base, but the recipes, names, and shapes differ not only from region to region but sometimes even within the same town! Each family has its own traditional recipe.

A Cookie's Legacy Italian Christmas cookies are symbolic of Italy’s spirit: eager to experiment, yet reverent of tradition. The hands of many generations have made these treats which evolved on their journey along time’s river. Like the Italians who created them, the recipes for these Christmas cookies have survived wars, invasions, plagues, and natural disasters.

They have crossed oceans and are found wherever Italian immigrants have settled around the globe.

Cutting the dough into strips for “chiacchiere,” bowties, etc.

Frying the cookies

So this Christmas, take out your family’s cookie recipe and bake them – together with your relatives and friends.

Don’t have a recipe? You can easily find one on the Internet – even recipes from your family’s region in Italy.

And don’t forget to write it down and pass it on to the next generation so your family’s Christmas cookies will stand the “taste” of time.

Anthony Sementilliis majoring in biology and chemistry at St. Joseph’s College in New York State.

Contact him at asementilli@student.sjcny.edu.

Struffoli, perhaps the oldest and best-known Italian Christmas cookie, comes from Naples.

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ITALIAN AMERICA FALL 2013 23

OSIA Nation ®

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

COLORADO

CALIFORNIA

The oldest Columbus monument west of the Mississippi River is in Pueblo, CO. It was erected in 1905 and in 2011 was placed on the National Register of Historical Places, in part thanks to the efforts of the Sons of Italy Southern Colorado Lodge #2738 in Pueblo. However, it has fallen into disrepair and has not been professionally cleaned in over 100 years. Now the lodge has pledged to raise funds to repair the monument, which will be matched by the city and the Colorado Historical Society.

Women are leading the way in California’s Grand Lodge, which boasts electing women for three consecutive terms as state president. It is the only Grand Lodge that has done so. They are Vera Girolami, Maria Fassio Pignati and Lynn Lawrence Murphy, seen here with now-national president, Anthony Baratta during the Grand Lodge’s 2013 convention in Sacramento. Ms. Girolami is now OSIA’s 4th national vice president.

The lodge’s fund-raising campaign, launched in October, will restore and enhance the monument, according to lodge president, John Obrin.

“About $5,000 is needed for the restoration. But the lodge plans to raise an additional $15,000 to embellish the Christopher Columbus Piazza where the monument stands,” he says. The names of donors will be engraved in the piazza. A rededication ceremony is scheduled for Columbus Day 2014.

Colorado was the first state to recognize Columbus Day in 1907, three decades before it became a national holiday in 1937.

[L. to R.] California’s Girolami, Murphy, and Fassio-Pignati with National President Anthony Baratta.

CALLING LODGE PRESIDENTS As lodge president, you are responsible for sending the names and addresses of all new members to your Grand Lodge.

You also must inform your Grand Lodge of all address corrections and changes, too!

Grand Lodge information is listed at www.osia.org under “About OSIA” or call OSIA National at 202/547 2900.

Pueblo’s Columbus Monument today FALL 2013

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ITALIAN AMERICA

OSIA Nation ®

OSIA LODGES AT WORK

Special recognition MARY ANN ESPOSITO, the host and chef of the popular nationally televised PBS series, “Ciao Italia,” received the prestigious 2013 Premio Artusi Award September 14th in Forlimpopoli in the region of Emilia Romagna. It is given annually to chefs who promote Italian regional cuisine. She is an at-large member of OSIA. FRANK GAGLIARDI of the Cristoforo Colombo Lodge #2413 in Warwick, RI, was honored by his lodge this year on his 100th birthday.

LARRY GIORDANO of the Methuen Sons of Italy Lodge #902 in Lawrence, MA, and a ninth degree black belt, received a Platinum Life Achievement Award from the World Head of Family Sokeship Council this summer in Orlando, FL. He was saluted for 50 years in Karate.

JOHN MURRO of the John Michael Marino Lodge #1389 in Port Washington, NY, has belonged to the Sons of Italy for 65 years. He is a member and former president of his lodge, which recently honored his commitment to the Order.

ANN PARILLO of the Gabriele D’Annunzio Lodge #321 in Schenectady, NY, is the producer and host of the radio show, “Schenectady Today: In and Around the Capital Region,” which reaches over 400,000 homes in the area. See www.AnnParillo.com for how to tune in.

GEORGE RANALLI, a leading architect and national at-large member in New York City, is completing In Situ, a 500-page volume with more than 1,100 illustrations, that catalogues the projects he has designed in the U.S and abroad during his 32-year career.

These include large-scale urban designs, houses in the landscape, additions, renovations of major landmark buildings and new constructions.

GILDA VOLPINI-REED of the Uguaglianza Lodge #754 in Bellaire, OH, was nominated co-Italian American of the Year by the Upper Ohio Valley Italian Heritage Festival in Wheeling, West Virginia last July.

It is the second largest such festival in the U.S. and attracts more than 150,000 visitors annually.

AND AMONG OUR AUTHORS ARE: WILLIAM AIELLO, member and former president of the Fiorello LaGuardia Lodge #2867 in Howard Beach, NY, has written “The Sheriff Wags His Tale,” about how a man who helps a lost dog finds his own path in life.

JAMES L. CASALE, Ph.D. of the Perry Como Lodge #2876 in Tequesta, FL, who has authored “Wise Up: Be the Solution-Create a learning culture in your home and help your child succeed in school.” To order, see www.asktheprincipal.info LAWRENCE DiCARA, Esq. who belongs to the Sgt. Guido Petrilli Lodge #1606, in Boston, has written Turmoil and Transition in Boston: A Political Memoir from the Busing Era in which he describes how he was affected personally and politically by the 1970s federally-mandated policy that required Boston public school students to be reassigned to schools around the city in order to achieve racial integration.

GEORGE Le PORTE of the Utica New York Lodge #2054 has published “Bella: the Story of an Immigrant Girl” about a Jewish family fleeing the Cossacks in Russia at the turn of the last century, who find a new life in Binghamton, NY, once the world’s leading producer of cigars.

LISA SCOTTOLINE, the best-selling author of legal thrillers, has published “Accused,” a new addition to her “Rosato & Associates” series that features Mary DiNunzio, a strong, smart Philadelphia lawyer. She belongs to the Benvenuto Lodge #2572 in Philadelphia.

GOT A GOOD STORY?

Have you or your lodge done something remarkable that makes a difference to your community or promotes our heritage?

Send details with your lodge’s name and number (photo optional) to: ITALIAN AMERICA Magazine, 219 E Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 or E-mail ddesanctis@osia.org. Include daytime phone number.

Entries not acknowledged and photos not returned unless requested.

FALL 2013 25 ITALIAN AMERICA

ITALIAN AMERICA FALL 2013 25

The Sons of Italy Foundation

Foundation Focus

By Joseph J. DiTrapani, President, The Sons of Italy Foundation This August, I was grateful and humbled to be elected to lead the Sons of Italy Foundation for the next two years. I look forward to working with the Foundation’s trustees and donors on the continued growth of the SIF and the philanthropic impact we make in our community and beyond.

With this my first column, I’d like to tell you about the Recurring Giving Program that allows OSIA members as well as other supporters to donate any amount to the SIF on their credit cards every month. This contribution is both painless and tax-deductible. Whoever makes three consecutive monthly gifts – of even as little as $10 each - becomes a member of the select Sustaining Patrons Circle. Circle members are recognized in the Honor Roll in multi-media promotions and will receive an end-of-theyear acknowledgment letter for their contribution.

The advantage to participating in a monthly giving plan is that you spread your gift over regular monthly donations

®

HELPING THOSE IN NEED

that won’t break the bank and yet allow you to be generous. Specific SIF charities or causes can be earmarked, such as the Cooley’s Anemia Foundation, scholarships, disaster relief, etc. or you can let the SIF apply your gift where it is needed most. You decide.

Monthly giving is easy and affordable. Even $20 or $25 dollars a month helps the SIF to reach its goals, and improve the lives of people and kids in need. See the response form below. Another plus -- you can change the amount or suspend payment simply by contacting the National Office in Washington, D.C. We have three ways you can join: sign up online at www.osia.org; fill out and return the form below or just call the SIF National Office in Washington, DC at 202.547.2900. Email: sif@osia.org.

As members of the Sons of Italy, we are committed to preserving and promoting our rich Italian heritage. But let us not forget that our mission also includes giving back, and monthly giving is an easy way to do that.

The steps are simple, the need is great, and your help is important.

Sons of Italy Foundation Sustaining Patrons Circle Response Form Yes, I want to support the good work of the SIF with a monthly giving commitment!

Name Address City State ZIP Email Phone Amount (monthly):

$10

$20

$35

$50

Other: $

Designation: General Charity Fund (unrestricted) Scholarship Fund Cooley’s Anemia Alzheimer’s

Autism CSJ Garibaldi-Meucci Museum

Other Check one: Charge my credit card each month: Account # Exp CVV (Please be sure name and address above are the same associated with your credit card.)

I will send a check each month (Please make payable to the Sons of Italy Foundation.) *Return this form to: Sons of Italy Foundation 219 E St. NE Washington, DC 20002 Fax to 202.547.0121 Email to sif@osia.org* FALL 2013

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ITALIAN AMERICA

News from National

WHAT NATIONAL DOES FOR YOU

Sons of Italy Foundation Auction of Supercar Viper In January, 2014, the Sons of Italy Foundation will auction off a “supercar,” designed and built especially for it by Chrysler Group LLC. The iconic American-built automobile will be auctioned off in Scottsdale, AZ. It was donated by Chr ysler/Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne, who was honored by the SIF at its NELA gala last May. The American-built 2013 SRT Viper GTS that the The auction proceeds will Sons of Italy Foundation will auction off in January, 2014. benefit the SIF’s education and charitable programs, including its national scholarships, the Alzheimers Associa- wide seat stripes, as well as a red Stryker logo on the steertion, the Cooley’s Anemia Foundation, the Doug Flutie ing wheel, round out the tribute. The unique Viper also Foundation, the Wounded Warrior Project among many features one-off multi-spoke black vapor chrome wheels others. “The excitement of owning the most powerful and a luxurious Laguna sepia leather interior. Powered American-built Italian American supercar ever made will by an 8.4-liter V10 engine, 640 bhp, with a 6-speed overbe heightened by knowing the impact it will make for drive manual transmission, this car is Viper through and those in need,” says SIF’s CEO and National Executive through. “Beautiful outside with power that’s associated Director, Dr. Philip R. Piccigallo. with SRT, the connectivity and entertainment features will The Barrett Jackson Auction Company will handle remind the owner that this modern version of a destinedthe proceedings. It describes the car as follows: “This is to-be-classic car will be fun to drive. a one-of-a-kind 2013 SRT Viper GTS. This striking yet elegant American supercar includes a subtle nod to the Italian heritage that inspired its design with a tri-coat pearl white, dubbed Avorio Perla, body and a small tribute to the Italian colors behind the GTS badge near the front wheels.

“The addition of the Italian tricolore on the GTS badge above the passenger side glove box and on the one-inch

Interior features include an engine start and accessory switch button; speed-sensitive power locks; noise vibration harshness reduction treatments; and the Uconnect Media Center with an 8.4-inch touchscreen display, Bluetooth phone compatibility, full 3D graphics navigation, rear backup camera display, and more.” For updates see www.osia.org.

Calling All Sons of Italy Authors!

Have you had a book published? The Sons of Italy would like to recognize you in the Members Only Section of our website, reports OSIA’s national headquarters in Washington, D.C which manages the website.

If you’re an OSIA member and would like your published book to be highlighted, send us the following information: Your name; lodge name, number and state (or note if you are an At-Large Member.)

FALL 2013 27 ITALIAN AMERICA

Also send the title of the book, its publisher; a brief paragraph synopsis and an image of the cover in JPG or TIF format.

Tell us if your book is available on amazon.com. Send to Krystyne Hayes at khayes@osia. org. No telephone calls please.

OSIA member Frank Pennisi has published a novel based on his family’s life.

ITALIAN AMERICA FALL 2013 27

®

The Commission for Social Justice

fighting defamation

The CSJ Perspective

By Carlo Carlozzi, Jr., CSJ National President

Last August, during our national convention in Philadelphia I was elected your national president of the Sons of Italy Commission for Social Justice. I am deeply aware that I have been given both a great honor and an even greater responsibility.

Today, we still see painful examples of how we Italian Americans are denigrated by the entertainment, advertising and news industries. There is an alarming increase in the use of the terms, “Dago,” “Guido,” and “Greaseball” in the media despite the powerful political correctness that has abolished using the so-called “N-word” and other derogatory slang words for people of different races, religions and ethnicities. It seems this correctness applies to all groups except Italian Americans, who still must put up with an appalling lack of respect for our customs, religion, speech, and collective character by the larger American society. Over the next two years, I will direct the CSJ to continue its strong opposition to such discrimination and bias.

At the same time, I realize it will be nearly impossible to eradicate completely these stereotypes because they constitute a cash cow for televisions shows and Hollywood movies. They are familiar and even comfortable to the average American. How to combat such distorted images? I am convinced that our most effective weapon remains promoting a positive image of us, starting at the community level.

Our Order has a vast network of lodges in most states whose members dedicate their time, talent and energies

to helping their communities. We need to publicize these good works which are far more prevalent and numerous than most people realize. Local newspapers are always looking for “feelgood” stories. Our lodges need to cultivate relationships with their newspapers’ community editors, keeping them informed of all the good that the lodges do.

We also need to be ambassadors of our culture and history. The burden is on us to educate ourselves and our children about the story of Italian Americans in this country. Our homes should be stocked with books and DVDs about our history and contributions. We should encourage our children to choose Italian American topics for their research and term papers as well as book reviews.

Such efforts will bear fruit, benefiting both our families and our communities. They will go a long way in helping our friends and neighbors, who do not share our heritage, understand and appreciate us.

When I was a student at Washington and Lee University in Virginia, I majored in politics. Often I was asked why I chose that field of study. The answer I gave then still stands: the better we understand each other, the better we understand and appreciate each other’s diverse values and culture, the better we understand how the other person thinks, the better we will all get along.

SEMPRE AVANTI!

The Return of the Dago?

Italian American advocates in New York state, including the CSJ are up in arms about a lunch truck that calls itself “the Wandering Dago.” The offensive moniker got the truck banned from the Saratoga Race Course this summer and drew the disapproval of New York’s governor, Andrew Cuomo. Now the company is suing the New York Racing Association, claiming their First Amendment free speech rights have been violated.

The word, “Dago” came from Louisiana where it originally referred to people of Spanish origin, but at the FALL 2013

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end of the 19th century, according to the New York Times, it was applied to Italians and Portuguese as well. It is a corruption of “Diego,” a common Spanish name.

REMINDER February 28, 2014 is the deadline for applying to Sons of Italy Foundation national scholarships.

Students can apply on line beginning in November, 2013. Go to www.osia.org

ITALIAN AMERICA

Letters to the Editor Please correct several statements made in the last issue of our magazine referring to our successful campaign to have Adam Haber withdraw and apologize for a political ad he ran that denigrated his opponent, Thomas Suozzi’s Italian heritage, I was not interviewed by Cablevision Channel 12. Instead, it was Joseph Rondinelli, president of the Grand Lodge of New York. I was interviewed by Newsday.

Also, the North Shore School District issue that would have removed Italian as a required language, and the California issue that would have renamed Columbus Day “Native American Day” were resolved under the presidency of Thomas Lupo, who led the Grand Lodge of New York, and Rick Annichiarico, NYS CSJ chairman. I’d appreciate if these errors were corrected in the next issue.

Santina Haemmerle, CSJ immediate past national president Ed. Note: The editor regrets any confusion that might have resulted from these misunderstandings.

The Perfect Gift Looking for a unique present for family or friends? Give the gift of your rich Italian American heritage with a one-year subscription to Italian America magazine, the most widely read publication in the U.S. for people of Italian descent. We will contact your gift recipient telling him or her (or them) of your present. Fill out the form below and return to us ASAP.

STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP, MANAGEMENT AND CIRCULATION (required by Act of August 12, 1970: Section 3685,Title 39, United States Code). ITALIAN AMERICA MAGAZINE (ISSN 1089-5043) is published quarterly at 219 E Street, NE; Washington, DC 20002. The annual subscription price is $20. The complete mailing address of Known Office of Publication is located at 219 E Street NE, Washington, DC 20002.

The general business offices of the publisher and the editor are at same address as above. Publisher: Order Sons of Italy in America, same address as above. Editor: Dona De Sanctis, same address as above. Owner full name is Order Sons of Italy in America, 219 E Street, NE;Washington, DC 20002. Known Bondholders, Mortgagees and other Security Holders Owning or holding 1 percent or more of total amount of Bonds, Mortgages, or Other Securities: None. Tax status: has not changed during preceding 12 months. Publication Title: Italian America. Issue Date for Circulation Data below: SUMMER 2013. The extent and nature of circulation is: A. Total number of copies printed (Net press run). Average number of copies of each issue during preceding 12 months 39,875. Actual number of copies of single issue published nearest to filing date 39,300. 2. Mail subscriptions: Average number of copies each issue during preceding 12 months 39,500. Actual number of copies of single issue published nearest to filing date 39,022. C. Total paid circulation. Average number of copies each issue during preceding 12 months 39,500. Actual number of copies of single issue published nearest to filing date 39,022. D. Free distribution by mail, carrier or other means. Samples, complimentaries and other free copies. Average number of copies each issue during preceding 12 months: 125. Actual number of copies of single issue published nearest to filing date: 50. E.Total distribution (Sum of C and D): 50. Average number of free copies each issue during preceding 12 months 175. Actual number of copies of single issue published nearest to filing date 39,122. F. 1. Office use, leftover, unaccounted, spoiled after printing.Average number of copies of each issue during preceding 12 months 200.

Actual number of copies of single issue published nearest to filing: 39,300. 2. Average number of copies each issue during preceding 12 months 39,675. Actual number of copies of single issue published nearest to filing date 39,122. G. Total (Sum of E and F should equal net press run shown in A). Average number of copies of each issue during preceding 12 months 39,875. Actual number of copies of single issue published nearest to filing date 39,300. I certify that the statements made by me above are correct and complete. Filed September 17, 2013. Dona De Sanctis, Editor-in-Chief.

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FALL 2013 29 ITALIAN AMERICA

GIFT SUBSCRIPTION Italian America Magazine 219 E Street, NE Washington, DC 20002

ITALIAN AMERICA FALL 2013 29

Italian America The Official Publication of

The Order Sons of Italy in America 219 E Street N.E. Washington, DC 20002 Tel: 202/547-2900 Web: www.osia.org OSIA National Executive Director Philip R. Piccigallo, Ph.D. Editor-in-Chief Dona De Sanctis, Ph.D. ddesanctis@osia.org Contributing Editors Diane Crespy Carol Elfo Cummings Gabi Logan Anthony Sementilli Emily Will Graphic Designers Krystyne Hayes Diane Vincent

Italian America is the official publication of the Order Sons of Italy in America (OSIA), the largest and longest-established organization of American men and women of Italian heritage. Italian America provides timely information about OSIA, while reporting on individuals, institutions, issues, and events of current or historical significance in the Italian-American community nationwide.

Italian America (ISSN: 1089-5043, USPS: 015-735) is published quarterly in the winter, spring, summer and fall by OSIA, 219 E St. NE, Washington, DC 20002. Periodicals postage paid at Washington, D.C., and at additional mailing offices. © 2013 Order Sons of Italy in America. All rights reserved. Reproduction by any method without permission of the editor is prohibited.

Statements of fact and opinion are the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily imply an opinion on the part of the officers, employees, or members of OSIA. Mention of a product or service in advertisements or text does not mean that it has been tested, approved or endorsed by OSIA, the Commission for Social Justice, or the Sons of Italy Foundation. Italian America accepts query letters and letters to the editor. Please do not send unsolicited manuscripts. Italian America assumes no responsibility for unsolicited materials. Annual subscriptions are $20, which are included in dues for OSIA members. Single copies are $2.98 each.

OSIA MEMBERS: Please send address changes to your local lodge. Do not contact the OSIA National Office.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Italian America, 219 E St. NE, Washington, DC 20002. Subscriptions are available through the OSIA National Office, 219 E Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002. OSIA membership information is available at (800) 552-OSIA or at www.osia.org. Archives are maintained at the Immigration History Research Center, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minn.

Printing by Printing Solutions Inc., Sterling, Va. To advertise: Call Pat Rosso at 215/206-4678 or email her at pieassociates @comcast.net. Also see www.osia.org for advertising rates, specs, demographics, etc.

FALL FALL 2013 2013 30 30

By Anthony J. Baratta, OSIA National President

Last August, I received one of the greatest honors of my life when I became the 34th national president of the Sons of Italy. In our rich 108year history, only 32 men and one woman have held this high office, which I accept with awe and humility.

Ours is an organization with a remarkable history. It began simply in 1905 as a loose network of mutual aid societies that helped Italian immigrants in need; encouraged them to learn English; to become citizens; and gave them decent burials when illness or accident struck one of them down.

Soon the Order Sons of Italy in America (OSIA) grew rapidly both in number and in influence, spreading across America. In 1917, we had 135,000 members. By the 1960s, we had nearly 2,800 lodges in 43 states. Today, our Order is the only grassroots organization in the nation for Italian Americans.

We have an impressive past and, I hope, an even more impressive future.

During my tenure as your national president, I have set several goals for us. Financially, I want to see us maintain a balanced budget for OSIA and increased support for the SIF and the CSJ. Filial and grand lodges could participate in the SIF’s major fund-raising gala, the NELA by donating $250 that would send a wounded warrior to this extraordinary Washington event. And all filial and grand lodges should financially support the CSJ, our anti-defamation arm. The CSJ has a young and extremely talented Board of Directors with fresh new plans that include fund-raising. They need your support.

But even more important than financial stability is growth. We took an important step in this direction during the convention when we made social members voting members. (See details in Convention insert.) But this is only a step in the right direction. All our lodges must actively recruit new members. For my part, I hope to establish a new Grand Lodge in South Carolina. This state has the resources and potential members to become a valued voice in our Order.

We also need to increase communication on all levels: between grand and filial lodges as well as between the Supreme Lodge of national officers and the larger membership. As a first step, I would like to have the chairs of OSIA committees submit a monthly report to me on their progress and initiatives. This would enable me to keep you all informed of what is on the OSIA agenda today and tomorrow. These are some of the ways we can ensure the future of the Order. That is a heavy responsibility. I need your help and support. Are you with me?

ITALIAN ITALIANAMERICA AMERICA

The Sons of Italy Christmast Shoppers Guide

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Your Ad HERE! Remember! Sons of Italy members receive a special discount of 15%!

Repeat advertisers also receive a discount.

For more information, contact Pat Rosso at 215/206-4678 or email her at pieassociates@comcast.net.

FALL 2013 31 ITALIAN AMERICA

ITALIAN AMERICA FALL 2013 31

“Nonnina”

The Perfect Holiday

gift

To order your copy of this 8”x10” matted print, send a check for $25 (incl. shipg.) to: Rich Casamento 511 Radnor Ave Pine Beach, NJ 08741 e-mail: marcasaArt@comcast.net

www.marcasaArt.com or call……609-576-2511

Problems With Your Magazine?

Italian America magazine is produced by the Sons of Italy’s national headquarters in Washington, D.C. Every month, the national office receives letters, phone calls and emails from readers who are not receiving their magazine. “The reasons are varied, but the solutions are simple,” says Editor-in-Chief Dona De Sanctis. “Simply follow the instructions below and the problem will be solved,” she says. So….if you are: A LODGE MEMBER: You can only verify, correct or change your address through your local lodge.

Please do not contact the national office. It cannot accept address changes.

A LODGE PRESIDENT: To ensure that all new and renewing members of your lodge get their magazines and that former or non-paying members do not get it for free, you must send updated member rosters to your Grand Lodge on a regular basis. Check with your Grand Lodge to find out its deadlines.

A GRAND OR SUBORDINATE LODGE REPRESENTATIVE: Please update your rosters with ABR Services every three months according to these deadlines: Mar. 1, June 1, Sept. 1, and Dec. 1. Refer to the instructions previously emailed to you. If you have any questions, please contact Diane Crespy at dcrespy@osia.org or 202/547-2900.

A SUBSCRIBER OR NATIONAL AT-LARGE MEMBER ONLY: Please send address changes to the OSIA National Office; Attn: Address change; 219 E Street NE; Washington, DC 20002.

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Travel and Tours to Italy

Visit the Treasures of Italy

Visit the treasures of Italy from north to south through three tour packages offered by the Sons of Italy. Tours start at $2,999 and include round-trip airfare, four-star hotel accommodations, all breakfasts, dinners and daily excursions with an English-speaking guide. Personal itineraries can be arranged.

See details on inside front cover. For more information, call

1-800/777-7432 or email Marianna Pisano at

mpisano@unitours.com.

Visit Venice with the Sons of Italy

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On The Bookshelf Books by and about Italian Americans

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Adventures with Jimmy A Christmas Adventure in Little Italy An enchanting family story set in a 1950s-era Italian neighborhood.

A Sons of Italy National Book Club Selection “Charmingly told and beautifully illustrated.” Italian America

Jimmy Finds His Voice

Join Jimmy for his adventure on stage in this heartwarming story about bullies, elves and verve.

“A charming story with delightful pictures for reading together.”

Kirkus Reviews

Available at bookstores online and near you. Also at iTunes.

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On The Bookshelf Books by and about Italian Americans

My Mother’s Restaurant

By Sylvia Perkins

The moving story of how a young Italian immigrant, widowed suddenly during the Great Depression, struggled to provide for her three small children.

80 pages, paperback, price: $9.98

Available at Amazon. com, BarnesandNoble.com and Quail Ridge Books and Music, Raleigh, NC, Toll Free (800) 672-6789.

For more information, visit:

http://InMyMothersRestaurant.webs.com

Tantalizing Food, Engaging History Discover the Best Books on Food and Culture

by Massimo Montanari

Italian Identity in the Kitchen, or Food and the Nation massimo montanari

Translated by Beth Archer Brombert $26.50 · cloth · 978-0-231-16084-1

$25.99 · ebook · 978-0-231-53508-3

Let the Meatballs Rest And Other Stories About Food and Culture massimo montanari

Translated by Beth Archer Brombert $26.50 · cloth · 978-0-231-15732-2

$21.99 · ebook · 978-0-231-52788-0

“Preserving Our Italian Heritage Cookbook” ** More than 100 authentic Italian recipes ** Easy-to-follow instructions to everyday meals ** Baking secrets to traditional holiday sweets ** How to plan and save on healthy Italian meals ** Discount on bulk orders of 24 or more books ** Now in its ninth printing!

Price: $18.45, including shipping. To order, send check payable to SONS OF ITALY FLORIDA FOUNDATION, 14 South Jupiter Avenue, Clearwater, FL 33755 - (PH: 727/447-6890) Or contact: vincenzad@verizon.net FALL 2013 35 ITALIAN AMERICA

Cheese, Pears, and History in a Proverb massimo montanari

Translated by Beth Archer Brombert $19.50 · paper · 978-0-231-15251-8

$18.99 · ebook · 978-0-231-52693-7

columbia university press www.cup.columbia.edu

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Fall in Love All Over Again with Valentine Roncalli and Her Family

T he Supreme Macaroni Company

The Grand Finale of the Valentine Series

Coming November 26, 2013 From the Author of The Shoemaker’s Wife

and don’t miss:

“A sweet and sexy love story.”—Today Show “Sex and the City meets Moonstruck…sly, sensual and dripping in style.”—People

“Delightful.”—Boston Globe Scan to visit Adriana’s website to read an excerpt, find more information about her events, and follow her.

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www.adrianatrigiani.com For a signed bookplate, email adrianaasst@aol.com.

ITALIAN AMERICA