THE COMMISSION FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE ®
FIGHTING DEFAMATION
The CSJ Perspective
By Robert M. Ferrito, President
Happy Columbus Day and Italian Heritage Month! I hope that everybody enjoyed a wonderful Columbus Day celebration this year and will continue celebrating our heritage through the rest of the month—and the remainder of the year as well! I’m pleased to report that, one year into the formation of the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations (COPOMIAO), we have gained such momentum through our unity. Between the Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America (OSDIA), National Italian American Foundation, Italian Sons & Daughters in America, UNICO, Italian American One Voice Coalition, and others, we have come together in a way that has produced results and strengthened our voice to protect our holiday, Columbus Day. There were several victories for Columbus Day and Columbus statues this past year, and one of the most triumphant was the recent victory in Philadelphia. After Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney unilaterally removed Columbus Day—with no due process or public forum—our group sprang into action, filing a lawsuit against the mayor and the city. Mayor Kenney also ordered Philadelphia’s Columbus statue in Marconi Plaza to be removed, which a Common Pleas Court Judge denied on the grounds that such an order has no legal basis. South Philadelphia’s Columbus statue will stay exactly where it is!
These are the kind of initiatives and results we can achieve when we work together. Through COPOMIAO, we have established this joint effort, and I promise you that, under my watch, OSDIA and its Commission for Social Justice (CSJ) will always play a prominent role in the organization. Just a couple weeks ago, as part of a Columbus Day campaign to educate and influence our representatives, your CSJ assembled, printed, and mailed out a letter to every member in the United States Congress on behalf of COPOMIAO. I’d like to offer a special thanks to our National Office for making that happen! Through COPOMIAO, we have developed a new Columbus brochure to educate others on the significance of the explorer’s life and the importance of the holiday that honors both him and our Italian heritage. They are available for free (up to 200) to all organizations, lodges, and clubs. If you would like to request brochures, please email us at csj@osia.org and include your name, address, and the quantity you’d like. Finally, I would like to encourage you to use the donation slip below and make whatever contribution you can afford. As you can see—whether it involves filing a lawsuit to protect our rights, mailing letters to all members of Congress, or producing an educational brochure—it all requires funding. Please consider making a donation this fall in the name of Columbus Day and Italian Heritage Month! Sempre Avanti!
YES!
I would like to help Save Columbus Day and keep Columbus Statues standing. Please accept my tax-deductible donation to support the Commission for Social Justice’s mission. To donate online, visit www.osia.org/csj To donate by phone, call the National Office at (202) 547-2900 $10
$25
My check for the total amount of $
$50
$100
$
is enclosed.
(Please make check payable to the “Commission for Social Justice”)
Mail to:
ITALIAN AMERICA
Commission for Social Justice 219 E Street NE Washington, DC 20002 FALL 2021 33
