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Basil M. Russo Calls Out Trump and Harris…
SPEAK TO US!
Presidential Candidates Urged to Address Italian American Leaders
- Letters Submitted to Both Candidates by Basil M. Russo Requests “Online Discussion”
- Where Do The Candidates Stand on Issues of Importance to Italian Americans?
- Italian Americans May Well Decide Who is Next President
By Truby Chiaviello
We have the votes in key swing states.
If you want to become president, then you better get Italian Americans to vote for you.
That’s the underlying message of letters sent by Basil M. Russo to this year’s presidential candidates, former President Donald Trump and Vice-President Kamala Harris.
Russo serves as president of the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations (COPOMIAO). In letters submitted to Trump and Harris, he asked for a video address by the two candidates to the membership of various Italian American organizations, urging them to outline their positions on key issues of critical importance to the Italian American community.
In letters to the Republican and Democratic candidates, Russo shared demographic data of Italian Americans representing key voting blocs in swing states. The message is clear: Italian Americans may well decide this year’s presidential election.
“There are 18 million people in our country who choose to self-identify themselves as Italian American, and they comprise 5.5% of our country’s population,” wrote Judge Russo to former President Donald Trump and Vice-President Kamala Harris. “Additionally, there are several swing states in the upcoming presidential election with a significant number of Italian Americans.”
Russo conveyed the number of Italian Americans in each of the six swing states to decide this election. Italian Americans have become vital voting blocs in:
Russo seeks an “online discussion” between the candidates and the Italian American community. “Whatever day or at whatever time you choose, you may speak about whatever issues you care to address,” he writes. “The only requirement would be that you clearly state your position on each of the following issues of importance to the Italian American community.” They are:
Columbus Day
The holiday remains the subject of heated political debate, with some states and cities opting to replace with Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Monuments in tribute to the great Genoese explorer remain endangered as vandals and municipal leaders seek to tear down the sculpture. “As President will you publicly support the retention of Columbus Day as a federal holiday, and will you support the preservation of Columbus’s statues?” Russo asks. Columbus is a symbol of Italian American contributions to the country. Russo’s appeal underscores the importance of Columbus Day to the community, as the holiday rightly honors the achievements and heritage of Italian immigrants in the United States.
National Italian American Museum on the National Mall
In addition to the retention of Columbus Day, Russo urged the candidates to support the creation of a national Italian American Museum on the National Mall in Washington, DC. A museum of this nature will provide an essential platform to highlight the rich cultural contributions of Italian Americans throughout U.S. history. “As President will you publicly support the creation of a National Italian American Museum on the Mall in Washington DC?,” Russo asked Trump and Harris. The nation’s capital is the ideal location for a center of education, inspiration, and pride for Italian Americans, as well as a destination for Americans of all backgrounds to explore a critical part of the nation’s immigrant story.
Public Schools Must Teach Italian American History
Russo’s letters also addressed the need for Italian American history to be incorporated into public school curriculums. The Italian American community has long been advocating for broader recognition in educational settings, ensuring that the history of Italian immigrants and their influence on American society is taught alongside other important narratives. Trump and Harris were asked by Russo, “As President will you help the Italian American community in its efforts to get Italian American history incorporated into our schools lesson plans?” Russo’s appeal for the candidates to support this inclusion reflects a desire to educate future generations about the vital role Italian Americans have played in shaping the nation’s identity.
These requests by Russo mark a pivotal moment for the Italian American community to secure a greater cultural presence on the national stage.
Now, the ball is in the candidates’ courts to clarify where they stand on these vital issues as they vie for the support of Italian American voters in the upcoming election.
The letters represent more than just an inquiry into political platforms—they are a call to action, urging both candidates - Trump and Harris - to affirm their commitment to the values and history of a community that has long been a part of the American fabric.
IADLC LAUNCHES ITALIAN AMERICANS FOR HARRIS-WALZ
Focus on Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Georgia, and Nevada
- Key Members Are Wide-Ranging
- Susan Molinari, Anthony Scaramucci, and Bill Peduto, Will They Help or Hurt The Ticket?
- “Paisan to paisan” calls
By Truby Chiaviello
Remember Susan Molinari?
Once deemed the future of the Republican Party, Molinari was keynote speaker at the RNC Convention in 1996. That year saw her serving in Congress, daughter of longstanding Republican Representative and political lion, of Staten Island, Guy Molinari.
What are Susan Molinari’s plans for this year’s Italian American Heritage Month? Working the phone to help elect Democrats Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.
Molinari is one of 66 key members of Italian Americans for Harris-Walz, a new get-out-the-vote initiative, launched on October 9th, by the Italian American Democratic Leadership Council (IADLC).
Molinari is one, of several, recruited by the IADLC, who raise eyebrows.
Anthony Scaramucci comes to mind. Nicknamed “The Mooch,” by some, the investment banker extraordinaire, was recruited, in 2017, by President Donald Trump to get White House communications in order. Scaramucci served just 10 days in the Trump administration, from July 21 to July 31, when he was abruptly fired for making controversial statements to reporters.
What can best be surmised a vendetta, Scaramucci joins Molinari to back the Democratic ticket, Vice-President Kamala Harris and Governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz, over his one-time boss, former President Donald Trump and running mate JD Vance, U.S. Senator, from Ohio.
Italian Americans for Harris-Walz will focus on swing states, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Georgia, and Nevada.
One wonders if the likes of Bill Peduto, mayor of Pittsburgh, from 2014 to 2022, will help or hurt Harris-Walz in Pennsylvania. He was no friend of Christopher Columbus. It was Mayor Peduto who ordered the Columbus Monument, in Schenley Park, to be wrapped in black plastic. His effort to tear down the statue was halted in court, thanks to the legal cause of Basil M. Russo and Attorney George Brochetto. Italian Americans who see Columbus a courageous hero, rather than a Woke villain, are likely to hang up the phone on Peduto when he calls them on behalf of Harris-Walz.
Italian Americans for Harris-Walz have, as co-chairs, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, and former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, who, as CIA Director, was credited with leading the successful effort to kill 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden.
Pelosi’s daughter, Christine, a political strategist, joins Molinari, Scaramucci, Peduto and others, as does Panetta’s son, Jimmy, elected last year as Democratic Representative of the 19th District in California. He is one of 66 key members to lead Italian Americans for Harris-Walz.
The IADLC hopes for “a robust voter contact operation, utilizing phone banks, door knocking and social media to reach Italian Americans in the U.S. and the 75,000 registered voters living in Italy. Italian Americans represent a critical voting bloc in key swing states.”
They highlight U.S. Census data touting 16 million Italian Americans in the United States; although the IADLC agrees with independent estimates of 26 million as a more accurate tally in the total number of Italian Americans.
“With nearly a third of Italian Americans identifying as Independents, a substantial portion of this electorate is still up for grabs,” states IADLC. They see Democratic and Independent voters who are Italian Americans could be greater than what current polls suggest are Italian Americans leaning Republican this year. The IADLC hopes a serious outreach effort by Italian American leaders might persuade up to 11 million to vote Harris-Walz.
“The enthusiasm generated from the 'Paisans for Kamala' event shows us that when Italian Americans come together, rooted in their values of family and opportunity, they can be a powerful force in this election,” said Former Ambassador Joe Paolino, Co-Chair of Italian-Americans for Harris-Walz “We’re dedicated to making sure Italian Americans turn out in record numbers for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.”
“Italian Americans can be decisive in the 2024 election,” said Former Ambassador Jim Rosapepe, IADLC Vice Chair, and one of the leaders of the initiative. “The margins of victory in all the swing states will be tight, so persuading even a small number of undecided Italian Americans to vote for opportunity can make the difference for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.”
Although Vice-President Harris has come under serious criticism for what many see is chaos at the U.S.-Mexican border, IADLC plans to use immigration, “a central value-based driver of conversation, highlighting the immigrant experience as a key part of Italian American history. By embracing this shared heritage, the IADLC aims to push back against the xenophobia and anti-immigrant rhetoric promoted by Trump and his right-wing allies. To achieve this, the Council is orchestrating and coordinating with state parties to identify Italian American voters in key swing states and initiating ‘paisan to paisan’ calls. These conversations will help mobilize voters by tapping into the core values of family, justice, and opportunity, ensuring that Italian Americans play a pivotal role in the 2024 election.”
Just in time for Italian American Heritage Month, the National Leadership Council of Italian Americans for Harris-Walz seeks a political movement with Italian Americans at the forefront. How the Republicans plan to meet this effort is yet to be answered. Here is a list of key figures for Italian Americans for Harris-Walz.
Honorary Co-Chairs
Former Defense Secretary Leon Pancetta
Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi
U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (Nevada)
National Co-Chairs
Ambassador Joseph R. Paolino Jr., (Ret.)
Former U.S. Ambassador to Malta (1994-1996)
Ambassador Jim Rosapepe (Ret.)
Former U.S. Ambassador to Romania (1998-2001)
Key Members
Stephen R. Aiello, member of Columbus Citizen Foundation; founding member of National Italian American Foundation; IADLC Board Member
Senator Dennis DeConcini, Former Senator, AZ 1977-1995
Mayor Bill De Blasio, Former Mayor of NYC
Sara Innamorato, Allegheny County, PA County Executive
Congresswoman Susan Molinari, Former Congresswoman, (NY-14) 1990-1993, (NY-13) 1993-1997
Congressman Jimmy Panetta, (CA-19) 2023-Present
Christine Pelosi, Democratic National Committee Member
Mayor Bill Peduto, Former Mayor of Pittsburgh
Congressman Tom Suozzi, (NY-03) 2017-2023, 2024-Presen
Linda Stasi, IADLC Board Member; former Daily News columnist, TV commentator & author
Anthony Scaramucci, Former White House Communications Director
John Turturro, Emmy-winning Actor
BASIL M. RUSSO, NATIONWIDE
Las Vegas Hosts The Italian American Leader
- Italian Club of Southern Nevada
- From Los Angeles to New York and All Cities and Towns In Between; Judge Russo Makes the Rounds for Italian America
By Truby Chiaviello
There’s no slowing down for Basil M. Russo.
“Man on a mission” is the accurate idiom to define him.
Unity is the goal for the retired judge and proud Italian American.
Judge Russo knows we’re in a fight to preserve our Italian American legacy. We have to stand together to win.
Every Italian American organization, both large and small, in every state, county, town and village in America, are destinations for Judge Russo. His current campaign is not unlike the kind he undertook in elections and reelections to the Cleveland city council; yet this is national in scope. Never mind how far the location, be it Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, New York, Syracuse, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh… Judge Russo wants to be there for Italian America.
His most recent excursion took him west.
Judge Russo touched down in Las Vegas this past September at the invitation of Angelo Cassaro, president of the Italian American Club of Southern Nevada.
It was Sin City where Mr. Cassaro awarded Judge Russo with a Lifetime Honorary Membership.
Judge Russo, president of the Italian Sons & Daughters of America and the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations, among other leadership positions, was introduced by Mr. Cassara as “the most important Italian American leader in the country today.”
Some 450 members were on hand to hear Judge Russo speak about the importance of preserving Italian heritage in America. He conveyed efforts to save Columbus statues, monuments and Columbus Day celebrations. Mr. Cassaro was praised by Judge Russo for growing the membership of the Las Vegas based organization and for maintaining an outstanding museum of Italian American contributions to the entertainment industry.
The history of Italian America is replete with men and women who overcame ethnic prejudice, bias and hardships to establish their place in American society — “a journey sparked by the first Columbus Day celebration in 1892, which set the stage for their assimilation,” said Judge Russo.
The Italian American Club of Southern Nevada was established in Las Vegas in 1960. Every Italian American entertainer who has performed at top venues in downtown Las Vegas and along the Vegas Strip were club members.
Up next, The White House, where Judge Russo helped to organize the second annual Italian American reception for Italian Heritage Month, by America’s first Italian American First Lady, Dr. Jill Biden.
“What Nonsense”
IN RESPONSE TO A RECENT DNA ANALYSIS BY SPANISH SCIENTISTS THAT COLUMBUS WAS SEPHARDIC JEWISH
- DNA Extracted from Columbus Grave in Seville
- Released on Columbus Day; a PR Stunt
- “…one more effort to dismiss and somehow turn Columbus into a false pretender…”
By Tommy Damigella
Here we have one more effort to dismiss and somehow turn Christopher Columbus into a false pretender to embarrass the Italian American community who regard him as an Italian historic hero.
In 2003, José Antonio Lorente, professor of forensic medicine at Granada University, and Marcial Castro, a historian, unearthed, what many consider is the corpse of Columbus from his burial chamber inside the Seville Cathedral.
On October 13, 2024, for a television documentary in Spain, Professor Lorente announced the results, claiming Columbus was not Italian from Genoa, but, rather, a Sephardic Jew from Valencia.
This scientific study has not shown any of its data analysis or share it with other people in their scientific community. Instead, they chose to release this information on Columbus Day as a political PR stunt that falls into the same category as Geraldo’s live opening of Al Capone’s safe! (Which was empty)
I’m already puzzled by their statement that they trace Fernando’s Jewish gene to his mother who was name Beatrice Enrique (who co-habituated with Columbus and never married.) What would here genealogy have to do with Columbus? And, if I recall, to be an actual Jew, it is passed only through the mother down line. So, perhaps Beatrice was of Jewish descent?
Columbus’ first wife was Felipa Moniz Perestrelo who gave birth to his oldest son Diego. She was Portuguese royalty.
Also, the birthplace of Columbus’ father and mother are both known to be Genoa, not Valencia.
His mother was Susanna Fontanarossa (who died in Rome). His father Domenico Columbo was a weaver and had several sons besides Christoforo and they can be traced to being born in Genoa.
Genoa was also known to be a sea faring port where Columbus got the bug to sail. This is documented by his earlier sailing experiences that helped him become an extraordinary navigator.
If you read the remarks of Professor Lornente and his team they cannot determine his place of birth yet have eliminate Genoa, because they stated (Rightly?) that Jews were scarce in Genoa?
Note, that it ironically was 1492, that the scientists made this ultimatum decree to expel Jews and Muslims from Spain unless they converted to Catholicism. Hmm, therefore, Christopher’s parents somehow anticipated this 40 years ago when he was born.
Their claim that he was of Jewish descent also insinuates he must have knowingly disguised it. I have read several articles by lazy reporters on this story announced today and they imply that he knew. Ridiculous. The last fact is none of these articles even refer to the man’s absolute devotion to the Catholic Church. Even his name is Catholic.
Is it time now to mock Christ? Did He not say, "Blessed are YOU that are not ashamed of ME?"
Also "If you deny ME before Men I will deny YOU before My Father in Heaven."
How far do people "pretending to be Christian" go to convince people they are "Catholic?"
Columbus' ships were known to resemble a floating Chapel.
He was a Third Order Franciscan, - often seen wearing the Franciscan habit, particularly when in the presence of clergy or nobility. In fact, he died in such a wardrobe in 1506.
He was a devoted Catholic who showed his devotion to the Virgin Mary in many ways, including praying the rosary: He named his flagship, the Santa María, after Mary. He named an island Santa Maria de la Concepcion to show his devotion to The Role of the Virgin Mary as the Immaculate Conception. Columbus and his men kept a ritual of evening prayers.
And… his desire to find a route to the East by going West was motivated by his quest o free Jerusalem from the Muslims who had just taken control of it. It was his hope to reach India / China and meet the great Kublah Khan descendants that befriended Marco Polo 200 years earlier to help him find this westerly route into Jerusalem.This information is substantiated by Carol Delaney's exhausting research on Columbus that made her choose the title of her book “Columbus and the Quest for Jerusalem.”
None of what I have written is even inferred or mentioned at all in any of the articles written today (October 13 ) when trying to assert that Columbus was not from Genoa. Therefore not Italian!
So, here, we have one more reason to slander this man’s historic role and reputation who had the courage and conviction to take this journey that changed the world.
The Lorentz team did establish one fact. Columbus is in that Tomb in Seville.
The rest?
What nonsense.
Editor’s Note: The writer is vice president of the Italian American Alliance and president of the North End Historical Society. Pictured is a painting of the death of Columbus and scientist Lorente and still photo of his documentary. The web site for Italian American Alliance are: https://www.theitalianamericanalliance.com
RETURN TO THE WHITE HOUSE
Dr. Jill Biden, First Italian American First Lady, Hosts a Second Columbus Day Reception in the East Room
- Italian American Leaders from Around the Country Invited to Washington
- Italian America Offers The First Lady a Political Spring Board After The White House
By Truby Chiaviello
The call is heard: Come back to Washington.
Last year’s Columbus Day reception at the White House was an unprecedented success for Italian America’s first First Lady, Dr. Jill Biden. Leaders from around the country convened inside the historical, elegant East Room for Italian food, wine, an inspiring speech by Dr. Biden, and a last minute appearance by the president, himself, Joe Biden.
Now comes a repeat performance. Invitations were sent out last week requesting Italian American leaders to, once again, be the guests of President and First Lady Biden at the White House for an evening reception on October 16 to celebrate Italian Heritage Month.
Hopes are that an annual gathering of Italian American leaders at the White House will be ongoing in the future after two successful receptions hosted by Dr. Biden.
Next year, however, be it Kamala Harris or Donald Trump, neither president nor her or his spouse will be Italian. The Italian connection to the White House will be severed and must be reconnected. The task falls on Italian American leaders to reach out to a new administration for purposes of continuing a national meet-up at the White House.
Last year’s reception was due to Italian American leaders working with the First Lady and others in the Biden administration, not to mention key figures in Congress. Much of the credit is owed to Basil M. Russo, president of the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations (COPOMIAO) and president of the Italians Sons and Daughters of America (ISDA), among other leadership positions.
Through intense lobbying last year, Judge Russo was able to get the White House and U.S. Capitol on board to celebrate Italian American Heritage Month. He will be called on again to continue such a gathering with a new president and staff.
Judge Russo knows well President Biden and the First Lady. Last year, near the end of the Italian American Heritage reception, President Biden made an appearance. He was greeted warmly by guests and photographed with his arm around Judge Russo, in a sign of close friendship.
Judge Russo, a longstanding Democrat, served as majority leader of the Cleveland city council in the 1970s when Biden was finishing his first term in Congress, as U.S. senator from Delaware. Be it through DNC conventions, Congressional and political gatherings, the two have known each other for many years.
Such ties now serve the First Lady with a network of Italian American leaders and influencers to enable her with a political career of her own after the White House. She enjoys positive poll numbers as the first Italian American to serve as First Lady.
Last summer, Dr. Biden came to Pittsburgh, at the invitation of Judge Russo. The occasion was the annual convention of ISDA. Judge Russo introduced the First Lady after, first, conveying the unique founding of ISDA. He said, “ISDA was formed right here in Pittsburgh, in 1930, by the members of some 30 lodges who chose to leave their parent organization, the Order Sons of Italy, in large part, because women were not allowed to become members. So, the Pittsburgh members formed their own new organization and chose to name it: The Italian Sons and Daughters of America.”
Dr. Biden was greeted with a standing ovation by ISDA members. Her speech was about the perseverance of Italian Americans and her connection to Pennsylvania.
“Buonasera, everyone! It’s great to be with you all. Not only because I’m proud of my Italian roots, but also because I can’t help but feel home-state pride whenever I’m in Pennsylvania.”
Dr. Biden spoke about the immigration journey of her great-grandparents, Gaetano and Conchetta Giacoppa, from Sicily to the United States. “A blank space on a piece of paper greeted my great-grandparents when they arrived at Ellis Island,” said Dr. Biden. “There, Gaetano and Conchetta Giacoppa filled in their names so they could start their new lives in the United States. It must have felt like they were entering another kind of blankness too. They left behind everything they had known in Italy: their family, their homeland. Even their name, Giacoppa, eventually became Jacobs.”
Dr. Biden’s maiden name is Jill Tracy Jacobs. She was born in Hammonton, New Jersey, and raised in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania. In her speech to ISDA members, she recalled how her grandfather, Dominic, “found work delivering furniture for a small store in New Jersey. He and my grandmom worked hard to build a life they could be proud of. To this day, the scent of Italian bread toast and the sound of sauce bubbling on the stove brings me back to their tiny kitchen.”
Dr. Biden’s father, Donald, served in the navy in World War II, before he attained a business degree thanks to the GI Bill. A career in finance led to his becoming the president and CEO of savings and loan institutions in Mahwah, New Jersey, and Philadelphia.
The wife of President Joe Biden, since 1977, Dr. Biden is no stranger to politics. Her plans after the White House are undetermined, as of now. However, her current activities, such as serving as a campaign surrogate for Kamala Harris, underscores her continued engagement in politics.
The Italian American community serves as a means for a national presence for Dr. Biden. She can bring political star power to Italian American concerns and causes. She could be a big help to the Italian American community to preserve Columbus Day on the national, state, and local levels. She can bring media attention to the hidden discrimination suffered by many Italian Americans because of ethnic prejudices and biases. Her experience in international affairs can foster greater economic ties and opportunities with Italy and countries with large Italian immigrant populations.
Italian Heritage Month is underway. The peak activity for Italian Americans will once again be the White House reception hosted by the first Italian American First Lady.
For Dr. Biden, her bright future is forever connected to the Italian American community.
TWENTY-ONE NEW CARDINALS NAMED BY POPE FRANCIS
Most Are From Asia and South America
- Four are Italian
- The appointments of new cardinals underscore a Vatican focus on Catholic growth outside Europe and the United States.
By Truby Chiaviello
Now 87, Pope Francis looks to establish his legacy.
Who will inherit the throne of Saint Peter?
The Vatican will depend on some 242 cardinals worldwide; 137, of whom, are electors to the next pope when the time comes.
For now, Pope Francis, his movement restrained from ligament inflammation and a knee fracture since 2022, often bound by a wheelchair, shows no signs of dullness or torpidity. He continues to travel to the remotest of locations to spread the Gospel. Mongolia, the Congo, Sudan, New Guinea, and Indonesia, are some of the key countries he visited in the past two years.
The travel itinerary of Pope Francis is a sign of the future of Catholicism. More East, than West. More South, than North. The grip of Secularism tightens in Western Europe and the United States. The Vaticans sees the best prospects for the faith among increasing adherents in South America, Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe.
The naming of 21 new cardinals by Pope Francis is indicative of the future. They are to be officially installed at a consistory on December 8, 2024, in Rome. Five are from South America, five from Asia, two from Africa, and three from Eastern Europe. Two others appointed were from Canada and England, respectively. None were from the United States.
Four new cardinals are from Italy:
Roberto Repole: Archbishop of Turin and Susa, Repole has had a distinguished pastoral career. As president of the Italian Theological Association, he allied with Pope Francis to focus theology on contemporary issues.
Baldassare Reina: Before serving as the Vicariate General of Rome, Reina was the rector of the major seminary in Agrigento.
Fabio Baggio: Baggio has built his career on immigration and human rights advocacy. He served as co-undersecretary for the Migrants and Refugees Section of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. He is a key advisor to Pope Francis on the Vatican’s commitment to the plight of migrants.
Angelo Acerbi: At 99, Acerbi looks back on an extensive career in diplomacy. He served as Apostolic Nuncio in multiple countries, including Colombia, where he was taken hostage by guerrillas in 1980; freed after two months. Acerbi played a role in the Church’s relationship with Communist Hungary. He was ordained a priest in 1948.
Currently, there are 137 out of 242 cardinals who are electors, meaning they are under the age of 80 and eligible to participate in a papal conclave to elect a new pope. The rest are over the age of 80 and not eligible to vote but retain the title and role of cardinal.
Pope Francis has been steadily appointing new cardinals during his papacy, with a focus on increasing representation from non-European regions.
As of 2024, there are 16 Italian cardinals who are eligible to vote in a papal conclave. This is a reduction from 28 in 2013, reflecting Pope Francis’s efforts to diversify the College of Cardinals by appointing more representatives from outside Europe. The total number of Italian cardinals, including those over 80 is higher, but the focus has been on decreasing the proportion of Italians within the group of electors.
Becoming a cardinal is not a process one applies for, but rather an appointment made directly by the Pope after consideration of the distinguished service of, most often, a bishop. The continuity of the Church’s international mission is the primary focus of cardinals, from whom the next pope will likely come. It was Bartolomeo Pregnano, elected pope in 1378, who was the last to be elected from outside the College of Cardinals. He took the name, Pope Urban VI.
Editor’s Note: Pictured are new cardinals from Italy, Bishop Roberto Repole, Bishop Baldassare Reino, Father Fabio Baggio, and Bishop Angelo Acerbi
LANGUAGE IS HIS PASSION
An Italian Immigrant Finds His Place in America, Teaching His Native Language
- For Italian-born, U.S.-based Alessandro Concas, Sr., Teaching the Romance Language Through His Serata Italiana (Italian Evening) Initiative is All about Connecting Italy to America.
By Truby Chiaviello
October is Italian American Heritage Month, a time to honor, celebrate, and recognize the many contributions of Italian immigrants and Italian Americans. Alessandro Concas, Sr. is one of many from our ancestral homeland to make his way, here, in the land of opportunity. The Italian language is his passion.
Did you know…
- More than 5 million Italians immigrated to the United States between 1820 and 2000
- Currently more than 26 million Americans of Italian descent reside in the United States
- Connecticut has the highest percentage of Italian Americans, making up just more than 16% of the population.
- Rhode Island, New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania round out the list of states with the highest percentage of Italian Americans.
Alex, as his friends call him, is the founder and creator of “Serata Italiana,” an expert Italian language program to immerse participants in the culture of Italy. The Italian American entrepreneur was born in Rome and grew up on the nearby island of Sardinia. Since 1995, when Alex launched Serata Italiana, he has been teaching his native tongue to students young and old across the country.
To honor the many Italian Americans who never had the opportunity to learn the language, Alex hosts a FREE online beginners Italian language and culture class every Sunday at 10am EST.
To sign up, you may TEXT Alex directly at 323-533-8623 mentioning this article.
THE LATEST IN DEFENSE OF COLUMBUS DAY
- Victory in New Hampshire
- Victory in Massachusetts
- Basil M. Russo Goes on Offense with Impassioned Op-eds in Pittsburgh and Cleveland
By Truby Chiaviello
Italian Americans remain united in defense of Christopher Columbus. He is our hero. His day is to be celebrated, never mind the woke revisionists who try to malign him. Those who support our efforts are to be praised.
The Italian American One Voice Coalition (IAOVC), the largest independent anti-bias organization for Italian Americans, inducted the New Hampshire State Legislature and Governor Chris Sununu into the IAOVC Hall of Fame. This honor recognizes their passage of HB 1014, a state law that mandates all cities and towns in New Hampshire to recognize Columbus Day on the second Monday of October. Some cities had previously replaced the holiday with Indigenous Peoples Day, but they are now required to restore its official title.
Andre DiMino, IAOVC President, praised the decision, calling Columbus Day “the single most iconic day for Italian Americans, and actually all Americans.” He urged other states to follow New Hampshire’s lead in recognizing the federal holiday.
The IAOVC also noted that claims about Columbus’ treatment of Native Americans, which have led some areas to replace the holiday, have been debunked by scholars. In addition, IAOVC has partnered with the Native American Guardian’s Association (NAGA) to combat cancel culture. Columbus Day has long held significance for Italian Americans, originally declared to counter discrimination after the 1891 lynching of 11 Italian Americans in New Orleans.
Just across the border was another victory for Italian Americans.
Two bills in the Massachusetts House and Senate, seeking to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples’ Day, are now all but dead-on-arrival thanks to a viral petition spearheaded by affiliates of the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations (COPOMIAO)
COPOMIAO President Basil M. Russo, along with Tommy Damigella of the Italian American Alliance and Andre DiMino of the Italian American One Voice Coalition, led the grassroots effort, which inundated lawmakers’ email inboxes with petitions.
It was Basil M. Russo who made headlines in Western Pennsylvania and Ohio when he penned an op-ed for the Pittsburgh Post Gazette and Cleveland’s Plain Dealer.
Judge Russo highlighted the history of the creation of Columbus Day. He wrote how, in 1892, America began celebrating Columbus Day following one of the worst episodes of racial violence in U.S. history. Between 1880 and 1920, around four million Italian immigrants came to America, many entering through New Orleans. There, they faced extreme hostility, culminating in the 1891 lynching of 11 Italian immigrants after the city’s police chief was shot, sparking a mass mob attack.
Although acquitted, anti-immigrant sentiment fueled violence. Newspapers like The New York Times and public figures like Teddy Roosevelt went so far as to praise the lynchings. To combat such hatred, President Benjamin Harrison declared Columbus Day in 1892 to promote acceptance of Italians.
Decades later, Italian immigrants continued to face discrimination, including during WWII when 600,000 Italians were labeled Enemy Aliens. Today, Columbus remains a symbol of Italian pride, despite ongoing debates surrounding his legacy. Books like Columbus and the Quest for Jerusalem debunk much of the misinformation that has fueled criticism of him.
CRITICAL THEORY IS GOOD FOR ITALIAN AMERICANS (SORT OF)
Espousing Our Unique Italian Experience in America Will Help Us Gain Civil Rights
“Basically, you have to convince progressives to protect you.”
By Christopher Binetti, Ph.D.
I recently made a new Italian American friend. Like me, he is a leftist. We disagree on a lot of topics, but we also have a lot in common. He was concerned that one of my recent Op-Eds seemed to lean too much to the right, and I am taking that concern seriously, here. I want to lean left in this article. However, I have a real reason to do so.
One of my biggest critiques of some conservative Italians is that by rejecting critical theory, as a tool, they give up the potential to actually make real political and social change for Italians. The truth is, rightly or wrongly, that if you want civil rights in this country, you have to convince the left to give them to you. The right is not very good at giving anyone civil rights. The center in America does not really exist. Even left liberals, like me, are rare in the public discourse. Basically, you have to convince progressives to protect you.
So, you have to speak the progressive language. Critical theory is part of that language. I am not saying that we should teach critical theory to elementary school kids; but honestly, it is a legitimate tool if properly taught in college and, maybe, to AP kids in high school. What is wrong with today’s teaching of critical theory is that it is often never used to criticize the left, or what I call self-criticism. We need to use critical theory to criticize those who seek power through critical theory. However, the point is not to destroy critical theory, itself; but to use it properly.
In critical theory, power in every possible way is questioned, analyzed, and criticized. Since Italian Americans are marginalized, critical theory is a tool that allows us to ask: Why is this the case. Critical theory also allows us to ask who benefits by our marginalization. Recently, I talked to an editor at The Hill, a massively-powerful national political website. He agreed to take my submission about disability rights; yet, questioned my idea of Catholic marginalization. He dismissed my proposal to write about the marginalization of Italians, entirely. He refused to even consider a draft about the subject. This is how progressives determine who is marginalized - they simply reject claims of marginalization that they do not want to acknowledge without even talking to the victims of that marginalization.
This recent experience convinced me to write about how we, as Italians, need to use the tool of critical theory to “fight” back (metaphorically, only) against progressives’ marginalization of us. How do we know that we are marginalized? Because no one in the mainstream media, (conservatives also), wants to talk about us or our civil rights. We are dismissed without a conversation. That is what political (and social) marginalization is; we are not even considered political subjects!
Why do progressives do this to us? The critical theory answer is that progressives are no different than conservatives. Unlike true liberals, they seek power. Progressivism is, basically, a made-up ideology that gives Anglo-white, mostly Protestant straight men, power over Italians and Catholics; just as their conservative ancestors did. Yet, progressives will claim that their ideology is “pure” of any “hate”, when it is not. “The New York Times,” in 1891, supported the anti-Italian lynch mob. The newspaper now supports the anti-Colombo mob. The Italophobia did not change; only the superficial ideology did.
Anti-Colombo sentiment is not new and has little to do with “colonialism” and Native Americans. This is about the marginalization of Italians and Catholics. By denying us our rightful place, as minorities, we can be targeted without anyone caring. You cannot attack Colombo or Colombus Day if we are minorities. If we have recognition as an ethnic minority separate from “Europeans” or “whites”, we would eventually have to be treated as worthy of civil rights. Currently, we are the lower-class of “whiteness”, due to the Office of Management and Budget, which is controlled by Anglo-white straight progressive men.
Think about this for a minute. How many times have you, and your life experiences as an Italian American, been rebuked by a “woke” Anglo-white (usually Protestant or Irish) man? Do not count women or minorities. The most socially-advantaged people will tell you, a member of a minority, what to do and how to think. They deny you status as a minority while pretending to be “progressive” or “woke”. Ultimately, those Anglo-white men are seeking power. They are simply conservatives in progressive clothing.
I could go on, but you already get the point. Critical theory is a useful and beneficial tool for Italian Americans to demand civil rights from “progressive” Anglo-white men who seek to keep us down. Political theory, in general, is also useful, but I will save that for another article. The next time Italian America object to critical theory, ask them: Do you not want to be free? Critical theory is key to freedom for Italian Americans, since it will allow us to speak to the “progressives” in their own language.
Editor’s Note: Dr. Christopher Binetti is an Italian American political scientist and historian from New Jersey. He is also the president of the Italian American Movement. He is reachable at 732-549-2635 and 732-887-3914 by phone and at cbinetti@terpmail.umd.edu by email. The opinions expressed by the writer are his own and may or may not be shared by PRIMO’s publisher, editor and staff
8-31-24
NORTH END BOSTON COLUMBUS STATUE FINDS PERMANENT HOME
Italian Americans Come Together to Save the Statue
One million people visit the Peace Garden every year.
By Tommy Damigella
The North End Christopher Columbus statue has now been permanently relocated to the Peace Garden at St. Leonard Parish in the North End.
The Italian American Alliance wishes to extend a very special thank you to St. Leonard's pastor, Fr. Michael Della Penna, OFM, the Knights of Columbus, and all those involved with protecting this beautiful work of art honoring a man of great faith, courage, and conviction!
Thanks to their efforts and generosity, the Columbus Statue once again has a permanent and safe home in the North End, where it is proudly and publicly displayed for all to enjoy.
One million people visit the Peace Garden every year.
It is fitting that the Columbus statue will make it's home at a parish staffed by Franciscan friars. Fr. Della Penna draws our attention to some facts about Columbus as laid out by Christine Valentine-Owsik writing for “Legatus”:
“Christopher Columbus was a secular Franciscan who took Franciscan friars with him on his voyages. He went to confession regularly, had love for the Real Presence and had devotion to Mary.
In the 1870s, a number of Fathers of the First Vatican Council proposed Columbus’ canonization – not only because he introduced Christianity to the New World, but because of his character and virtue.
Columbus’ discovery is indeed extraordinary, but opening up two American continents to Christianity has been called the greatest evangelistic feat since the days of St. Paul. He was a man of deep piety – attending daily Mass at a convent chapel in Italy, where he met his first wife, Donna Phillipa.
His ship men maintained daily prayer, and his son Fernando noted specially: ‘He was so strict in matters of religion…that he might have been taken for a member of a religious order.’
Then there are Columbus’ own writings. His Book of Prophecies, scarcely mentioned by biographers, was begun in 1502 after his third voyage to America. He cites Scripture at length, following God’s will, and extending Catholicism afar. In 1491, one year before discovery of America, Spain was finally liberated from 700 years of Muslim domination – and Columbus’ voyage-journal reveals his aim to surpass Islam with spread of Christianity.
As early as 1493, he wrote to the Royal Treasurer of Spain, calling discovery of the New World a great victory – but not in the typical sense. Rather, Columbus says: ‘Since our Redeemer gave this victory to our most illustrious King and Queen … it is fitting for all Christendom to rejoice … and give solemn thanks to the Holy Trinity … for the great exultation it will have and the turning of so many peoples to our holy Faith.’”
Editor’s Note: The writer is the vice-president of the Italian American Alliance and chairperson of the Save Columbus Day committee. Please help the Italian American Alliance in their continuous battle to save Columbus Day in Massachusetts. The web site for the Italian American Alliance is https://www.theitalianamericanalliance.com/
BOOK REVIEWS
An Astounding Assemblage of Books About…
Murder in New York, Empire in Africa, Italian Culture in America, Italians in Northwest America, Rebellion in Sicily, Sandwich Making in a Child’s Kitchen
The criminal world is diverse, dynamic, and dangerous. That’s the key premise to Anthony Celano’s captivating new novel, “The Case of the Hunted Woman: A Sergeant Markie Mystery.” New York is the primary setting for an entertaining web of violent intrigue. The story takes readers through much of Queens, Staten Island, and Manhattan. The boroughs are linked together, in this instance, to murder, conspiracy, and corruption. Judge Fatima Bradford West, a rising figure in the city’s political machine, is shot and killed while leaving an Italian restaurant with her husband, Amos, an attorney and real estate developer. On the case is the ever likable protagonist, Al Markie, veteran homicide detective. He and his partner, Oliver Von Hess, piece together clues and witnesses while a squad commander undermines their investigation.
The villain is Sarah Ince, a young ex-convict who had set a plan in motion to rob the judge that sent her to prison. For the deed, she enlisted a low level hood who accidentally kills the judge. Forced to hide her involvement in the crime, she murders the accomplice. The Mafia is subsequently recruited by a precinct official to find her whereabouts. The search intensifies after a romantic affair is discovered between her and the son-in-law of a top mobster, Ruffy Shea. The characters, and their respective motives, are many in this incredible novel. Only Amos West, the judge’s surviving husband has, arguably, the most justifiable reason to track down Sarah. To exact revenge, he hires Fishnet, a retired detective and recurring character in the Markie series.
The author, Anthony Celano, worked as a detective for the New York Police Department for 22 years. Then, he worked for an additional 17 years as principal of a private investigation firm he founded in Midtown Manhattan. “The Case of the Hunted Woman” is the fifth in his series of well-conceived mysteries to bear the name of central character, Al Markie. Celano is commended for his well-rounded approach to crime fiction. Although a dedicated member of law enforcement, the author, nevertheless, conveys the various lawbreakers in his novels with empathy and, when the time arises, compassion. He understands how mortal sin can arise from both good and bad intentions. “The Case of the Hunted Woman” is another fascinating crime novel by Anthony Celano. We look forward to reading more in the series of Markie mysteries from this exceptional author.
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BUT WE BUILT ROADS FOR THEM
The Lies, Racism and Amnesia That Bury Italy’s Colonial Past
By Francesco Filippi Translated by Domenic Cusmano
Published by Baraka Books https://www.barakabooks.com/catalogue/italy-built-roads/
Italy wanted to be another empire since the fall of Rome. That’s the premise of the fascinating new book by Francesco Filippi, “But, We Built Roads for Them.” Only after unification could national Italy muster the manpower and resources necessary to acquire colonies. Or, so, the politicians thought. Italian leadership underestimated what it took to subdue foreign lands. The British, French and Germans had the organizational expertise, that Italy lacked, to retain African colonies. They also were more savvy in diplomacy. Treaties and protectorate agreements between Italy and some African kingdoms, most notably Ethiopia, were rife with misunderstandings. So much so that Italy looked deceitful and, even, buffoonish, on the international stage.
Francesco Filippi has become famous for his work to critique and, even, condemn Italy’s past. Historical misdeeds are a cancerous affliction to adversely affect the country’s current affairs. He writes: “Today, Italy needs to recover the overseas part of its history. This is urgent, as it may well serve to reconstruct, not only a more complete and self-aware understanding of its past, but it will also help address the new challenges.” Italy saw Africa a land of dreams in the late 19th century. The hope was to acquire territory to allow Italians to resettle in African colonies rather than migrate to South and North America. The first possession was Eritrea followed by a failed attempt at Ethiopia. Libya came under Italian rule after Italy won a war against Turkey. The desert landscape of these African nations limited opportunity for average Italians. Farming was practically impossible as was trying to mine in the harshest of environments. The New World, across the Atlantic, was far more attractive for Italians than were colonies in North and East Africa.
Many Italian landmarks are named for people and events in pursuit of empire. From folklore to films, references of Italian colonialism seek to convey a noble cause. No doubt, the author wants to extinguish the statues and street names, not to mention, censor or qualify films and literature, tied to empire. “But We Built Roads for Them” is an extraordinary book about imperial ambitions gone astray. The author rightly admits that Italy was far less the exploitative empire in comparison to Britain and France. Nevertheless, a critical look at the past is most instructive for a better future, according to the author. “But We Built Roads for Them” is excellent!
A one-stop source of Italian American history and influence is now available to readers in Ralph G. Giordano’s staggering compilation of records, events, figures and important insight in the titled opus, “Italian Culture in America: The Immigrants 1880 to 1930 from Discrimination to Assimilation.”
An architect by profession, Giordano conveys in his new book the assimilation of Italian immigrants and their lasting impact on American society. The author identifies numerous innovations and cultural elements introduced, mastered, and invented by Italian immigrants to encompass technology, finance, entertainment and, of course, food and wine. The book presents the depth of the Italian American experience in 11 chapters. Throughout the 50-year period of Italian mass migration, there developed, in the United States, a prejudicial fear of newcomers from Italy. Giordano explains two primary causes of bigotry to include the alarm of the Protestant majority toward new waves of Roman Catholic. The second, overlooked by most other scholars, has to do with the type of work done by Italian immigrants. Giordano writes about, “the menial work performed across the nation by Italian immigrants...often discounted and frowned upon; yet the work was indispensable for America to continue as a functioning society.”
The most notorious events to cloud the assimilation of Italian Americans are well-covered in Giordano’s book. The mass lynchings of Italians are consistently documented. Giordano conveys, not just the hanging of 11 Italians in New Orleans in 1891, but, also, the lesser known, hanging of five Italians in Tallulah, Louisiana, and the hanging of two Italians in Tampa, Florida. He points out how a significant number of Italian children were brought to America in bondage. He writes: “Sometimes, a padrone, or an agent would canvass the docks of port cities such as Naples or Marseilles looking for stray children. The agent would entice the children with all sorts of promises; yet in effect The Pilot inferred the child was kidnapped.” The Italian American experience begins with the arrival of our ancestors in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The process of assimilation of Italians remains one of the great stories of American history. Giordano is praised for delivering an outstanding tome of research and relevance in “Italian Culture in America: The Immigrants 1880 to 1930 from Discrimination to Assimilation.”
What do Mother Cabrini, Enrico Fermi, and Alessandro Malaspina have in common? Besides being Italian, the three of them, not to mention a million others from Italy, thrived in the Northwestern states of America. “Italians in the Pacific Northwest,” by Tessa Floreano, conveys the inspiring story of Italians who explored, pioneered, and settled in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. The engrossing account of the great contributions made by Italians remain, alive and well, today, in this briskly, dynamic region of the United States.
As they did elsewhere in the country, Italians tended to settle in big cities in the Northwest. Key destinations were Seattle and Portland, where, the latter, composed the appellation, Garlic Gulch, to describe an area in the city for Italians to dominate there beside new arrivals from Eastern Europe. What’s particularly appealing about the book are the many vintage photographs to highlight how Italians helped build the region. Thousands of businesses were created by immigrants from Italy. In addition to creating wealth, Italian entrepreneurs, such as Joe Desimone, wanted to make long-lasting contributions to their adopted country. The author writes: “Giuseppe ‘Joe’ Desimone...sold his vegetables at the Pike Place Market, but eventually, he bought the market in 1941, solidifying his success...When Boeing was looking to move out of Seattle in the 1930s due to lack of space for an airport, Desimone sold the company some prime farmland for $1 if it agreed to stay in Seattle.” The book contains a photograph of Mr. Desimone receiving an award from Clairmont Egtvedt, the president of Boeing.
The imprint of Italians can be seen throughout the Northwest, today, in the many Catholic parishes and fraternal organizations they founded. The author writes about the first organization for Italian women that began in this area of the country. “In 1952, Lucy Salle, an active member of the Italian colony in Seattle, was installed as an officer of Fedele 1469, the first female-only chapter of the Order of the Sons and Daughters of Italy in America (OSDIA), which was co-founded by her mother, Emilia Colarossi.” “Italians in the Pacific Northwest” is an absorbing exposition about the continuing legacy of Italians in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. Tessa Floreano is given high marks for providing a record of how Italians helped to build the economy and culture of this vital region for the United States. A great book!
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THE STRUGGLE FOR SICILIAN INDEPENDENCE
By Giuseppe Scianò
Edited and translated into English by Gaetano Cipolla
Available at Amazon.com
Many Italian Americans eagerly mark the milestone of the Risorgimento, without knowing the negative details of Italian unification. From 1861 to 1871, war was fought on the Italian peninsula to defeat and merge into one nation the disparate kingdoms, states, and communes.
Touted the great achievement of Italian history, the question begs: If the Risorgimento was so good for Italy, how come so many Italians emigrated, out of the newly formed country, to America and other lands, West. Giuseppe Scianò provides the answer, by way of his homeland, in this fascinating new book, “The Struggle for Sicilian Independence.” Here is an incredible record of how the Risorgimento led to state sanctioned persecution of Sicilians and subsequent decline of Sicily. The book was edited and translated to English by Gaetano Cipolla, founder and principal of Arba Sicula, the non-profit organization devoted to all things Sicilian. Scianò offers a stark reevaluation of the major figures of the Risorgimento—Garibaldi, Victor Emanuel II, and Cavour, from a Sicilianist’s perspective. Out-manned and out-gunned by the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, Garibaldi triumphed in every major battle. At the cusp of outright annihilation, he was able to miraculously win. According to Scianò, Garibaldi’s victories had more to do with his enemies’ treachery than a mastery of warfare. British agents used bribery and other methods to ensure the general’s march went unhindered. A unified Italy was to check France in the Mediterranean.
Southern Italian regions were, thus, conquered for, what became, a nation to ally with the British Empire. The results were devastating for Sicily. The author writes, “Lacking such participation, the contributions of the Mafia, the Camorra, and the ‘Ndrangheta became essential. The clever British Secret Services had already established connections with them for some time, and now they set out to exploit them to create a noisy and weighty consensus...legitimized first the occupation and then the destruction of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies in the eyes of international public opinion.” Giuseppe Scianò was a Sicilian political activist and intellectual who passed away in 2022. He conveyed a manuscript to Professor Cipolla for translation to English. The record he leaves, in “The Struggle for Sicilian Independence,” is one to profoundly change our understanding of the Risorgimento.
Rae, the little protagonist in Lorena M. Proia’s wonderful children’s book, “How to Make a Sandwich,” is, no doubt, career oriented. One day, she wants to be an artist, the next, a scientist, then a doctor, and so on. It is when she gets hungry and wants to be a chef that a mystery ensues. Between two pieces of bread, she seeks to add the turkey, the lettuce, the cheese and tomato; only for the first ingredient to disappear. Her sandwich is incomplete. Who stole the turkey?
Hence, “How to Make a Sandwich,” can be seen as a colorful detective story. Rae realizes the primary suspects might be her parents, but, more likely, either her cat, Nero, or her dog, Phebe. Not so much as uncovering the crime, the story centers on how the little detective should react. Should she hold a grudge or forgive the infraction? Lorena M. Proia is an excellent illustrator. She conveys the characters in beautiful watercolors to please any child reader. A graduate of Rochester Institute of Technology, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, she was set be a graphic artist. Instead, after college, Lorena found herself working for a high-tech firm. The outlook of an artist was lost amid the constant pressures of a growing business. What returned her to the fascination of shapes and colors, she claims, was her interactions with her dog, Phebe. The antics of the Australian Shepherd, the first dog she ever had, reignited in Lorena, to take up drawing again.
On her web site, the author explains the unique name of the canine. She was inspired, she says, by a character in Shakespeare’s play, “As You Like It.” The name of the role of a shepherdess in the story by the great bard was spelled Phebe, not Phoebe. Since her dog was meant to watch over sheep, Lorena thought the name was most appropriate. No doubt, the dog in “How to Make a Sandwich,” is modeled after the author’s pet. She pays glorious tribute to the animal in a beautiful illustration in the story’s arc. Lorena conveys the sandwich as a metaphor for family. The character, Rae, lectures her pet cat, “You always start with the bread. The bread is like the parents. The bread keeps the sandwich safe and happy.” Other ingredients come into play, especially the turkey, “most important pare of the sandwich just like love is the most important part of a family!” The most enlightening of reads are children’s books. “How to Make a Sandwich” is perfectly suited for children of all ages.
BILL PASCRELL JR. - A TRIBUTE
The 14 Term U.S. Congressman Was a Passionate Advocate of Italian America
"His elevation and preservation of the Italian American culture was truly inspiring.”
By Truby Chiaviello
New Jersey Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr., a 14-term incumbent, former mayor of Paterson, died Wednesday, August 21, at the age of 87.
"Bill, a devoted grandfather, father and husband, embodied the kind of collaborative leadership that is sorely missing in Washington today," said Basil Russo, president of Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations. "His elevation and preservation of the Italian American culture was truly inspiring. He was an extremely important figure in our community, and we are truly grateful for his decades of advocacy."
Congressman Pascrell collaborated with Russo and other leaders of the Italian American community to help preserve Columbus Day on the federal level. As co-chair of the bipartisan Italian American Congressional Delegation, he was instrumental in establishing October as Italian American Heritage Month.
Pascrell was a key figure to push through federal funds for New Jersey shore residents to recover from the destruction of Hurricane Sandy in 2012. Legislation passed after he spoke on the House floor, “I don’t think that this is time for a pedantic debate. It’s time to take the gloves off — Jersey-style."
He died Wednesday morning at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, New Jersey, following a recent illness.
Roffie J. (née Loffredo) and William James Pascrell (originally Pascrelli
Bill Pascrell Jr.‘s ancestors hailed from the region of Apulia (Puglia) in southern Italy, specifically from the province of Bari. His father was William James Pascrell (originally Pascrelli) and his mother’s maiden name was Roffie J. Loffredo. His grandparents were Italian immigrants.
Throughout his career, Pascrell was an outspoken advocate for the Italian American community. He addressed issues such as the stereotypical portrayals of Italian Americans in the media, notably criticizing the show The Sopranos for its negative depiction of Italian American culture. Pascrell’s pride in his heritage was a defining aspect of his public persona, and he often celebrated his Italian roots in both his personal and professional life.
Congressman Pascrell Jr., was born on January 25, 1937, in Paterson, New Jersey. He was a graduate of Fordham University in 1961, where he attained degrees in Philosophy and Journalism. He served in the U.S. Army and later worked as a public high school teacher. His political career began in the New Jersey General Assembly, where he served from 1988 to 1997. Pascrell also served as mayor of Paterson from 1990 to 1997.
In 1996, Pascrell was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served for 14 terms. Known for his fiery rhetoric and passionate advocacy, he became a prominent figure in Congress, particularly on issues related to public safety, transportation, and tax policy. Pascrell was instrumental in creating the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program and was a vocal critic of former President Donald Trump. Despite facing health challenges in his later years, Pascrell continued to serve until his passing, leaving behind a legacy of tireless dedication to his constituents and the nation.
Editor’s Note: Pictured from left to right: COPOMIAO/ISDA President Basil Russo, Filmmaker Zach Baliva, Congressman Bill Pascrell, and OSIA President Michael Polo meet on Capitol Hill to attend the Italian American Congressional Caucus on Sept. 28, 2023. Russo spoke before the Caucus during a screening of the documentary “Potentially Dangerous.” The film was a Russo Brothers Italian American Filmmaker Forum winner. Congressman Pascrell sponsored the event to help educate his fellow lawmakers about this tragic period in Italian American history. A map of Pascrell’s Congressional district in Northern New Jersey. Our condolences to his family.
Primo Interview
NJ SENATOR MICHAEL TESTA
A Proud Italian American on the Rise in the Garden State
- He Seeks Representation by Total Legal Population
By Christopher Binetti, Ph.D.
Senator Michael Testa is the state senator for the First Legislative District in New Jersey. He represents all of Cape May County, much of Cumberland County, and a small part of Atlantic County; all the way down to the southernmost part of the state. His legislative and legal offices are in Vineland. He is a lawyer whose grandfather was once a judge in the Superior Court of New Jersey in Cumberland County.
Senator Testa is a staunch conservative Republican; so I thought it would be fun to interview someone so politically different from myself. Senator Testa is a delight. He is funny, engaging, interesting, thoughtful, and respectful. He supports Columbus Day. He dislikes Italian American mob stereotypes, although he admits to watching and enjoying movies and TV shows about the mafia. He claims to have experienced the stigma. He was being told, on one occasion, that he “looks like a mob enforcer.” This kind of bias by non-Italians is often implicit, although many will deny it.
Senator Testa argues that 96 percent of New Jersey residents are not the extreme people who seem to dominate the state’s politics. We talked about mal-representation, the idea that our legislative districts do not accurately represent Italian Americans and Roman Catholics due to counting unauthorized immigrants for representation purposes. This phenomenon is one of the reasons that I, as a political scientist, believe we have such extreme policies in New Jersey. The senator wants representation based on total legal population of permanent residents and citizens. The courts have struck down citizenship-only representation, but have not decisively ruled on total legal population-based representation.
Senator Testa told me about his idea of “Newtonian politics,” that every action has an opposite and equal reaction in politics. This was in the context of threats to what the senator calls “the constitutional democratic republic” and what I would call “the liberal democratic republic.” He agreed with me that many forces on both sides of the aisle seem to justify weakening the republic, which they wrongly call “the democracy,” as necessary to save it. This happened to the Roman Republic and it could happen here.
Senator Testa impressed me in that he actually understood the differences between a republic, a democracy, pure democracy, and a democratic republic. Most politicians just scream about “the democracy” like they are from classical Athens. Yet, they have no idea what the differences are of the terms in political theory and practice. Senator Testa does. He is one of the more knowledgeable politicians I have gotten to know.
Senator Testa is more open-minded about Italian American civil rights than many politicians, Italian and otherwise, on both sides of the aisle. When I told him that DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) and affirmative action in employment are unlikely to go away in New Jersey, I was half-expecting a typical conservative response. There are typically two of these. One is the “we will defeat it in court” response. There is also the “we must be principled and not try to even the playing field for Italians” response. However, Senator Testa engaged in neither of these responses.
Instead, he said that he strongly dislikes DEI as a policy, but would like to see the data on whether Italians have been discriminated against in the workforce, as I claimed. If the data does prove that there is discrimination than we should publish the data to take steps to prevent discrimination against Italian Americans.
I explained to Senator Testa that the Office of Management and Budget does not mandate we be included in all statistics in academia (my main concern) and elsewhere. I told him that I was about to embark on getting the higher education committees in both chambers of the New Jersey legislature to look into including Italian Americans for employment in public universities and colleges. The first step is to mandate statistics in all “voluntary demographics” for employment in public education. He seemed interested.
Senator Testa emphasized, a few times, that he was in South Jersey. I did not get to talk to him about local autonomy and sovereignty for the counties, one of my long-term initiatives, because we ran out of time. He is definitely a rising star in the New Jersey Republican Party. He was very kind to talk to me for over 40 minutes. I truly respect him, even though I am a liberal Democrat and he is a conservative Republican. He is a proud Italian American politician from New Jersey and it is a good thing to know that we have at least one of those under the age of 60 in our state.
Editor’s Note: Dr. Christopher Binetti is the president of the Italian American Movement, 501C3 Italian American civil rights group, and a political scientist and historian. He can be reached by email at cbinetti@terpmail.umd.edu and by phone at 732-549-2635 and 732-887-3914.
NO FRIEND OF ITALIAN AMERICANS - GOVERNOR TIM WALZ
- Running for Vice-President; He Was Governor of Minnesota When a Statue of Columbus Was Lynched in Saint Paul…in Broad Daylight!
- State Troopers Ordered to Stand Down and Let The Lynching Proceed
- Catholic Bigotry on Full Display in Walz’s Curse Ridden Acceptance Speech as Democratic VP Nominee
While I cannot (and will not) endorse either Trump or Vance, I urge you not to vote for Harris or Walz, either.
By Christopher Binetti, Ph.D.
Tim Walz is no friend of Italian Americans.
Now chosen to be the Democratic nominee for vice-president, Walz is lauded by many as a Mid-Western Dad; he’s just plain folk, a pragmatic and down-to-earth politician. Some even imply that, as a Lutheran, he is representative of some kind of religious minority. Walz is an Anglo-white straight man; far more privileged than any Italian or Jew. Yet, he is already being branded as more marginalized than Catholics or Italians!
Tim Walz was tapped by the Democratic nominee for president, Kamala Harris, to be her running mate.
Now, on the national stage, comes Walz, governor of Minnesota during the 2020 riots, and its horrendous aftermath. His lieutenant governor, Peggy Flanagan, was openly anti-Columbus. When rioters came to destroy the Columbus monument on the grounds of the state Capitol in Saint Paul, Governor Walz ordered state troopers, who were on the scene, to stand down and let it happen. The main culprit, shown lassoing the head of Columbus in broad daylight, was penalized for his crime with only community service. Walz never returned the statue to its rightful pedestal. Italian Americans have been in a state of second class citizenship under Walz, ever since.
Italian Americans are not safe anywhere in America because of Walz’s actions. Thanks to him, the attack on the Columbus monument in St. Paul was copied all over the country: In Richmond, Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, New York, Pittsburgh, Columbus, Ohio, etc…
Walz wants to erase us because he loathes us as Italians. This is not about Columbus or even Howard Zinn, whose warped views of history Walz seems to embrace. This is about the dehumanization of Italian Americans in Minnesota and throughout America. Remember, that in order to destroy Columbus, his statue had to be physically lynched. No one seemed to care about that symbolism; how it reminded us of the horrifying lynching and riotous massacre of Italians, in 1891, in New Orleans. Make no mistake, Walz loathes Italians.
When Walz was introduced by Kamala Harris at a Democratic rally on Tuesday, August 6th, he cursed three times in three minutes. He repeatedly said “d—n,” a religiously discriminatory word used by secular supremacists, like Walz, to marginalize Catholics and other religious people. No surprise, secular supremacist Catholics support him. The National Catholic Reporter’s current head editor approved of Mr. Walz using the religiously derogatory “d_ word” three times in three minutes (I saw it live) during his introductory rally. The National Catholic Reporter also had a positive story about Walz on its web site, to give him equal or greater minority status to Catholics.
No one questions Walz’s religiosity, even when he uses a religiously-discriminatory curse word. His support for all forms of abortion is not questioned. His religiosity is not questioned because he curses in a sacrilegious way like it is nothing. He supports abortion until the day of birth. He actually condemned Catholics and others when he first used the d-word at the rally. The Golden Rule was degraded by the Minnesota governor when he claimed that the divine decree was not do unto others as you would have done to yourself, but “mind your own d--- business”. He is purposefully mocking our religion, like the people at the opening ceremony did at the Paris Olympics with The Last Supper. He knows what that curse word means. He is using it to harm us, on purpose.
Walz wants to “put religion in a box.” It is a secular-supremacists’ favorite move. Religion is only allowed to be used for secularist purposes, like supporting abortion or to attack religious minorities like the Jews or to promote DEI. People are allowed to be religious as long as they do not take it too seriously.
What are most Italians? Seventy percent of Italians are Catholic. Walz loathes people who actually have religious values. He loathes both Italians and Catholics.
There are those in our community who argue that we should not link Italians with Catholics. However, in left-wing political ideology, and I am a left liberal, after all, correlation must be addressed. We do not divorce the huge number of African Americans in poverty from not talking about class, do we? So, let us not pretend to not see the large correlation between Italians and Catholicism. The mainstream media hates both, and the linkage of one with the other is certainly part of it. After all, the Knights of Columbus is a Catholic organization.
Walz wants to use his Protestant privilege to go after Italians and Catholics. The media wants to make him look marginalized when he is from an “oppressor” background, if such a thing exists. He has contempt for true religion, for Catholics, and, especially, for Italian Americans. While I cannot (and will not) endorse either Trump or Vance, I urge you not to vote for Harris or Walz, either.
Editor’s Note: Photographs of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and the lynching and tearing down of the Columbus monument in 2020 in Saint Paul. Dr. Chistopher Binetti is a political scientist and historian, as well as an Italian American civil rights activist. He is the President of the Italian American Movement, a 501c3 Italian American civil rights organization. He can be reached by email at cbinetti@terpmail.umd.edu and by phone at 732-549-2635 and 732-887-3914.
8-5-24
“WE PREVAILED!”
In Massachusetts, Bill to Scrap Columbus Day Fails
- Onslaught of Emails to Legislators
- Italian Americans Will Not Remain Silent
By Tommy Damigella
We prevailed!
Thanks to our collective efforts, the misguided effort to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous People’s Day has once again failed. Our collective efforts ensured that our voices were heard, and our culture and heritage was not ignored.
I am told that literally hundreds of emails were sent to Massachusetts legislators respectfully urging the preservation of Christopher Columbus Day. These messages served as a counterbalance to an equally vocal group of uninformed anti-Columbus and, frankly, anti-Italian advocates.
The bad news is that the Massachusetts legislative session ends at the conclusion of the calendar year, 2024, and, so, technically the bill is still alive. The good news is that, during this time frame, the objection of only one legislator is necessary to kill the bill. As a result, for all practical purposes, the bill is dead for this legislative session.
I urge you to write a message to your State Senator and State Representative informing them that you live in their district, that you are grateful this bill did not pass and reminding them that you vote.
We are stronger when we are vocal. It is important that our voices continue to be heard. I also urge you to write letters to Speaker Ronald Mariano and Chairman Aaron Michlewitz for their continued support of our Italian heritage and their leadership in not allowing this misguided legislation to come to a vote.
Editor’s Note: The writer is the vice-president of the Italian American Alliance and chairperson of the Save Columbus Day committee. Please help the Italian American Alliance in their continuous battle to save Columbus Day in Massachusetts. The web site for the Italian American Alliance is https://www.theitalianamericanalliance.com/
THE RUSSOS RETURN TO MARVEL
Joe & Anthony Russo Set to Direct “Avengers: Doomsday” and “Avengers: Secret Wars”
- ComicCon Crowd Goes Wild at Directors’ Announcement
- Robert Downey, Jr. Cast as Dr. Doom
By Rami Chiaviello
Five years after the premiere of “Avengers: Endgame” - the second highest grossing film of all time - Marvel Studios’s head, Kevin Feige, announced, at San Diego Comic-Con, on July 30, 2024, that Joe and Anthony Russo were returning to Marvel Studios to direct the next two “Avengers'' films: “Avengers: Doomsday,” and “Avengers: Secret Wars.”
The announcement came as a shocking - yet, welcomed - surprise for fans at Marvel’s historic Hall-H panel, inside the San Diego Convention Center. Industry insiders had claimed, earlier this year, that the Russos were not in consideration to direct the next two installments in Marvel’s biggest franchise. Despite those rumors and reports, the Russo Brothers defiantly walked on stage to talk about their creative vision for both films. They not only announced the return of Stephen McFeely as screenwriter, but, in dramatic fashion, the return of Robert Downey Jr., not as Tony Stark, but, as the villain, Doctor Doom.
“Avengers: Doomsday,” (formally titled “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty”) and “Avengers: Secret Wars” will be the two-part conclusion to Marvel’s “Multiverse Saga”; a series of films and Disney+ exclusives, since 2021. Set to release in 2026 and 2027, respectively, the two films are to adapt Jonathan Hickman’s 2015 “Secret Wars” comic run; a story about the destruction of the Marvel Comics multiverse at the hands of Doctor Doom.
The announcement of the Russos’ return comes as Marvel aims to hit the creative reset button. The last few years have been a rocky tenure for the Marvel brand. Granted, fans have enjoyed films such as “Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume Three,” “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”; and the celebrated return of Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield in “Spider-Man: No Way Home.” This year, Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman starred in this year’s “Deadpool and Wolverine,” to the delight of critics and audiences, alike. Yet, signs of superhero fatigue have arisen in from a string of box-office and streaming disappointments. Numerous delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic have tarnished the once pristine image of Marvel. In 2023, actor Jonathan Majors - tapped to play the former lead villain Kang the Conqueror - was accused and convicted of domestic assault. Marvel Studios was forced to fire the star, cancel “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty,” and fully rework their plans for the next two “Avengers” films
Fans want Marvel Studios to return to their “glory days,” a time of surefire creative and commercial successes. Joe and Anthony Russo were key architects in that success, directing four of Marvel’s most financially and commercially successful films: “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” “Captain America: Civil War,” “Avengers: Infinity War,” and “Avengers Endgame” - totaling a box-office return of nearly seven billion dollars.
Since exiting the Marvel family, after the success of “Avengers: Endgame,” the Russo’s - under their production company, AGBO - have continued to find critical and streaming success with “The Gray Man,” “Extraction,” “Cherry,” and “Citadel.” They were producers of the 2023 Best Picture and seven-time Oscar winner, “Everything Everywhere All At Once.” Now, the Russos are back, and under their reportedly valued eighty-million dollar deal, they have the difficult task of steering these troubled productions back in the right direction. They are ready to reclaim Marvel’s crown as box-office and pop-culture king.
Editor’s Note: Joe and Anthony Russo are joined by Robert Downey Jr. at Comic Con in San Diego. Joe and Anthony Russo, Louis D'Esposito, COPOMIAO President Basil Russo, wife Pat Russo, Jon Favreau and Angela Russo-Otstot unveiled the new Russo Brothers Italian American Filmmaker Forum on Jan. 18 at AGBO Studios in Los Angeles.The web site for COPOMIAO is https://copomiao.org/. AGBO Studios web site is https://www.agbo.com
A CONVERSATION WITH DR. JONATHAN TURLEY
The Constitutional Law Expert Discusses The Latest Issues
- His Mother Is Sicilian
- Free Speech and Civil Rights in an Age of Rage
By Christopher Binetti, Ph.D.
Dr. Jonathan Turley is the top constitutional law expert in the country. He has written a new book called “The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage,” which details how the media and academia (and politics, in my view) shifted from a left liberal viewpoint to an illiberal, progressive viewpoint, without abandoning the label of “liberalism.” No longer prevailing among the media and academia is for free speech to be the best antidote to bad speech. Now, outright censorship and the banning of speech is prevailing.
I have experienced a lot of discrimination in academia and by the political media in New Jersey, largely because I am Italian and largely for being left liberal in the age of progressive rage. I reached out to Dr. Turley for an interview. To my shock and eternal gratitude, the top constitutional law expert in the United States agreed! The rest of this article summarizes our conversation.
Dr. Turley has a Sicilian mother and some Italian ancestry on his father’s side. This was part of the reason he was so interested to speak with me. I started the interview by telling him that he is one of my heroes. He is one of the only true left liberals in the political media, speaking truth to power on FoxNews, which is neither a leftist nor a liberal place. However, Dr. Turley truly annoys progressives more than he does conservatives. He talked to me about a trend in academia, including public academia (state schools), of which I am personally quite familiar. Left liberals are pursued with more vigor than conservatives by progressive academia. Any leftist, non-progressive voice, is viewed, by them, as more dangerous than a rightist voice. He told me that this is also true in the media. I think that it is also true in politics; however, I am not sure that he agreed with that claim.
Dr. Turley reinforces my own thoughts about the need for Democrats to expand beyond their elite progressive core to include left liberals, many of whom have left the Party, a phenomenon Dr. Turley specifically noted.
Dr. Turley thinks Democrats will have electoral problems due to being so intolerant and exclusive. I agree with that outlook.
In New Jersey, the Democrats won the last gubernatorial election by less than three points. Italian Americans and Catholics have been marginalized by the Democrats in New Jersey. If they could organize for Trump, the state could be in play.
Dr. Turley and I discussed the latest decision by the Office of Management and Budget to create a new Middle Eastern and North African category; but to keep Italians in the white category. We talked about how hard the courts have made standing to sue, making it virtually impossible to execute their constitutional duty and prerogative of judicial review on constitutional questions. We also talked about how this was especially true of ethnic cases - the legal term being national origin and ancestry cases. These are cases to bring against the federal government, various states and private employers, when Italian Americans suffer discrimination. The lack of proper statistics, a direct consequence of the Office of Management and Budget’s classification of Italians as white, plus the subtlety of ethnically-prejudiced acts, lead to systemic ethnic discrimination hard to fight in court. The lack of political power hampers Italians in court, as well as the ACLU’s opposition to Italian American civil rights.
Dr. Turley understands how mal-representation, that is unauthorized immigrants (Dr. Turley uses the term “undocumented”) having political representation, will lead to less political representation for Italian Americans in New Jersey and other states. The courts have largely supported the federal government’s allowance of mal-representation; however, the U.S. Supreme Court has yet to issue a final, definitive opinion.
Overall, I found Dr. Turley a refreshing, thoughtful, and engaging intellectual. He really is a breath of fresh air. No wonder academics and media pundits dislike him so much- he is down-to-earth, kind, and honest. I really enjoyed my brief time talking to him. I hope to interview him again, as the election cycle heats up.
Editor’s Note: Dr. Christopher Binetti is a political scientist, historian, and Italian American civil rights activist. He is the president of the Italian American Movement and the Editor-in-Chief of the New Jersey Journal of Politics. He can be reached by email at cbinetti@terpmail.umd.edu and by phone at 732-549-2635 and 732-887-3914.
FIRST LADY JILL BIDEN SPEAKS AT ISDA EVENT
Dr. Jill Biden Was Enthusiastically Received by Members of the Italian Sons and Daughters of America, on July 13, in Pittsburgh
- ISDA President Basil M. Russo Organized The Event to Pay Tribute to the First Lady and Italian American Women in Democratic Politics
By Truby Chiaviello
A day to celebrate Italian American Democrats and women, in Pittsburgh, was ushered in by First Lady, Dr. Jill Biden’s speech at the gathering sponsored by the Italian Sons and Daughters of America.
The first Italian American to serve as First Lady, Dr. Biden is a historical figure worthy of attribution by the Italian American community, no matter party affiliation.
Italian Americans continue a long legacy of political involvement and achievement in the Democratic Party. Al Smith comes to mind. The governor of New York was the Democratic candidate for president in 1928. His father, Alfredo Emanuele Ferraro, was the son of Italian and German immigrants. Al Smith was the first Roman Catholic to run for president. The election, that year, was most remembered for a spirit of anti-Catholic bigotry that allowed Smith’s competitor, the Republican, Herbert Hoover, to win a massive victory.
Inside Rivers Casino, in Pittsburgh, on July 13, Italian Americans, most of whom are members of the Italian Sons and Daughters of America (ISDA), converged to enthusiastically greet First Lady, Dr. Jill Biden. To introduce her was the tireless Italian advocate, Basil M. Russo, president of ISDA, not to mention, also, the president of the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations, and the Justinian Society. Russo paid tribute to Italian American women in the Democratic Party, most notable Geraldine Ferraro, the first woman to run for vice president and Ella Grasso, the first woman elected governor in Connecticut and the fourth woman to be elected governor in the United States.
Russo, himself, is a longstanding member of the Democratic Party, who once served, for almost a decade, as majority leader in the Cleveland City Council. For the past couple of years, he has worked with the White House to craft a Columbus Day proclamation paying worthy tribute to the discoverer of the New World. Dr. Jill Biden graciously accepted Russo’s request to host 120 Italian American leaders at the White House to celebrate Italian American Heritage Month in October, 2023.
Russo introduced the First Lady after, first, conveying the unique founding of ISDA. He said, “ISDA was formed right here in Pittsburgh, in 1930, by the members of some 30 lodges who chose to leave their parent organization, the Order Sons of Italy, in large part, because women were not allowed to become members. So, the Pittsburgh members formed their own new organization and chose to name it: The Italian Sons and Daughters of America.”
Dr. Biden was greeted with a standing ovation by ISDA members. Her speech espoused the pride she retains in her Italian heritage, the perseverance of Italian Americans, and her connection to Pennsylvania.
“Buonasera, everyone! It’s great to be with you all. Not only because I’m proud of my Italian roots, but also because I can’t help but feel home-state pride whenever I’m in Pennsylvania.”
Dr. Biden shared personal anecdotes about her family’s immigration journey and how her great-grandparents, Gaetano and Conchetta Giacoppa, came to the United States and built a life based on hard work and strong values. “A blank space on a piece of paper greeted my great-grandparents when they arrived at Ellis Island,” said Dr. Biden. “There, Gaetano and Conchetta Giacoppa filled in their names so they could start their new lives in the United States. It must have felt like they were entering another kind of blankness too. They left behind everything they had known in Italy: their family, their homeland. Even their name, Giacoppa, eventually became Jacobs.”
Dr. Biden’s maiden name is Jill Tracy Jacobs. She was born in Hammonton, New Jersey, and raised in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania. In her speech, she recalled how her grandfather, Dominic, “found work delivering furniture for a small store in New Jersey. He and my grandmom worked hard to build a life they could be proud of. To this day, the scent of Italian bread toast and the sound of sauce bubbling on the stove brings me back to their tiny kitchen.”
Dr. Biden’s father, Donald, served in the navy in World War II, before he attained a business degree thanks to the GI Bill. A career in finance was highlighted in his becoming the president and CEO of savings and loan institutions in Mahwah, New Jersey, and Philadelphia.
The wife of President Joe Biden, since 1977, Dr. Biden is no stranger to politics. Her appearance at the ISDA dinner in Pittsburgh could positively impact her husband winning the important swing state of Pennsylvania. So important is Pennsylvania to presidential ambitions, that the day of her speech, Donald Trump, Republican nominee for president, was speaking at a rally in nearby Butler, Pennsylvania, where he barely survived an assassination attempt.
For Dr. Biden, the audience of Italian Americans governed much of the content of her speech. She reminded the audience of how Sicilian Americans were especially mistreated in the United States. Her family is originally from Messina. She said, “Whether it was the Sicilians who were dragged from their cells and killed by an angry mob in New Orleans, the people turned away by signs that said, ‘Italians need not apply,’ or people, like my dad, who was never fully accepted by my mom’s family because he was Italian. Despite this, Italian Americans persevered.”
A day of Italian pride was most prevalent in the speech by Dr. Biden to the members of ISDA. She is a figure of special achievement for Italian Americans. “Now, three generations after my great-grandparents arrived at Ellis Island, I am proud to stand before you as the first Italian American First Lady.”
MASSACHUSETTS NEEDS YOUR HELP
Anti-Columbus Day Bills in State House and Senate Get Favorable Recommendation
By Tommy Damigella
Two bills introduced in the Massachusetts state House and Senate seek to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous People’s Day.
The bills, H2989, (sponsored by Rep Christine Barber (D), Somerville) and S1976 (sponsored by Sen Joanne Comerford (D), Northampton) have received a favorable recommendation from the Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight and have been sent to the House Committee on Steering, Policy, and Scheduling.
WE MUST STOP THESE BILLS!!
The groups trying to cancel Columbus Day are already emailing this new committee, WE MUST MAKE OUR VOICES HEARD.
Time is of the essence, can you please take a moment to write the members of this new committee asking them to oppose these bills and to vote against moving them out of committee?
As always, we have provided you a list of emails for the committee as well as a sample email you can send.
Also, if you have any questions regarding this process please email us and we will answer them for you.
Thank you for taking action and please don't hesitate to share this issue with your friends and community. We appreciate your support.
Sincerely,
Tom Damigella
VP IAA, Chair of Save Columbus Committee
Subject: Bill H2989/S1976 To replace Columbus Day with IPD
Dear Committee Members,
I am writing to you regarding the bills pending before your committee to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day as a State Holiday.
I believe Italian-Americans should be recognized and respected by not taking Columbus Day away from them as a State Holiday. No other group is expected to have their day merged with another group’s. It is disrespectful both to Italian Americans as well as the Native American communities. It is not only important to Italian Americans, but has also been a proud part of America history and tradition.
There has been much misinformation circulating in the past few decades regarding the history of Christopher Columbus, and in a misguided effort to be inclusive and sensitive to all cultures, this bill produces the opposite effect - it foments exclusion and resentment, especially among Italian-Americans, who have struggled for decades to be accepted into the American national life.
I urge you to not support this Bill and keep Columbus Day as is. I also suggest that the day after Thanksgiving be recognized as Native American Heritage Day and that the entire month of November be Native American Heritage Month as already declared by proclamation by the Federal Government. There is also the option of recognizing August 9th which is already designated by the United Nations since 1999 as Indigenous Peoples Day. Both groups deserve to preserve and protect their cultural heritage and it isn’t fair to take away one people’s holiday and replace it with another, especially when there are other available days appropriate for celebration.
Very Respectfully,
(YOUR NAME)
Editor’s Note: The author was a key leader in the successful effort to stop the most recent attempt in Massachusetts to change Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day. The Italian American Alliance web site is https://www.theitalianamericanalliance.com
ITALY IS THE HARBOR IN EUROPE’S TEMPEST
Recent British and French Elections Prove Disastrously Polarizing and Divisive
By Christopher Binetti, Ph.D.
Let us be thankful Italy is not Europe.
While Europe is falling apart and, sometimes, even, literally burning, Italy remains stable. She has become a harbor in the European tempest.
The recent British parliamentary elections, of July 4th, were uniquely and disastrously polarizing. The results of the electorate brought into power the Labour Party, loved by the international media, but, essentially, a progressive party with strong ties to the anti-semitic movement. The Labour Party won a commanding majority in the House of Commons; yet, with only 34 percent of the vote! That works out for Labour to gain some 411 seats in the British parliament, enough to entirely rewrite the country’s laws. The plurality system of voting is the reason for a minority rule outcome in the United Kingdom. There are a total of 650 seats in the House of Commons. Leader of the Labour Party, Sir Keir Starmer, will now be the new prime minister.
Meanwhile, in France, President Emmanuel Macron was able to deny the far-right, National Rally, party from gaining power in his country. The first and second round elections ended on July 7th in France. Marine LePen leads the National Rally, as did her father, Jen-Marie, when that party was titled the National Front. Notoriously nationalistic and neoconservative, the National Rally performed much better than in previous years after winning 142 seats in the French parliament. Macron linked his party, titled Ensemble, a centrist orientation, with the far left party, New Popular Front, to gain a ruling coalition, to all but stifle the National Rally.
What all political parties in France have in common is virulent anti-semitism. Reported attacks on Jewish citizens, their synagogues, and places of business have risen dramatically this past year, in France. Israel has become the new villain in Europe. Never mind that Palestinian Hamas terrorists killed and kidnapped Israeli citizens in October, last year, Israel is condemned by French politicians for continued military strikes deep into Gaza.
In stark contrast, Italy has not experienced the same violent backlash against Jewish citizens as in France and, to a lesser extent, Great Britain.
Italy has her problems, of course. Although I do not endorse their current prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, she is far better than Marine LePen, of France. Unlike Meloni, LePen is an actual Fascist. Yet, is she better for Italy than Macron, because she would probably loosen France and the EU’s power over Italy? Yes. Would she be bad for everybody else? Yes. I cannot endorse LePen to be in charge of France. However, France has no political good guys and should never have any real power over Italy.
One thing is clear - European federalism is not going to happen anytime soon. Elites love it, on both sides of the Atlantic, but the everyday people of the continent do not. Nevertheless, we must be careful of what we wish for: A loosening of the European Union could lead to a defeat of the “political concept of Europe,” and, thus, the downfall of the European Union entirely. What might follow, then, is the downfall of NATO. I deeply oppose both outcomes. To me, loosening the European Union’s power to dominate Italy is not the same as weakening it. We must endeavor never to conflate the two.
Another clear takeaway from the recent happenings in Europe is how the mainstream media is corrupt. News outlets, pundits, and opinion-makers may condemn LePen as far-right, but not condemn the French far-left as “far-left.” This is the same international mainstream media that wrongly labelled Meloni as “far-right” while supporting the dictatorship that she toppled in Italy.
A third major takeaway from the elections in France, Britain, and the European Parliament (a weak, toothless body of the European Union) is, that, federalism within sovereign countries is a must. If you know my writings, you know that I am a passionate supporter of federalism in Italy. I have been disappointed by Meloni’s inaction of implementing it. However, Britain and France need federalism just as badly as Italy does.
I could write a lot on this topic, especially on the need for British federalism; however, I will be brief. Britain has four distinct “countries” which do not have the sovereign power as the states have in America. The new government reflects the views of just over a third of the voters in the whole country. This is a country that has different sports teams for different constituent “countries” (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales) but not meaningful sovereign power. Britain needs to become federal or it will probably have another civil war.
France is worse. It is so centralized that there is little to no autonomy in the regions. All power is in Paris. The French parliament will now be divided into three radical factions who hate each other. There is already rioting in the streets. Neither of these so-called great powers will last much longer without federalism.
And so we come to Italy.
She can lead the way in Europe by becoming the first in the continent to establish federalism. While Britain and France collapse due to their “European” ways, Italy, with its unique culture, history, and civilization, is ripe to be the political model for the rest of “Europe” and the Mediterranean.
The cause for federalism is now. Italy, lead the way!
Editor’s Note: Dr. Christopher Binetti is a political scientist, historian, and Italian American civil rights activist. He is the president of the Italian American Movement and the Editor-in-Chief of the New Jersey Journal of Politics. He can be reached by email at cbinetti@terpmail.umd.edu and by phone at 732-549-2635 and 732-887-3914.
7-5-24
SYRACUSE ITALIANS REMAIN STEADFAST TO KEEP COLUMBUS MONUMENT AFTER DISAPPOINTING LEGAL RULING
New York’s Highest Court Ruled a Lack of Standing for the Italians Tasked to Retain and Defend the Statue
- This year marks the 90th birthday for the Columbus monument
- “Mayors come and go. We have been around for 90 years, and we aren’t going away now!”
By Truby Chiaviello
Happy Birthday to the Columbus Monument in Syracuse!
This year marks 90, and counting, for the 11 foot bronze statue atop the pedestal within Saint Mary’s Circle, first unveiled on October 12, 1934.
The Columbus Monument Corporation, a group of proud Italian Americans, in and around Syracuse, defending and preserving the Columbus Monument, gears up for a year-long celebration.
This birthday is one, in part, to recognize the statue’s survival. The Italians have done an extraordinary job to keep the statue standing in light of ceaseless assaults by Ben Walsh, city mayor, hellbent to tear the edifice down.
A two-prong strategy by the Italians, over the last four years, was, first, to move the public to support the statue through lawn signs and public relations while the second was is to challenge the mayor’s authority to tear down the statue in the courts.
The results of legal actions by the Columbus Monument Corporation remain mixed. Their case filed at the trial level proved for them an enormous victory. The judge ruled the mayor had no right to tear down the statue. However, the city’s appeal to the Fourth Appellate division ruled the Italians did not have standing. The judges, in that forum, claimed that the statue had not been torn down yet for a suit to remedy the matter. In June, New York’s highest court announced they would not hear the case. At issue, again, was standing, or, the lack thereof, for the very people tasked with preserving the statue.
Hence, the decision of the appellate court stands. What does it all mean?
Anthony Ilacqua, spokesperson for the Columbus Monument Corporation stated, in a press release, that, “the appellate court did not rule that the city has the power to remove the statue. Instead, it found that the monument corporation’s lawsuit was filed prematurely because the decision to remove the statue had not gone through all the administrative steps needed for approval.”
The lawsuit to stop Ben Walsh from removing the Columbus Monument was worth the effort, according to a statement by the Columbus Monument Corporation.
“Of course, had we not taken action early in the process, the monument might already have been destroyed,” Anthony Ilacqua stated in a communiqué to the press. About the future, he says, “As soon as the City and Mayor Walsh follow the prescribed process necessary to destroy the historic Columbus Monument, we will be back in court.”
The Columbus Monument Corporation remains committed to keep the Columbus statue and pedestal. “We will take all available legal steps to prevent removal or relocation of the statue or any modification to the monument,” assures Mr. Ilacqua. “Recent court decisions have highlighted the numerous administrative steps that must be undertaken before any change to the monument.”
The statue, sculpted by V. Renzo Baldi in Florence, was installed atop a pink granite pedestal, designed by renowned architect Dwight James Baum, a relative of L. Frank Baum, the author of “The Wizard of Oz.”
“The entire monument is the focal point of the Montgomery Street-Columbus Circle Historic District, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980,” says Mr. Ilacqua. He urges all Italians to keep fighting to preserve Columbus. “Please stay with us in this fight. Mayors come and go. We have been around for 90 years, and we aren’t going away now!
Op-Ed
WHY WE CANNOT WAIT
The Time is Now for Italian Americans to Stand Up
- The Author Wants Civil Service Exams in Academia for Objective Criteria to Help Italian Americans Get Professorships
- “Mad Dog” Russo Acts Like a Thug as Do Many Italian Americans Because of Media Models
- Why are Italian Americans Still Divided?
By Christopher Binetti, Ph.D.
Many of my best friends in the Italian American civil rights movement do not want me to push ahead with bold ideas, but to wait and collect more data for years to come. I myself feel that we are in an urgent timeline. We must get our civil rights soon, or else suffer terrible, possibly irreversible, consequences. Let me explain.
Italian Americans are excluded from Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), and affirmative action, in employment. The Office of Management and Budget just refused 30 Italian American organizations’ urgent request to be reclassified outside of the white category. I cannot get a job in the political media, or in academia, because I am an Italian. Italian Americans have no political power in New Jersey or New York due to mal-representation in redistricting. Yet, none of my best friends in the Italian American civil rights movement see any urgency in this situation.
However, I do.
I see, how, we, as Italians, are portrayed in comic books, movies, TV shows, and commercials. We are cast as thuggish buffoons who curse a lot. I am often told to ignore these portrayals. However, I believe that Italians are starting to degenerate into these stereotypes, at least some of them.
Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo, a sports radio personality, is an idol to many Italians, formerly, including me. However, in the not-so-distant past, he verbally attacked an honorable baseball player named Shohei Ohtani. He went crazy in a rant of horrible curse-words (two d’s and to gd’s); all the while acting like a thuggish buffoon. He did not get condemned by the media for it, because he was acting as Italians are supposed to act, according to Anglos. He is playing into their preconceived notions and it hurts the rest of us.
The other day, I was in a restaurant and two Italians came in to emulate Russo. They cursed every two seconds, the f-word, and they were obnoxious, thuggish, loud, racist, and xenophobic, like Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo was in that rant against Ohtani. Again, there were no consequences for Italians acting like degenerates. We are perceived, by Anglos and others, as a degenerate culture; and that is what we are, to some extent, becoming.
I am told not to be alarmed by this and to have no urgency in trying to reverse this horrifying trend. My best friends in the movement want me to be patient and work, for years, gathering data, when we have plenty of data to start getting involved in the politics of how we are classified. What is happening is that non-stereotypical, high-functioning Italians, are being stopped by systemic racism and discrimination at the federal and state levels, while thuggish Italians are encouraged. Our whole ethnicity could turn into an uneducated, low-class bottom-dwelling group of thugs if we do not demand our civil rights soon.
We need to deal with the discrimination. The ACLU and the NJCA, in New Jersey, oppose civil rights for Italians, and we do nothing about it. The State of New Jersey systemically discriminates against Italian Americans and we do nothing about it. We do not try to have political influence, even in an election year. We act like we have all of the time in the world until our culture and ethnicity degenerate into a pile of formless, profane goo. However, I am seeing signs everywhere that this is not true.
One of the big problems for Italian Americans being so powerless is that we never agree on any single political aim. Conservative Italian groups do not support reclassification out of the white category, while progressive Italians reject Columbus, and liberal Italians, like me, want to keep DEI and affirmative action intact in some way, even though it is currently oppressive of Italians. We cannot do anything on DEI, because there is no consensus on what to do. The same is true Columbus, reclassification, and affirmative action.
However, there is one potential political aim that could gain universal acceptance and could help turn the tide in our currently-losing civil rights battle. If we try to get the State of New Jersey, and later the State of New York, to make public academic jobs, from community college adjuncts all the way up to permanent four-year college and university jobs, subject to the civil service exam, we will increase our percentage in academia without having any opinion on DEI or affirmative action. We simply would not address those issues. By achieving high scores, Italians will get more academic jobs without harming the representation of other marginalized groups. This allows conservative, liberal, and progressive Italian groups to actually unite over one political aim.
The civil service exam for public academia in New Jersey and/or New York does not solve everything. However, it is the first step toward Italian American equality and civil rights. It is also the first step to reversing the degeneration of the Italian American culture and ethnicity as symbolized by Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo.
Editor’s Note: The expressed opinions are those of the author and may not be shared by PRIMO. Pictured: Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo. Dr. Christopher Binetti is a political scientist, a historian, and the president of the Italian American Movement, an Italian American civil rights organization. He can be reached at 732-549-2635, 732-887-3914, and cbinetti@terpmail.umd.edu.
VIOLA VICTORY
Florida Panthers Stanley Cup Win is a Stellar Moment for the Viola Family Team Owners
- Family Patriarch Vincent Viola Fulfilled Promise of Stanley Cup in South Florida
- Cav. Basil M. Russo, COPOMIAO President, Praises the Viola Family
- John M. Viola Serves as VP for COPOMIAO
By Truby Chiaviello
The cup stops there.
The 2024 Stanley Cup, that is, at Amerant Bank Arena, in Sunrise, Florida.
This year’s NHL champions are the Florida Panthers!
The professional hockey team, founded in 1992, won the Stanley Cup finals, on June 24, with a game seven win over the Edmonton Oilers, 2-1.
The championship victory, the team’s first, represents a stellar achievement for the Viola family, owners of the Panthers since 2013.
Family patriarch, Vincent Viola, graduate of West Point, Army Ranger, lawyer and entrepreneur, along with his wife, Teresa, promised a Stanley Cup for Panthers’ fans when the family acquired the team. Eleven years later, that promise is fulfilled.
“We extend our heartfelt congratulations to our vice president, John Viola, and his parents, Vincent and Teresa, owners of the National Hockey League’s Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers,” says Cav. Basil Russo, president of Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations (COPOMIAO).
A Stanley Cup victory is one of many important achievements for John Viola in 2024. In June, the ribbon was cut for his new studio, in the heart of Manhattan’s Little Italy, for the popular Italian American Podcast. He remains, arguably, the youngest person to ever serve as executive director of a large non-profit, when he did so for the National Italian American Foundation from 2013 to 2017.
“It’s especially exciting for all of us to see the Viola family achieve such prominence and success in the sports world because they have been so generous and helpful to the Italian American community,” says Judge Russo.
A partnership to advance the legacy of Italian Americans might be best summed up for the collaborative efforts of Russo and Viola. They have completed a number of important projects, most notably, Italian American Future Leaders (IAFL), an annual gathering of young Italian Americans.
“Working with John in his various leadership roles has allowed me to observe first hand the passion and pride he has in our heritage, and to admire everything he does to preserve and promote it,” says Russo.
Recently reelected to serve another term as president of COPOMIAO, Russo commended John’s parents as important backers of the newly founded conference. “They played a crucial role in the huge success of the IAFL program,” says Russo about Mr. & Mrs. Viola. “They have generously donated the use of the Amerant Bank Arena to host the IAFL events, while also providing the meals and entertainment for the attendees who participate in the program.”
Italian Americans can take pride in the special achievements of others as they can with the Viola’s Stanley Cup victory for the Florida Panthers.
“The Viola family stands as a pillar of excellence in the Italian American community,” says Russo. “They set an outstanding example for all of us to follow, while instilling in us a strong sense of pride. From the perspective of the Italian American community, there could not be a more deserving family to be honored with the Stanley Cup Trophy. Let’s hope it’s just the first of many more to come.”
DISCLAIMER SOUGHT FOR “THE GODFATHER”
Italian American Leadership Forum Proposes Wording to Deem Material as “Offensive” Before Showings of the Film
- Letter to AMC CEO Kristin Dolan
- “Viewer Discretion is Advised”
By Truby Chiaviello
Still considered one of the best movies ever made, “The Godfather” reaches a new generation of viewers via stream and cable.
Italian American organizations remain vexed at the film’s consistent popularity. Now comes a new generation of moviegoers to enthusiastically embrace the saga of Vito Corleone, as shown on smartphones, laptops, and other high-tech devices.
The fear among Italian American defenders is for a negative view of Italian Americans to reach permanent status in the collective psyche of the country. “The Godfather” leads the way in films to glorify the Mafia. The Italian American Leadership Forum (IALF) throws their proverbial hat in the ring to fight Italian American stereotypes.
Founded in 2023, IALF is the newest group in Italian American advocacy. The organization sent a letter to AMC Networks CEO, Kristin Dolan, demanding a disclaimer prior to each and every showing of “The Godfather,” with the following words:
“The stereotypes and cultural clichés depicted in this work of fiction may be viewed as offensive and should not be considered an accurate reflection of any particular race or ethnicity. Viewer discretion is advised.”
IALF took up the cause after AMC agreed, earlier in the year, to a statement prior to showings of “Goodfellas,” to disavow that film’s content, considered offensive by some.
Disclaimers are nothing new. Expressing partial repudiation of content, in screen text, prior to the airing of “The Godfather,” or other films goes back decades. After protests by Italian American organizations, in the 1970s, NBC was moved to provide a disclaimer when airing “The Godfather” and “The Godfather, Part II.” Television viewers tuned in to see white text on a black background with accompanying audio: “‘The Godfather’ is a fictional account of a group of ruthless criminals. It would be erroneous and unfair to suggest that they are representative of any particular ethnic group.”
In a press statement, dated May 31, IALF claimed, “while appreciating the artistic value of the Godfather films,” they “requested the disclaimer to remind viewers that the fictional plot represents a very small segment of the Italian American population. The IALF stressed, however, that the disclaimer can be applied widely to other films featuring offensive stereotypes.”
Michael G. Polo, chairperson of IALF, not to mention, also, national president of the Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America, said, "This is a moment for the Italian American community to come together and address harmful stereotypes. It's important for viewers to recognize that these films portray a fictional and limited view of Italian American life. Our request aims to ensure that the rich diversity of Italian American culture is accurately represented."
The disclaimer proposal to AMC Networks by IALF was joined by the group’s founding organizations: Columbus Citizens Foundation, National Organization of Italian American Women, Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America, Supreme Lodge, Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America Foundation and Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America Commission for Social Justice, UNICO National and UNICO Foundation.
The text of the letter to Kirstin Dolan, of AMC, follows:
Dear Ms. Dolan,
I hope this message finds you well. As the chair of the Italian American Leadership Forum (IALF), I represent an association founded by the oldest and largest Italian American organizations in the country. Representing the needs of an estimated 18 million Americans of Italian heritage, the IALF serves as a platform to discuss, debate, and act on significant public policy issues affecting our community.
First and foremost, we would like to express our gratitude to AMC Networks for considering the addition of disclaimers to certain films, such as "Goodfellas," that include racial or cultural stereotypes. Your proactive approach in addressing these concerns is commendable.
However, we believe the language used in the current disclaimers could be improved. We propose the following language, which we feel more accurately addresses the potential impact of these films:
"The stereotypes and cultural clichés depicted in this work of fiction may be viewed as offensive and should not be considered an accurate reflection of any particular race or ethnicity. Viewer discretion is advised."
We request that this disclaimer be applied broadly across all organized crime movies shown on your network, including the Godfather trilogy, as well as any films that might be viewed as offensive by other ethnic groups. This suggestion is not meant to undermine the artistic value of these films but to remind viewers of their fictional nature and to protect communities from harmful stereotypes.
Thank you for your attention to this matter. We look forward to your response and hope you will consider our proposed changes.
Sincerely,
Michael G. Polo Chair, Italian American Leadership Forum
NEW ITALIAN FILMS DEBUT IN NORTH AMERICA
Open Roads Film Festival Celebrates Italy at Lincoln Center
- Eleven Films Featured
Italian cinema has come to America by way of Lincoln Center in New York.
Open Roads: New Italian Cinema is an annual showcase of the best in new Italian cinema. This year’s edition unveils a broad and diverse selection of Italy’s most exciting films, all North American, U.S., or New York premieres, with appearances and discussions by several of the filmmakers. “I think we have an especially strong lineup at this year’s Open Roads, which is nothing if not an encouraging sign of things to come as we continue to move forward from the production pauses and shutdowns wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Dan Sullivan, FLC Programmer. “A satisfying mix of the familiar and the new, of low- and higher-budget movies, of fresh takes on the genre film and consummately artful period dramas (not to mention a comedy or two): fans of Italian cinema have a lot to look forward to in this year’s edition.”
Here are the films featured at this year's festival to correspond with pictures row by row, left to right:
COMANDANTE
Edoardo De Angelis, 2023
Italian and Flemish with English subtitles
North American Premiere
Edoardo De Angelis offers a gripping maritime thriller. Pierfrancesco Favino stars as Salvatore Todaro, the Italian Royal Navy officer in charge of the submarine Cappellini in the early years of World War II. After overcoming a shocking ambush on the Atlantic Ocean, Todaro and his men are confronted with a moral quandary: Should they rescue the men who just attacked them, or, as the Fascist authorities have ordered, leave those men to die?
THE BEAUTIFUL SUMMER
Laura Luchetti, 2023
Italian with English subtitles
New York Premiere
Loosely adapted from a novel by Cesare Pavese, the latest from Laura Luchetti is a sensuously attuned portrait of female coming-of-age. Set in Turin in 1938, the film follows 17-year-old new-in-town dressmaker Ginia (Yile Yara Vianello) as she finds herself falling for artists’ model Amelia (Deva Cassel) and falling in with Amelia’s party-going cohort. She tries to make sense of her burgeoning attraction to Amelia, despite the disapproval of her older brother Severino (Nicolas Maupas).
THERE’S STILL TOMORROW
Paola Cortellesi, 2023, Italy
Italian with English subtitles
A box office sensation upon its theatrical release in Italy, comedian Paola Cortellesi’s black-and-white directorial debut finally comes to New York at this year’s Open Roads. Set in the 1940s, the film stars Cortellesi as Delia, a working-class mother who is a victim of domestic physical and psychological abuse at the hands of her military veteran husband (Valerio Mastandrea). Delia suffers in silence while going about her daily routine, but a mysterious letter arrives giving her the courage at last to change the circumstances of her life.
ADAGIO
Stefano Sollima, 2023, Italy,
Italian with English subtitles
A young man finds himself lost in a labyrinth of criminality as Rome burns in Stefano Sollima’s latter-day take on the film noir. Sixteen-year-old Manuel (Gianmarco Franchini) infiltrates an exclusive, hedonistic party at the orders of a corrupt cop (Adriano Giannini). He soon realizes he is a mere pawn in a complex blackmail plot. He then becomes embroiled with a trio of aging gangsters (Pierfrancesco Favino, Toni Servillo, and Valerio Mastandrea), delving ever deeper into darkness while, in the background, Rome is beset by apocalyptic fires and blackouts.
OCEANS ARE THE REAL CONTINENTS
Tommaso Santambrogio, 2023, Italy/Cuba
Spanish with English subtitles
Tommaso Santambrogio’s debut feature is a stunningly photographed black-and--white portrait of contemporary Cuba, capturing three disparate tales of exile with an outsider’s gaze. Each of its constituent stories deals with Cubans planning to leave the country, yearning to leave the country, or affected by someone else’s decision to leave the country, conveying a sense of life in the island nation as always caught between here and there, those who are gone and those who remain. Strikingly and precisely lensed
by Lorenzo Casadio Vannucci and performed by a remarkable cast of nonprofessional actors.
A BRIGHTER TOMORROW
Nanni Moretti, 2023, Italy/France
Italian with English subtitles
The latest from Nanni Moretti has him as Giovanni, a film director who wishes to adapt John Cheever’s short story “The Swimmer” (the basis for Frank Perry’s 1968 Burt Lancaster–starring film of the same name). Sidetracked by working on a historical film about the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, his producer wife Paola (Margherita Buy) is hired to work on another project, stirring Giovanni’s resentment that she isn’t idly waiting around to help him make his dream film. Also featuring memorable turns by Silvio Orlando and Mathieu Amalric, A Brighter Tomorrow is a funny, self reflexive work on the monomania of artists and its effects on the people in their lives.
ENEA
Pietro Castellitto, 2024, Italy
Hereditary privilege gets skewered in Pietro Castellitto’s sophomore feature, about the good-for-nothing son of a television personality and a therapist whose casual forays into drug-dealing intensify beyond his expectations.
I TOLD YOU SO
Ginevra Elkann, 2023, Italy
English & Italian with English subtitles
An apocalyptic January heat wave in Rome induces a state of collective delirium in this ensemble piece that follows a constellation of Romans on the brink of a nervous breakdown. The star-studded cast includes Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Valeria Golino, Alba Rohrwacher, Riccardo Scamarcio, Danny Huston, and more.
LUBO
Giorgio Diritti, 2023, Italy
German with English subtitles
The latest from Giorgio Diritti stars Franz Rogowski as Lubo Moser, an itinerant artist of Yenish descent who seeks to avenge the loss of his family due to a scandalous national reeducation program in WWII-era Switzerland.
MI FANNO MALE I CAPELLI
Roberta Torre, 2023, Italy
Italian with English subtitles
Roberta Torre’s ninth feature isn’t so much a Monica Vitti biopic as a lovingly crafted homage worthy of the late muse of Michelangelo Antonioni, starring Alba Rohrwacher and featuring new original music by composer (and frequent Wong Kar-wai collaborator) Shigeru Umebayashi.
EL PARAISO
Enrico Maria Artale, 2023, Italy
Italian & English Subtitles
A vividly traced film about a mother-son relationship with a neo-noir twist, Enrico Maria Artale’s fourth feature follows a mother-son criminal pair as their deep bond is complicated by the arrival of a young drug mule.
HOW THE ITALIANS SAVED JEWS IN THE HOLOCAUST
The Parallels With America, Today
- Most Italians Did Not Comply with Holocaust Persecution
- The Roots of Anti-Semitism
By Dominic Amara, PhD
The history of Italy in World War II consists of many intertwined events – the tragic, the heroic, and the overlooked, including the Jews in Italy, most of whom escaped the Holocaust because many Italians shielded them from Hitler’s genocidal vision.
While Italy, under Benito Mussolini, instituted harsh discrimination laws in 1938, Italian authorities opposed or subverted the Nazis’ extermination plans. In fact, many ordinary Italians actively protected Jewish residents and refugees. Joseph Goebbels, the Nazi propaganda minister railed loudly in 1942 of the lax Italian attitudes toward the Jews. Italy, after all, was supposed to be a loyal ally of Hitler. After the Nazi occupation of Italy in 1943, several thousand Jews were sent to Auschwitz and other camps to die.
Still, according to various estimates, about 80 percent, of the roughly 45,000 Jews in Italy, survived the war because an extra ordinary number of Italians did not abandon them.
How – and more importantly – why did they not abandon them?
I found a quote which hinted at an answer. It’s from a Chicago attorney named Edna Selan Epstein, who was born in Yugoslavia and survived with her family as refugees in Italy under false identities provided by Italian authorities.
“Why,” she asked, “was a culture so human and protective across the board as the Italians were, while another culture can be committed to sadistic horrors.”
In Israel, Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Museum and Memorial, lists more than 600 Italians as Righteous Among Nations. They represent the many Italians who risked their lives to save Jews. Among them are Giocondo and Annina Marconi, simple villagers in Anghiari, Italy who took in the family of 7-year-old Adina Sella. They were not alone. Others also helped. When the Sella family arrived at Anghiari, they were desperate. They had been kept safe in their previous hiding place – a convent school - in the town of Arezzo. However, then came a warning that Nazi’s were coming, and they could no longer be protected. They fled to Anghiari where they were met by two Italian policemen. The policemen grabbed the men, leaving the women and were gone,” she recalled. One hour, two hours, three hours… the women were besides themselves. They had no money. They didn’t know what to do or where to go. Three hours later, the men came back with false identities and rations books provided to them by the police.
There are countless stories such as that of Ursula Korn Selig who was hidden by an Italian family in the mountains. They were hidden in a bread-baking oven for three months until the American soldiers finally drove out Hitler’s army. And then there’s the account of Ida Lenti, who washed clothes of German soldiers to make money to support hidden orphaned children. She knew all along that if she was caught, she and the children would be slaughtered.
The town of Assisi was particularly active in hiding and evacuating Jews. It was a central point of assistance for Jews trying to escape a terrible fate that awaited them. It was from there that hundreds of Jews were provided false ID’s, safety in convents, private homes, and hotels. It’s estimated that nearly 300 Jews were funneled through Assisi to safety out of Italy.
One has to keep in mind that this was all done in an environment where spies were everywhere. They were mingled with the citizenry. It was extremely dangerous. Being discovered meant death for themselves and their entire family.
It should be clear, however, that five full years of war, resulted in the deaths of 7,682 deaths of Italian Jews, most perishing in Nazi concentration camps in Poland and Germany. If it were only one death it would still be an indictment because the naked truth is that very few of these victims would have been captured without some form of Italian collaboration. However, it must be stressed that even the most critical researchers of the Holocaust admit that most, if not all, of the remaining Italian Jews not captured – about 40,000 of them - were aided by other Italians at extreme peril to themselves and by elements that supported their survival including:
(a) the fact that the Holocaust began late in Italy
b) the willingness of Italian Jews to accept that what was happening in other Countries could happen to them in Italy even if they were loyal Italians and allied to Germany
(c) the characteristics of the Jewish community itself in Italy: they were few in number, they could be fed and hidden easily, and they retained their wealth because Italy had not ghettoized Jews as happened in Germany.
(d) very importantly, Italians have a cultural inclination to ignore unjust regulations even to the point of risking punishment. Susan Zuccotti, a researcher who wrote extensively on the subject, said that “…Italians seem to have a natural spontaneity and self-assurance uniquely their own.” During the occupation this amiable inclination of Italians hardened into an iron determination to evade nonsensical laws. Italian Jews – being Italians – never had the inclination to obey their government’s orders to report for interment in contrast to many Jews in other Countries. Italian Jews became as adept at fooling authorities as their non-Jewish compatriots; they were, after all Italian as well.
(e) In addition, Italian Jews shared a character trait – a survival trait, if you will - with their non-Jewish Italian neighbors. They were incredibly stubborn and extremely individualistic. Italians – Jews or not – just don’t like being told what to do.
It must be reiterated here that these elements or circumstances were not enough to insure an 80-85 percent survival rate. The hunted could never have survived without help. Susan Zuccotti – the writer and researcher I spoke about earlier – believes that the decision to rescue Jews was usually an emotional decision – spontaneous, uncalculated, irrational, and not without some cultural basis.
Zuccotti writes that one of the most cogent factors to Jewish rescue must be placed in the context of the customs and traditions of Italy, the most pertinent was the significant lack of anti-Semitism. For many reasons pre-WWII Italy lacked an anti-Semitic tradition. The reasons for that are complex and way beyond the scope of this brief piece but suffice to say that the lack of an anti-Semitic tradition in Italy was a key factor in the way non-Jewish Italians behaved during those hellish times. If you want to delve into this more deeply, let me recommend that you reach out to Thomas Damigella, the de facto historian of the Italian American Alliance, Dr. Gilda Rorro, a published scholar and Pirandello Lyceum I Migliori Award winner, another published scholar Dr. Maria Lombardo, a member of the Pirandello Lyceum and the Italian American Alliance.
Now, the Jews in Italy, before the Holocaust strongly resembled most American Jews today. They lived in a society with relatively little prejudice and no formal barriers to their achievement. Yet, the Holocaust did occur in Italy, and it behooves us to understand why. Scholars hint that its roots lay in the way Italy’s government, for financial and/or political power, imposed laws which brought the worst elements of society to the surface and intimidated others. It was endorsed by government, the press, the universities, and thousands of ranting fanatics – and sustained by a terrorized, preoccupied or just indifferent society. You may notice some American parallels.
Yet, it was clearly opposed by courageous Italians who saved thousands at the peril and cost of their own lives. Indeed, most scholars agree that the Holocaust in Italy was a blend of incredible courage and incredible cowardice, incredible nobility and degradation, self-sacrifice and opportunism. They also agree that in contrast to other countries the worthy behavior outweighed the unworthy, but the horror was nonetheless real.
All of this brings us to the question as to how Italians behaved from the onset of Fascism. Did they recognize the firsts signs of danger with the first denial of liberty, censorship, free speech and when they first observed unequal justice? Did they do as much as they could have done?
We might also ask ourselves whether we would act as most Italians did under similar pressures. Would we risk our lives for persecuted Jews, or any minority for that matter? Would we be more sensitive to the first assaults on our liberties when the only ones being hurt in the beginning were “other people”? Would we be intolerant to the behavior of a lunatic fringe with a self-righteous agenda?
As Italian Americans, the issue of anti-Semitism – whether in Italy or in America – is not simply academic and goes beyond the moral imperative. If we need an intimate reason, consider that Anti-Semitism is Anti-Italianism – or any other “ism” turned inside out. We saw it when our grandparents and parents were denied, threatened, and even murdered in America. We see it in another form when we see the symbols of our faith and heritage desecrated and disaffirmed.
If there is a lesson to be learned here, it is that the monster of anti-Semitism in Italy – past or present – or in America…. Anywhere – past or present - is an issue for everybody because it is a chameleon, a shapeshifter, the social manifestation of dissimulation and can show up anywhere.
I submit to you, that in light of the rise in anti-Semitism in this country, the questions I posed earlier must be answered by every single person in the quiet of our own thoughts if we are to avoid an American cataclysm similar to what I have described. I submit to you that in your quest for answers that you pay attention to history - our Italian history. We have much to learn from it.
CAV. JOSEPHINE MAIETTA IS DISTINTA AWARD RECIPIENT
President of the Association of Italian American Educators
- Founder of the Radio Program “Sabato Italiano” at Hofstra
- COPOMIAO is Award Sponsor
- Maietta emigrated from Sicily
Basil M. Russo, the president of the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations (COPOMIAO), announced this year’s Donna Distinta Award.
“We honor women of Italian descent to spotlight their contributions, from culture and industry to philanthropy and activism. The second 2024 Donna Distinta Award goes to Cav. Josephine Maietta,” said Judge Russo.
For the past seven years, Maietta has produced and hosted the radio talk show, “Sabato Italiano” on 88.7 FM WRHU, a student-run radio station at Hofstra University. WRHU was rated the #1 university station in the world by UNESCO. The show received five Marconi Awards, considered the highest honor in American radio. Maietta launched the radio program on Saturday, June 11, 2016, with Former First Lady of New York, Matilda Cuomo, and Monsignor Hilary Franco, the Vatican’s adviser to the United Nations.
Maietta currently serves as the president of Association of Italian American Educators (AIAE) based at Hofstra. The mission of the organization is to enhance the image of Italian Americans and supplement the presence of Italian Americans in academia. AIAE, several years ago, received the "Silver Medal" from the president of Italy. As of today, the association has awarded 320 scholarships for students to study abroad in Rome and Pisa.
Born in Sicily, Maietta came to America, with her parents, when she was 15. As a young adult, she studied at Hunter College Graduate School, Fordham University, and Long Island University. Her major fields of study included comparative literature, foreign language teaching, bilingual education, and school administration. In 1997, Maietta helped to form a new foreign language program for children in Syosset, New York. There, she emphasized the beauty, passion, and culture of Italy. She expanded the program to include sign language.
Maietta considers herself a unique bridge between Italian and American governmental and cultural institutions. She received the NIAF Teacher of the Year, when the award was first established. She has met the secretaries of education from both America and Italy. She has hosted workshops and conferences for various professional organizations. In 2005, President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi of Italy knighted Marietta as Cavaliere dell’Ordine Della Stella Della Solidarieta’. A year earlier, in recognition of her work to help children in New York, she was made a Lady (and now a Commander with Star) of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem at St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
Maietta continues to promote the Messina Citta D’Arte: International Poetry Contest in New York. She has been an active participant in the New York City Columbus Day Parade since her college years.
Editor’s Note: The web site for the Association of Italian American Educators is https://www.aiae.net/ The Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Leaders has a web site at https://copomiao.org/members/
NEW ITALIAN AMERICAN FILMMAKERS
Russo Brothers Italian American Filmmaker Forum Names 2024 Grant Recipients
- Five Films Are Awarded Up to $10,000 Each
- Italian Sons and Daughters of America Assist with the Film Grant Program
By Truby Chiaviello
“The visionary is the only true realist,” Federico Fellini once said.
Italian American filmmakers are ready to embrace Italy’s most famous filmmaker. They seek the big screen for new material about Italian Americans.
Money is the object. Capital is needed to fund the cameras, the sets, the actors and crew.
Enter the Russo Brothers.
Hollywood’s dynamic duo, Joe and Anthony, purveyors of Marvel cinema, are here to help the next generation of Italian American filmmakers.
They’ve established the Russo Brothers Italian American Filmmaker Forum (RBIAFF), a grant and apprenticeship system managed by AGBO, the Russo’s Oscar winning independent film studio, partnered with the Italian Sons and Daughters of America (ISDA), a member of the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations.
The 2024 grant recipients for the Russo Brothers Italian American Filmmaker Forum (RBIAFF) have been announced.
Five filmmaking teams have each been awarded a $10,000 production grant to make a short film based on a submitted concept to explore aspects of the Italian American experience.
The 2024 recipients and the subject of their films are:
That Old Black Magic
Directed by Alan Trinca (Los Angeles)
A down-and-out asphalt laborer, struggling to balance family with his pursuit of becoming a jazz singer, faces an opportunity that could change his life forever.
My Kind of People
Directed by Joe Picozzi (New York)
After a DNA test uncovers his father’s adoption, a proud paesano grapples with the revelation that he’s not actually Italian American, and never has been. With the foundation of his identity destroyed, and his familial bonds broken, he begins to spiral.
Lasciare
Directed by Cara Ronzetti (New York)
Over a dinner in the years 1944, 1984, and 2024, an Italian American family reconciles with the meaning of home, the cost of identity, and all that’s left behind.
Salvation is Within You!
Directed by Luke Simboli and Dylan Springer (New York)
A narrative thriller inspired by historical events, the film explores the complexities of a burgeoning Italian American identity through the lens of immigration and anarchism in the fraught weeks leading up to the infamous Sacco and Vanzetti trial of the 1920s.
The Fencer
Directed by Nicholas Marchetti (New York)
A promising young fencer stands ready to risk her own health for a chance to succeed and win her father’s approval.
A winning film will be selected from the group to receive an additional $10,000 grant, and admittance into the AGBO Storytellers Collective, an alumni network of young filmmakers honored by AGBO fellowships or competitions.
The Storytellers Collective offers ongoing mentorship and industry guidance, and it serves as a community for these filmmakers to connect with one another, collaborate and grow as artists. To date, AGBO and the ISDA have awarded over $400,000 in RBIAFF grants, aiding 47 passionate filmmakers to realize their creative visions.
THE SPELLING SAGA OF THE VERRAZZANO BRIDGE
Correcting the Name from One “Z” to Two “Zs” Took Decades
- Government officials greeted complaints by Italian Americans with ambivalence
- Robert Moses, urban planner autocrat, was against naming bridge after Verrazzano, whom he had difficulty pronouncing
To all who have been dissed by your name being misspelled, there is hope. Forza!
By Silvio Laccetti
On April, 17, 1524, Giovanni da Verrazzano became the first European to enter New York Harbor.
Today, across The Narrows entrance to the harbor, stands a monumental bridge named in honor of the Italian explorer.
The Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge is, today, the longest suspension bridge in America, longer, even, than the Golden Gate Bridge. While this impressive viaduct should be a source of pride to all Italian Americans in the metropolitan region, the passageway had, for some decades, become, instead, an annoyance to many. Since its opening in 1964, signs referring to the bridge carried a dreadful spelling error: They dropped the second "z" and misspelled the bridge “Verrazano.” For over 50 years, the misspelling stood, until October, 2018, when Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a bill requiring the correct spelling.
In prior years, petitions to change the spelling of the bridge had been rebuffed, until support began to burgeon after a social media petition by Robert Nash.
The MTA stated the process of correcting relevant signage and related documents was too costly and there was no change in 2016. From such logic, would there never again be a street, bridge, park, roadway or other public place to undergo a name change? I hardly think so, especially with so much historical revision and reconsideration that already had occurred across America.
Just to add a note of irony, there are two other bridges named after the Italian explorer. One, the Verrazzano-Jamestown Bridge, in Rhode Island, is correctly spelled. The other, in Maryland, connecting Assateague Island to the mainland, was misspelled, as based on the name of the bridge in New York.
Small matters such as misspellings reveal deeper aspects of an issue. To begin with, understanding the history and context of naming the bridge will provide insight. When the bridge was first planned, Robert Moses, the 20th century master urban planner, opposed naming the span for the Italian navigator. Moses felt that Verrazzano was only a minor historical figure. Besides, the name was too difficult for him to pronounce. Some sources indicate Moses preferred to name the structure simply the Narrows Bridge in order to save space.
Fortunately, the Italian Historical Society of America lobbied Governor Nelson Rockefeller. He had the final word on the bridge’s name. However, early on in the typed contract, the second "z" was dropped and lost to future documentation.
Apart from the problem of historical and literary accuracy and, some prejudice, the erroneous spelling became increasingly unacceptable in the era of political correctness and identity politics. Everything is scrutinized relating to ethnic, national, and racial groups, from pronunciation of names — especially those of TV newscasters — to spelling of tribal names for which no indigenous alphabet exists.
Now, it is one thing to endure misspellings of our names on bills, receipts, and such. Most of us have experienced this in today's world, where a drive to be accurate, and to research spellings, if necessary, has given way to passive reliance on spellcheck. But, it is quite another thing to have misspellings on important documents. To give two personal examples, one of my honorary degrees has my name misspelled; a first print-run of one of my books, also, had an error in the spelling of my name. Perhaps this doesn't compare to the character in The Godfather whose surname was changed from Andolini to Corleone by an immigration officer! What would the TSA say to alternate versions of your name? You might never take a plane again.
We Italian Americans have grown too silent in the rowdy arena of policy and politics. With 17 million people nationwide, Italian Americans can be a potent force. In the New York Metro region, in which the bridge is centered, the percentage of Italian Americans is huge: New Jersey, 16.8 percent; New York, 13 percent; Connecticut, 18.7 percent — in Staten Island, the total is 37 percent.
New Jersey posts six of the top 11 counties nationally in percentage of Italian Americans, according to figures from the National Italian American Federation. The top counties are Ocean, with 25.3 percent; Monmouth, with 23.2 percent, and Bergen, with 22 percent (and the highest total of Italian Americans, 194,000).
In New Jersey, some interesting recent percentages emerge regarding Italian American residents: Fairfield, 38 percent, Totowa, 37 percent, South Hackensack, 36 percent, Woodland Park, 34 percent, and Lyndhurst, 33 percent.
Clearly, the spelling error had to be addressed. In this age of electronics, the best way to correct errors and oversights is to bring them to public attention in social media and internet-based petitions. To all who have been dissed by your name being misspelled, there is hope. Forza! But, to all of us, of whatever nationality, who have been dissed by a misspelled name: Corragio!
Editor’s Note: Silvio Laccetti Ph.D is a retired History Prof. from Stevens Tech, and a national columnist.
BOOK REVIEWS
A Marvelous Array of Books About…
Nazi Hunters, Election Manipulators,
Dice Shooters, Family Recorders, and Poetry Translators
HIDDEN BEHIND THE MIST OF ARROW LAKES
So Deep are the Sinister Secrets That Hide in Plain Sight
By Lucia Mann, Published by Aperion Books https://www.luciamann.com/
Lucia Mann is an investigative reporter devoted to history’s victims. She tackles two of the 20th century’s darkest periods in her extraordinary new novel, “Hidden Behind the Mist of Arrow Lakes.” Based on Lucia’s real-life reporting, the novel was written with the spirit of the opening announcement of each episode of the TV series, “Dragnet,” where, “the story...is true, but the names have been changed to protect the innocent.”
The reader is confronted with unnerving truths, as cloaked in fiction, of Arrow Lakes, British Columbia, a haven for Nazis after World War II. Lucia, also, exposes this pristine region as a setting for one of the great mysteries of the Russian Revolution solved. Her book is most relevant, today, in light of the recent violence in Israel. She writes: “On October 12th, 1940...a decree compelled all Jewish people to move to an area of 1.3 square miles, with eight to ten persons per room, making it much easier for the Nazis to clear the towns of Jews. The Nazis...then sealed off the ghetto from the rest of the city with brick walls over ten feet high, topped with barbed wire, and guarded by armed soldiers.”
“Hidden Behind The Mist of Arrow Lakes” is a novel to transport readers to the darkest chapters of human history. Yet, this is a story of hope, in the guise of Lucia Mann and her relentless pursuit of truth. This is a novel to be cherished by all!
Combine Frederick Forsyth with Robin Cook and Raymond Chandler and what we get is the author, M.J. Polelle, and his extraordinary new novel, “American Conspiracy.” Here is an exciting page-turner; most relevant, today, as we enter another presidential election cycle clouded by accusations of Deep State interference.
“American Conspiracy” is set, mostly, in Chicago, where Mr. Polelle was born and raised. The novel’s main character is Jim Murphy, a police detective who witnesses the assassination of the country’s president-elect, Franklin Dexter Walker. Commissario Marco Leone, a member of Italy’s state police visiting Chicago assist the investigator in a case disappearing Chicago gang members. How this is tied to the assassination of the president-elect rests on the villainy of Sebastian Senex, CEO of one of America’s largest pharmaceutical companies. He seeks to control the country by political subterfuge, alongside the development of a new medical procedure, as pioneered by an Italian physician, Dr. Angelo Mora, to reverse the aging process.
“American Conspiracy” is a brilliantly conceived novel to educate and entertain all readers. The Chicago inspired prose of Mr. Polelle elevates this story to the highest echelons of wonderful fiction. An awesome work!
As the domain of the FBI, the Secret Service and the DEA, the nation’s capital seems an unlikely place for organized crime. Yet, that is exactly the case, as presented in Angelo Parisi’s fascinating new book, “Mafia Bag Man: The Life and Times of a DC Mobster.”
Retired from Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department, Detective Angelo Parisi put his zeal for investigation to good use. He conveys the full story of a little known, yet, well-connected crime figure, in Joseph Francis “Possum” Nesline, “The Boss of D.C.”, veteran member of the “Foggy Bottom Gang.” Not New York or Philadelphia, but Washington hosted the largest floating craps game on the East Coast. Joe Nesline ran this profitable enterprise of illegal dice to the delight of his key backer, arguably the most powerful boss in organized crime, Meyer Lansky.
We are intrigued by the depths of history, both good and bad. Thanks to the decriminalization of marijuana, Washington, today, succumbs to a crime wave that is mindless and craven. “Mafia Bag Man” reminds us of the country we once had; when even the gangsters were civilized.
Mary Louise Contini Gordon has written biographies about specific figures of California history. She wrote an insightful account of Charlie Cooke aka TIQ SLOW, a member of the Chumash Indian tribe and activist for Native Americans. Her book on the Chiriaco family conveyed how this Italian American family built a valued rest stop in the California desert. She relied on interviews and archival materials to help establish an accurate record about past deeds and accomplishments. With this experience in mind, she has devoted herself, these last few years, to researching and recording how families retain their respective legacies through word of mouth. She gives us the results of her endeavor in her exceptional new book, “Family Oral History Across the World.”
Some 40 people from different parts of the world were interviewed for the book by Mary Gordon. She includes a worldwide map of locations to show the migratory patterns in several case studies. One of whom is Deirdre Pirro, a writer and translator for PRIMO, who shared her story in the book. The family legacy, in her case, comprises several locations ranging from Australia to Italy.
“Family Oral History Across the World” is a fascinating treatise on how the memory of our ancestors is retained for future generations. The book provides a most valuable service. The rapidly changing times make it increasingly harder for families to stay together. As we travel farther away from home, we lose our roots and risk losing our legacy. Mary Gordon guides us in the journey ahead with a timeless book on how to keep our family identity for posterity.
Gaetano Cipolla, Sicilian by birth, is the retired professor of Italian at Saint John’s University, who keeps the light burning bright at Arba Sicula. He is forever producing new books and material to espouse the cultural glories of Sicily. He brings us his newest book, “The Poetry of Ignazio Buttitta,” an anthology of the work of Italy’s most famous poet, translated from Sicilian to English by Professor Cipolla.
Born in 1899, in Bagheria, a commune outside Palermo, Ignazio Buttitta began writing poetry after his service in World War I. Politically active, a member of the Italian Socialist Party, he was an Italian partisan sworn to oppose the tyranny of Mussolini. A man most proud of his Sicilian roots, he brought the temporal and spiritual aura of Sicily in verse. “We have shared not only his passionate defense of the Sicilian language but also his defense of the poor people of Sicily...,” claims Professor Cipolla.
Poems by Buttitta are visions through Sicilian eyes. Professor Cipolla gives us an excellent book to help retain a literary treasure of Sicily. The cultural beauty of this region is most deserving of preservation. For as Buttitta warns through poetry, “A people become poor and enslaved when you rob them of their tongue handed down by their forefathers: they are lost forever.”
SHUTOUT
Italians Score Major Legal Victory in Pittsburgh
7-0 Ruling by PA Commonwealth Court, April 19, Keeps Columbus in Schenley Park
- Lawsuit brought by ISDA
- Bochetto pitched strikes in legal precedence The time has come to take the wrapping off the bronze statue, Mayor Edward Gainey.
By Truby Chiaviello
George Bochetto is a self-proclaimed boxing fan.
Nevertheless, the Philadelphia based attorney, and proud Italian American, resembled a baseball All Star when he pitched a shutout, in legal advocacy, to the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court.
The score: 7-0. A unanimous judgment for the Italians.
The Columbus monument stays in Schenley Park, Pittsburgh.
For now, at least.
The time has come to take the wrapping off the bronze statue, Mayor Edward Gainey.
Sit down and negotiate with the Italian community, Your Honor.
Let’s settle this, Mr. Mayor.
The Italians have offered the olive branch. We can help Native Americans erect a statue of one of their heroes. Just don’t take down ours.
Mayor Gainey, don’t be like your predecessor.
It was Mayor Bill Peduto who tried to bully the Italians. Look what that got him.
Mayor Peduto convened an Arts Commission kangaroo court, with threats of dismissal, according to some reports, of commissioners who didn’t comply with his want to remove the Columbus monument.
The former mayor of Pittsburgh used his Italian identity to hide his penchant for censorship of art and history. His mantra: “I am Italian. Columbus should go.”
He reminded us of the gun owning politician who favors gun control; or the senator with a tobacco farm who suddenly favors anti-smoking legislation.
Never mind his ethnic identity. Mayor Peduto was no friend to the Italians.
It took almost 50 years for the Pittsburgh Italian community of steel mill workers, miners, carpenters, and bricklayers; many of whom were veterans of World Wars I and II, to pool their resources to pay tribute to America. They commissioned Frank Vittor, originally from Como, Italy, to create a bronze statue of Columbus in a show of gratitude for their adopted country. The monument was unveiled atop a marble pedestal, in 1958, inside the city’s Schenley Park. There, the artwork remained, for over 65 years, without complaint.
Then, in the wake of the tragic death of George Floyd, by police officers in Minneapolis, Mayor Peduto jumped on the scapegoat bandwagon. It was all Columbus’s fault. The statue had to go.
Thank God for Basil M. Russo and the Italian Sons and Daughters of America (ISDA). They didn’t sit still. They national Italian American organization, with headquarters in Pittsburgh, rose to action. They took Mayor Peduto to court.
Litigated in 2021 and 2022, the case proceeded under a cloud of bias against Columbus. Trial Judge John T. McVay, Jr., admitted, in a memorandum, October, 2020, that his assessment of Columbus was based on a book by James W. Loewen, titled, “Lies My Teacher Told Me.” ISDA motioned for the judge to recuse himself. He didn’t. His final ruling was in favor of tearing down the statue.
On to appeal with George Bochetto on the mound. He threw one pitch after the other of legal precedence, judicial logic and common sense. His performance proved impossible to beat.
On Friday, April 19, the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court overturned Judge McVay’s 2022 dismissal of a lawsuit to block the planned removal of Pittsburgh’s Columbus statue, writing in a 24-page opinion that the lower court “erred.”
George Bochetto says, “I am delighted the Commonwealth Court agreed that the dismissal of this lawsuit by the lower court was plain error and that, while the mayor of Pittsburgh has certain First Amendment rights, he does not have free reign to violate the law,” said Bochetto. “I am also hopeful that the new mayor will sit down with me to reach a resolution without further costly litigation and a waste of taxpayers’ money."
The reinstated case will now go back before Judge McVay of the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas “for further fact finding and decision,” per the opinion.
"The bronze Columbus statue in Schenley Park, casted in 1958 after years of meager donations from poor Italian immigrants, symbolizes the contributions and sacrifices of not only Italian immigrants, but of all immigrants, to the growth and success of the city of Pittsburgh. This history has the same right to be preserved and celebrated as does the history of all other groups," said ISDA National President Basil M. Russo.
In December 2022, the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court — in a separate lawsuit — sided with Bochetto when it blocked Philadelphia’s former mayor from uprooting the city’s 148-year-old Columbus statue from a public plaza. The outcome of that case weighed heavily in yesterday’s Pittsburgh ruling.
PRESERVE COLUMBUS DRIVE
Chicago Alderman Wants to Replace Columbus Drive with Barack Obama Drive
- Chicagoans Had No Problem with Columbus Drive for 91 Years
- Still in his first term, Alderman Lamont Robinson seeks confrontation with Italian Americans
By Truby Chiaviello
The great city of Chicago has more than 80 street names.
One is for Columbus.
Alderman Lamont Robinson, of the city’s 4th Ward, doesn’t like it. Still in his first term, he has proposed an ordinance to replace Columbus Drive with Barack Obama Drive.
Italian Americans are ready to fight this proposed change. The ordinance must be reviewed by the Chicago City Council’s Transportation Committee before debated and voted by the City Council.
There are many other drives, streets, avenues, lanes, to choose from in Chicago to name after President Obama. Why pick one named after Columbus?
“Insensitive and un-vetted,” says Ron Onesti, in response to the proposed name change. “As we commend Alderman Robinson’s intent of honoring a most worthy historic, home-town figure, why must it be at the expense of one ethnic group, and why take such a noble effort and attach it to an action offensive to the over 500,000 Americans of Italian descent in and around Chicago.”
Mr. Onesti is the president of the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans (JCCIA). His organization comprises the many small to large Italian American organizations in Chicago. He has gained national support to preserve Columbus Drive from the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations (COPOMIAO).
The Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans (JCCIA) is a member of the national organization, as led by Judge Basil M. Russo. Once the majority leader of the city council of Cleveland, Judge Russo knows well the game of politics. He believes Alderman Robinson is making a strategic error in trying to rename Columbus Drive in Chicago.
“Local leaders know they can attract media attention with these replacement ordinances,” says Judge Russo,” but such efforts afford them little political capital among voters, as these measures fail to address the real issues their constituents face, i.e., economic uncertainty and public safety concerns.”
The national organization of Italian American leaders, “wholeheartedly supports honoring past presidents from both sides of the aisle but not at the expense of our heritage,” says Judge Russo, president of COPOMIAO.
Robert Ferrito, president of the National Commission for Social Justice of the Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America, says his organization is on the side of Chicago Italians.
“Alderman Lamont Robinson’s proposal to rename Columbus Drive after President Barack Obama is another instance of the ‘cancel culture’ undermining our heritage,” Mr. Ferrito says. “I believe tribute can be paid without erasing Christopher Columbus’s legacy.”
Mr. Ferrito calls on all Italian Americans, in and around Chicago, to get involved. “We urge you to voice your opposition to Alderman Robinson's proposal and request its retraction. Contact the Chicago City Council and express your concerns regarding this proposal. Let us stand united in preserving our history and heritage.”
Christopher Columbus Drive has, for 91 years, blazed a 2.2-mile path through Chicago’s famous Loop; from East Grand Avenue south to DuSable Lake Shore Drive.
It was on August 3, 1933, on “Italian Day,” as part of the Century of Progress celebration, when Chicago officially renamed, what had been Inner Drive, to Columbus Drive.
JCCIA represents over 50 Italian American organizations in the Chicago area. Its president, Ron Onesti, claims “the members are furious at the suggestion by Alderman Robinson. This is another flippant act against an ethnic group that has contributed much to this great city.”
The insults to Italian Americans are unceasing in the Windy City. Anti-Italianism reigns the mindset of more than one of the city’s past and present elected leaders.
Recall, it was back on July 20, 2020, when Mayor Lori Lightfoot ordered, not one, not two, but, all three Columbus monuments in Chicago removed from their respective pedestals. She went back on her promise to the Italian American community after rioters showed up at her doorstep. In a stunning defeat for reelection, Lightfoot was succeeded by Brandon Johnson, a mayor who serves with socialistic zeal, going so far as to announce the government might open grocery stores as those modeled in Cuba. No word yet as to Mayor Johnson’s plan to return the Columbus monuments to their rightful positions, especially the edifice of Grant Park, where the city may have broken a contract when they removed the artwork.
In the summer of 2022, it was Alderman Rossana Rodriguez Sanchez who sponsored a poll on her Twitter page to celebrate Italian American heritage. She tweeted multiple choice answers for worthy monuments limited to Italian ices, espresso machines and…cannoli.
Now comes Alderman Robinson with an unnecessary choice of roadways, to rename Columbus Drive to Barack Obama Drive.
Mr. Onesti offers a reasonable way forward.
“The JCCIA implores Alderman Robinson to retract his proposal and invite Chicago’s Italian American community to join the effort to find a relevant, all-inclusive, and positive way to honor a leader who is a symbol of pride for all Chicagoans, and a role model for its youth.”
Editor’s Note: Pictured is Ron Onesti is president of the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans. There web site is https://www.jccia.com
DON’T DO IT!
Committee Urges N.H. Legislature to Vote Down Columbus Day Elimination Bill
- Members in committee voted 14 to 1 for Columbus
- “Inexpedient to Legislate”
By Mike Daigle
Break open the prosecco.
Good news on the legislative front!
The New Hampshire (N.H.) House Executive Departments & Administrative Committee voted H.B. 1335, the bill to eliminate Columbus Day as a state holiday, “Inexpedient to Legislate” by a 14 to 1 vote.
The Committee recommends to the full N.H. House of Representatives that the bill be voted down.
Friends of Italian Americans had nine speakers testify against the bill, including Senator Lou D'Allesandro and Representative Susan Porcelli. The only person speaking in favor of passage was one of the bill’s two sponsors.
We will still monitor this bill as it goes to the full House to make certain it is voted down.
Thank you to all Friends members who testified or went online to register your opposition to the bill.
Your voices were heard!
Editor’s Note: The writer is the president of the Friends of Italian Americans. The organization’s website is: https://friendsofia.org/
REINSTALL COLUMBUS MONUMENT IN COLUMBUS, OHIO…NOW!
Andre’ DiMino, President, Italian American One Voice Coalition, Makes The Case for Columbus in the City Named After Him
- Mayor of Columbus, Ohio, Andrew J. Gentler, Seeks to “Reimagine” Columbus
- Avoiding Lies and Misconceptions about the Founder of the New World
Dear Mayor Andrew J. Ginther:
I am formally submitting this on behalf of Italian American groups and individual members of our nationwide organization, The Italian American One Voice Coalition ("IAOVC").
Constituents of yours advised us about your "Reimagining Columbus" project and the public input you are seeking for the treatment of the Columbus Statue, which you removed nearly four years ago. We applaud your efforts at seeking public input at reinstalling the Columbus Statue. However, we are extremely concerned that the input you will receive will be based on falsehoods and misconceptions.
The recent attacks on the legacy of Christopher Columbus were launched by a self-declared anarchist and Marxist, Howard Zinn, and his hatred for this country. He sought to destroy America by rewriting history with hurtful fabrications to demolish the underpinnings of our country. In his 1980 book, "A Peoples History of the United States," he denigrated Western Culture starting with false facts and distortions about Christopher Columbus, who was responsible for bringing Western Culture to this part of the world with his great achievement of uniting the continents. Zinn's books have been roundly and soundly debunked by prominent academics and authors such as Dr. Mary Graber in her book "Debunking Howard Zinn: Exposing the Fake History That Turned a Generation against America" and Rafael Ortiz, an author of indigenous heritage, who has penned four books defending Columbus by disputing Zinn with primary sources and historically accurate descriptions.
Based on experiences around the country, we are extremely concerned your team of "historians and consultants" advising on this project could be replete with devotees of Howard Zinn's false teachings, and not reflective of the actual facts about Columbus, as from experts such as Dr. Graber and Mr. Ortiz.
In addition to the above, are you considering Columbus' importance as an iconic symbol to generations of Italian Americans? Are you aware that the largest single-day lynching in America was of 11 innocent Italian Americans in 1891, as well as other lynchings and disgraceful treatment suffered by Italian American immigrants? And, did you know that in 1892, the 400th anniversary of Columbus arrival, President Harrison declared national celebration of the first Columbus Day as an atonement and apology to Italian Americans, and a sign of their acceptance into America? Since that time, generations of Italian Americans have revered Columbus as that apology and acceptance into this great country. That is why attacking Columbus is an attack on Italian Americans.
Therefore, we sincerely hope you will do the right thing. Don't let your "Reimagining" of the Columbus statue fall victim to the lies of Zinn. Please don't perpetuate his hatred for America. Please do not allow those who have been brainwashed by the teachings of an America-hater affect how Columbus will be portrayed, especially (and ironically) in the city named after him!
What occurs with the Columbus statue should not marginalize, defame or insult Italian Americans by perpetuating the false narrative of the great explorer.
On behalf of Italian Americans in your city, state and across the country, we hope you will carefully consider these facts before allowing incorrect treatment of this iconic symbol to Italian Americans - and actually all Americans.
Very truly yours,
Andre' DiMino
President
Editor’s Note: The web site for the Italian American One Voice Coalition is at https://www.iaovc.org/
HISTORIC ALLIANCE
Italian Americans and Native Americans Unite Against Cancel Culture
- Both Sides Shatter Myths of Division as Perpetrated by Mainstream Media, Political and Academic Opportunists
- Keep Columbus Day! Keep Native American Icons! No More Woke! What’s The True Background of the Redskins’ Name and Logo
By Truby Chiaviello
An alliance for the ages begins.
Italian Americans and Native Americans unite to fight cancel culture censorship.
Italian American One Voice Coalition, Italian American Alliance, the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations, UNICO National, and other Italian American organizations, both large and small, have allied themselves with Native American Guardians Association.
Their collective goal is to stop the censorship of American history and culture. They want to keep Columbus Day. They want to keep Columbus monuments and statuary in public squares. They want to keep Native American signs and mascots. They want works of literature and cinema, such as those belonging to western and historical genres, to be read and shown, as originally created, without concealment of material deemed, today, “offensive.”
It was in February, in Scranton, Pennsylvania, when both groups met to forge their historic alliance. Members of Scranton UNICO National sponsored the event, to be headlined by Andre’ DiMino, president of the Italian American One Voice Coalition (IAVOC) and Eunice Davidson, president and founder of Native American Guardians Association (NAGA).
“We are so pleased and honored to be joining with NAGA to foster unity and not division,” said DiMino. “We support NAGA’s mission of preserving Native American heritage as they now join with us to defend our heritage by preserving Columbus Day.”
DiMino was given a ceremonial star blanket by Eunice and her husband, David Davidson, as a symbol of solidarity between both ethnic groups.
Thomas Damigella, of the Italian American Alliance, is credited with bringing both sides together. He witnessed how NAGA was pushing back against cancel culture advocates in Boston. He thought the time had come to unit both groups for a national effort against historical censorship and revisionism.
According to a statement by IAOVC, Native American and Italian American communities share a common experience of marginalization and misrepresentation in mainstream discourse. Both groups have faced historical injustices and stereotypes that continue to impact their communities today. By joining forces, they aim to confront the harmful effects of cancel culture and reclaim their narratives.
NAGA is a national organization based in Devils Lake, North Dakota. Their membership consists of Native Americans who belong to the many tribes, on and off reservations, throughout the United States. Their mission is best summarized by their slogan: “Educate, Not Eradicate.”
Led by Eunice Davidson, NAGA began in response to efforts by cancel culture activists to censor out of existence names and iconography associated with Native Americans. NAGA now leads a petition drive to bring back the name and logo of the NFL team, Washington Redskins, as purged and replaced, in 2022, with the uninspiring, Washington Commanders.
NAGA’s web site hosts a page of misconceptions to undercut claims by many in academia and mainstream media that certain depictions in popular culture are offensive to Native Americans. They share several polls by Sports Illustrated, Washington Post and others to show significant majorities of Native Americans prefer to keep the Washington Redskins name and mascot.
NAGA relays the true history of the term “Redskins.” Native Americans sought to distinguish themselves from European settlers, they say. “The historical Redskin actually has nothing to do with the color or race of the Indian at all. It is specific to those early, red-painted native warriors who were known for their bravery, skill and fighting spirit. The Red Men were Red-painted warriors ready for battle.”
Washington chose the name “Redskins,” in 1933, based on the team’s first head coach and several key players who were Native Americans. The famous mascot was created in 1971 by a Native American, Walter ‘Blackie’ Wetzel, based on the profile of Blackfeet Indian chief, White Calf.
How NAGA collaborates with key Italian American organizations will begin with virtual meetings. Andre’ DiMino describes the first such get-together as a “Solidarity Session,” scheduled on March 10.
Eunice Davidson says, ”These sessions will provide a vital platform for our communities to come together, share experiences, and explore strategies to combat the negative impacts of cancel culture. By standing in solidarity with one another, we can challenge the erasure of our histories and promote a more inclusive and equitable society."
Editor’s Note: Pictured are the attendees of the event sponsored by UNICO National in Scranton where Italian Americans announced an alliance with Native Americans. Andre’ DiMino is seated with the ceremonial blanket next to Eunice and David Davidson. You can learn more about the Native American Guardians Association by logging on to their informative web site, https://www.nagaeducation.org/
BIDEN AND MELONI CONFER IN THE WHITE HOUSE
Second Time Both Leaders Meet
- Support for Ukraine Remains Vital for Both Countries
- Efforts to Improve Africa Undertaken by Italy and the United States Where Does Biden Stand on Columbus Day?
By Truby Chiaviello
Giorgia Meloni, Italy’s first female prime minister, came to Washington, on March 1, for what was a quick meeting with President Joe Biden. She was then on her way to Toronto, Canada, where she was to meet there the next day with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Inside the White House Oval Office, President Biden greeted Prime Minister Meloni, with “Georgia, On My Mind,” by the late Ray Charles, playing in the background. The two were seated in front of a lit fireplace for a photo opportunity and joint statement to the press.
“Look, Italy and the United States are strong allies and really close friends,” said President Biden. “And as you said when we first met here in the Oval Office, Giorgia, that we have each other’s backs. And we do. And you’ve demonstrated that from the moment you took office.”
This was the second occasion for Meloni, as Italy’s prime minister, to meet President Biden in the White House. She said, “During our last meeting here in Washington, we said we wanted to improve our bilateral cooperation and our trade, and we did it. For in 2023, our bilateral trade reached the highest amount ever with $102 billion of exchange. So, I think we did a good job, but I also think that we can do even better. And I hope this will be our mutual goal for this year.”
Meloni was appointed in December to serve as president of the Group of Seven (G7) for a one-year term, as rotated among other member leaders. The political and economic forum comprises Italy and the United States, but also, the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, and Japan. Meloni’s presence in Washington was in dual roles, as prime minister of Italy and as president of the G7.
While sitting beside Meloni, President Biden took the opportunity to speak in support of legislation, now pending in the U.S. Congress, to provide funding for Ukraine and Israel in the current conflicts in Eastern Europe and the Middle East.
Later in the day, Will McIntee, Senior Advisor, Office of Public Engagement in the White House, organized a session for members of the Italian American press and Italian American leaders to gain more information about the bilateral meeting between Italy and the United States. Andrew Johnson, Senior Director for Europe for the National Security Council, was on hand to espouse the strong relationship between the two countries.
“This is a unique opportunity for the two of them to connect,” Johnson said in reference to President Biden and Prime Minister Meloni. “We are latched up hand in glove with Italy in a host of priorities, most notably our shared commitment to Ukraine.”
In the Oval Office, Prime Minister Meloni mentioned how Italy and the United States are working together to help with economic development in Africa. She hopes by improving employment opportunities and living standards there, fewer Africans will illegally migrate through Italy.
Johnson underscored the two countries commitment to Africa through “large scale projects such as the Global Infrastructure and Investment’s Lobito Corridor.” He says the United States and Italy are trying to help build a massive “rail line through Congo…and a clean energy project in Angola to become the largest solar farm in the world.”
Support for Ukraine was at the top of the list of important topics discussed between Prime Minister Meloni and President Biden. “Italy has done an enormous amount in the way of humanitarian and economic assistance to Ukraine,” said Johnson. “Prime Minister Meloni has consistently professed support for Ukraine among EU leaders, most recently for the EU decision in February for a multi year commitment of $54 billion for Ukraine. This is an important development to communicate to Putin that the U.S. and her allies are committed to Ukraine and not walking away from this issue.”
Some time this summer, the White House will host a celebration to mark the 75th anniversary of the NATO alliance, according to Johnson. Leaders of the participating countries are expected to meet in Washington for the historic milestone. No doubt, Prime Minister Meloni will be among them for this unique event.
A few questions were allowed from members of the press and Italian American leaders in attendance. Andre’ DiMino, president of the Italian American One Voice Coalition, inquired about pending legislation, S-2970, to eliminate Columbus Day. DiMino asked, if passed by both chambers of Congress, will President Biden veto the bill.
Johnson’s quick reply was a reference to the White House statement on Columbus Day in the fall, last year, “to…speak for itself.”
Editor’s Note: Pictured is President Biden and Prime Minister inside the Oval Office. The article was posted on March 2.
FATE OF COLUMBUS DAY STAGNATES IN U.S. SENATE
Bill to End Federal Holiday Now Rests in Judiciary Committee
- Italian Americans Must Keep Up The Pressure
- One Senator, Jon Ossoff, Is Especially Vulnerable
“I am constantly imploring people to call Senators and Reps to oppose this disgraceful, ant-Italian, anti-American Senate Bill S-2970,” says Andre' DiMino
By Truby Chiaviello
Keep calling. Keep emailing. Keep up the pressure.
Italian Americans can defeat S. 2970, the bill, to eliminate Columbus Day a federal holiday, as introduced last year by Senator Martin Heinrich, Democrat, of New Mexico.
The proposed legislation is now stalled in the Senate Judiciary Committee. The goal is to let it die there.
Last week, Basil M. Russo, president of the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations and Andre’ DiMino, president of the Italian American One Voice Coalition, urged all Italian Americans to get involved.
They requested every Italian American contact their U.S. Senators by phone and email.
Since then, the lines have been lit up in the Senate. The emails are non stop. The message is loud and clear. Columbus Day must stay the way it is!
A federal holiday to be celebrated the second Monday of every October is what Italian Americans want for Columbus Day. What Senator Henreich and others seek is to swap that out for Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
According to Andre’ DiMino, Senate bill S.2970 “has not been added to the Judiciary Committee agenda, as of yet. Hopefully it will stay that way and will die in committee.”
The Judiciary Committee, made up of 21 U.S. Senators, has to first endorse the legislation to be sent to the Senate floor for a full vote.
According to DiMino, a debate on Columbus Day is not a high priority for members of the Judiciary Committee. He says, “With all the other issues they are dealing with (impeachment, Ukraine, funding, etc.) we hope they don’t get to it.”
Italian Americans must remain vigilant. Nothing can be taken for granted.
Italian Americans must not depend on the bill dying in the Judiciary Committee. “We can't rely on that,” says DiMino. “I am constantly attending meetings, making calls and sending out emails imploring people to call Senators and Reps to oppose this disgraceful, ant-Italian, anti-American Senate Bill S-2970. The alliance we formed with the Native Americans was specifically to aid in that effort. We must prevail - and this bill must die!”
Italian Americans are engaged like never before. Calling and emailing their U.S. Senators can be most effective in defeating this proposed anti-Italian bill.
Some Senators, now serving on the Judiciary Committee, face tough reelections in the future. They will be especially sensitive to the current outcry.
Senator Jon Ossoff, Democrat, of Georgia, comes to mind.
He was elected to the Senate by the slimmest of margins in 2020. He defeated incumbent, David Perdue, in a runoff, with 50.6 percent to 49.4 percent of the vote.
Georgia is a state where many Italian Americans have moved to in recent years. Approaching three percent of the state’s total population, there are now 238,027 Italian Americans who are residents of Georgia.
Remember this figure when analyzing Ossoff’s reelection hopes in 2026.
The senator received 2,374,519 votes to his opponent’s 2,214,979. Italian Americans have more than the number of votes to send Ossoff to defeat if he votes to eliminate Columbus Day. No doubt, he and his staff will closely monitor the phone calls and emails they receive about this important issue. The more Italian Americans who contact him, the more likely he is to keep Columbus Day a federal holiday.
Both DiMino and Russo are veterans of political causes. They have fought many battles to keep Columbus Day and Columbus monuments in many places in America. They know that numbers matter. Italian Americans can win if they engage in the process.
All eyes are on Democrats who serve on the Judiciary Committee. On the topic of Columbus, their party is more divided than the Republicans.
Democratic mayors of major cities have all but wiped out Columbus in a Cancel Culture barrage. Yet, Democratic voters and their representatives who live outside big cities feel differently. Many are sick and tired of incessant censorship of history, literature, film and other forms entertainment. They understand that no figure of history is perfect. Columbus Day is a worthy holiday to celebrate the discovery of America.
Who’s Who In The Senate Judiciary Committee
The following is a list of U.S. Senators who are members of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee and the percentage of Italian Americans who live in their states.
DEMOCRATS:
Dick Durbin, D, Illinois, chairman of the committee, 5.75% Italian Americans.
Sheldon Whitehouse, D, Rhode Island, 15.5% Italian Americans. Now up for reelection.
Amy Klobuchar, D, Minnesota, 2.18% Italian Americans. Now up for reelection.
Chris Coons, D, Delaware, 8% Italian Americans.
Richard Blumenthal, D, Connecticut, 16% Italian Americans. Now up for reelection.
Marie Hirono, D, Hawaii, 2.12% Italian Americans. Now up for reelection.
Corey Booker, D, New Jersey, 14.5% Italian Americans.
Alex Padilla, D, California, 3.5% Italian Americans.
Jon Ossoff, D, Georgia, 2.13% Italian Americans. Up for reelection in 2026.
Peter Welch, D, Vermont, 7% Italian Americans.
Laphonza Butler, D, California, 3.5% Italian Americans. Appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom in October 2023 after Senator Diane Feinstein died. An election is underway this year to in California to fill the Senate vacancy.
REPUBLICANS:
Lindsey Graham, R, South Carolina, Ranking Member, 2.8% Italian Americans,
Chuck Grassley, R, Iowa, 2% Italian Americans
John Cornyn, R, Texas, 2% Italian Americans
Mike Lee, R, Utah, 2.5% Italian Americans
Ted Cruz, R, Texas, 2% Italian Americans
Josh Hawley, R, Missouri, 3.3% Italian Americans
Tom Cotton, R, Arkansas, 1.5% Italian Americans
John Kennedy, R, Louisiana, 4.5% Italian Americans
Thom Tillis, R, North Carolina, 3% Italian Americans
Marsha Blackburn, R, Tennessee, 2.2% Italian Americans
SHOWDOWN IN THE SENATE
Columbus Day Debate Hits Congress
- Senate Bill S. 2970 Seeks Elimination of Federal Holiday Status
- Italian Americans Are Called to Contact Their Senators Today
- Don’t Let This Bill Out of Judiciary Committee
“…this Senate Bill is an important challenge that we can and must win,” says Basil M. Russo
By Truby Chiaviello
CALL YOUR SENATORS AND INSIST THEY PRESERVE COLUMBUS DAY AS A NATIONAL HOLIDAY
Basil M. Russo puts out the call to all Italian Americans: “Call your Senators and insist they preserve Columbus Day as a federal holiday.”
Senate Bill S. 2970 was introduced last September by Senator Martin Heinrich, Democrat, of New Mexico. The proposed legislation now has 13 sponsors, all of whom are Democrats, with additional support for the bill given by, none other than, Senator Bob Casey, Jr., Democrat, who is now up for reelection in Pennsylvania
S. 2970 is up for debate in the Judiciary Committee. If agreed upon by a majority of senators there, the proposed legislation goes to the Senate floor for what may be a simple majority vote. By party line, the Democrats win, and the Senate will deem Columbus Day out and Indigenous Peoples’ Day in.
If passed in the Senate, the House of Representatives must then make the final call. An equivalent bill must be introduced in that chamber. Take nothing for granted. Yes, the House now has a Republican majority, albeit slight. With the onset of a new election, the Democrats could take control. If S. 2970 is passed in the Senate, then it is all but certain that a Democratic controlled House would move to eliminate Columbus Day as a federal holiday.
Italian Americans are urged to act, now.
The Italian American Conference of Presidents has been formed as a new 501(c)4 organization to allow for political advocacy on a more intense level than the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations (COPOMIA).
Basil M. Russo is solidly at the helm of the Italian American Conference of Presidents as he is with COPOMIAO. He relies on his legal and political experience, as a judge and former majority leader of the Cleveland City Council, to push hard to save Columbus Day in Congress. He is joined by the ever energetic, Andre Dimino, of the Italian American One Voice Coalition (IAOVC). Both men, and their respective organizations, lead the fight now in the Senate.
Italian Americans are urged, by Judge Russo, to “voice your opposition to Senate Bill S. 2970 that would erase Columbus Day and designate the second Monday in October as Indigenous Peoples' Day.”
“Columbus Day was intended to encourage greater acceptance of immigrants,” claims Judge Russo, “and the holiday must be preserved to honor not only our ancestors but also the 18 million Americans of Italian descent living today. Uphold our history, before it's too late.”
Access the link, below, to find your two U.S. Senators to contact them to save Columbus Day:
The Italian Conference of Presidents and IAOVC provides a suggested format for calling your state's two U.S. Senators about Senate Bill S. 2970. Be courteous and professional:
1.) Identify as a resident of your state:
"Hello, my name is _______ . I'm a resident of {your state) am calling Senator about Senate Bill S. 2970 and,
2.) Advise that you are against this bill and ask that the Senator vote against it:
"I am against this Senate Bill and Senator ___ should vote against it.,,
3.) Explain why you are against the bill:
"Senate Bill S. 2970 would eliminate Columbus Day by changing It to Indigenous Peoples Day. Columbus Day must be preserved for the 18 million Italian Americans as it represents an apology for the horrible treatment and discrimination our immigrant ancestors endured. President Biden confirmed the critical importance of Columbus Day to Italian Americans In his President Proclamations in 2022 and 2023. Italian Americans are a recognized group under the 14th amendment of the U.S. Constitution - changing Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day is a violation of our civil rights and an insult to Italian Americans across the country and in our state.,,
4.) Provide the alternative:
"Instead of discriminating against Italian Americans, recognize Indigenous Peoples on International Indigenous Peoples Day, August 9, as already recognized by the United Nations.,,
5.) Repeat the objection to the Bill:
"Therefore, I urge Senator ____ to oppose Senate Bill S. 2970 and not discriminate against Italian Americans.,,
6.) Request hearing back from the Senator:
"I would like to hear back from Senator ___ about my request. My phone number is _____ and my email address is ___ _ .Thank You."
*****
Basil Russo says prominent Italian American leaders have worked directly with White House officials, over the past two years, to develop Columbus Day proclamations to explore the history behind the holiday not widely taught in U.S. schools.
In 1892, President Benjamin Harrison organized the first national Columbus Day parade in New York City. The purpose was to ease a diplomatic crisis between the United States and Italy after the largest lynch mob to ever assemble on American soil murdered 11 innocent Italian immigrants in the streets of New Orleans.
Given the massive success of President Harrison’s NYC parade (attended by more than one million people), Italian Americans used Columbus as a vehicle through the 1900s to fuel their assimilation and fight waves of anti-Italian persecution. Today, the holiday pays tribute to Italian American pride and heritage.
Columbus Day is worth fighting for…Contact your Senators today!
WHY CELEBRATE VERRAZZANO?
The Quincentennial of the Discovery of New York and America’s East Coast Inspires All of Us
By Dr. Stefaan Missinne
Who is this Giovanni da Verrazzano to first set foot on the East Coast of the United States, to discover New York on April 17, 1524?
A famous bridge in New York, streets in different U.S. cities and states, a brandy, a car route in Wilmington, North Carolina, avenues, a school, parks, monuments, nursing centers, a record label, a university program, a college, a commissioner's film, a capital fund, a wine and wine cellar, barges, a hotel, a castle in Tuscany and even a restaurant on the Pacific Highway in Washington are named after him. Are these reasons to celebrate this discoverer?
Celebrating the 500th anniversary of the discovery of New York and the East Coast by Verrazzano is most worthy. We understand why his name is so often used for public projects and landmarks. This is a milestone in American history to make people recognize the historical roots they didn't even know they had. Such historic moments do not happen every day. This teaches us to appreciate and cherish the past.
When celebrating Verrazzano, an astronaut of his time, in the service of a young French King, one becomes aware of ourselves and the people who are near and important to us.
Verrazzano was astonished to find land not on a map. He was a Christian. He wrote a travelogue. This historic paper was bought by an American banker in Rome in 1909 for $3,000 USD (now equal to $100,000). This literary birth certificate of New York is now at the J. Pierpont Morgan Library in Midtown Manhattan.
Verrazzano describes where he was and where he had contact with native Americans. He was mostly welcomed. His story, full of puns, is fascinating. He is unlike any other explorer of his time.
Verrazzano was only human. He was mistaken. He thought he had discovered an open sea route to China. It was the Pamlico Sound.
The Tuscan navigator writes about the plants, the animals, the tranquility, and the aura of the unknown land on the American East Coast which he compares with paradise, Archadia.
He sailed in a small ship with a crew of 50 along the shoreline from South Carolina to North Carolina to Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maine, New Hampshire, Maine to Newfoundland in Canada. A distance comparable to from Chicago to Las Vegas, from Rome to Helsinki.
Many people are stuck in their personal past to think of their ancestors. Even though their past does not equal the future to come. But, knowing the past, helps to cope with the future. Celebrating 500 years of American history may strengthen self-confidence and increase motivation to do and achieve even more.
There are American families of Italian and French descent. They and many of their relatives will appreciate being able to celebrate this milestone.
Should important decision-makers fail to let this historic discovery pass without celebrating it, this seems to me a bygone opportunity to fill the hearts of those with familial connections to their ancestors in faraway Europe with pride and joy.
Editor: Dr. Missinne is from Vienna, Austria. He is the author of a new book, from Cambridge Scholars Publishing, to be released in March, 2024 titled: “A Reassessment of Verrazzano´s Travelogue. https://www.cambridgescholars.com/.
LACCETTI FOUNDATION TO DONATE SUN DIAL TO UNION CITY, NEW JERSEY
Terrazzo Mosaics Will Be Highlighted
- A Commemoration to Vicenzo Pellerin, Artisan of Union City
- Italian Themed Program for High School Students
By Silvio Laccetti, Ph.D.
The Silvio Laccetti Foundation has announced plans for a major project: The Pellarin Sun Dial For Union City, New Jersey.
This initiative has many facets and components to compliment one another in a grand program. The arts of terrazzo and mosaic will be specifically highlighted. The purpose is to commemorate the important role of Vicenzo Pellarin in the transfer of technology, expertise and artisanal work from Italy to the New World.
The Foundation will present Union City with a specially crafted Sun Dial measuring 4 feet in diameter, to be placed in Ellsworth Park. The site has particular significance because the family of Vincenzo Pellarin settled in that area of Union City. His son was a physician for the city’s school system for decades. The family home is situated opposite of Ellsworth Park on New York Ave. Dedication is scheduled to coincide with Earth Day 2024 festivities.
The Foundation is actively cooperating with The William Musto Cultural Center of Union City and the Mayor's Office. We will involve schools and the general public in various projects relating to the art of terrazzo. For example, students may engage in poster contests, essay writing, independent workshop activities and treasure hunts. This latter activity will uncover various places in the local area to showcase terrazzo workmanship. The Foundation hopes to inspire media coverage of these many Italian-inspired activities.
In addition, allied programs are set to begin for a Girl Scout troop in St. Louis and a junior high school in Boston.
About Terrazzo
Terrazzo is a mixture of stone, marble, glass and quartz chips mixed into a bonding agent (mortar or special cement). The material can be applied to various surfaces ranging from floors - Grand Central Station in New York has such flooring - to walls and fixtures in homes and public buildings. The Hollywood Walk of Fame employs terrazzo for its star plaques. The mixing, application, curing and polishing are subtle arts for artisans trained in special schools like the Scuola Mosaicisti di Friuli in Spilimbergo, Italy. The Foundation hopes to open a line of communication between this special school and students from New Jersey.
The Silvio Laccetti Foundation is widely known in New Jersey for bestowing its Garibaldi Award to high school students who excel in Italian Studies and community accomplishments. Additionally, the Foundation is globally known for sponsoring three successful environmental WorldCast seminars for high school students from the United States, Brazil, Australia, Denmark, Ireland and Italy in real-time.
Editor’s Note: For readers of this article who have memorabilia or life experiences in the terrazzo-mosaics’ trades and wish to share this with the public, please contact lbarrrera@ucnj.com at the Musto Cultural Center.
A CALL TO CELEBRATE VERRAZZANO
Italian American Leaders of New York Are Urged to Come Together to Commemorate This Extraordinary Explorer
- So Too Italian Americans In States from North Carolina to Maine Should Demand Commemoration of Verrazzano
- A Temporary Move of the Verrazzano Monument Remains Justifiable in Light of the Construction Taking Place Inside Battery Park
By Truby Chiaviello
This year marks the 500th anniversary of the discovery of America’s East Coast by Giovanni da Verrazzano. Yet, most Americans won’t know it, if things remain as they are.
Arrangements to celebrate this profound feat of exploration are sadly non-existent.
Never mind the shoreline from Cape Fear, North Carolina, to Cape Cod, Massachusetts, to, as far north, as Newfoundland, Canada, was first recorded and mapped by Verrazzano. Never mind that subsequent adventurers, for the Dutch and British, relied on the path first blazed by Verrazzano. None of the states to arise from his discovery, along the East Coast, have announced any event to commemorate him. As with Columbus, Italian Americans must fight for recognition of this great Italian.
Basil M. Russo, president of the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations, and other Italian American leaders, have tried to create a groundswell of support for public tribute to Verrazzano.
Their focus is on New York City.
The Big Apple is the best place to celebrate Verrazzano. The Florentine explorer came ashore in Lower Manhattan on April 17, 1524. He was the first of the Eastern Hemisphere to set foot in New York. He made contact with Lenape Indians, there, in a model of peaceful interaction and exchange between Native Americans and First Europeans.
Arthur Piccolo, chairman of the Bowling Green Association, continues to advocate for a parade and ceremony in honor of Verrazzano, although support from City Hall is lax. Indeed, Mayor Eric Adams, in his annual state of the city address, this year, announced a scheduled celebration for discovery by the Dutch; but he made no mention of the Italians.
Battery Park, in New York, is home to the Verrazzano monument, a bronze masterpiece sculpted by the Sicilian, Ettore Ximenes. The artwork was commissioned by the Italian American community in New York, in 1909, when, city leaders, back then, refused to acknowledge the Florentine as the founder of Manhattan. It was Henry Hudson, for the Dutch, who was officially deemed first discoverer; although Verrazano beat him by 85 years.
In normal circumstances, the Verrazzano monument, inside Battery Park, would be the ideal location for a ceremony to mark the 500th anniversary of the explorer’s discovery. Yet, the area is undergoing a serious restoration project.
PRIMO recently toured Battery Park to see a stunning bronze edifice, one of the finest of the city’s public artworks, beset by new construction. Orange is the color of many plastic cones, mesh and barricades to enclose the statue and pedestal. A massive aluminum trailer to house the office of engineers and supervisors shadows the Verrazzano monument. Few pedestrians were seen inside the park on a bright sunny day. Instead, illegal vendors, plying various goods, dominated the setting until they scattered after hearing a policeman’s whistle.
In a letter to Mayor Eric Adams, dated February 14, John J. LaCorte, Ph.D, president of the Italian Historical Society of America, joined the call to move the Verrazzano Monument on a provisional basis. His father, John LaCorte, began the Italian Historical Society of America, in 1949, with a mission to bring greater recognition to unsung Italian American heroes; the likes of Verrazzano and others.
PRIMO continues to support the proposal to temporarily move the Verrazzano monument to the Bowling Green plaza, as proffered by Mr. Piccolo. This should be a brief relocation limited to the few days or one week celebration of the Italian explorer. Then, the monument should be immediately returned to Battery Park, where it has stood for more than a century. We understand that, in response to Hurricane Sandy, in 2012, necessary restoration must be made to Battery Park. However, in light of the 500th anniversary of New York’s discovery, this special moment should not be overshadowed by the rudiments of construction.
If agreement cannot be reached between Bowling Green and Battery Park regarding the monument, then both sides need to set aside their differences and come together. Verrazzano first set foot in Manhattan in the area of Bowling Green and Battery Park on April 17, 1524.
Italian Americans of New York, not to mention Italian Americans of the states of the East Coast, should press for a period of celebration for the great Verrazzano. At a minimum, official acknowledgement by state and municipalities should be made of this exceptional figure of American history. New York, especially, must be the locale of serious commemoration for Verrazzano.
Time is of the essence. If a public event cannot be organized by the date of the April milestone, then another day, hopefully, before the end of this year, should be scheduled for public adulation. We call on all Italian American leaders of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut to lead the way for other states to follow. We urge everyone to come together to forge a proper celebration in thanks to Verrazzano for his discovery.
Editor’s Note: Photographs of the Verrazzano Monument and Battery Park were taken by Dima Chiaviello. Date of the editorial is February 17, 2024.
THE OLDEST PERSON IN AMERICA IS ITALIAN
Edith Ceccarelli Celebrated Her 116th Birthday on February 8th
- Second Oldest Person in the World
- What’s Her Secret?
By Arthur Piccolo
In the serene town of Willits, nestled within the verdant embrace of Northern California's landscapes, resides a living testament to history, resilience, and the quiet grace of longevity.
Edith Ceccarelli, known as Edie to her friends and family, was born on February 5, 1908.
She is the oldest person in America, today, and second oldest in the world. A woman who lives in Spain is nine months older.
Edie’s parents, Agostino and Maria Recagno, were Italian immigrants who settled in Willits, a town, in Mendocino County, surrounded by redwoods. Edie's father was a lumber worker and grocer.
Edie married her high school sweetheart, Elmer Keenan, and together they adopted a daughter, Laureen. Even after Elmer's passing and a subsequent marriage to Charles Ceccarelli, which also ended in widowhood, Edie's indomitable spirit never wavered.
Edie’s life is a bridge spanning over a century. She has seen the evolution of technology, the shifts in global politics, and the ebb and flow of societal norms. Yet, through it all, her connection to her hometown has remained unbroken.
Each year, the town of Willits comes together to celebrate Edie's remarkable life. The annual parade is a vibrant cavalcade of community spirit, where residents and local officials honor this extraordinary woman. From vice mayor to the Boy Scouts, and even the local dog-walker, the parade is a testament to the love and esteem Edie holds within her community.
On her 116th birthday, the excitement in Willits was palpable. Streets were adorned with balloons and streamers, with cars decorated for the occasion, all converging towards the Holy Spirit Residential Care Home, where Edie now resides. The highlight of the celebration was, of course, the carrot cake – Edie's favorite.
Edie has outlived her siblings, her spouses, and even her daughter, yet her legacy continues to inspire and uplift those around her. She is a symbol of endurance, a beacon of history, and above all, a beloved member of a community that cherishes every moment with her.
Edith Ceccarelli’s Secret to Long Life
Edie’s fondness for red wine aligns with scientific research that touts heart-healthy benefits. Enjoying a small amount of red wine regularly, as Mrs. Ceccarelli does, might contribute to her extraordinary age. Additionally, her emphasis on staying out of unnecessary drama and leading a peaceful life could play a significant role in her wellbeing.
Beyond her dietary habits, Mrs. Ceccarelli also enjoys wearing the color pink, dancing, and going for leisurely walks. Crucial elements for a healthy and fulfilling life are to embrace joy, physical activity, and a positive outlook. This combination seems to have worked wonders for Edie, allowing her to reach an impressive age while maintaining her zest for life. Go for 120 Edie!! And become the oldest American who ever lived. And 122… the oldest human ever!! Bravo!!!
2-10-24
BRING IT…NEW HAMPSHIRE!
Call to Action! Help Us Save Columbus Day in the Granite State!
- Italian American Alliance Embraces Two-Front Battle
- A State, Famous for Its Motto, “Live Free or Die,” Battles Cancel Culture Infiltration
- Instructions To Save Columbus Day in New Hampshire
By Truby Chiaviello
Italian American Alliance vigorously takes on two fronts in the war to save Columbus Day.
Massachusetts and, now, New Hampshire.
The Granite State, famous for its motto, “Live Free or Die,” contends with the vexing issue of whether or not to keep Columbus Day a state holiday.
A call to action has been made by the Italian American Alliance for all Italian Americans to contact members of a committee in the New Hampshire House of Representatives with a demand to keep Columbus Day.
Legislation is pending.
New Hampshire House Bill HB 1335 Removal of Columbus Day has been docketed for a hearing by the NH House Executive Departments and Administration Committee at 2pm, February 21, 2024 in the Legislative Office Building, Room 306-308, 33 North State Street, Concord, NH 03301.
A call to fight is reminiscent of Daniel Webster’s 1843 dedication to the Battle of Bunker Hill. He said America’s Minutemen found strength to take on the British Empire from the spirit of “Columbus…above his age, as his life shows; but he doubtless addressed his followers…to lead them on…”
The Italian American Alliance urges all Italian Americans to send an email opposing bill, HB1335, to the members of the New Hampshire House committee.
A list of email addresses for committee members, along with a sample email to send, has been provided by the Italian American Alliance. (See below)
The organization’s instructions are to “simply cut and paste the email addresses into the address section of your email program. You can do the same with the sample subject heading and text of the e-mail. Do be sure to fill in your name and other relevant information where indicated.”
The Italian American Alliance looks forward to a battleground across the border. Their statement, issued to the press, reads: “Rest assured we will fight this attack on Columbus Day in New Hampshire as vigorously as we have in Massachusetts.”
I am writing to you regarding the pending bill to remove Columbus Day as a NH state holiday.
I believe Italian-Americans should be recognized and respected by not taking Columbus Day away from them as a State Holiday. Columbus Day is not only important to Italian Americans, but has also been a proud part of America history and tradition.
There has been much misinformation circulating in the past few decades regarding the history of Christopher Columbus, and in a misguided effort to be inclusive and sensitive to all cultures, this bill produces the opposite effect - it foments exclusion and resentment, especially among Italian-Americans, who have struggled for decades to be accepted into the American national life.
I urge you to not support this Bill and keep Columbus Day as is.
NIAF MANSION…UP FOR SALE
Peter F. Secchia Building Listed at $3.99 Million
- For 30 Years, The National Headquarters for The Foundation
- North of Dupont Circle in Washington, D.C.
By Truby Chiaviello
Are you in the market for a 8,000 square foot house in the nation’s capital?
Yours for $3.99 million.
That’s the asking price by the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) for, what had been, the last 30 years, the headquarters of the renowned national Italian American organization.
Named after the former U.S. ambassador to Italy, from 1989 to 1993, the Ambassador Peter F. Secchia building was the pride of NIAF. The 117-year-old mansion stood as the titular symbol of the organization, its yellow facade displayed as the key image on their web site and, oftentimes, on print marketing material, its Italianate designed home found at 1860 19th Street, N.W., in the Dupont Circle Historic district in Washington, D.C.
Now, looking for a buyer.
Real estate sites, such as Redfin, Zillow, Prevu, Realtor, and many others, were abuzz, today, with the announcement of sale; the first time the home was listed since 1994. Details include a property type as a single family home with seven bedrooms, one full bath and three half baths, not to mention an annual property tax of almost $57,000.
NIAF has hired Douglas Elliman Real Estate, a company specializing in luxury properties, to sell the building. No announcement by NIAF was made as to a new location for their headquarters.
Luxury home magazines and news sites seem the exclusive recipient of NIAF’s announced sale. Press releases about the building’s new listing to Italian American publications are, thus far, non existent.
Reporter Liz Lucking broke the story for Mansion Global, a web site by the Barron’s Group, with a mission, in part, to “provide its high net worth audience the ability to search luxury listings for sale around the world.”
The Ambassador Peter F. Secchia building is now one of many for the hot real estate market inside the nation’s capital. Descriptives abound to underscore the beauty and splendor of the mansion, with one excerpt, by the realtor, as indicative:
“…step inside the main level, you are greeted by the timeless allure of inlaid parquet floors, high ceilings, and abundant natural light cascading through large windows. Extraordinary architectural details like gold foil egg molding are amplified by a grand staircase leading to the second level, which is currently utilized as offices for NIAF.”
Real estate agents Matthew Windsor and Lyndsi Armenio gave NIAF high marks for retaining many of the original decorative elements of the mansion, as built in 1907. Windsor was quoted, about the property, as having, “great bones and a lot of amazing details that would make it a wonderful trophy home.”
The hope is for a corporation or a country to purchase the building for a principal setting in the nation’s capital, according to the realtors.
HELP US WIN IN MASSACHUSETTS!
Two Bills, Pending, Seek to Cancel Columbus Day
- Italian Americans Are Called to Stop This Legislation
- Please Contact Members of the Joint Committee of State Administration and Regulatory Oversight Before February 7
- Tell Them to Keep Columbus Day in Massachusetts
By Tom Damigella, Italian American Alliance
Save Columbus Action Group
Thank you for your continued support in fighting to keep Columbus Day a state holiday in Massachusetts.
It was reported to us in November that the group calling for a ballot question in 2024 to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous People Day collected ZERO signatures. As a result, this effort to erase our Italian-American heritage has been defeated.
However we must still contend with two bills pending before the legislature which would also cancel Columbus Day.
As you recall, in October, the Italian American Alliance (IAA) had members attend a public hearing to express opposition for both bills at the State House.
We argued that Columbus Day should remain a state holiday. To eliminate Columbus Day is an unfair attack upon our Italian heritage based on politically motivated charges against Christopher Columbus.
We still need your support to stop these bills from moving forward.
The bills, H2989 (sponsored by Rep Christine Barber (D), Somerville) and S1976 (sponsored by Sen Joanne Comerford (D), Northampton) must receive a favorable recommendation from the Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight by February 7 in order to move forward in the current legislative session.
Can you please take a moment to write the committee members asking them to oppose these bills and to vote against moving them out of committee?
You must do this before the deadline of February 7th.
We have provided email addresses for members of the committee along sample text you can send.
Also, if you have any questions regarding this process please email us and we will answer them for you.
Thank you for taking action and please don't hesitate to share this issue with your friends and community. We appreciate your support.
Subject: Bill H2989/S1976 To replace Columbus Day with IPD
Dear Committee Members,
I am writing you regarding the pending bills to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day as a State Holiday.
I believe Italian-Americans should be recognized and respected by not taking Columbus Day away from them as a State Holiday. No other group is expected to have their day merged with another group’s. It is disrespectful both to Italian Americans as well as the Native American communities. It is not only important to Italian Americans, but has also been a proud part of America history and tradition.
There has been much misinformation circulating in the past few decades regarding the history of Christopher Columbus, and in a misguided effort to be inclusive and sensitive to all cultures, this bill produces the opposite effect - it foments exclusion and resentment, especially among Italian-Americans, who have struggled for decades to be accepted into the American national life.
I urge you to not support this Bill and keep Columbus Day as is. I also suggest that the day after Thanksgiving be recognized as Native American Heritage Day and that the entire month of November be Native American Heritage Month as already declared by proclamation by the Federal Government. There is also the option of recognizing August 9th which is already designated by the United Nations since 1999 as Indigenous Peoples Day. Both groups deserve to preserve and protect their cultural heritage and it isn’t fair to take away one people’s holiday and replace it with another, especially when there are other available days appropriate for celebration.
Very Respectfully,
(YOUR NAME)
Editor’s Note: Please help the Italian American Alliance in their continuous battle to save Columbus Day in Massachusetts. The web site for the Italian American Alliance is https://www.theitalianamericanalliance.com/
ERIC ADAMS, APOLOGIZE!
The Mayor of New York Insults All Italian Americans in His State of The City Speech
- No mention of Giovanni da Verrazzano’s Discovery of New York
- Instead, he praises the Dutch!
By Arthur Piccolo
It’s 1909 all over again!
Back then, the mayor of New York and other city leaders presented a major year-long celebration to mark the 300th anniversary of
Dutchman Henry Hudson’s discovery of New York City in 1609.
Except it was a blatant lie.
The commemoration of Hudson, in 1909, was a horrible insult to the Italian community.
For it was not Hudson, but Italian explorer, Giovanni da Verrazzano, who discovered New York City; and the feat was not accomplished in 1609, but, rather, almost a century earlier, by Verrazzano, on April 17, 1524.
Italians did not count then, so the city leaders made us invisible.
Italian New Yorkers responded, that year, by commissioning and creating the legendary Verrazzano Monument, in defiance of those lies.
Now, 115 years later, another mayor of New York, Eric Adams, has repeated this terrible insult.
This year marks the 500th anniversary of Verrazzano’s epic discovery. Yet, in in his State of the City speech, on January 24, Mayor Adams never mentioned Verrazzano. There was not a word in his speech about the Italian explorer.
There was only praise for the Dutch.
To quote Mayor Adams: "This year, we will start planning for a major milestone in history: the 400th anniversary of the founding of New York City. 2025 will be a year to look back on how far we have come in four centuries and celebrate the enduring spirit of our city."
Italians and the great explorer, Giovanni de Verrazzano, are made invisible again!
Mayor Adams is planning a yearlong celebration with the Dutch and to commemorate Dutch settlers, who brought the first enslaved Africans here!!
Africans played an essential role in building New Amsterdam. Yet, there was absolutely not a word, let alone a yearlong celebration proposed by Mayor Adams to mark Verrazzano's 500th anniversary with our Italian community.
Mr. Mayor, it’s time for an apology to history, to Italian New Yorkers and Italian Americans. It’s time to celebrate the 500th anniversary of New York by Giovanni da Verrazzano!
Editor’s Note: The writer is chairman of the Bowling Green Association and co-founder of the Lower Manhattan Historical Society. Mr. Piccolo was responsible for bringing Arturo DiModca’s bronze masterpiece, “Charging Bull,” to Bowling Green in 1989.
Primo Review
CABRINI
The Early Life of Mother Cabrini Makes for an Excellent Film
By Truby Chiaviello
Look no further than the first scene in “Cabrini,” to be the most harrowing of any in recent memory.
Set in Manhattan near the turn-of-the-century, the film shows a boy pushing a cart, with his dying mother inside. He rushes through the streets of New York shouting for help in Italian. No one is able to understand him. Dressed in ragged clothes, the boy is considered a loud nuisance, until a policeman chases him away. That night, in an obscure side street, the boy grasps the tragedy of loss, only to take refuge underground with the other motherless children.
The scene is representative of the state of destitution that Italian immigrants faced in America until the arrival of Sister Frances Xavier Cabrini, better known as Mother Cabrini.
A feature film about the life of America’s first saint is a most worthwhile endeavor.
Distributed by Angel Studios, “Cabrini” is set for release on March 7 in theaters across the country.
Roman Catholics and Italian Americans will find “Cabrini” an excellent film about a woman who, arguably, did more than anyone to relieve the suffering of millions of people in America.
A film built around the experiences of a key character must have as its star a person who can carry the story from beginning to end. Such is the Italian actress, Cristiana Dell’Anna. Originally from Naples, Cristiana brings an uncanny resemblance to Mother Cabrini. Petite and exotic, the beautiful actress starred in the Italian TV series, “Gomorrah,” about organized crime in Naples, before cast opposite Toni Servillo in the feature film, “King of Laughter,” about the imposed censorship of comedic playwright Eduardo Scarpetta.
In “Cabrini,” Cristiana captures the varied emotions of a nun who must overcome a host of obstacles in building orphanages, hospitals and care centers for the poor and dispossessed. The film never shies away from the spirit of anti-Italianism, still with us, today, that contributed to much of the needless misery of many Italian immigrants.
“Cabrini” is directed by Alejandro Monteverde, a pioneering filmmaker, from Mexico, who espouses a Catholic interpretation of contemporary events. His film, “Bella,” in 2006, about abortion, won rave reviews as did his film, “Sound of Freedom,” in 2023, about child trafficking. For “Cabrini,” Monteverde continues his record of making outstanding films. However, unlike his earlier fare, in “Cabrini,” he had to leave the present for a time and place of more than a century ago. He had to rely on exceptional set and costume designs to bring the past to new life for today’s audiences.
In “Cabrini,” viewers are introduced to Sister Cabrini in her convent in central Italy. Disappointment casts a dark shadow over her and the other novices after the Vatican refuses another request by her to begin a missionary in China. Sister Cabrini then travels to Rome, where she has to practically barge her way in to see Pope Leo XIII, played by the always exceptional Giancarlo Giannini. Impressed by the nun’s vigor, the pope offers to meet with her alone for afternoon tea. There, the pontiff insists she begin her mission, not in the Far East, but, rather, in Lower Manhattan, where Italian immigrants face incredible squalor.
Scenes to follow are mostly centered inside the muddy, overcrowded streets of New York’s Five Points, an enclave of poverty, in 1890, made famous from the photographs of Jacob Riis, as shown in the anthology, “How the Other Half Lives.” Monteverde captures the level of despair of the tenements, almost unimaginable by today’s standards. It is here where the group of nuns establish their first orphanage.
Mother Cabrini seems to be the only one in New York who wants to help poor Italian immigrants, according to the film. Scenes are replete with her meeting those who were originally tasked to assist the newcomers to find them either incompetent or uncaring. The parish priest of the Five Points she encounters consumes a pot of spaghetti while he expresses the hopelessness of the situation. An Irish physician, who treats the orphans under her care, is beleaguered to the point of ambivalence. Most unnerving is the reaction to Mother Cabrini by New York’s archbishop, Michael Corrigan, played by actor David Morse. When she seeks help to raise funds for an orphanage, he orders her not to solicit the Irish or Anglo communities. She is limited to the Italians who are mostly penniless.
“Cabrini” conveys the incredible determination of the titled character. What’s most shocking is how anti-Italianism works to delay or prevent Mother Cabrini from providing care to the needy. The character, Mayor Gould, played by John Lithgow, seeks to stop the nun’s efforts at every turn. A Google search shows no one by that name ever elected top post in New York. He is a fictional, yet symbolic, character, likely named after Jay Gould, the railroad baron, who financed the corruption of Tammany Hall. He, like others, however, will meet his match in Mother Cabrini.
New York was not the only location where Mother Cabrini was called to help. Hers is a cross country journey of hope from New York to Chicago to Denver, Seattle and New Orleans, among other cities and regions. To truly capture the drama of her contributions is to take several feature films; or, better yet, a television series. “Cabrini” can only provide us the story of Mother Cabrini, at the outset of her missionary work, in New York.
“Cabrini” is a film most welcomed in today’s cinematic world beset by too many offerings of senseless violence, sex and debauchery. Here is a story of a true American hero who accomplished incredible feats. “Cabrini” allows us to relish the miracles of God’s grace in the guise of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini.
“Cabrini” is excellent!
Editor’s Note: To learn more about the film “Cabrini,” including a listing of showtimes, as set for release on March 7, please log on to the Angel Studios web site at https://www.angel.com/movies/cabrini
Evviva Hollywood!
A CINEMATIC NIGHT TO REMEMBER
The First Ever Renaissance Award Convenes with Great Success
- Louis D’Esposito, Executive Producer at Marvel Films, Is First Recipient
- Joe, Anthony, and Angela Russo Host Award’s Gala at Their AGBO Studio Complex in Los Angeles
- Funds Raised for The Russo Brothers Italian American Filmmaker Forum and Italian American Future Leaders Behold a future of Italian American recognition in Hollywood
By Truby Chiaviello
It’s a new day in Tinseltown.
Italian Americans, of Hollywood, are, from now on, to be righty recognized for their important contributions to cinema. New filmmakers are to be encouraged to make short films with themes related to the Italian American experience.
Enter the Russos.
Film directors, Joe and Anthony Russo, along with their sister, Angela Russo-Otstot, have conceived and organized the Renaissance Award and The Russo Brothers Italian American Filmmaker Forum, with support from the Italian Sons and Daughters of America and the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations (COPOMIAO); as led by their father, Judge Basil M. Russo.
On January 18, the first ever ceremony and gala for the Renaissance Award was convened inside the Russos’ AGBO film studio complex in Los Angeles. A beautifully designed sculpture of Murano glass was given to the award’s first recipient; none other than Louis D’Esposito, executive producer and co-president at Marvel Studios, the dominant box office force in today’s Hollywood.
Presidents and top officers of various Italian American organizations from all parts of the country came to attend this important event. They were joined by film stars Chris Pratt and Dave Bautista, of “Guardians of the Galaxy,” Joe Piscopo, Saturday Night Live alum and radio show host, actor Michael Badalucco, singer Lena Prima, daughter of Louis Prima, and Frankie Valli, the great rock crooner.
The theater inside AGBO was filled to capacity as Joe and Anthony Russo began the ceremony. They were joined, on stage, by their sister, Angela, chief creative officer at AGBO, who paid tribute to their parents, Basil and Patricia Russo, sitting in the front row.
Angela proclaimed the goal of the Russo Brothers Italian American Filmmaker Forum was to help fund Italian American themed short films and documentaries. An additional purpose was to help raise funds for the Italian American Future Leaders Conference, held earlier in January to great fanfare, in Fort Lauderdale, founded by COPOMIAO Vice President John M. Viola, also in attendance at the gala event in Los Angeles.
Actor, writer, and director, Jon Favreau, who is Italian on his father’s side, was there to present the Renaissance Award to Louis D’Esposito. It was Favreau who directed “Iron Man,” a key film, in 2008, to help solidify box office supremacy for Marvel Studios. Favreau had recruited his good friend, D’Esposito, to serve as a producer for the film. By then, D’Esposito had made his way up the Hollywood ladder as first assistant director for dozens of films such as “Basic Instinct,” “The Pursuit of Happyness,” “I Know What You Did Last Summer,” and “Sweet Home Alabama.” Because of the success with “Iron Man,” D’Esposito continued as executive producer for subsequent Marvel films. He then became co-president at Marvel Studios, sharing duties with the renowned, Kevin Feige.
D’Esposito served as executive producer for films that, together, have generated more than $30 billion in box office revenue for Marvel Cinematic Universe. Joe and Anthony looked to D’Esposito as their mentor when making four top films for Marvel:
“Avengers: Endgame” remains second, in a neck-and-neck race, to James Cameron’s “Avatar” for the highest grossing film in history.
In receiving this year’s Renaissance Award, D’Esposito paid tribute to his Italian American upbringing. He was born and raised, in what he claimed was “New York’s real Little Italy,” along Arthur Avenue, in the Bronx. He is famous in Hollywood for his infectious optimism and relentless energy. His nurturing spirit stems from his Italian American roots. His hands-on approach is to facilitate production. He can be found on set or on location to ensure the needs are fulfilled for everyone, in front of, and behind, the camera.
During the award ceremony at AGBO, a montage of photographs was presented of actors and actresses, who played Marvel superheroes and villains, beside a broad smiling D’Esposito. Some, including several directors, and Marvel co-president, Kevin Feige, taped congratulatory videos to praise D’Esposito for his unwavering support and vigor.
D’Esposito said the Renaissance Award was rightly named for the versatility of the Italian spirit. He is no different from many in Italy, he says, who enjoy art, food, wine, and various scholarly pursuits. Although he makes his living from visual images, D’Esposito admits to spending his free time reading novels and biographies. Special thanks to his wife and family came with a deep appreciation by him for being the first recipient of the Renaissance Award.
Before and after the ceremony, guests were treated to outstanding Italian food, as prepared by Bolognese chef, Steve Samson, of nearby Rossoblu, one of LA’s top Italian restaurants. Glasses of prosecco and original cocktails were continuously served inside the stunning AGBO studios. The gathering provided a special opportunity for Italian Americans leaders, from different parts of the country, to greet, meet, and discuss the latest challenges facing our community. The evening highlight was when the Jazz band, on hand to entertain guests, was joined by Lena Prima to sing several of her father’s most famous songs, such as the perennial hit, “I Am Just a Gigolo.”
The Russos are to be commended for conceiving and sponsoring the Renaissance Award. Their planned annual event can set a new precedent of recognition for Italian Americans in Hollywood. Although many Italian Americans contributed mightily to cinema, they received little in the way of accolades from the Hollywood establishment of past generations. Pioneers in cinematography, film editing, and special effects, were, all but, snubbed for Oscars, such as Joseph A. Valentine, Sol Polito, Nicholas Masuraca, George Tomasini, Tom Savini, and many more. Some of the most influential filmmakers in history never received due recognition such as Brian DePalma, Dario Argento, Sergio Leone and Mario Bava.
The Renaissance Award inaugurates a new era of respect for the best of Italian Americans in cinema. We look forward to more awards to come in the years ahead.
Primo Interview
A RIGGED ELECTION
Michael Polelle Conveys a Fascinating Tale of Assassination and Medical Villainy in “American Conspiracy.”
- “…I wanted to do a thriller novel based on a presidential election that goes off the tracks and takes the country to the brink of political, legal, and social chaos.”
Just in time for this year’s presidential election is Michael Polelle’s extraordinary new novel, “American Conspiracy.” The lawyer-turned-author delves into the depths of political and legal intrigue, coupled with the latest in strange medical technology. PRIMO interviewed the author about the potentialities for rigged presidential elections by nefarious elites.
Please tell us where your family came from in Italy.
My father's side of the family came from Sicily. Before coming to the United States and marrying my grandmother in Chicago, my paternal grandfather was a native of Lascari in Sicily, about five miles from Cefalu and thirty-one from Palermo. My mother's side of the family came from Emilia-Romagna in the the north. My maternal grandmother was a native of Crespellano, a small town about nine miles from Bologna. My mother was born in Crespellano but came as an infant to the United States with her mother where my grandfather had found work in Illinois.
“American Conspiracy” is a fascinating new novel. What led you to write this book?
The presidential elections of 2016 and then 2020 surprised me. Although I had taught constitutional law in Chicago, little time was spent on the law surrounding the selection of a president. I realized for the first time how fragile the constitutional system is regarding elections. Aside from the Electoral College, the intricacy of the electoral provisions conceals legal bobby traps. The last two elections have only revealed a few of the problems. So, I wanted to do a thriller novel based on a presidential election that goes off the tracks and takes the country to the brink of political, legal, and social chaos.
“American Conspiracy” incorporates a number of incredible issues; one of which is a futuristic medical procedure to turn back the years - a sort of fountain of youth. Where did you get this intriguing concept? And, how real is it?
Advancing age has a way of turning your attention to such possibilities. In fact, the procedure is real but the results are highly controversial. The procedure called parabiosis is a laboratory technique used in physiological research whereby two living organisms are surgically joined so that they become one physiological system. Around 2005, Stanford researchers noticed that when a young mouse and an old mouse were surgically bound together so that they shared the same blood flow, the old mouse became younger in fundamental ways. Silicon Valley, especially the billionaire Peter Thiel, took note and supported the research. The buzz surrounding this research took a hit more recently when the FDA cracked down on "youth" clinics charging exorbitant fees for procedures deviating from the Stanford research. Just getting a transfusion of young blood is not enough. The two circulatory systems have to be combined into one and the usual ways of doing it are rather grizzly. Great for a thriller novel but not so much for the mental tranquility of the patient.
Your writing voice is reminiscent of Raymond Chandler and other gritty detective novels. Briefly explain your style.
I don't consciously think of style when I write early drafts. For the final draft, I do try for clarity and precision with the fewest words possible, at least for a former law professor. I think it is the nature of contemporary politics, especially in my native city of Chicago, that provides the grittiness. Corrupt social forces strive to make "the straight places crooked" in a reversal of the biblical injunction to make "the crooked places straight." When you write political and legal thrillers, there's going to be conflict between the light and dark social forces. This conflict between the forces of light and dark is essential to thrillers.
What did you find most challenging and most rewarding in writing “American Conspiracy?”
The most challenging aspect of writing reality-based legal and political thrillers set in the present is that you run the risk that some factual base of the novel has been changed once the novel is published. This occurred in a minor way when the Electoral Count Act was amended in 2022. You try to avoid this but nothing, not even law and politics, remain the same after publication. The most rewarding aspect was the self-satisfaction I had in writing to the best of my ability what I felt was a novel that did not make the battle between good and evil simplistic. I hope the reader understands that even Jim Murphy, a Chicago detective, and Commissario Leone, my protagonists, have their less attractive sides in their sometimes overzealous and over-righteous thirst for justice. As someone once said, there is good in the worst of us and bad in the best of us. To have good intentions turn into bad results or bad acts be the source of future goodness reflects the complexity of life, especially in the world of law and politics. It's much easier to demonize or stereotype characters on the other side of a conflict but not as satisfying as trying to understand their points of view. I think novels should broaden our points of view.
What are your plans for the future? Any other books in the making?
I thought I was finished with American Conspiracy. I feared and wanted to avoid the work necessary for another novel. But, a series of scenes kept coming back that I knew would have to be turned into a novel. I'm working on it now. Unlike, Rome and Italy, the setting for “The Mithras Conspiracy,” and Chicago, the setting for American Conspiracy, the setting for this new novel will generally be my present location in Florida and Guantanamo Bay Prison and the migrant crisis along the southern border, the Supreme Court, the nightmare memories of 9/11, and who knows what else will end up in this brew still percolating? I like the idea of a trilogy of novels dealing with conspiracies.
Editor’s Note: PRIMO gave “American Conspiracy” a rave review. You can purchase the novel and learn more about the author at https://www.mjpolelle.com
Super Wildcard Weekend
GRIDIRON ITALIANO - NFC
The First Round of the NFL Playoffs Features Italian Americans as Players and Coaches for The NFC Go Defense!
By Truby Chiaviello
Look to a team’s defense to find Italian Americans.
Most of the teams in the first round of the NFC playoffs have Italian Americans coaching linebackers and lineman to stop the opposition from scoring points.
Of course, times have changed since Vince Lombardi, head coach of the Green Bay Packers, winner of the NFL’s first two Super Bowls. Yet, the die was cast back then for, what is today, large, multi-tiered NFL franchises. Teams have as many coaches and managers, today, as they do players.
The stakes are higher than ever for a team to win the Lombardi Trophy. Yes, more money and marketing comes with victory. Yet, the pride in knowing your team is the best of the best still inspires players to win.
As we did with the AFC, we now give you a Who’s Who of top Italian American talent for the NFC this Super Wild Card weekend. We share our predictions of who will win. Who do you pick?
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES VS. TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
Not surprising that the Philadelphia Eagles have the most Italian Americans of any team’s coaching staff this Super Wild Card weekend. Italians rank as one of the top ethnic groups in the City of Brotherly Love. Much of that love is for their head coach, Nick Sirianni, hired by the Eagles in 2021. He’s been a winner since day one. Under Sirianni’s watch, Philadelphia made it to the playoffs every year, topped off with a Super Bowl appearance last year against the Kansas City Chiefs. With 11-6 record, Philadelphia has a number of Italian Americans, besides Sirianni, on the sidelines; such as Matt Patricia, senior defensive assistant, Kevin Patulla, passing coordinator, Joe Pannunzio, assistant special teams coordinator, T.J. Paganetti, run games specialist, and Mike DiAngelo, defense quality control. On the playing field, we have two notable Italian Americans for the Eagles: Grant Calcaterra, number 81, tight end, and Rick Lovato, number 45, long snapper.
With a win-loss record of 9-8, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers barely made it to this year’s playoffs. They take on the Eagles, a team hampered with injuries and other afflictions late in the season. No player on the Buccaneers stands out as an Italian American. Rather, their coaching staff includes several figures such as Anthony Piroli, conditioning coach, Nick Rapone, safeties coach, and Mike Chiurco, defensive assistant.
Primo’s pick: Eagles by 3
DETROIT LIONS VS. LOS ANGELES RAMS
With an impressive win-loss record, 12-5, this year could be the first for the Detroit Lions to make it to the Super Bowl. The team’s offense is one of the best in the NFL thanks, in part, to Samuel Laporta, 87, at tight end. The Lions defense is far less stellar, but good enough to hold most opposing teams to fewer points. Italian American Alex Anzalone, number 34, linebacker, is most noticeable with shoulder length blond hair, reminiscent of Fabio.
Coming to Detroit to play, with a win-loss record, 10-7, will be the Los Angeles Rams. We all remember Vince Ferragamo and Ray Malavasi, quarterback and head coach of the Rams, who, together, went on to the Super Bowl to face the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1980. Today, only one Italian American makes it on a team that won the Super Bowl two years ago. Joseph Coniglio, outside linebackers’ coach, has a bright future, with experience at the college and professional levels. Can he and the Rams’ stop the Lions?
Primo’s pick: Lions by 4.
DALLAS COWBOYS VS. GREEN BAY PACKERS
The 12-5 Dallas Cowboys might still be considered America’s Team, but, with little connection, this year, to Italian America. The Cowboys enjoy excellent rankings: Number 1 in offense and number 5 in defense. Mike Solari, the defensive line coach, has trained his players to be especially aggressive. They were ranked first in their division in quarterback sacks in 2023.
Vince Lombardi could be proud of this year’s Green Bay Packers. The team eked out a playoff berth with a 9-8 record, but, played hard until the last game, against arch rivals, the Chicago Bears. Several members of the Packers’ coaching staff are Italian American such as Rob Grosso, offensive quality control, Kirk Olivadotti, inside linebackers’ coach, and Rich Bisaccia, assistant head coach and special teams coordinator.
Primo’s pick: Cowboys by 6
Editor’s Note: The photographs depicted, beginning with the top set, from left to right: Nick Sirianni, Rick Lovato, Grant Calcaterra, Matt Patricia, Joe Pannunzio, Joe Coniglio, Alex Anzalone, Sam Laporta, Kirk Olivadotti, Mike Grosso, Rick Bisaccia, and Mike Solari.
Super Wildcard Weekend
GRIDIRON ITALIANO - AFC
The First Round of the NFL Playoffs Features Italian Americans as Players, Coaches, Managers, and Owners
Who does PRIMO pick to win?
By Truby Chiaviello
The quest for the Lombardi Trophy begins.
Super Wild Card weekend is upon us.
Ready for battle, in the first round of the NFL playoffs, on January 13 and 14, 2024, are top teams for the American Football Conference (AFC).
Fans await a weekend of outstanding football. They know that whoever wins the wild card goes on to play in the second round playoff competition next weekend. The two teams left standing will then play for the AFC championship. The winner of that game is bound to face the champion of the National Football Conference in the Super Bowl.
The Lombardi Trophy is named after Vince Lombardi, head coach of the Green Bay Packers, winner of the first two Super Bowls, in 1967 and 1968. His no-nonsense quest for excellence remains the driving spirit of NFL champions. The winner of the Super Bowl receives the Lombardi Trophy.
Italian Americans are to pay special attention to football players who share their ethnicity. We give you a who’s who of top AFC Italian American talent for Super Wild Card weekend. We share our predictions of who will win. Do you agree? Who do you think will win?
CLEVELAND BROWNS VS. HOUSTON TEXANS
Number 15, Joe Flacco, is the big story, this weekend, in a career comeback as quarterback for the Cleveland Browns. Once a mainstay for the Baltimore Ravens, Flacco led that team from 2008 to 2018, with playoffs, AFC championships, and a MVP award for a Super Bowl win in 2013. Beset by injuries, however, Baltimore traded Flacco to the Denver Broncos in 2019. A year later, he was demoted to backup status for the New York Jets. Flacco then gained a preseason stint for the Philadelphia Eagles, before another backup turn for the Jets. His NFL career, seemed, all but, finished; when in November 2023, the Cleveland Browns hired him as quarterback for practice sessions. When starter Deshaun Watson suffered a season ending injury, Flacco got the call to play quarterback. Little was expected of the veteran. Yet, Flacco grasped the moment to throw accurate passes for five games out of six as wins and a Browns’ playoff berth.
Houston Texans will host the Browns this Wild Card weekend. Media attention is rightly focused on Houston’s new sensation, rookie quarterback, C.J. Stroud. His coming to Houston, not to mention the team’s overall success, is owed, in large part, to Houston’s general manager, Nick Caserio. It was the New England Patriots who first hired Caserio back in 2001. He belonged to the Super Bowl franchise there to serve as the team’s personal assistant, talent scout, and personnel director. Hired by Houston in 2021, Caserio finds himself at the cusp of transforming the Texans into a dynasty team, reminiscent of the Patriots.
Primo’s pick: Browns by three.
MIAMI DOLPHINS VS. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
Who is the most influential figure in today’s NFL? Look no further than Vic Fangio. Miami’s defensive coordinator has been coaching in the NFL since the mid-1980s. Over the years, he has perfected a style of defense, informally termed the Fangio Way. Call it “Prevent Defense Light.” Fang’s goal is to prevent the bomb toss or equivalent big offensive play. He looks to his safeties and cornerbacks for a mobile defense. His tackles and ends are spread out thin while the linebackers are ready to stop the run, as trained by Miami’s linebacker’s coach, Anthony Campanile.
Is the Fangio Way good enough to stop quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, and the defending Super Bowl champions, the Chiefs?
The answer is to be found in frigid Kansas City, where temperatures are expected to drop to single digits.
The Chiefs are acclimated. But, what say the team from sunny Miami? Several Italian Americans stand out for Kansas City. First up is Steve Spagnuolo, the Chiefs’ defensive coordinator. He began his coaching career, as far back as 1983, as a player personnel intern for the Washington Redskins. Since then, he has risen through the coaching ranks for number of teams; some of which are as far away as the Barcelona Dragons, in Spain, and the Frankfurt Galaxy, in Germany. Spagnuolo has been with the Chiefs since 2019. For the Chiefs’ offense, two linemen, each of whom is 6’4” and 300 pounds, have Italian blood. Mike Caliendo, number 66, began playing offensive guard last year, just in time for the Chiefs to win the Super Bowl. If not picked up as a free agent, Caliendo was to pursue a career in medicine, thanks to his outstanding 3.9 GPA in biomedical studies at Western Michigan University. Also, at offensive guard, is Nick Allegretti, number 73, a large powerful football player who, since 2019, blocked for the Chiefs’ speedy running backs. Then, against the Pittsburgh Steelers, on January 16, 2022, he got his chance for NFL glory. He received a short pass from Mahomes to step over the goal line for his first, and, thus far, only touchdown.
Primo’s pick: Chiefs by six
PITTSBURGH STEELERS VS. BUFFALO BILLS
In this matchup, only the Buffalo Bills retain a special Italian American connection. The team’s owner are husband and wife, Terry and Kim Pegula. Upstate New York is the realm for Pegula’s sports empire. Besides the Bills, the couple owns the Buffalo Sabres hockey team, not to mention the Buffalo Bandits, in lacrosse, the Rochester Americans, hockey, and the Buffalo Beuts, women’s hockey. Terry Pegula is originally from Carbondale, Pennsylvania. He is a self-made billionaire who struck it rich in oil and gas exploration, one of the first to utilize the fracking system.
Primo’s pick: Steelers by one.
Editor’s Note: From left to right, per each line of photographs, is Joe Flacco, Nick Caserio, Anthony Campanile, Vic Fangio, Mike Caliendo, Nick Allegretto, Steve Spagnuole, and Terry and Kim Pegula.
STRONGER. BETTER. BOLDER
Basil M. Russo Leads Effort to Reignite Italian America
- COPOMIAO President Calls for National Unity at Meeting on December 30
- Impressive Successes Reiterated: First-Ever White House Italian American Reception and Future Leaders Conference
- Reasserted: Defend Columbus in Every City
- More Organizations Sought for National Effort to Promote and Defend Italian American Heritage The Vatican. The White House. What’s Next? Hollywood!
By Truby Chiaviello
Stay Strong. Stay United.
That’s the clarion call for 2024 by Judge Basil M. Russo.
President of the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations (COPOMIAO), Judge Russo presided over a vigorous and productive meeting on December 30, 2023. Some 50 Italian American organizations, from around the country, attended this virtual gathering where echoed the mantra of Pax Romana: Strength in numbers.
“The goal is to create a spirit of national unity for Italian Americans throughout the country,” said Judge Russo. “This allows us to elevate the stature and importance of the Italian American community, not only in our country, but, in Italy, as well.”
The COPOMIAO meeting began at 11 a.m. on the last Saturday of 2023 with a reminder of the impressive accomplishments under Judge Russo’s leadership.
At the top of the list…The White House.
Judge Russo made headlines, this past October, when he convinced President Biden, and his staff, to issue a new and improved Columbus Day proclamation for 2023. Then, on October 12, history was made when the First Lady, Dr. Jill Biden, graciously hosted the first-ever reception in the East Room to celebrate Italian American heritage month at the White House.
“We’ve been to the president’s house, the pope’s house, the ambassador’s house, the Italian Supreme Court, the Italian chamber of deputies,” Judge Russo reminded members. He then announced a first—ever event for Italian Americans. “In two weeks, we we will be in Hollywood.”
Judge Russo has spearheaded the Renaissance Awards event scheduled for January 18 in Los Angeles at AGBO studios. Key producer for this year’s Oscar best picture winner, “Everything, Everywhere, All at Once,” the film company remains in the creative hands of founders, Joe and Anthony Russo. Two of Hollywood’s most important filmmakers, sons of Judge Russo; they directed the second highest grossing film in history, “Avengers: Endgame,” with almost $3 billion in revenue. The film was one of many to come from Marvel Studios, perhaps the most dominant filmmaking enterprise in history. Louis Esposito, president of Marvel Studios, will be the subject of tribute at the coming AGBO gathering. Mr. Esposito’s contribution to film and television will be rightly celebrated. This event affords an opportunity for Italian Americans to meet and greet top figures of Hollywood.
Judge Russo has made it his top priority to unite Italian American organizations.
“We’ve traveled the country, talking to many organizations as to why it’s important for us to work together if we are to have a collective voice to influence American culture,” said Judge Russo at COPOMIAO’s end-of-the-year meeting. “We’ve only been able to gain such respect because of our collective strength. Together, we have power that none of our organizations have individually.”
Since Judge Russo took over, COPOMIAO has grown from 36 to 63 member Italian American organizations from every corner of the United States. In past years, the New York City metropolitan region was, all but, the exclusive domain for COPOMIAO. A concerted effort by Judge Russo was to broaden and diversify membership. Today, organization members are found, in not only New York, but, also, in California, Arizona, Illinois, Iowa, Ohio, Massachusetts, and other states.
The year-end meeting welcomed eight new member organizations to COPOMIAO. They are:
Dante Club - Sacramento
Delaware Italian American Foundation
Louisiana Italian American Political Action Committee
Pirandello Lyceum
San Francisco Italian Athletic Club
Societa da Vinci
Ulster County Italian American Foundation
WLPO (World's Leading Personalities Org.)
Judge Russo reiterated his support for the Italian American Future Leaders Conference, to be held January 12, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
On hand was John Viola, vice president of COPOMIAO, former executive director of the National Italian American Foundation, who, along with Patrick O’Boyle, founded Italian American Future Leaders, the organization behind the precedent setting conference to garner rave reviews in 2023.
“Last year’s event was a very successful gathering of young people between the ages of 21 and 35 to workshop and network,” said Viola. “It has generated a lot of goodwill and good results. We found last year that a lot of young people are very interested in the Italian American community. However, they are not interested in doing some of the things done in past years, such as the petty infighting and the sins of ego to fracture our community and make us ineffective.”
Some 100 young Italian Americans came to the January gathering in Fort Lauderdale, last year. Attendance is expected to increase this year to over 150. Participants, from almost every state, are sponsored by different Italian American organizations. COPOMIAO has raised funds to pay the travel expenses for each of the young emissaries.
“The goal is to eventually turn over to the young to let them lead the conference,” said Viola, who, also, along with O’Boyle, hosts the popular Italian American Podcast. Plans are to organize various events to inspire a spirit of activism among young Italian Americans.
At the meeting, Judge Russo asserted his unwavering support to win all legal and political battles to preserve Columbus Day and Columbus monuments. On hand was Andre DiMino, president of the Italian American One Voice Coalition, who took over that organization, after its founder, Dr. Manny Alfano, passed away last year. He updated members on his effort to quash a pending bill in Congress to eliminate Columbus Day.
On the legal front, attorney George Bochetto, who won a string of stunning victories to preserve Columbus monuments in Philadelphia, conveyed his work in court to defend Italian Americans. Bochetto and his team of lawyers had sued Philadelphia in federal court to reverse a decision by then-mayor, Jim Kenney, to cancel Columbus Day. The judge, in that case, made a bizarre ruling that Italian Americans did not have standing to protect their cherished holiday. Bochetto appealed the decision up the chain of federal courts, only to be denied certiorari at the U.S. Supreme Court. He now sets his sights at the state court level in Pittsburgh. There, a Columbus statue in Schenley Park remains wrapped in plastic. Bochetto feels this case has a better chance in state court to overcome the obstacle of standing that thwarted his efforts at the federal level.
Leaders from member Italian American organizations who attended the December 30 meeting echoed Judge Russo’s call for national unity. Ron Onesti, president of the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans, in Chicago, expressed his optimism that Columbus statues may return to Grant Park, and other locations in the city, torn down in 2020. Tommy Damigella, an officer in the Italian American Alliance, based in Boston, spoke up for a collective report on all organizations fighting to save Columbus monuments in different areas of the country.
“People think we are losing, losing, losing,” decried Damigella. “That is not the case. We’ve had some major successes” such as in Boston where a Columbus statue damaged in 2020 was repaired and now stands in a new location. “We need a national platform,” he said. “We need a national conversation.”
The New Year is upon us. The battles continue. Columbus Day must be saved. Columbus monuments must remain standing. Judge Russo and COPOMIAO members are committed to the preservation and promotion of Italian America.
Editor’s Note: The web site for the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations is https://copomiao.org/
Op-Ed
STELLATO STUNG BY STEREOTYPES
Bigoted Put-Downs by Peyton and Eli Manning Take Down Sports Agent
- A Fedora Hat, Nice Suit, Deemed “Slimy”
- Italian Americans Powerless to Stop Such Degradation
Christopher Binetti, Ph.D.
On Monday, December 11, on “the Manningcast,” podcast show, NFL greats, Peyton and Eli Manning, made racist comments directed at an Italian American. Subsequent tweets by the brothers echoed their bigotry. Their object of persecution was none other than Sean Stellato, the agent for Tommy Devito, replacement quarterback for the New York Giants who has become the talk of town after winning three of the last four football games.
Mainstream media often condemns such illusory or petty racism. This past Monday, Peyton made a faux apology; only to mock Stellato more. Just then, news broke that Devito dropped Stellato as his marketing agent. He chose someone else, not Italian. Stellato still has a job, mind you; but he has been demoted to serve as negotiator between the quarterback and team.
Media reports seem unanimous in claiming that Devito planned to make this change in representation before comments by the Mannings. Do you believe this? I don’t.
Stellato suffered the sting of anti-Italianism. He was ridiculed and degraded. He suffered a loss in business because of stereotypes perpetuated by the Mannings and mainstream media.
The powerlessness of Italian Americans is root cause of this sad and needless controversy. Two Anglo-white men from the South can say racist things about an Italian American and get away with it. Not only that, mainstream media joins in on the insults to help facilitate a loss of business for the Italian American.
Eli Manning has long been a hero of mine. Yet, he and his brother, Peyton, should both be condemned as racists for their comments. Eli called Stellato “slimy,” a well-known racist trope for Italians and other Mediterraneans. Related to the “greaser” stereotype, but worse, this put-down equates the “sliminess” of Italians’ hair and skin with perceived deceptiveness in character. The trope goes back, at least, to Madison Grant’s racist screed, “The Passing of the Great Race” in 1917.
Peyton Manning currently controls Omaha Productions. He tweeted on his site that Stellato had cutlets in his briefcase. He referenced “gabagool,” a mocking allusion to how Italians might pronounce the delicacy meat, “capicola.”
Italian Americans do not have critical mass in the media. So, when Stellato, an Italian American proud of his culture, who wears a fedora hat and dresses in a nice suit, is seen on the sidelines of the Giants game, on Monday Night Football, he can be ridiculed and humiliated by the Mannings. The media can embrace a stereotype of Italians being deceitful and unreliable. Eli and Peyton Manning are not “cancelled”; as they surely would’ve been if Stellato was African American, Latino or Asian. Instead, it is Stellato who suffers. He is the one who is cancelled. He is the one who is demoted. He is the one who loses business.
Italian Americans have become second-class citizens in New Jersey. The Mannings know it. Stellato knows it. DeVito knows it. DeVito’s new non-Italian agent knows it. Italian Americans in New Jersey know it. The federal government is partially responsible. They have classified us as “non-Hispanic white.” Worse, however, is how New Jersey, my home state, has denied Italian Americans affirmative action benefits and minority protections. We have little to no political power. Our media voice is practically non-existent. Our status is so minimal that our complaints go unheard when two sports celebrities destroy a fellow Italian American.
Repeat after me - Italophobia
The word is absent in any major dictionary. Despite the 1891 massacre of Italian Americans in New Orleans, no Anglo-white progressive will admit the long history of Italophobia in this country. We need to use this word to get our politicians to admit the inconvenient truth that affirmative action should apply to Italian Americans. We need to use this word to ensure protective status to Italian Americans in the work force.
Italians must insist on recognition and reclassification as minorities to stop Italophobia in New Jersey and everywhere else in America.
Dr. Christopher Binetti is an Italian American civil rights activist and President of the Italian American Movement, a 501c3 organization that argues for minority status for Italian Americans. He can be contacted at cbinetti@terpmail.umd.edu, 732-549-2635, and 732-887-3914. The views expressed are the author’s and may not be shared by the publisher of PRIMO.
Op-Ed
STOP SENATE BILL #2970
- Italian American Activist Offers Strategy to Keep Columbus Day
“…they are not worried about and don’t care about Italian American political power because they believe there isn’t any.”
By Arthur Piccolo
Italian Americans who do not see Senate # 2970 as a serious threat are kidding themselves.
Why?
Because the bill currently has, at least, 11 co-sponsors in the Senate and 56 in the House. That is all you need to know to get scared.
For what should be a very “controversial” bill, to gain so many supporters in Congress, proves they are not worried about and don’t care about Italian American political power, because they believe there isn’t any.
Native American groups and their allies are making a very big push concerning S #2970. They want this bill passed in Congress in 2024 because they do not know what Congress and the presidency will look like in 2025.
So, if we do not organize, if we do not fund a sophisticated counter attack beginning right NOW, we are facing the most damaging humiliation the Italian American community has ever suffered. And there is no coming back. It will only get worse. The Native American coalition will use their spectacular victory to broadcast everywhere. They will keep going until NO state, NO city, NO town will ever recognize Columbus Day again. That includes New York City!
Anyone reading this who thinks they know “somebody” who will make sure this bill does not pass is fooling themselves. Anyone who thinks President Biden will not sign it if it passes in Congress is a fool.
Nobody will stop this unless Italian American organizations, including all the best known, and lots of wealthy powerful Italian Americans, all unite in one, brilliant, united campaign and strategy.
It is impossible to overstate the damage Senate # 2970 will do to Italian American identity if it becomes law. And there is no precedent in all of American history for what Native Americans are hell bent on doing. They want to steal our holiday and uniquely humiliate Italian Americans. Anyone who takes any position other than this is fooling themselves. There would not be 67 sponsors if Italian Americans were considered significant. Even a few pathetic Italian Americans in Congress have co-sponsored this bill. We are truly weak in DC.
This bill should have been dead on arrival. We have only one option. That requires a bold, innovative strategy, right now, that will go into action at the very start of 2024.
Here is that kind of plan.
1) The process will begin with a hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee. If it does not receive a majority vote, passage becomes more difficult, but not impossible. Democrats control the Senate in 2024. ALL co-sponsors are Democrats, plus two so-called Independents. All Democrats will likely vote to approve the bill. They do not need any Republican votes for passage in the committee.
2) It is unclear if a House committee will also hold hearings on this bill. If the Senate committee voted to move this bill to the entire Congress it will be to our advantage. The Republicans control the House right now, but with the slimmest of margins.
3) Two individuals in Congress have the most power. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Mike Johnson have official and procedural ways to either move or block legislation from reaching the floor for a vote. The issue, here, is very specific to S #2970. To get the bill off the 2024 calendar, or, delay the Judiciary hearings as late in 2024 as possible. Once the intense election season begins by Labor Day, Congress will spend little time in session. It is unlikely that any new legislation becomes law late in 2024.
Worrying about the next Congress in 2025 is useless, for now.
4) We must know where Schumer and Johnson stand on S #2970. I would like to think they will both be supportive of Columbus Day. But, how strong is their support?
5) Back to the Senate Judiciary Committee, we must impress as many senators as possible to oppose S #2970.
6) Effectively reaching members of the Judiciary Committee must be an “inside” job based on the way power works in the real world in DC. We absolutely need physical meetings with each of these senators.
7) This will not work in a haphazard, uncoordinated, rag tag campaign to STOP S #2970.
8) A new high powered lobbying group must be formed right away if we want to stop this. and that includes leading members of existing Italian American organizations. The new lobbying group can be called Italian Coalition to Protect Columbus Day. Nothing like this can or will happen without funding for a very skilled executive director and a small qualified savvy staff and lots of other necessary expenses.
Keep in mind neither the Italian American Congressional Delegation (IACD) with 29 Italian Members and 200 Members of Congress have even put out statements opposing S #2970.
9) In my view, a minimum of $1 million and, hopefully, much more to get the job done. Will some of the many thousands of very successful Italian Americans write big checks for such an effort? Yes, you are very right to be skeptical. Those who can easily contribute money should do so if they care enough to stop Italian American from suffering the ultimate indignity. If they don’t care, then all is lost.
10) Concurrently, we must find one (and hopefully many more) member of Congress who will right now introduce an alternative piece of legislation to provide Indigenous Peoples aka Native Americans their own annual national holiday on a day of their choosing that does NOT conflict with the dates of exiting national holidays. THIS IS ESSENTIAL.
Editor’s Note: The writer is the chairman and founder of the Bowling Green Association in New York. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he remains active in Italian American affairs. He was instrumental in having the “Charging Bull” sculpture by Arturo DiModica a permanent gift to Bowling Green. The views expressed are the author’s and may not be shared by PRIMO.
RUSSO SHOWS UNWAVERING SUPPORT FOR CHICAGO
Italians in the Windy City Seek to Return Three Columbus Statues
- Gathering Convened by Ron Onesti and JCCIA Strategizes Way Forward
- A Review of Past Achievements by COPOMIAO
By Truby Chiaviello
Chicago Italians continue their fight to return to their city, not one, not two, but three Columbus statues, torn down in 2020 by former Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who lost reelection earlier this year in a massive landslide.
Ron Onesti leads the way as president of the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans (JCCIA). Members came together before Thanksgiving to discuss the Columbus statues and other important issues with special guest, Basil M. Russo, president of the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations (COPOMIAO).
A city famous for its political machinations, Chicago saw its Italian American community come together to vote out Mayor Lightfoot in March. Her stinging defeat was a message to the new mayor, Brandon Johnson, and those of other cities, that you destroy Italian landmarks at your peril. It is better to meet with the Italian American community and settle disputes amicably rather than give in to the riotous mob.
Congratulations were extended to Onesti and JCCIA by Russo. Chicago’s Italian American organizations were commended for their unity and fighting spirit.
“Strength doesn’t mean much without conviction and vision, and the JCCIA’s strategy in numbers runs parallel with COPOMIAO’s mission of unity and broad collaboration,” said Russo.
A review of past achievements by Judge Russo conveys a way forward in Chicago and elsewhere in the country. Along these lines, COPOMIAO — with the insight and support of its' member organizations — has achieved the following since 2021:
• The launch of Italian American Future Leaders, a national annual conference and fellowship platform that is connecting our younger generations to the Italian American cultural experience. The application process is open now for individuals, ages 21 to 35, who want to attend “IAFL2” this January.
• A precedent-setting celebration, hosted at the White House by First Lady Jill Biden, during Italian American Heritage Month
• An ongoing collaboration with the Mayor of Genoa, in the reexamination of Columbus' life and legacy
• The Coordination of Lawsuits across the country that have resulted in several favorable court rulings to preserve Columbus Statues
• The initiation of a successful National Campaign that prompted the White House to issue an appropriate Columbus Day Proclamation in 2022 and 2023
• The promotion of an inclusive Italian Heritage Curriculum in grades K-12 throughout our country to ensure our culture is taught in our schools
• A National Meeting of Delegates In NYC and a reception with the Consul General of Italy to coordinate mutual goals
• A Meeting with the Vatican Secretary of State, and a Private Audience with Pope Francis, to discuss the significant role the Catholic Church has played in our heritage
• A Historic Trip to Rome to meet with prominent Italian Government Officials to develop stronger cultural and commercial ties
• A Private Reception at the home of the Italian Ambassador in Washington, D.C., to establish a more productive working relationship
Judge Russo said, “Stay tuned for what’s coming next, as COPOMIAO leaders continue to elevate our culture and heritage across all generations.”
Editor’s Note: Pictured is Ron Onesti, president of JCCIA, and Basil M. Russo, president of COPOMIAO, having dinner with members of JCCIA. The web site for JCCIA is https://www.jccia.com/. The web site for COPOMIAO is https://copomiao.org/
THE WEST IS WON
Italian American Runners Excel in West Coast Championships
Matt Strangio and Robert Di Donato Rush Ahead
By Silvio Laccetti, Ph.D.
It is rare to see Italian Americans achieve high marks in the sport of Cross Country. But this year is a memorable exception. Our greater community has two high achieving stars, Matt Strangio and Robert Di Donato.
Strangio is a student at the University of Portland and is a resident of Folsom, California, just a short distance outside Sacramento. In high school, he was a three-time All-American and a four-time state champion. In 2023, he got off to a slow start, having been laid up with a serious flu at the beginning of the season. But he battled back from disappointing performances, all the way to becoming the 10k champion of the West Coast Conference. He followed that up with a silver medal in the NCAA West regionals, finishing behind the reigning national 10k champion from Stanford. He won All-Regional All-Star honors in arguably one of the toughest NCAA regionals.
In the final NCAA championship, he finished in the top third of all competitors.
Robert Di Donato is a sophomore at Stanford University, where he was named last year as the top freshman cross country runner in the PAC 12 conference. This year, he came on strong in the conference championships and finished in seventh place in the NCAA Western regionals, earning similar honors to Strangio's. He continued his strong performance in the championship race, finishing 49th in the country, just nine places below All-American ranking.
Both Matt and Robert will be competing next year in both the indoor and outdoor track when we can expect even stronger performances from them.
Editor’s Note: The author, a retired history professor at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey, is founder and principal of the Laccetti Foundation. Pictured is Matt Stragio, cross-country runner at Portland State University. 11-22-23
Urgent Notice 11-13-23
COLUMBUS DAY AT RISK IN THE U.S. SENATE
Call Your Senator Today to Tell Him to Keep Columbus Day
- Italian Americans in Pennsylvania are Urged by PRIMO Not to Reelect Senator Bob Casey (D)
By Andre DiMino
President of the Italian American One Voice Coalition
We have just been advised about a bill that was introduced in the Senate to eliminate the Columbus Day Federal holiday and instead have that be a Federal Holiday for Indigenous People. This requires immediate action from everyone!
Here is a brief excerpt from a lengthy email sent by Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) with his endorsement of this new bill:
"On September 28, 2023, Senator Martin Heinrich of New Mexico introduced S. 2970, the Indigenous Peoples' Day Act. This legislation would designate the official holiday recognized on the second Monday of October as Indigenous Peoples' Day, celebrating the rich, vibrant, and diverse cultures of Indigenous communities that have long been overlooked throughout our Nation's history."
Please contact your U.S. senators immediately for them to oppose this bill. Italian Americans are a recognized group under the 14th Amendment and this is discrimination; favoring one group over another. We have nothing against Indigenous People - but they already have International Indigenous Peoples Day, as declared by the United Nations, for August 9. So, don't take away our holiday - recognize 8/9 for IPD.
Please remember what the late Dr. Manny Alfano founder of the Italian American One Voice Coalition, always said - "If we say nothing and do nothing, we will surely become nothing!" We must now ALL say something AND do something - or we will lose our federal holiday!
Let us forge ahead in defense of our great heritage!
HERE IS HOW YOU CAN CONTACT YOUR SENATOR TO KEEP COLUMBUS DAY
You can contact your U.S. senator’s office directly, according to information in the JPEG image, below. Call the first six digits, 202-22…followed by the listed phone number of your specific senator. For example, Senator Mike Lee’s phone number is 202-224-5444.
A constituent may also call the United States Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121. An operator will connect you directly to the Senate office you request.
Please remember who has endorsed the pending bill to eliminate Columbus Day: Senator Bob Casey! He is now up for reelection in 2024. If you live in Pennsylvania, please do not vote for Casey for reelection.
“My comrade-in-arms.”
A TRIBUTE TO DR. VINCENZO MILIONE
- Chief Researcher at the Calandra Institute in New York, Who Pioneered Demographic Studies of Italian Americans; an Advocate for Italian Americans
- They Called Him Enzo; A CUNY Legend Passes
By Maria Fosco
In receiving the news that my colleague and good friend, Vincenzo Milione, had passed away, I found myself deeply saddened. Enzo, as we called him, was hired by the John D Calandra Italian American Institute, City University of New York, in 1987. This was a year after I started working there. I was the first person to meet him and we instantly bonded over our Italian heritage and similar immigration history. His family emigrated from Sicily at the same time my family emigrated from Abruzzo. We walked the same paths with tremendous love for our Italian culture and heritage.
Enzo was unique. He was very intelligent and highly educated. As I recall, he received his Ph.D. at the age of 25. What I loved about him was that, as educated as he was, he deeply understood the trials and tribulations of immigrants. We both had a love for economic geography and often discussed theories and principles of current situations. His doctoral dissertation on public transportation was based on the struggles his parents had when they arrived in this country and had to navigate the complex system of buses and trains in New York. His degrees were in physics and civil engineering, but his love was for the socio-economic development of Italian Americans.
Enzo was the director of research and education at Calandra. He understood the complicated lives of Italian immigrant communities. He had a unique perspective on their plight. He navigated through their social and educational needs. He gathered statistics on the dropout rate of Italian Americans in New York City high schools and the hiring and inclusion of Italian Americans at City University of New York (CUNY). He developed a keen sense in studying the demographics of the faculty, staff and students. He became a socio engineering researcher in the field of Italian American studies, a title no one had before or after him.
Enzo was unique in his thoughts and theories. He was passionate about his work. For him, it was all about justice. He developed a fierce advocacy for the rights of Italian Americans. He gave a voice to those who felt lost. Although our careers paralleled while we were both at the university; in 1992, they became intertwined. That year, CUNY made the decision to dismantle the Calandra Institute, which resulted in the Federal Civil Rights Case, Scelsa v. CUNY No.92 Civ 6690 (CBM). Enzo’s statistics were the heart of the case. My role was more anecdotal. Nevertheless, we both found ourselves in the witness room, waiting to give testimony. We knew much of the case depended on what we had to say. Our years as colleagues became one of mutual support to face this trying experience. From then on, we looked out for each other. We developed a deep bond that only comrades in arms develop. We knew what it was like to be in the trenches.
Enzo and I worked well together. We often had philosophical talks. We rehashed our roles to get done what was needed for the future of Italian Americans at CUNY. Enzo became an advisor to me and I gave him the emotional support to continue his work. As the years passed, we became old friends. Always blunt with each other, we developed a sibling relationship.
Enzo and I were together during the 9/11 attacks. I will always remember that day. We were desperately trying to get instructions from the administration. Enzo was in his office, next to mine. I went to him to devise a plan to get the staff out of the office and on their way home. I recall, I had just returned from speaking to the police outside when Enzo met me in the office. He told me the first tower had collapsed. We both just stared at each other with a look of dread. We needed to get everyone out. Little by little, we sent the staff home. I begged Enzo to please leave. He refused. He was not going to leave me alone in the office. As soon as the staff left, he said to me, “Are you ready?”
I vividly remember standing in the building lobby with Enzo where we watched the chaos in the streets. We both looked at each other and took a deep breath. We stepped outside and started heading north. We had to get to the 59th Street bridge. We walked at a swift pace. I tried to keep up. It was complete havoc. Everyone was trying to cross the bridge on foot. I remember him saying, “Come on, Maria, let’s keep moving.” Midway across the bridge, we watched the destruction of the World Trade Center. He said to me, “I want to take a picture of you here so that we both remember this moment.” It’s not exactly what I wanted to do, but he pulled out a small camera and took a shot. It took us two hours to get from the office on 43rd Street to the Queens side of the bridge. When we arrived at Queensborough Plaza, it was time to separate. He was headed to Maspeth and I was going to Astoria. He asked if I was OK and if I could handle getting home alone. I said I was fine, but he had a longer way to go. We hugged each other and promised to call one another as soon as we got home. He was definitely my comrade-in-arms for a second time.
In 2007, when the new administration arrived at the Calandra Institute and summarily demoted him (not by their definition), I was beyond livid. This was a man who made history in the Scelsa v CUNY case. I called him during the Christmas break in 2007 and told him to fight it. I would help at all costs. I was already removed from Calandra by the administration, but he stubbornly decided to stay. He paid the price and spent the next 15 years fighting to keep the integrity of his work relevant and his legacy alive. It was frustrating and sad to witness. I occasionally got on the phone with him. He told me to get back into the fight. He was strategizing and planning my next step. But I was tired. He still had the fight in him.
I recall hearing he developed lung cancer while I cared for my mother who was in palliative care. Fighting the CUNY system not only takes an emotional toll on a person but a physical toll as well. No matter what, he stuck it out. In my own role at CUNY, away from Calandra, I continued to speak to him to get updates on the statistics of Italian Americans at the university.
My last conversation with Enzo was when he called me while I was going through my own cancer treatment. It was around Christmas time. He told me to have hope and not to worry. He had been diagnosed with lung cancer for some time, he said, but was still up and running. I appreciated the call and was happy that he reached out to me.
Enzo was a man of integrity, honor and righteousness that few can claim. He was a quiet man who spoke little but made his words count. He was as stubborn as he was kind. He now rests in peace. May he protect all who loved him.
Editor’s Note: The writer is the co-founder and vice president of the Italian American Museum in New York. From 1986-2008, she was the director of administration at the Calandra Italian American Institute. Our condolences are extended to the surviving family and friends of Dr. Vincenzo Milione.
Op-ed
DON’T FORGET THE ARMENIANS
The Recent Horrific Killings of Israelis in Gaza by Palestinian Terrorists Was Preceded by the Slaughter of Armenians in Azerbaijan
- Italian Americans Must Support Those of Mediterranean and Southwest Asian Descent Who Face Persecution
By Christopher Binetti, Ph.D.
Italian Americans are alone in America.
Columbus Day is severely threatened in Massachusetts, at the state level, and in New Jersey, New York and elsewhere, at local levels. We are an increasingly despised ethnic minority with a serious need for more political power and social activism. We must speak out, advocate and demonstrate.
This Columbus Day Weekend, the horrific events unfolded in Israel. To be clear, Hamas and Islamic Jihad own all responsibility. Israel has no blame for these attacks. They have every right to self defense. I was stunned both by the barbarity of Hamas and also the lack of global support for Israel. Russia, in particular, has allied with the anti-Israeli forces in the world.
Israel is shaken by these attacks. Jews, all over the world, are terrified and outraged.
However, within the last month, the ethnic Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh in Azerbaijan were ethnically-cleansed by the Azerbaijani government and army.
And the world said nothing.
Once again, Russia sided with the aggressor, Azerbaijan. However, under Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Italy helped Azerbaijan, both politically and economically. Israel gave weapons to Azerbaijan. No one has clean hands in Nagorno-Karabakh; however, Russia and Turkey seem to have been the main backers of this final offensive to send 100,000 Armenian refugees out of their homeland.
Israel should reverse course and support Armenia. We should urge Meloni and Italy to do the same (this seems to be happening to some degree, already). If the Armenians were Muslims, they would not have been ethnically-cleansed. The United States would not have allowed it and Turkey would not have pushed so hard for it to happen. If Azerbaijan were a Christian or Jewish country, the world would be condemning the attacks. Instead, mouch of the world, including the United States, remains quiet.
Those supporting Palestine’s right to exist and “right of return” are among the most fervent deniers of Armenians’ right to autonomy within Azerbaijan. The utter hypocrisy of the Muslim world on Palestine is thus revealed.
Italians have few allies in America. However, we could align with other ethnic groups, such as Israelis and Armenians.
The oppression of Israel by Muslims (including Arabs) is totally ignored. Instead, Israelis, in particular, and Jews, in general, are blamed for the political radicalism and violence of the Middle East. Arab and Muslim rule were emphasized by many people I spoke with in Jordan, when I visited that country this past May. Israel is seen as an existential threat because the country is free of Arab and Muslim control. I heard Jordanians say things like, “Jews and Christians can stay, as long as they are under Arab (and Muslim) rule.” Such thinking has led the Maronites to be persecuted in Lebanon, where they are forcibly being, “Arabized.” Look at Iraq where Christians and Kurds are denied full freedom. The current conflict in Israel has nothing to do with land conquered in 1967. Rather, Palestinians, and the Arab and Islamic countries who support them, want to go back to 1948, when the land was under full Arab-Muslim rule.
Let us be clear, every group is capable of doing evil things. Christians and Jews are no better or worse than Muslims or atheists or any other group. We are all flawed. Islam is also a wonderful religion and Arab culture is amazing. However, right now, Arab and Muslim aggressors are being treated as victims when they victimize Christian and Jewish people. The global left, my side of the political spectrum, is largely responsible for this. Take, for example, Lisa McCormick, a far leftist from New Jersey. She described as a “Crusade” a bill in the Senate, co-sponsored by Senator Bob Melendez, to provide protections to Armenians in Azerbaijan. She was clear that to kill or drive out Christians was not something of concern for her and her ilk. She, either, doesn’t realize or doesn’t care that Armenians could face full genocide by the Turks and Azerbaijanis within the year.
Getting Americans to care about the Armenians is hard, because like Italians and most Jews, they are classified in the Office of Management and Budget’s proposed ethnic/racial scheme as “white” or “European.” Armenia is not in Europe. The country lies in Western Asia. Armenians are not unlike Italians and other Americans of Mediterranean descent. They are not white. They are under attack in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Italians can only exist as a free people, here, and in Italy, if we align ourselves with oppressed people from countries, not dissimilar to our own. We must unite with all Mediterranean people and those, from Western Asia, who are being killed and driven out of their homes. Armenians face political isolation globally as we Italian Americans do nationally. The international press ignores them as the national press ignores us. Their heritage is to be expunged in Azerbaijan as ours is to be in America. Meanwhile, Israel, a brave Mediterranean country is at war for its very survival. We must support Israel 100 percent, but we must not forget about the Armenians, either.
Dr. Christopher Binetti is a professor of Political Science and History and an Italian American civil rights activist. He can be reached at 732-549-2635 and 732-887-3914 and cbinetti@terpmail.umd.edu. The views expressed in this essay are the author’s and may not reflect those of the publisher and staff of PRIMO.
MARCO POLO AND CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS
Two Great Italian Explorers Unfairly Maligned Today
- Some Scholars Doubt Polo Reached China
- Some Scholars Accuse Columbus of Terrible Crimes
I believe these accusations and reactions to be unjustified.
By Michael J. Ranieri
Marco Polo’s epic journey to China and the four voyages of Christopher Columbus to the Caribbean and Central and South America constitute two of the greatest adventure stories in world history. These trailblazers endured unimaginable hardships and risked their lives in pursuit of the vast riches of the East. They were not however, purely driven by gold and spices. Spreading the Christian faith was an important, though generally less recognized, motivation for their arduous quests. And at various times during their lifetimes and even today these transcendent explorers have been misunderstood and maligned.
During Marco Polo’s lifetime, he was called an imposter, liar and deceiver. Despite all evidence to the contrary, there are historians, today, who insist he never traveled to China. Christopher Columbus was also treated harshly in his day. He was accused of being a cruel and unfit administrator and, for this, he was arrested, imprisoned and sent back to Spain in chains. He was later exonerated for these “crimes”, but his name and reputation never quite recovered during his lifetime. Revisionists today also accuse him of crimes for which he was not even present.
In the late 13th century, Marco Polo at the age of 17, left the comfortable surroundings of his native Venice where his family operated a prosperous trading business. Along with his father, Niccolo, and uncle, Maffeo, he traveled 5,600 miles along the dangerous Silk Road (a network of trade routes that linked East and West) for over three years until he reached the summer place of Kublai Khan in Shangdu (Xandu in modern day Inner Mongolia).
The trip was rife with hardships. The Venetian trio journeyed on horseback, camel and donkey over and through mountain passes, inhospitable deserts and rough terrain where food was often scarce or spoiled. They dealt with insects, poisonous snakes and harsh climate conditions ranging from the bitterly cold to searing desert heat. In addition, they withstood the life-threatening dangers of traveling through lands plagued by bandits. Conditions were so difficult that Marco fell seriously ill and spent an extended time in what is today Northern Afghanistan.
Marco didn’t embark on this trip naively. He knew its perils because his father and uncle had both been on the Silk Road before him, visiting the court of Kublai Khan in 1266. The main reason he went on this journey was to become a successful businessman and return with riches to Venice.
As accomplished traders who traveled extensively and spoke several languages, Marco, his father, and uncle employed their background and skills to amass a fortune working in the Mongol administration. Marco also worked as a tax collector, assessor and traveled around China and neighboring countries as a personal emissary or ambassador for the Khan, perhaps the richest and most powerful man in the world at that time (and arguably for several centuries to come).
The Polos risked their lives in their quest for gold, pearls, gems, spices, carpets and silk and they would return to Venice with enough riches to live comfortably for the rest of their lives.
The religious purpose for their travels was to convert Kublai Khan, the most powerful ruler in the known world, to Christianity. What made the Polos think that this was possible?
Kublai Khan was an ecumenical ruler who was open to learning about different religions. Upon hearing tales of the miraculous healing powers of oil from the Holy Sepulcher, thought to be the site of the crucifixion, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ in Jerusalem, Khan asked Niccolo and Maffeo to return to China with a vial. At the Khan’s request, the Polos also agreed to petition the Pope for 100 priests be sent from China to teach his subjects about Christianity.
Only two priests journeyed with the Polos to the Mongol capital. More accustomed to the comforts of church life, both turned back soon after confronting the harshness of the Silk Road. “If the Pope had sent out persons duly qualified to preach the gospel, the Great Khan would have embraced Christianity, for which, it is certainly known, he had a strong predilection,” claimed Marco.
Marco was the only of the Polo clan who wrote about the journey to China. “Travels of Marco Polo” became one of the world’s most popular and best-selling travel books of all time. Marco was not the first from Europe to visit China, but it was his book which opened up a whole new world to the West. Marco’s chronicles introduced Medieval Europe to a “merchant’s paradise” filled with powerful emperors, vibrant, exotic cities, huge armies, unusual spices and cuisine, and imperial treasures. Marco’s greatest legacy, however, is that by providing new, detailed information about cities, towns, and rivers in China and along the Silk Road, he inspired countless European merchants to find a more direct route to the riches of the East.
One such explorer, who hailed from Genoa, was Christopher Columbus. There is no doubt Marco Polo inspired Columbus. Columbus read the Polo memoirs and brought it with him (along with the Bible) on his voyages to the New World. He wrote notes in the margins of the book and took particular interest in Polo’s descriptions about the location of gold, spices, pearls and precious gems. Next to a passage in which Polo wrote that Cipangu (Japan) had “gold in the greatest abundance, its sources being inexhaustible,” Columbus wrote “copious gold.” He also paid particular attention to the cash crops like pepper, cinnamon, and cloves mentioned by Polo and dreamed of importing them to Europe at a great profit.
Marco Polo and Christopher Columbus had the same primary motivation: they both wanted to strike it rich. Unlike Polo, however, Columbus didn’t merely want to amass wealth for himself or his family. Columbus wanted to find enough gold and spices in India (which was synonymous with Asia, including China, during Columbus’ time) so that the Spanish sovereigns (Ferdinand and Isabella) who sponsored his voyages, could eventually finance a crusade to - in his words - “conquer the Holy Sepulcher; for thus I urged Your Highnesses to spend all the profits of this enterprise on the conquest of Jerusalem.”
Columbus hoped to obtain these “profits” by taking a western route from Spain straight to Asia instead of sailing south around Africa then east to Asia like other European explorers. With vast quantities of gold, the Spanish sovereigns could fund a new crusade to take back Jerusalem from the Muslims. Columbus, a pious Catholic, thought it was his destiny to help convert the world to Christianity.
No new crusade was ever undertaken, but Columbus was motivated by religious fervor and never stopped his own “missionary” efforts. He propagated Christianity throughout his life: He told the natives when he first arrived in Hispaniola in 1493, “The monarchs of Castile have sent us not to subjugate you but to teach you the true religion.” He petitioned Pope Alexander VI in 1502 to send missionaries to the Indigenous peoples of the New World so they could accept Christ. Even in his will, he established a fund to finance missionary efforts in the lands he discovered.
While Columbus never did reach India, nor found vast quantities of gold and spices to make another crusade possible, because of his indomitable will and perseverance, he did introduce to Europe new lands, and a new continent. Columbus was the first European to explore the Caribbean and Central America, including Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama and Venezuela in South America.
Like Marco Polo, Columbus had to endure a great deal. He overcame hurricanes, shipwrecks, mutinies, political coups, battles, sickness of all types and perhaps worst of all, Spaniards, who simply never liked working for not only an Italian foreigner, but a lowly commoner.
It took courage to sail four times across the Atlantic (1492-1504) on small, cramped wooden ships with no modern nautical instruments and with dry, maggot-filled food. But Columbus was a very capable mariner, expert at dead-reckoning navigation, who was able to prove to his sponsors that crossing the Atlantic was possible. Even before Columbus set sail, he was mocked by the Council of the Spanish Sovereigns who rejected his proposal three times. They doubted one could sail safely from Europe across the Atlantic to the other side - India. It took eight years and intense lobbying in Portugal, England, France, and his native Genoa before Columbus was able to convince the Spanish monarchy to finance his voyage in 1492.
Columbus proved to be a persistent, courageous and intrepid explorer – the first European since the Vikings to reach the Western Hemisphere (but the Vikings never made an impact or difference historically) and his accomplishments have been celebrated ever since.
When 19th century Americans left their homes to look for a new way of life in the West, they honored Columbus’ boldness and heroism by naming scores of cities, counties and institutions after him. 23 of our 50 United States have a town or city named after Columbus and 29 States have one named Columbia (a poetic version of the name).
Despite his historical achievements, Columbus is often criticized, today, for atrocities during his attempts to reach the Indies. He has been accused of being a racist, rapist, slaver, maimer, murderer, and agent of genocide. To indigenous rights advocates, he has become the personification of all that is wrong with colonialism.
I believe these accusations and reactions to be unjustified. While it may be fair to label Columbus as a poor and ineffective administrator of land and people under his supervision, a thorough reading of primary source materials yield scant evidence that Columbus ordered, supported or committed atrocities such as genocide and rape by his own hand. As such, Columbus’ failings and the despicable actions of other Europeans who came after his voyages and his time as Governor in the New World should not overshadow his accomplishments.
Many atrocities attributed to Columbus occurred when he was not even present. For example, Columbus was at sea when his men disobeyed his order to treat the indigenous people well and respect the women of La Navidad, a settlement on the northeast coast of what is today, Haiti. Instead, his men went on a rampage, seized gold and other goods and took advantage of the local women. In addition, there are revisionists who blame Columbus for atrocities that were committed not by him but by one of his successors, Nicolas de Ovando, who was Governor of the Indies from 1501 to 1509.
Marco Polo has also not been immune to criticism, especially in his own lifetime when he was ridiculed. His detractors have questioned whether he in fact visited China. They claim that he was an imposter and would ask: How could Marco Polo spend 21 years in the East and never mention the written Chinese character, the widespread use of chopsticks, tea, the practice of foot-binding, or the Great Wall? He has also been accused of exaggerating or telling tall tales. For this reason, the Travels of Marco Polo is known as Il Milione in the Italian language. Scholars speculate that milione was Marco’s nickname because of his propensity to often use the word “millions” when describing all forms of revenue.
It is true that many stories in the Polo book are based on hearsay and some are fabricated. However, most historians believe that the Polos did reach China and Marco’s book was unquestionably valuable to future generations of explorers.
In the pursuit of money and a desire to spread Christianity when the world was polarized by different faiths (particularly Christianity and Islam) these pioneers, despite the hardships and risks involved, remained deeply committed to achieving their goals. And in doing so, Polo linked the West with the East - inspiring merchants and missionaries to follow his example and travel to China, and Columbus linked Europe with a new continent - discovering people and lands Europe did not know existed while planting the seed of commerce and the Christian faith wherever he traveled.
Editor’s Note: The writer lives in Florida. This article was posted on October 10, 2023.
Basil M. Russo Goes to Washington
FIRST-EVER EVENT TO HONOR ITALIAN AMERICANS TO BE HELD AT THE WHITE HOUSE
- Dr. Jill Biden, First Italian American First Lady Will Host Historic Gathering on October 12
- U.S. Capitol Sees “Potentially Dangerous,” a Documentary about the Mistreatment of Italian Americans in WWII
- Judge Russo Will Lead an Effort to Win an Apology from U.S. Government for Mistreatment of Italian Americans in WWII
By Truby Chiaviello
All roads lead to Washington.
That’s the message heard loud and clear from a week of special activity by Judge Basil M. Russo in the nation’s capital.
As the president of the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations (COPOMIAO), Judge Russo garnered major victories for Italian Americans at both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue.
The White House and U.S. Capitol are on board to celebrate Italian American Heritage Month this year.
First up, The White House.
The big announcement came yesterday, on October 3rd. A special Italian delegation has been invited to the White House to meet with Dr. Jill Biden, our country’s first Italian American First Lady.
The wife of President Joe Biden will, on Thursday, October 12th, host the first-ever event celebrating Italian American Heritage Month at the White House.
It was this past July when Judge Russo, on behalf of COPOMIAO, wrote Dr. Biden about the possibility of an event to honor Italian Americans.
On September 25th, the First Lady agreed to graciously invite a large delegation of COPOMIAO leaders to the president’s official residence.
Judge Russo sees this a precedent-setting moment. He says, “This is the first time in history that the White House has ever hosted an event celebrating Italian American Heritage Month.”
The opportunity arose, in part, from Dr. Biden’s Italian lineage. Her paternal grandfather emigrated from Sicily.
“We are extremely grateful to the First Lady for creating this wonderful event that will allow us to focus national attention on the many exceptional contributions Italian Americans have made to our great country,” says Judge Russo.
The U.S. Capitol was quick to follow the First Lady’s lead, but, in different context.
On September 28th, an event was convened to kick off the start of Italian American Heritage Month inside the U.S. Capitol. In attendance was Judge Russo, Michael Polo, new president of the Order Sons and Daughters of Italy of America, Representative Bill Pascrel and fellow members of the Italian American Congressional Caucus.
The purpose of the gathering was to view the award-winning documentary, “Potentially Dangerous.”
Here is a film funded by the Russo Brothers Italian American Film Forum, an organization founded in 2017, named for Joe and Anthony Russo, sons of Judge Russo, whose AGBO studio produces some of Hollywood’s top films, today. There have been 48 filmmakers who have, thus far, received grants, to total $400,000, from the Russo Brothers. Filmmakers are to depict the Italian American experience in a positive way in order to receive funding. Several productions have appeared in prominent film festivals in both the United States and Italy. “Potentially Dangerous” was the winner of the 2021 Russo Brothers Film Forum competition. AGBO and the Italian Sons & Daughters of America are current sponsors of the film.
“Potentially Dangerous” conveys the sad saga of some 600,000 Italians in the United States, who, by virtue of their ethnicity, were considered enemies of the state. They were closely watched by the FBI, only to have their homes and livelihoods taken away from them while over 1 million of their sons fought and died in World War II.
“Infamously, Joe DiMaggio’s father, a fisherman living in California, was forced to hand over his boat to the U.S. government,” says Judge Russo.
“Potentially Dangerous” was shown to members of the U.S. Congress by the Italian American Congressional Caucus. In his capacity as president of both COPOMIAO and the Italian Sons & Daughters of America, Judge Russo addressed the gathering. He spoke of the need to remember this sad chapter in American history. He was joined by Zach Baliva, the creator and director of the film.
“The tragic irony of this situation,” said Judge Russo, “is that while hundreds of thousands of Italian immigrants were being subjected to curfews, property confiscation, loss of their homes and jobs, and confinement in internment camps in the U.S., 1.2 million of their sons were fighting and dying overseas in World War II.”
Judge Russo now leads an effort to obtain a formal apology from the U.S. government for the mistreatment of 600,000 Italian Americans in World War II.
Italian American Heritage Month is to be one of historic making activity this year as Judge Russo and others move for greater social equality and political parity for all Italian Americans.
FIGHT TO SAVE COLUMBUS HEATS UP
Battlefronts Open to Preserve Columbus Day and Columbus Monument
- Rochester, We Must Reinstate Columbus Day
- Massachusetts, We Must Defeat Two Bills That Seek to Change Columbus to Indigenous Peoples Day
- Syracuse, We Support the Columbus Monument Corporation in Their Legal Appeal to Save The Columbus Monument in Columbus Circle
- Mount Vernon, NY, We Support the Pushback Against Changing Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day
By Truby Chiaviello
Never mind the heat and humidity, August was an eventful month for Columbus haters.
They were active in New York and Massachusetts. They tried to move the proverbial ball forward to eliminate Columbus Day and a Columbus Monument.
Italian Americans, however, were there to stop them.
We are fortunate to have activists on our side who were not caught off guard by the summertime assaults. They and their respective teams monitored events in the courts and in the legislatures to fight back at a moment’s notice.
We applaud the efforts of the Italian American One Voice Coalition, the Italian American Alliance, the Columbus Monument Corporation and the Columbus Heritage Coalition.
What happened in August is to be countered in September and October. Here are summaries of the latest battlefronts in Rochester, New York, Massachusetts, Syracuse, New York and Mount Vernon, New York.
Reinstate Columbus Day in Rochester, New York
“Our brothers and sisters in Rochester, New York, are requesting assistance,” says Andre DiMino, president of the Italian American One Voice Coalition (IAOVC).
A rally is scheduled for city hall at High Noon on October 6th. All Italian Americans are urged to come together to support the return of Columbus Day in Rochester.
Previously, the city council, there, had voted to change Columbus Day to Indigenous People’s Day.
“While we absolutely support the recognition of the contributions and history of indigenous peoples,” says Mr. DiMino, “we believe that this change discriminates against Italian Americans by choosing one ethnic holiday over the other.”
“We believe that Rochester can honor both perspectives by designating a separate day for Indigenous Peoples’ Day on August 9th, in line with International Indigenous Peoples’ Day, already recognized by the United Nations.”
Both ethnic groups should be duly celebrated in the city of Rochester, to “foster inclusivity and diversity within our community without pitting one group against another,” says Mr. DiMino.
IAOVC encourages all Italian Americans, throughout the country, to get involved to restore Columbus Day in Rochester.
Mr. DiMino says, “Your voice matters in this conversation, and we encourage you to take action today by contacting Mayor Malik Evans, his administration, and the Rochester City Council to express your concerns, educate them about Columbus Day and request the reinstatement of Columbus Day on the city's calendar.”
All Italian Americans are asked to contact the following elected officials to request the reinstatement of Columbus Day in Rochester, New York.
The Italian American Alliance leads the battle to save Columbus Day in Massachusetts.
The Massachusetts state legislature is the setting. There, the Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight will consider two bills to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day as a Massachusetts state holiday.
House Bill, H2989 is sponsored by Rep. Christine Barber (D), Somerville and the Senate Bill, S1976, is sponsored by Sen. Joanne Comerford (D), Northampton.
A hearing is scheduled on October 3rd, at the state house, on the prospect of changing the holiday. The exact time and location will be announced a week prior the date of the hearing.
Tommy Damigella, chairman of the strategic planning committee of the Italian American Alliance, says, “There will be two opportunities to help in our effort to stop these bills: You can sign up to give live testimony at the hearing. You can submit written testimony to the committee.”
Subject: Bill H2989/S1976 To replace Columbus Day with IPD
Dear Committee Members,
I am writing to you regarding the pending bills to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day as a State Holiday.
I believe Italian-Americans should be recognized and respected by not taking Columbus Day away from them as a State Holiday. No other group is expected to have their day merged with another group’s. It is disrespectful both to Italian Americans as well as the Native American communities. It is not only important to Italian Americans, but has also been a proud part of America history and tradition.
There has been much misinformation circulating in the past few decades regarding the history of Christopher Columbus, and in a misguided effort to be inclusive and sensitive to all cultures, this bill produces the opposite effect - it foments exclusion and resentment, especially among Italian-Americans, who have struggled for decades to be accepted into the American national life.
I urge you to not support this Bill and keep Columbus Day as is. I also suggest that the day after Thanksgiving be recognized as Native American Heritage Day and that the entire month of November be Native American Heritage Month as already declared by proclamation by the Federal Government. There is also the option of recognizing August 9th which is already designated by the United Nations since 1999 as Indigenous Peoples Day. Both groups deserve to preserve and protect their cultural heritage and it isn’t fair to take away one people’s holiday and replace it with another, especially when there are other available days appropriate for celebration.
Very Respectfully,
(YOUR NAME)
Let’s Win in Syracuse
A victory in the first phase of the lawsuit was followed by a defeat in the second. Now comes the third opportunity in the courts.
In August, the appellate court ruled against the Columbus Monument Corporation in their lawsuit to save Syracuse’s Columbus Monument. One justice mused that since the statue had not been removed, yet, the legal challenge to Mayor Ben Walsh’s promise to do so was…premature. In other words, we have to wait and see the chains around the edifice with construction workers at the ready before a valid challenge can be made.
A statement by the Columbus Monument Corporation read: “We don’t agree with the court, and are asking them to reconsider this decision based upon the facts. If that fails, we will bring it to the Court of Appeals. And if that fails, we will start all over, and file the lawsuit again.”
“Since Mayor Walsh won’t meet with us, this all-volunteer group stands ready to continue the fight as he attempts to destroy one of Syracuse’s most important historical landmarks, and erase the heritage of Onondaga County’s European immigrants.”
The Columbus Monument Corporation has organized a public rally scheduled for Saturday, October 7th at 9:45 a.m. The gathering is to be held at the Columbus Monument at Columbus Circle in Syracuse. A press conference will be held after the rally. All Italian Americans are invited to participate at the rally and to stay engaged by visiting the organization’s web site at https://columbusmonumentsyracuse.com
Keep Up The Pressure in Mount Vernon, New York
A move , there, by city council to change Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day backfired in August in Mount Vernon.
According to Angelo Vivolo, president of the Columbus Heritage Coalition, “Members of the community reacted quickly to the ill-advised resolution, causing the council to postpone a vote. This hurtful and discriminatory proposal will likely return when the council reconvenes.”
Mr. Vivolo asks all Italian Americans to “send a message to the council to stop dividing communities and instead dedicate a separate, special holiday to honor the indigenous.”
Mr. Vivolo penned a letter to the Mount Vernon city council to read:
To the Honorable City Council Members of Mt. Vernon, N.Y.:
On behalf of Italian Americans of Mt. Vernon and all its residents of good will, I urge the distinguished members of the City Council to reject divisive and hurtful legislation that would abolish Columbus Day and instead put forth a measure that separately and rightfully celebrates the culture and contributions of indigenous peoples.
In short, we ask that you stand with us to stop the hate and seek the truth. Make no mistake, we totally support the concept of a separate Indigenous People Day, but not at the expense of offending other cultures, religions, or ethnicities. To offend even one culture is an offense to all.
Italian Americans comprise the second largest population in Mt. Vernon, and we are united with many members of the Latino community, including the Spanish and the Portuguese descendants who celebrate their ancestors, their language, culture and traditions drawn from a human migration that Christopher Columbus began five centuries ago.
The woke mob's invidious crusade against the fundamental tenets of Western Civilization rests upon the hollow foundation of selective observation, poorly evidenced, empty of context, clarity and meaning. Columbus is merely their chosen target. But in maligning Columbus, they reject and outright deny his exceptional achievements. Columbus was the first to discover a sustainable wind-powered, trans-Atlantic route and return to Europe with proof of a new world. He introduced the wheel for widespread use. He adopted an indigenous boy into his family as his own son. Slavery pre-existed for centuries throughout the western hemisphere prior to his arrival. Columbus himself never owned slaves nor could he have known or prevented the exchange of contagious diseases on both continents resulting from the first contact.
Columbus the explorer completed four recorded voyages across the Atlantic, showing great courage, determination, and skill. Today, his legacy endures with every migrant who seeks opportunity and a better life.
We ask that you rightfully and properly recognize the native cultures with a day of their own and support all those who strive to celebrate in a spirit of unity epitomized by the inscription chiseled into the pedestal of the Columbus Circle landmark: “To the World, He Gave a World.”
Primo Review
“SUBURRA”
A Cinematic Rarity is Now Available in DVD and Blu-Ray
- The film, to inspire the Netflix TV series, of the same title, was an obscurity…until now
- Niche distributor, Unearthed Films, has copies ready for sale
By Truby Chiaviello
You’re wrong to think the suburbs was exclusively an American phenomena.
Actually, Italy is where the first suburbs began.
Credit Cicero for the concept.
In first century B.C., the great statesman came up with the word to describe a new class of patricians who lived at the outskirts of the capital city. They were “suburra,” he said, meaning “underneath the city.”
Hence, the film by Stefano Sollima, from 2015, is aptly titled. “Suburra,” is a present-day neo-noir saga of corrupt politicians, greedy priests and brutal gangsters, with their eyes on the prize, the suburbs of Rome, or, more specifically, Ostia.
The plot centers on a new law to be passed in the Italian parliament to allow for the development of resorts and casinos in the seaside sprawl west of Rome. Ostia is to become the new Las Vegas.
“Suburra,” shares its name with the TV series on Netflix based on the film’s story and characters, yet stretched out over several years’ worth of episodes. Although critically acclaimed when released in 2015; the movie was, all but, impossible to view.
Until now, that is.
Unearthed Films, a distributor of horror and exploitation films, based in Los Angeles, has acquired the rights to distribute “Suburra.” According to Stephen Biro, president and CEO of Unearthed Films, “Suburra” posed some challenges to acquire because of the film’s relative obscurity, in contrast to the popularity of its spun-off TV series. Beginning on September 26th, however, copies of “Suburra,” the feature length film, will be available for purchase on Blue Ray and DVD at the Unearthed Films web site: www.unearthedfilms.com.
Fans of the TV series will cherish the film. Much of the action in “Suburra” is set in Rome, a city not normally associated with organized crime unlike Naples, Palermo and Coscenza. Only, within the last two decades, Rome has become a key destination for black market intrigue.
“Suburra” is based on the 2013 novel of the same title by Carlo Bonini and Giancarlo De Cataldo. Story and characters cover the exploits of Mafia Capitale, the name given by the Italian press to describe a class of professional criminals in Rome in 1999. A key character in the film is Valerio, a.k.a., “Samurai,” played by Claudio Amendola. He is representative of a new breed of Roman racketeers and enforcers, who got their start, not as petty criminals, but, rather, as neofascist operatives.
In the film, Samurai fronts as the owner of a gas station; yet, he serves as point man for Mafia clans in Naples and other cities in the South. With financial backing from the Vatican bank, he sets his sights to turn Ostia into Europe’s Sin City.
The scheme relies on a member of parliament, Filippo Malgradi, played by Pierfrancesco Favino, to head a committee to try and change the land development law. Meanwhile, a local thug, who goes by the acronym “Numero 8,” played by Alessandro Borghi, is hired by Samurai to beat up and torture small property owners to force them to sell at below market value.
After a workday ends in parliament, Malgradi, who, on the surface, a family man, with a wife and child, spends the night at a nearby hotel. His mistress, Sabrina, is there with her friend, a minor, waiting to takes drugs and have sex with him. From the balcony of the hotel room is a view of Saint Peter’s basilica, while, inside, the girl dies from an overdose. Fearing a scandal, Malgradi abandons Sabrina alone with the corpse. She contacts a young mafiosi, Spadino Anacleti, played by Giacomo Ferrara, to dispose of the body.
Knowing it was Malgradi who was with the women the night before, Spadino confronts the member of parliament to blackmail him. In response, Malgradi recruits a colleague with ties to the Mafia. He hires Numero 8 to scare Spadino away from the blackmailing scheme. Instead, Spadino is killed by Numero 8. This sets off a chain of brutal events. Spadino’s older brother is the local crime boss, Manfredi Anacleti, played by Adamo Dionisio. Word goes out to the street for information leading to the the identity of the killer. Another character, Sebastiano, played by Elio Germano, is a friend of Sabrina’s. From her, the assassin is revealed for Sebastiano to inform Manfredi with hopes to erase a debt his late father owed the mobster.
Such is the web weaved in “Suburra.” The vendetta by Manfredi is to undermine the project in Ostia. As a Mafia war ensues, alliances are formed to extract violence and treachery.
“Suburra” thrives on the interactions of nefarious characters, superbly played by the ensemble cast. The direction is tightly presented to highlight creative action and violent sequences. Lighting and styling conveys an ancient city in a dystopian aura of neon colors.
“Suburra” shares a notoriety first established by “Gomorrah,” the Italian TV series to depict Camorra crime families in Naples, as based on a film, of the same title, released in 2008. As most scenes are shot on location, “Suburra” will do for Rome, what “Gomorrah” did for Naples. Parts of the city, far away from tourist itineraries, are explored. Not just the seedy underbelly, the middle class and working class sections of Rome convey a dynamic city overlooked by most observers.
“Suburra” is an excellent display of Italian talent in front of and behind the camera. The story and characters grasp the attention of the audience from the first scene to the last. What transpires is mesmerizing and thrilling.
For those fascinated with Italy, not to mention excellent cinema, “Suburra” is a film for the ages.
Editor’s Note: You can purchase copies of “Suburra” by accessing the web site for Unearthed Films at www.unearthedfilms.com. Photographs by Emanuele Scarpa. This article was posted on 9/21/23.
ITALIANS OF NEW MEXICO
Wagon Trains Brought Italian Immigrants to the Wild West
- Significant Populations of Italian Americans Remain in the State, Today
- One of the worst mine explosions claimed the lives of 146 Italians in New Mexico
By Eric Bryan
Early Italian settlers in New Mexico Territory came primarily from Lucca in Northern Italy. In the 18th century, they joined wagon trains bound westward for California, but settled in New Mexico, either by choice or due to their circumstances. When the railroad arrived in the region in the late 19th century, the Italian population surged. The Italian immigrants were industrious merchants and entrepreneurs who established hotels, grocery stores and theaters. Their relatives in Italy made the same journey to share in the opportunities the territory offered.
Many Italians came to work on the railroad or in the mines, contributing significantly to the economy and growth of New Mexico. An explosion in a mine in Dawson on October 22, 1913, claimed the lives of 263 miners, leaving only 23 survivors. Of the number killed, 146 were Italian immigrants. The catastrophe was the second deadliest of the kind in U.S. history.
One of the top universities of America’s West is credited to Italians. Las Vegas College was established by exiled Italian Jesuits in 1877. Ten years later, the school moved to Denver to become Regis College and, then, Regis University. The institution remains a private co-educational Jesuit, Roman Catholic university.
Significant Italian communities can be found, today, in New Mexico, in Albuquerque, Farmington, Gallup, Raton, Rio Rancho and Santa Fe. Many new Italian immigrants in New Mexico work in engineering, medicine, research, or in the universities. Senator Pete Domenici (1932 – 2017) was the son of parents who came from Modena. He served in New Mexico’s legislative body for 36 years.
In 2007, Ronaldo Patrizio-Steiner inaugurated a four-day benefit event in Albuquerque celebrating Italian cinema in support of the University of New Mexico Children’s Hospital. The fiesta included a dozen movies and a buffet of Italian cuisine. Evolving into an annual fete named the New Mexico Italian Film & Culture Festival, it became the largest such gala in the state. Patrizio-Steiner subsequently founded Italian Festivals of New Mexico (IFNM), a nonprofit organization to administer the event. The group’s members are volunteers who work in support of children’s causes through the promotion of Italian heritage and culture in New Mexico. A yearly bocce tournament is also hosted by the organization.
Editor’s Note: Pictures include a recent interior photograph of M’tucci’s, an Italian deli in Albuquerque, a wagon train symbolic of the kind Italian and other settlers made westward, a black and white photograph of the main hall at Regis University, founded by Italian Jesuits in Las Vegas, New Mexico, and a photograph of the late Senator Pete Domenici. The article was posted 8-23-23.
8-10-23
BATTLE OF BEACON HILL
Melee in Massachusetts Begins Over Columbus Day
- Bills to Scrap Columbus Day for Indigenous Peoples Day Are Reintroduced
- A New Ballot Initiative Parallels The Proposed Legislation
- Italian Americans Get Ready to Rumble
By Truby Chiaviello
Italian Americans are called to mobilize.
It’s back to Massachusetts!
The effort to wipe out Columbus Day in that state failed last year thanks to the Italian American Alliance, along with COPOMIAO and Sons of Italy lodges.
Now, comes the rematch. Italian Americans are getting ready for a political battle. A two pronged effort is sought by Columbus haters. The first, in the legislature and, the second, by ballot initiative.
Two bills now pending in the Massachusetts House and Senate are H2989 and S1976.
The proposed laws to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day are currently before the Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight.
The House bill is sponsored by Rep. Christine Barber, of Somerville, and the Senate bill is sponsored by Sen. Joanne Comerford, of Northampton. Both are Democrats.
October 3rd is the committee’s scheduled date for public hearing. The actual time and room location is yet to be determined.
Meanwhile, the beginning stages of a ballot initiative for 2024 gets underway to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day.
A press release by the Italian American Alliance claims, “the ballot initiative must be approved by Attorney General, Andrea Campbell. Then, if approved, the petitioner will have to obtain the necessary amount of signatures (over 100,000 ‘raw’ signatures to obtain the required number of ‘certified’ signatures) to put the petition on the ballot to be voted on.”
“The text of this ballot petition is identical to the text of the the two bills before the legislature. If passed by the voters, this ballot initiative would circumvent the legislature and replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day.”
Tommy Damigella, chairman of the strategic planning committee of the Italian American Alliance, crafted the following statement:
“The people seeking to cancel Columbus Day are are using every tactic they can to make sure they erase our heritage and our holiday.”
“Thanks to your calls and emails to the legislature, the bills to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day died in committee and it is our intention to do the best we can to see that these bills and ballot initiatives fail again this year. We are committed to fighting the cancel culture movement that has unfairly seized upon Columbus as their scapegoat. These attacks are based upon lies and misinformation about his role in the history that followed the discovery of the New World.”
“We will continue educating people about Christopher Columbus so they can better understand that eliminating him from our history is unnecessary and hurtful to the Italian American community and to all Americans.”
“As we did last year, the Italian American Alliance will take the lead in monitoring these situations. We will keep you informed and we will let you know when and how to help.”
Editor’s Note: Please help the Italian American Alliance in their continuous battle to save Columbus Day in Massachusetts. The web site for the Italian American Alliance is https://www.theitalianamericanalliance.com/ Information on the committee to oversee the debate on Columbus in the Massachusetts legislature is linked here. Information on the ballot initiative to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day is linked here.
Keep on Fighting…
APPEALS COURT RULES AGAINST COLUMBUS MONUMENT CORPORATION IN SYRACUSE
- Last Minute Lineup Change of Justices Gives Unanimous Decision to Tear Columbus Down
- Columbus Monument Corporation Vows to Fight Onward
By Truby Chiaviello
Even the NY Yankees have to lose, once in a while.
That’s one way to consider Friday’s announcement by the New York State Supreme Court, Appellate Division, in Rochester, that the Justices ruled 4-0 against the Columbus Monument Corporation and in favor of Mayor Ben Walsh and the City of Syracuse to allow the removal of the Columbus Monument at Columbus Circle.
The Columbus Monument Corporation has done an extraordinary job in fighting the good fight in Syracuse. Mayor Walsh and his woke allies in the media and academia have all the advantages. Yet, the Columbus Monument Corporation has shown itself a savvy, formidable force in chalking up one victory after another in the courts of public opinion and in law.
It was back on March 11, 2022 that Justice Gerald Neri handed a stunning victory for the Columbus Monument Corporation and their allied defenders of Columbus. Justice Neri made it clear that the city had no right to tear down the Columbus Monument at the first tier of the legal controversy at the New York Supreme Court, when a hearing convened there in January, 2022.
The case was appealed by the mayor for a legal rematch, this year, on April 3rd, 10:00 a.m., at the New York State Supreme Court, Appellate Division, in Rochester. Almost four months later, a decision was announced. Yes, you can censor history. Yes, you can tear down art. So what, this statue has been there since 1934!
Back in April, the proceedings were live streamed. Folks got a glimpse of American justice at work. They saw many cases scheduled that day for a lengthy docket. And…last on the list: Columbus Monument Corporation v. City of Syracuse. And…just before the case started was the recusal of, not just one, but two justices! Substitutes were made. The switched lineup helped Mayor Walsh; as indicative of one justice who asked why all the controversy, since the statue has not been torn down, yet.
Not a good sign…
The lawyers for the Columbus Monument Corporation tried to remain optimistic after the appeal hearing. After Friday’s sad decision, however, they are now reviewing the opinion for the next round in the fight. Sources claim the Columbus Monument Corporation will appeal the ruling to a higher court in Albany.
We fight onward. We don’t give up. That’s the message from Syracuse!
CLUELESS
In Trying to Scapegoat Columbus, Alderman Sanchez Commits Historical Blunder
- Social Media Shows True Colors of Embattled Chicago Politician
By Truby Chiaviello
Stay off Twitter!
Such is the message sent loud and clear to Alderman Rossana Rodriguez Sanchez.
Social media increasingly looks to be a treasure trove of misstatements and misinformed opinions by the discontented pol.
Nothing is worse than a Columbus hater, except a Columbus hater who doesn’t know history.
Especially, the history of Puerto Rico, the ancestral homeland, touted by Alderman Sanchez.
It was Sanchez who made the most embarrassing of gaffes on her Twitter page around July 8th when she sponsored a poll to celebrate Italian American heritage. There, she tweeted multiple choice answers for worthy monuments to Italian Americans limited to Italian ices, espresso machines and…cannoli.
Ethnic bigotry was on full display; but Sanchez is ambivalent. She was just trying to be funny, she says, in a mea culpa, of sorts. She has yet to apologize. Intense condemnation by Italian American leaders in Chicago and elsewhere are ongoing. Calls for her resignation are increasing.
Italian Americans review past posts by the alderman.
Another gaffe is uncovered!
On August 4, 2022, Sanchez excoriated the legacy of Columbus in a Windy City rant to demand monuments and public artwork, devoted to the Genoese explorer, be forever erased in Chicago.
A tweet, among several that day, by Sanchez reads: “…making space for the man responsible of genocide against my Taino ancestors. Let the few racist Italians take the statues and put them on their lawns…”
It’s a failure of history for Sanchez.
Columbus was a hero to the good Indigenous People of Puerto Rico, according to the overwhelming assessment of historians.
Robert Petrone, an expert on Columbus, credits the Genoese explorer with the first underground railroad in the New World. Columbus saved the Taino people from the brutal Carib Indian tribe.
The Taino had been persecuted for years. The Caribs were the bullies of the Caribbean. They were larger in number, better armed, more violent and…cannibalistic. Columbus led his men to liberate Tainos from Carib villages. Men, women and children were freed from slavery, torture and cannibal sacrifice. Many Tainos were returned to their homeland, the island of Puerto Rico.
“Long before Harriet Tubman and Levi Coffin helped African-American slaves escape via the ‘Underground Railroad,’” says Mr. Petrone, “Christopher Columbus conducted the first North American Underground Railroad in the Caribbean, freeing Taino slaves from their Carib captors.”
The historical record contradicts the claims by Alderman Sanchez and others who scapegoat Columbus. She and others seek to besmirch the reputation of a man, dead for over 500 years, in an effort to deflect their failures in Chicago.
We Italian Americans remain vigilant in face of consistent anti-intellectualism by our antagonists. We know the history of Columbus. They do not. We are here to defend, advocate and overcome. We are here to win.
LA STUPIDA
Chicago Alderman Makes a Fool of Herself
- Rossana Rodriguez Sanchez, representing the 33rd ward, posted a Twitter poll asking how best to honor Italian Americans
- Choices included “Italian Ice Monument” “Bialetti (espresso maker) Monument”
- She liked the suggestion, “Cannoli Monument”
By Truby Chiaviello
How does a person like this get elected?
That’s a relevant question on the minds of many people in Chicago and elsewhere in the aftermath of the blunder committed by City Alderman Rosanna Rodriguez Sanchez.
She put her foot in her mouth by way of tweet.
Ms. Sanchez currently serves as an alderman representing Chicago’s 33rd ward in the northwest section of the city. A member of the City Council’s Democratic Socialist Caucus, Ms. Sanchez is best described as a run-of-the mill America hater. She has jumped on the band wagon to use Columbus as a scapegoat punching bag. Yes, she supports changing Columbus Day to Indigenous People’s Day. Yes, she supports the tearing down of Columbus statues.
On July 8th, approximate, Ms. Sanchez hosted a poll on her Twitter page with the premise, “How best to honor Italian American heritage in Chicago?” She limited answers to the following: “Italian Ice Monument,” “Bialetti (Espresso Machine) Monument” and, finally, “Columbus Monument.”
From a barrage of suggestions by followers, Ms. Sanchez considered her favorite to be a “Cannoli Monument.” She replied, “How did I miss this? Yes.” She also liked a “Beef Juice Fountain,” as one acolyte proffered.
The Italian American community in Chicago and elsewhere was quick to condemn Ms. Sanchez.
Lou Rago, president of the Italian American Human Relations Foundation of Chicago said, in a statement, about Ms. Sanchez, “Not only did she disparage and marginalize a community (that has) … contributed so much to the core and growth of this great city, she welcomed and encouraged others that follow her on social media to join in the ‘fun’ at the expense of the Italian American community. This is purely racist and unacceptable.”
Ms. Sanchez sought to save face. She didn’t apologize but, instead, said: “To be clear: this narrative isn’t based in reality. I deeply respect Italians, Italian-American history & their role in building our city amid discrimination faced by immigrant & minority communities.”
Ron Onesti, president of the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans, leads an effort to return three Columbus Monuments to their original locations, after Mayor Lori Lightfoot ordered them torn down in 2020. In reaction to Ms. Sanchez’s tweet, he said, “She not only posted that as a backhanded slap in our face but also fostered community engagement from her followers that gave continual, negative, stereotypical, racist remarks, And she was complimenting them.”
Ms. Sanchez is currently seeking reelection. Residents of Chicago’s 33rd ward have seen the true colors of the alderman. They know well to send her to pasture and vote for any of the other candidate(s). Ms. Sanchez, obviously, is not interested in representing their needs in city council. Rather, her sole function is to make a fool of herself in an effort to disparage Italian Americans.
Editor’s Note: Pictured, Alderman Sanchez. Her email address is info@33rdward.org. Robert Ferrito, president of the Commission for Social Justice of the Order of Sons and Daughters of Italy, has issued the following letter, dated July 10th, 2023, condemning the bigoted actions of Alderman Sanchez.
****
Alderman Rossana Rodriguez Sanchez
Office of the 33rd Ward 3001 West Irving Pard Road
Chicago, Il 606618
info@33rdward.org
The Commission for Social Justice is the anti-defamation arm of the Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America. The Commission has, throughout the years, engaged in a wide variety of activities geared toward accomplishing its twin goals of promoting a positive image of Italian Americans and fighting bias, bigotry, and defamation.
I was disappointed to see the disrespect you have shown to the Italian American community as an elected official. Your Twitter poll asking “the best way to honor Italian-American heritage in Chicago” was nothing less than disrespectful, racist, and insulting to the Italian American community - a community that has built, supported, and died for this country so that you may enjoy the freedom of speech to insult it. Your failed attempt to appease the Italian-American community by issuing a statement that your tweet was meant to be lighthearted was an additional insult. What was even more egregious was the fact you responded in a jocular manner to the tweets you received from the community.
Why is it so easy for you as an elected official to disrespect the voting population of the Italian-American community in Chicago? I can see from your record, your Socialist views and anti-Columbus efforts you support are out of ignorance of the facts that have been presented over the years. Your actions toward the Italian -American community, has been nothing but disrespectful. I find them more insulting after hearing your lame and disingenuous excuse. I know now that those words were just that, words with no meeting and no sincerity behind them.
However, I believe that you still have time to mend the wrong that has been done to the Italian-American community in Chicago. I would request that you meet with the Italian American leadership and repair the wrong that was done to the Italian American community.
Please know that the Commission for Social Justice is committed to supporting elected officials that support our position and do not disrespect our community. We cannot support any elected official who does not show respect to the Italian American community and will work to that end.
Sincerely,
Robert M. Ferrito
National President Commission for Social Justice
Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America
Primo Essay
LIFE: ODE TO ITALIAN
How Learning Italian Changed My Perception of the World
By Susan Collina Jayne
The room was large and modern; the leather sofas, soft and inviting. The Italian and Chinese artifacts were as rare as the central heating in the harsh Beijing winter. The guests didn't wear designer clothes or expensive jewelry, but they were intelligent, confident, and healthy. I didn't really belong but was a family friend of the host's mentor. The Italians were too polite to assume I didn't speak their language or to ask why I was there. When we sat down to dinner, I wondered if the small roast would feed all eight of us. As the meal began, they switched to English.
There were many times in my work abroad that I was treated generously by Italians that I knew only vaguely. Even though I had seen many other beautiful countries, had too many other memorable meals, known other charming people, it was the sound of Italian that became associated with comfort, kindness, and ease when a near-death experience ruined my previous career and my life. So when I was forced into a disability retirement, I took a long vacation to Italy. I didn't contact my tangential friends, but traveled alone to lick my wounds. I spent a lot of time lost in the incredible countryside, backing up tiny streets in medieval towns, and retracing my steps for long distances after missed connections. I was delighted, entranced, frightened, confused, and frequently disoriented. I made a fool of myself daily, if not hourly, but I forgot much of the humiliation and fear of the previous couple of years.
When I returned home, I began studying Italian. A clever man, whom I respected, told me I might eventually be able to make myself understood in the language, but that I would never really understand it. What he couldn't know was that studying Italian would change my perception of the world and make me tougher.
To learn Italian, I attended Berlitz courses and grammar courses at the local community college available in the Washington D.C. area, and all the language tapes I could stand, Italian films were the next front. That's when the real education began. You must go beyond, “La Dolce Vita,” “Divorce Italian Style,” “The Postman,” and “Life is Beautiful,” and you must watch each one many times. Initially, it is surprising how different Italian films are from French ones, and how similar to American ones. Then you begin to see the differences. Are Italian and American lives really that different? Maybe, maybe not, but our histories certainly are. Perhaps it was just that I was so desperate to hear the language that I endured films more violent, sexually explicit, sillier, or, in other ways, more difficult than I would have endured in English.
Some great films describe the ambiguous, divided loyalties of the mid-19th century unification movement: “Papa Re,” “San Michel had a Rooster” and “I Gattopadro” (The Leopard). The injustice of the sharecropping system broke my liberal heart in “Tree of the Wooden Clogs.” The comedy “La Guerra” and the tragedies “Two Women,” “Love and Anarchy,” “General della Rovere,” “Open City” and my favorite, “Night of the Shooting Stars” tell of Italy's 20th century wars. The difficult post-war reality is documented in the neo-realist films such as the “Bicycle Thief”; sex, honor, and class warfare in “Swept Away,” “Stromboli,” and “Seduced and Abandoned.”
The uniqueness of Italian humor is illustrated in “The Icicle Thief,” “Palombella Rossa,” “Johnny Stecchino,” “The Gold of Naples” and my favorite, “Big Deal on Madonna Street.” I even learned to appreciate Toto, definitely an acquired taste. Still there are some comedies too silly, such as “A Lobster for Breakfast” as well as tragedies too tough such as “Seven Beauties,” “Battle for Algiers,” and, for personal reasons, “Henry IV.”
Because my ears were open and my emotions more accessible, I came to love what I had previously felt was caterwauling, Italian opera. I can cook some pretty good Italian meals, niente. Modern Italian films, opera, and literature have taught tougher lessons about the darkness of the human heart that can not be cured by therapy, chemicals, or religion. (Good wine helps, of course.) I understood, at last, about the destruction of the innocent and of innocence caught between forces that can not or will not be explained. Maybe these are not French concepts, certainly not American ones.
There I go again intellectualizing while the point is, that for once, I did not approach learning a language as a purely intellectual activity. I've found that while I still admire clever people, I no longer trust them. Perhaps, I could have mastered these harsh lessons without leaving home. Maybe it was a matter of timing, but the comfortable sound of Italian gave me the courage to face unacceptable realities. I faced them just to hear the language. I learned to understand the use of humor to approach dangerous ideas or people; the value of the outlandish gesture, the complexity of Sophia Loren's walk and of Toto's facial expressions.
A passion for life, for enjoyment, for making the smallest thing important or elegant is Italy’s most profitable export. That is simply marketing unless you understand that after the wars are over, the dictators are dead, slavery and share cropping gone or reshaped by modern technology, there remains the evil within us and the arrogance, ambition, ignorance, impotence, cowardice, cruelty, and simple carelessness worthy of Caesar, Stalin, Lucretia Borgia or Marie Antoinette. So you had better enjoy that last bite of pasta or the last rose of summer. Of yes, the roast in Beijing in 1986 was large enough for each of us to have one slice and for a couple of slices to be sent home to the cook's family. That is a more advanced Italian lesson.
Editor’s Note: The writer lives in New Orleans where she pens a number of articles, essays and commentaries for PRIMO and other publications.
AN AGENDA FOR THE AGES
A Full Court Press of Ideas and Action Unveiled by Basil M. Russo at This Year’s Meeting for COPOMIAO Key Announcements Made June 17th Were:
- Gathering of Italian American Filmmakers To Convene This November At Event, Titled, “A Celebration of the Contribution of Italian Americans in the Entertainment Industry.”
- Italian American Future Leaders Youth Summit to Continue and Expand Next Year
- State and Federal Court Cases to Save Columbus Expanded
- This Just In - COPOMIAO Unprecedented Move to Change How Italian Americans are Defined in Federal Data, Not as “White,” but as European Mediterranean
By Truby Chiaviello
Eyes on the future. Eyes on the prize.
That’s the best way to sum up the annual meeting of the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations (COPOMIAO).
The preservation and propagation of our Italian American heritage is to be pursued in all facets of American society: In law, politics, business, education and, now, entertainment.
Convened on June 17th, inside the beautifully decorated Townhouse of the Columbus Citizens Foundation, at 8 E 69th St, in Manhattan, the gathering was preceded with a showing of “Cabrini,” the new film about America’s first saint, Sister Francesca Cabrini.
In person and by Zoom virtual link were the many member organizations in attendance for COPOMIAO’s annual meeting, including yours truly, PRIMO Magazine.
Judge Basil M. Russo kicked off the event with a headline making announcement. As the current president of COPOMIAO, he remains a unifying force in Italian America. Judge Russo knows well the art of political action. He seeks unique events to bring together an army of Italian American influencers; be it in Washington, D.C. to meet Italy’s Ambassador to the United States, Mariangela Zappia; be it in Rome to meet Pope Francis and, now, come this November…Hollywood…to meet Italian American filmmakers!
Judge Russo has recruited his sons, Joe and Anthony Russo, two of Tinsel Town’s most successful producers and directors, who have, thus far, grossed over $7 billion, to host this unprecedented event, now titled, “A Celebration of the Contribution of Italian Americans in the Entertainment Industry.”
“There are lot of successful Italian Americans in our country,” proclaims Judge Russo. “We need to reach out to them and let them know they are an important part of our family. The question is how do we connect with them. I think I have an answer.”
A reception is to be held at AGBO studios, in Los Angeles, where Italian Americans of the entertainment field can gather together with their colleagues of other professional domains at the creative headquarters for Joe and Anthony. “This is a very important undertaking,” said Judge Russo. “We will provide them an opportunity to come together to celebrate their heritage.”
News was made prior to the event when several key member national organizations broke away from COPOMIAO to start a rival group. No mention was made of this dissension.
Rather, new members announced to join the ranks, to outnumber those who abandoned ship.
The theme was wholly positive. COPOMIAO remains on offense. Orders are to movie forward. Achievements by Judge Russo include the doubling of membership.
“Past two years, in an effort to create a sense of national unity, we reached out to Italian American organizations all over the country,” said Judge Russo. “We now have an excess of 60 members. In California. Arizona. Nevada. Louisiana. Pennsylvania. We have groups from all over the country working together under the same umbrella. Something we didn’t have three years ago.”
COPOMIAO treasurer, professor of English at Middlesex College, in New Jersey, renowned translator of Sicilian literature, Santi Buscemi, commended Judge Russo’s leadership. “I just want to say something. I have been a member of this organization for six years and this man - Judge Russo - is a great leader. We owe him a lot.”
Everyone stood for applause.
One of the great successes, this year, was Italian American Future Leaders, a national meeting of Italian Americans, age 35 and younger, convened in January in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. “We want the heritage to live. We have to instill it in our grandchildren. We did that by posting this marvelous event. We look forward to posting that event annually,” said Judge Russo.
The architect for Italian American Future Leaders was none other the John M. Viola, one of the youngest to ever head a national organization, the former executive director of the National Italian American Foundation. Now, current host of the Italian American Podcast, a vice president at COPOMIAO, he comes with the tagline moniker, “professional Italian American.”
“We wanted to create a positive energy,” Viola said about Italian American Future Leaders. “We brought together 100 young people for two solid working days in Florida. I think it was a resounding success. We had wonderful participation across the board. We look forward to future events. We will be back next year.”
The state of young Italian America is strong, according to Viola. “I am very confident of the future in the hands of these young people. They want to work together no matter what. Ego is a slippery slope. They demand ego-free execution.”
It is George Bochetto, attorney for COPOMIAO, who leads, advises and strategizes a number of state and federal lawsuits now underway to save Columbus. He spoke at the event while awaiting an answer from the United States Supreme Court about a Writ of Certiorari he filed in May. He pursues a lawsuit, on behalf of COPOMIAO, other Italian American groups and Italian American individuals, to nullify an executive order in Philadelphia by Mayor Jim Kenney to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous People’s Day.
“One day, the mayor woke up and decided on his own to change the holiday,” says Bochetto. “Not just COPOMIAO, but I also represent an Italian American city councilman in Philadelphia. Why is that important? Because our charter states it is the city council, not the mayor, who decides our holidays.”
About the possibility of the case heard at the United States Supreme Court, Bochetto, admitted, “a long shot. More than 96 percent of cases are denied a hearing at the Supreme Court.” However, he believes, “this is an issue I think the Supreme Court with a conservative majority will want to hear.” He hopes to get an answer, within the next 60 days, as to whether or not the Writ of Certiorari is granted.
Bochetto shared an anecdote at the gathering about his tenacious battle with Mayor Kenney. He said, “Recently, I was in a restaurant in Philadelphia. The Saloon, one of the nicest Italian restaurants in Philadelphia. In walks Jim Kenney to eat. I called the waitress over, ‘serve this wine to the mayor and tell him, compliments of Christopher Columbus.’ Well, he stood up and was furious. The next day it was in all the newspapers.”
Activity is most prevalent at COPOMIAO. Judge Russo, a former majority leader of the Cleveland City Council, knows well the age-old political lessons of Machiavelli. To change laws is to first change minds. He sees an important issue to shape our future.
Judge Russo apprised attendees that the federal government is now reassessing its guidelines to collect data on race and ethnicity in America. COPOMIAO wants Italian Americans defined differently than they were in the past. A brief historical lesson by Judge Russo is how, “A hundred years ago, our government chose to identify all Americans based strictly on race, i.e, black, yellow, white, red. Eventually, the government then began to identify people according to geographic origins in lieu of skin color such as Asian Americans instead of ‘yellow’ and Native Americans instead of ‘red.’ Yet, our government still chooses to identify people from Europe as ‘white.’
The Office of Management and Budget is currently requesting comments to modify its data collection procedure to determine which racial and ethnic groups qualify for federal grants and entitlements. “Last month, we drafted a 28 page document on this issue,” says Judge Russo. “Thirty members signed to support this document (including PRIMO Magazine). The document requested that the term ‘white’ be replaced with European and further that Europe be subdivided into various categories with Italian Americans classified as European Mediterranean.”
A complex issue, admits Judge Russo, “This would require the government to collect data on Italian Americans as they have for other racial and ethnic groups. Whatever the data warranted, Italian Americans could then qualify as beneficiaries for appropriate federal programs.”
The focus is not on special privilege, but, rather respect, claims Judge Russo. “We demand the same rights under the law that are afforded to other ethnicities in our country. For decades and decades, our parents and grandparents were denied filing for federal programs that their tax dollars paid for. Why should we remain silent and allow our children and grandchildren to suffer the same plight? All our organizations should be actively supporting these changes.”
America needs to embrace greater parity among all groups, according to Judge Russo. “All we are saying is, if you want to refer to people from Asia as Asian Americans then you should refer to people from Europe as European Americans. Referring to people as ‘white’ is outdated and ridiculous. We weren’t treated as white people when we first came to America. We were treated as people of color which made our assimilation to this country extremely difficult.”
How Italian Americans were ethnically defined in the past retains its negative impact in the present. “This is a complex but important issue,” Judge Russo says. “There are examples of people here who have lost contracts because they were labeled as ‘white.’ A study done 20 years ago showed that in Ivy League schools, Italian Americans are 8 percent of the population but only 3 percent are accepted into Ivy League schools. Why? Because the other spots were given to other groups. There weren’t any spots left for Italian Americans. That’s not respecting us. That is not treating us fairly.”
Judge Russo urged broad support for this current effort. “We need to stand united on this to ensure we are treated fairly. Shame on us if we don’t demand this.”
Editor’s Note: Pictured are COPOMIAO officers, Treasurer Santi Buscemi, National Counsel George Bochetto, President Basil Russo, NY Consul General Fabrizio Di Michele, COPOMIAO Secretary Rosemary DeLuca, Vice President John Viola, Italian American Museum Director Joe Scelsa and Italian American Museum of LA Director Marianna Gatto. Filmmakers Joe and Anthony Russo are shown with props from the Captain America franchise. The web site for COPOMIAO is https://copomiao.org/
WE SUPPORT RUSSO
There Is No Turning Back for COPOMIAO Under Leadership of Basil M. Russo
- The Time is Now to Fight for Columbus, Not Break Away from COPOMIAO
- PRIMO Endorses Russo and the Proud Members of COPOMIAO
There’s no going back.
That was the message given, loud and clear, by Basil M. Russo, at the annual meeting of the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations (COPOMIAO) convened on June 17th in New York.
Praise be the warrior.
Judge Russo seeks to face off against those who choose to tear down Columbus statues and dismiss Columbus Day; never mind the venue, be it in the courts, in the public square, even, in the White House.
The fighting spirit is cherished in Italian America.
Rocky Marciano comes to mind. So, too, Vince Lombardi. Who doesn’t love Joe DiMaggio?
Winners are most welcome. The call to battle is heard. Victory is ahead.
Too bad not all Italian American organizations feel this way.
Just prior to the meeting in New York was the breaking away from COPOMIAO by several key member organizations. They went ahead to develop a brand new organization to compete against COPOMIAO; now listed, the Italian American Leadership Forum, with the following members: Columbus Citizens Foundation; National Italian American Foundation, Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America, Supreme Lodge OSDIA, OSDIA Commission for Social Justice, OSDIA Foundation and the National Organization of Italian American Women.
The question begs…Why?!
The reason, Columbus!
What to do against a plethora of woke culture attacks against the founder of the New World? Basil Russo wants to fight.
Litigation is now being sought at the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse the elimination of Columbus Day in Philadelphia by Mayor Jim Kenney. PRIMO Magazine, along with all members of COPOMIAO, are listed as plaintiffs in the lawsuit. However, a key organization, who once belonged to COPOMIAO, did not want to be included.
The leadership of COPOMIAO by Basil M. Russo is wholly endorsed by PRIMO. We support his aggressive strategy to turn the tide against Columbus haters. We discourage any move by other national Italian American organizations to break away from COPOMIAO.
Now is not the time for the old ways of quiet resolve.
(More like, quiet desperation.)
The breakaway organizations seem to want to go back to the past of passive pride and celebration. They seem to yearn for the days of Italian advocacy within a forum of circumspection and careful consideration.
Di addio al passato!
Deliberateness does no good in the face of rushed executive orders by mayors who tear down Columbus monuments. Equivocation is nothing more than defeatism in the face of district attorneys who choose not to prosecute rioters who destroyed Columbus statues in Saint Paul, Baltimore, Richmond and elsewhere.
The legacy of Columbus is to be loudly defended, not quietly demurred.
We praise the Italian Americans who show up at the school board meetings to demand Columbus Day remain in school calendars. We salute those who stood in front of the Columbus Monument at Marconi Plaza to protect the statue from vandals. We cherish the attorneys who take our antagonists to court. We praise the front line warriors of Italian America in Syracuse, Chicago, Boston, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, New Haven and elsewhere. They all deserve nothing less that the full support of national Italian American organizations.
Judge Russo understands this. His tenure as president of COPOMIAO has been nothing less than extraordinary.
Judge Russo has made every effort to reach out to Italian American organizations, both large and small, to stand together to defend the legacy of Columbus in America. As such, COPOMIAO has grown under his watch to unprecedented levels in membership. His summit meetings remain three for the record books: More than 400 Italian American groups in attendance. Under his watch, the organization members met Italy’s first female ambassador to the United States, Mariangela Zappia, and Pope Francis in Rome. He led COPOMIAO to spearhead a national drive to change the White House proclamation on Columbus Day. He gave orders for COPOMIAO to sponsor the first-ever Italian American Future Leaders Conference in Ft. Lauderdale to begin transferring the mantle of leadership to a new generation.
Now is not the time for dissension. Now is not the time for a “different approach.”
The days of silence are behind us.
PRIMO stands with Basil Russo and the proud members of COPOMIAO to fight onward for Columbus, to fight onward for our Italian American legacy.
Editor’s Note: The web site for the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Leaders is https://copomiao.org/members/
Primo Interview
ON THE PROWL FOR POETIC EXPRESSION
Jo-Ann Vega Pens “Wolf Woman & Other Poems”
“My goal is to encourage others to awake to the life-affirming possibilities within waiting to be discovered.”
Jo-Ann Vega delivers a new anthology of poems titled “Wolf Woman & Other Poems,” a sequel, of sorts, to her previous work, “Moments in Flight.” We spoke with Jo-Ann about what it means to be an Italian American poet.
Please tell us where your family came from in Italy?
I am a proud, third generation Italian American. My mom’s parents emigrated from Greci, Naples, Italy in 1903 and 1910. My dad’s parents emigrated from Palermo and Syracuse, Sicily, in 1913 and 1920. I spent my first decade+ in the south Bronx, near Yankee Stadium, among first generation southern Italians. My famiglia shared a two-family house with my paternal grandparents until my famiglia moved to the suburbs. I spent a lot of time with my mom’s large, raucous and warm famiglia. My recent memoir (“Moments in Flight”) is dedicated to their courage and stories.
Please explain the title “Wolf Woman”
An always aspiring wolf woman: earthy, authentic, with integrity, a stalwart protector of loved ones, and collector of bones, knowledge beyond time, the poem, “Wolf Woman,” anchors the anthology and completes the narrative set out in my memoir “Moments in Flight.” My goal is to encourage others to awake to the life-affirming possibilities within waiting to be discovered.
What especially attracts you to writing poetry?
I began with prose confessional poetry when I wasn’t able to express myself verbally. I started writing poetry during my senior year in high school when I experienced, what I describe in the introduction to “Wolf Woman,” as the loss of my future. I saw no options open to me that fit my aptitude, interests, gender and culture. More importantly, I believed I was powerless to do anything about it. I slid into a depression and turned to writing poetry to make sense of what was happening, and to find a way out of the abyss.
Writing has been a lifeline for me. I write poems to understand, start conversations, and for special occasions. Over the years my collection grew. As I prepared my memoir, I began to organize and select poems. This sparked creative embers and resulted in a number of new poems.
Wolf Woman contains over 40 poems divided into sections according to the eras of your life. One is titled “Unfurling my wings 1980-2000.” Please explain the title of this section and its meaning.
In essence, the section is about growing up, coming of age, taking on responsibility, losing important people in my life, and deciding to take risks, unfurl my wings, fly. The four poems (I figured out the source of my tension headaches, It seemed as though the weather was conspiring, You were a private man, and You’ve been gone a year) were composed for my cousin who succumbed from AIDS in 1983, before the age of thirty, during a time of sanctioned homophobia. His loss pushed me out of my comfort zone, ushered in a re-examination of my life, and prompted me to dream, reach for more, and take chances.
How do you still connect to your Italian ethnicity?
I love Italians, our energy, expressive and creative abilities, resilience, self-reliance, love of good food, and time spent enjoying each other’s company. Every time I make a comfort meal of pasta fagioli or gravy I remember and embrace my roots. Every time I serve it to others I embrace my roots. When I witness the natural energy of Italians in conversation moving around, gesticulating, and speaking with passion, I embrace my ethnicity. I keep abreast of Italian history and current events to stay connected and use that knowledge to present public and private workshops to fellow Italian Americans and others on Ellis Island, the Italian Diaspora, and Growing Up Italian.
What are your future writing plans?
I released my memoir as I recovered from a life-threatening illness during the height of COVID hospitalizations and deaths; a story for another day. The positive feedback I received, in tandem with my recovery, moved me to take more chances, eat the fear, and release my most personal musings to the world. I started to submit poems and personal essays and several were or will be published.
Now that I’ve published the memoir and the poetry anthology I’m concentrating on submitting both books to appropriate contests. Both books have received 5-star reviews. My debut poetry collection, “Wolf Woman & Other Poems” was awarded a Bronze Medal Winner in the Reader Views Reviewer’s Choice Awards, 2022-2023, a bucket list item now checked off !
I’m also working on personal essays and a chapbook of new poems. Fingers crossed, I may also publish a hybrid non-fiction/poetry book.
Editor’s Note: You can purchase “Wolf Woman & Other Poems” at Amazon.com
6/16/23
RESTORING THE BALTIMORE COLUMBUS MONUMENT
By Albert Marra
We enjoyed a very successful evening at Baltimore’s Little Italy Lodge Tuesday (June 13, 2023). Following some very tasty Italian cold cut sandwiches, drinks and fellowship, our regular monthly meeting featured a presentation by local Italian American volunteer Bill Martin on the city’s famous Columbus statue.
Bill Martin’s talk included the background, history, destruction, reconstruction and possible future siting of the Columbus statue. The statue, funded by the local Italian American community and dedicated by President Reagan in 1984, had stood near the Little Italy neighborhood until protesters toppled it and dumped it in the harbor during the unrest of the summer of 2020.
Groups of volunteers (including divers!) recovered the broken pieces of the statue from the Baltimore harbor shortly after its destruction. The pieces were then moved to a “secret” site, a workshop on the eastern shore of Maryland where artists and artisans, using the latest high-tech computer generated scanning and imaging techniques, were able to reproduce (not one, but two!) exact replicas of the original marble sculpture. They then employed a special marble chip resin composite — giving the appearance of genuine sculpted marble — to fashion the two new statues that are identical to the original.
That’s what I’d call Italian ingenuity at work!
Bill Martin also addressed how the repairs to the statue were funded, through a combination of private donations and public grant funds from NEH and NEA. He further discussed the as-yet-undetermined future placement of the statues, mentioning the competing possibilities of moving the statue to the offered safe haven in Harford County, Maryland, against the need to keep it close to Baltimore’s Italian center.
About 35 members and guests attended the meeting and stayed on for Bill Martin’s 25 minute presentation, which was followed by about 15 minutes questions and answers. While all attempts were made to remove politics from the evening, there was vigorous commentary on the city government’s lack of interest in either protecting the statue or prosecuting those responsible for destroying it.
Editor’s Note: Pictures show the unveiling ceremony in 1984 with President Ronald Reagan as guest of honor; a large section recovered after rioters destroyed the statue in 2020; Bill Martin speaking at the Little Italy Lodge in Baltimore on June 13, 2023. The author of the article is the immediate past president of the Sons of Italy Little Italy Lodge 2286 in Baltimore. Please visit the lodge’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/SonsOfLittleItaly/
Op-ed
ITALIAN AMERICANS HAVE BECOME POWERLESS IN NEW JERSEY
A Party System Reinforces Malrepresentation
- Power to legislate is at the state level; yet, power to elect is at the county level
- “…we are either cracked into numerous districts or packed into a few districts.”
By Christopher Binetti, Ph.D.
As many of you may know, I just finished my campaign for State Senate in the Democratic primary of the 18th Legislative District in New Jersey. I challenged the incumbent and lost. That is life. However, the unreasonable and unconstitutional advantages that New Jersey incumbents have are so bad, that I am now considering legal action to change the system.
New Jersey is a small state divided into 21 counties. Most New Jersey residents strongly associate with their county. However, county governments are the weakest in New Jersey. They have no control over the municipalities within their boundaries. All of their decisions can be, and often are, overridden by the State Legislature. All constitutional power to legislate on the issues that really matter in New Jersey are vested in the State Legislature.
This may not seem so shocking. After all, no state gives true sovereignty to its counties and/or municipalities. True sovereignty means that a “lesser” level of government, constitutionally, cannot be automatically overruled by a “higher” level of government. States cannot simply be overruled by the federal government (at least in many matters). However, in New Jersey, counties and municipalities can always be overridden by the state legislature.
Courts have ruled that states can give sovereignty to their constituent parts, but none, thus far, have done so. As a result, Middlesex County, where I reside in New Jersey, has no real political power. Neither do their municipalities. All power is at the state level.
Strange, then, how statewide political parties are much less powerful than county parties in New Jersey.
County parties, one for the Democrats and one for the Republicans, are given official, formal status by New Jersey law (although not necessarily by the New Jersey Constitution). They can raise unlimited amounts of money in certain months to give to candidates. Meanwhile, ordinary individuals can only contribute $2,600 in the primary and $5,200 in the general election.
County parties are allowed to endorse specific candidates who usually win because of privileged placements on ballots. The party line and the “bracketing system” are now being challenged in the federal courts.
How does all this affect Italian Americans?
You may be aware of malrepresentation. This is the process where Italian Americans are systemically underrepresented. New Jersey state legislative districts are apportioned based on total populations to include unauthorized residents. The voting power of Italians’ are thereby reduced. We are either cracked into numerous districts or packed into a few districts. Italian politicians often have to run in districts with few Italians, which leads them to oppose Italian American civil rights. Those in heavily-Italian districts tend to be Republican and tend to oppose Italian American civil rights as a matter of principle. Thus, the support for Italian American civil rights is weaker than it constitutionally should be.
Local elites select who will run. The voters then ratify this decision without really having any choice in the matter. Since most of the districts are non-competitive, the official candidate of the county party usually becomes the office-holder.
It is eerie how similar this is to the Chinese Communist system to guarantee one party rule. Consider how Republicans have not controlled either house of the state legislature in about 30 years. Malrepresentation makes the Republicans unable to take either house, so they are being unconstitutionally hindered.
How democratic is New Jersey, really? Few of the people who voted for my opponent in the 18th Legislative District even knew his name. They simply felt obligated to vote for the official party candidate for the nomination. The party line thus denies challengers like me any chance of meaningfully participating in the process.
To be a politician with real power, you need to be in New Jersey State government. However, to be a State Legislator, one needs the approval of county party leaders. I looked up one party committee’s composition and Italians were highly under-represented. So, Italians have little chance of getting elected if they have little support from county parties.
In my view, as a political scientist, this is an unconstitutional situation. Under the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as well as the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and relevant provisions of the New Jersey Constitution, other groups are allowed to sue to rectify being denied their choice of candidate and proper representation. I believe that we Italian Americans are also entitled to this right.
The system in New Jersey denies Italian Americans of political rights, to lead to a denial of our civil rights. I plan on challenging this in two ways. I will grow my 501c3 non-profit Italian American civil rights group, the Italian American Movement and promote model legislation to provide more civil rights for us and other ignored minority ethnic groups. I will also run again for the State Senate in the 18th Legislative District and possibly challenge the party line in court.
Editor’s Note: Dr. Christopher Binetti is a political scientist and Italian American civil rights activist. He is reachable at 732-549-2635 and 732-887-3914. If you are interested in his political campaign, potential litigation, his current suit against the State of New Jersey, or his non-profit group, the Italian American Movement, do not hesitate to contact him at those numbers or at his email, cbinetti@terpmail.umd.edu. The views of the writer may not be shared by the publisher or staff of PRIMO.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN FOR ITALIAN CINEMA
Open Roads: New Italian Cinema Convenes at Lincoln Center
- June 1 to June 8 Was a Showcase of Contemporary Films from Italy
- Eleven films were selected for this year’s forum
“On celluloid from Italy is a group source of engaging dramas, enticing comedies and controversial material.”
By Truby Chiaviello
All roads lead to Manhattan.
Open Roads, that is; the title of an annual gathering of contemporary Italian filmmakers at Lincoln Center.
Critics, scholars and distributors came to see new films from Italy inside the Walter Reade theater at 165 W. 65th Street in Midtown Manhattan. The festival is sponsored by Film at Lincoln Center and Cinecitta, the massive film studio in Rome.
Open Roads: New Italian Cinema is the full name of the film forum convened from June 1 to June 8. Now in its 22nd year, the mission continues to introduce the latest fare of contemporary cinema from Italy. On hand, this year, for Q&A sessions, were Italian directors, producers, actors and actresses. Eleven films were chosen to cover tales of human interaction and drama set in unique locales ranging from a dystopian wasteland to a divorcee’s closet. The films may or may not be available at your nearby cineplex. However, they should be ready for streaming on Netflix and other online venues.
Italian cinema thrives in a global age, yet without the promotion of pioneering genres as the country was once famous for, so many years ago. Cinema across the pond has all but abandoned horror, Eurocrime, Giallo, westerns and niche sci-fi. What comes instead, is best described as “art house.” On celluloid from Italy is a group source of engaging dramas, enticing comedies and controversial material. Italian films, today, convey tales of hope and danger; of societal strife and individual redemption; of past atrocities and present-day conflicts.
These films represent the latest and greatest from Italy, as shown in Lincoln Center. They are listed according to the clockwise direction of the above film stock photographs.
Dry (Siccita)
“Dry” is the apt title for Paolo Virzi’s exploration of class conflict in a time of drought in Rome. The film is, in some ways, a throwback to the apocalyptic theme created in Italy in the early 1960s, most notably, “The Last Man on Earth,” starring Vincent Price, a precursor to the zombie phenom. Characters and subplots abound in a time of water shortages and quotas in “Dry.” A natural calamity undercuts the goals and aspirations of thirsty Italians. An actor in the film, Tommaso Ragno, was on-hand at a press conference during the Open Roads festival. When asked how he prepared for his role in the film, he claimed hours upon hours were spent on social media by him as means of inspiration. What did he find so appealing about today’s digital forums? “I am attracted to stupid things,” he said. “The more stupid it is, the more free it is.”
Delta
Michele Vannucci, a documentary filmmaker, was living in Bologna, near the Po River, when he conceived his script for “Delta.” He wanted to make a film about people whose livelihoods depend on natural environments. The current conflict in the Po Delta in northern Italy is central to the story. The two main characters are Elia, a fisherman, played by Alessandro Borghi, and Osso, a wildlife warden, played by Luigi Lo Cascio. The filmmaker said, at a press conference, that he neither judges nor condemns either side in a battle to preserve or exploit the natural landscape. He wants the film to be indicative of the many conflicts worldwide, today. Battles are not between countries, Vannucci says. Rather, conflicts are more remote, within provinces, between the people who live there to fight over the future control of natural resources.
Chiara
The life of Saint Clare of Assisi is conveyed in a new, inventive film, titled “Chiara.” Latin and the vernacular of Umbria were the languages of dialect. The film’s title is based on the baptismal name of the revered saint, with a feast day on August 11th, the daughter of privilege, born on July 16, 1194, Chiara Offreduccio. The 19-year-old actress Margherita Mazzucco portrays Saint Clare in the time before and after her vow of poverty to follow Saint Francis. It was at a news conference, hosted by the Open Roads festival, where the actress commented on the relevance of Saint Clare today. “She was a feminist of the medieval period,” Mazzucco said. “We all know about Saint Francis; but we know little of Chiara. This film captures a woman of great bravery and enlightenment.”
The Hummingbird
Francesca Archibugi, arguably, had the most difficult challenge this year among Italian filmmakers at Open Roads. She was tasked to adapt to cinema Sandro Veronesi’s Strega Prize-winning bestselling 2019 novel of the same title, “The Hummingbird.” The book was praised for its unorthodox narrative in retelling the life of the main character. The film attempts the same approach with Pierfrancesco Favino portraying protagonist, Marco Carrera. A man’s life is transmitted, out of sequence, with peaks and valleys, from childhood to different stages of adulthood. Archibugi’s eye for taste and beauty are on great display as most scenes were shot on location in the finest cafes and salons of Paris and Florence.
Fireworks
The first film by Giuseppe Fiorello is based on a true story about two young homosexuals murdered in Sicily in 1982. Samuele Segreto and Gabriele Pizzurro play fated male lovers, who hide their relationship on the outskirts of Catania. Fiorello was on hand to answer questions at a news conference convened at the Open Roads forum. He claimed “Fireworks” was “a very delicate story to tell. Instead of focusing on the crime, the murder and mystery, I chose the relationship as the means for a film.” From the tragedy, he says, the largest gay association in Italy began in Catania. He is most proud of his native Sicily in leading the way for greater tolerance and understanding of gays and lesbians.
Lord of the Ants
Gianni Amelio brings to the big screen the life and controversial trial of poet and playwright, Aldo Braibanti. An avowed communist who fought in World War II to free Italy from fascist and Nazi rule, Braibanti was arrested in 1964 on the grounds of “plagiarism of the mind”; a legal concept whereby a person is accused of corrupting the morals of another. A complaint was filed against Braibanti by the father of Giovanni Sanfratello, a 23-year-old artist who had a romantic relationship with the older Braibanti in Rome. Luigi Lo Cascio portrays Braibanti as the quizzical writer caught up in a salacious trial. A former partisan, he was abandoned by his political comrades, friends and family when prosecutors accused him of degenerate behavior. Only Sanfratello, who underwent electroshock treatment in an effort to dispel his homosexual tendencies, while the legal ward of his father, remained resolute in exonerating Braibanti.
Margins
The first film by Niccolò Falsetti follows the saga of a punk band on the verge of their biggest break. They are hired to open for an established rock group at a concert in Bologna. Things go astray, however, when the event is cancelled and the young bandmates seek to host their own show in Grosseto. What follows is a comedic turn of events when characters are enmeshed in a world of egos and legal technicalities to organize an outdoor performance. Falsetti claimed, at an Open Roads press conference, that his film was indicative of contemporary times. He sees the digital age as presenting places and settings for people to see and hear, yet not really experience. His film, he says, transports the audience to the back roads and small villages of the Emilia-Romagna region.
Like Turtles
Actress Monica Dugo conceived her debut film when she and her husband finalized their divorce. “What struck me most were the empty spaces left behind from his absence,” she says. The actress-turned-director benefitted from a mentorship program to allow her and other first-time filmmakers to master work behind the camera. “Like Turtles” chronicles the sad fallout of a family in ruin after a middle age husband and father leaves his wife and two children. He empties his side of a wardrobe closet, only for the abandoned wife to move in to take refuge inside the void. It is left to the children to persuade their mother to leave the dark enclosure to rejoin society.
Strangeness
Toni Servillo, now in his 70s, remains Italy’s biggest star, a mainstay of cinema there in comparison to the endless parade of teen idols who come and go endlessly to dominate American cinema. In “Strangeness,” the actor portrays the great playwright Luigi Pirandello, in 1920, when he returns to his native Sicily. There, while visiting a cemetery, he meets two gravediggers, who, as it turns out, are struggling actors named Onofrio and Sebastiano, played by Salvo Ficarra and Valentino Picone. Pirandello is intrigued by the duo’s amateurish productions in theater. A wave of inspiration overcomes him while he rediscovers his joy of writing, thanks his newfound friends.
Princess
The human side of Italy’s migrant crisis is explored in “Princess.” The film might be reminiscent of Federico Fellini’s “Nights of Cabiria,” except the titled character is a Nigerian immigrant. Glory Kevin plays a prostitute who who lives and works near a forest in Rome. There she meets Corrado, a man foraging for mushrooms, who takes her outside her surroundings to see the possibilities of a better life. “Princess,” written and directed by Robeto De Paolis, is at times comedic and tragic. The film continues the Italian tradition to bring to the screen the stories of those who reside at the lowest rung of Italian society.
My Summer with the Shark
David Gentile’s first film is about a 13-year-old boy name Walter, played by Tiziano Menichelli. After the untimely death of his father, Walter must spend the summer with relatives along the Roman coast. Bored with his immediate surroundings, he bike rides the countryside to discover an abandoned villa. On the palatial estate is a large swimming pool where the boy imagines himself on the open seas chasing a great white shark. The interior of the villa provides a treasure trove of relics for the main character to believe murder and other sinister activities occurred there by the former owners. The film is noted for taking a traditional story to reinterpret for contemporary audiences.
The call of history…
GRANT US CERTIORARI
Italian Americans Seek Hearing at U.S. Supreme Court
- Basil M. Russo and COPOMIAO Are Petitioners, Along with The 1492 Society, Philadelphia City Council Member Mark F. Squilla and, Philadelphia Italian American, Jody Della Barbra
- Attorney George Bochetto Pens Writ of Certiorari Submitted on May 18th
- Save Columbus Day in Philadelphia
By Truby Chiaviello
History is made.
Italian Americans have kept quiet long enough. The time has come to make our stand. The time has come to make our case.
We come to the highest court in the land.
To the nine learned Justices of the United States Supreme Court, we say, “Hear our case!”
To save Columbus Day in Philadelphia and elsewhere in America is to seek protected status. The armor of constitutional law is to withstand the tyranny of cancel culture.
Italian Americans were harmed, in 2021, when Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney, by executive order cancelled Columbus Day, a federal holiday directly and symbolically associated with our ethnicity. We suffered when Mayor Kenney demonized Christopher Columbus, a hero to the great majority of Italian Americans. We were hurt when he reference us, in the aggregate, to make a point about immigration reform, as “Cousin Emilio” and “Cousin Guido.” We were discriminated against when he singled out our holiday and hero for dismissal; but not those of other ethnic groups.
What past wrong made Mayor Kenney despise Italian Americans is a question for the ages. He will seemingly do anything and everything to vex and exasperate us. Not just Columbus. He took down a statue of Frank Rizzo, the first and only Italian American mayor of Philadelphia. At the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, Mayor Kenny “lowered the priority” for Italian Americans to receive the needed response.
Such shameful acts were duly noted by Attorney George Bochetto at, both, the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania and then, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. At issue was how Mayor Kenney overstepped his authority when he dismissed Columbus Day. The case was made for Italian Americans to be deemed a protected class when their constitutional rights are subverted by an antagonistic mayor.
Sadly and wrongly, both courts ruled against us.
The justices wholly ignored what is obvious to the non-political observer.
Especially distressing was the appeals court decision this past January. No only did they rule that Italian Americans were not harmed when Columbus Day was cancelled, but they ruled that Italian Americans did not even have standing to bring their case to court!
Bad rulings are usually mistakes in law.
Hence, the time has come for judicial review.
Italian Americans, under the leadership of Basil M. Russo, have called on the U.S. Supreme Court to get the law right. Overturn the wrong rulings of the appeals courts in Pennsylvania. Properly interpret the constitution. Set the right precedent. Give us standing to make our case.
On May 18th, a Petition for a Writ of Certiorari was submitted to the U.S. Supreme Court by Attorney George Bochetto, on behalf of petitioners Judge Russo and the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations (COPOMIAO), The 1492 Society, Philadelphia Council Member Mark Squilla and Jody Della Barbra, a longstanding resident and activist of the city’s Italian American community.
Mr. Bochetto serves as the legal counsel for COPOMIAO. He said, ”No other Italian American organization has ever weighed in with the U.S. Supreme Court on a cultural issue or devoted so much time and resources to protecting the Italian heritage as has COPOMIAO under the stewardship of Honorary Basil Russo, his distinguished peers, the 1492 Society and Philadelphia City Councilman Mark Squilla.”
Mayor Kenney did not realize the resolve of the Italian American community when he flipped Columbus Day for Indigenous People’s Day. Nothing doing was the message sent out loud and clear to him by Judge Russo and members of COPOMIAO. The green light was given to attorney Bochetto and his outstanding legal team to sue Mayor Kenney in federal court. Nothing less than the return of Columbus Day was the goal in what has been, thus far, two years worth of legal proceedings.
The time of reckoning has come.
“The latest petition, filed with the U.S. Supreme Court this week, seeks, in part, to declare Italian Americans as a protected class under the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution,” explains Judge Russo. “Such protections would aid in the preservation of Columbus' statues and holidays throughout the country.”
In late 2022, Mr. Bochetto won a contentious battle to save Philadelphia’s 147-year-old Columbus statue at Marconi Plaza. It was a bitter defeat for Mayor Kenney, who was openly criticized by Common Pleas Court Judge Paula Patrick over his attempt at removing the statue. Mr. Bochetto then filed a federal suit to bring back Columbus Day. A pattern of discriminatory efforts against Italian Americans by Mayor Kenney were highlighted in the pleading. Italian Americans should be deemed a protected class, claimed Mr. Bochetto, when municipal leaders, such as Kenney, penalizes one ethnic group to appease another.
We are reminded of March 14, 1891, a day of infamy for Italian Americans. It was on this day when the call rang out in New Orleans to abduct 11 Italian immigrants to hang em high.
The worst case of mass lynching in America’s history remains a lesson for us all. Eleven men were hung for one reason, and, for one reason, alone: They were Italian.
As Judge Russo said, some months ago, “There’s much to fight for — and much to look forward to — as Italian Americans young and old come together to honor their ancestors.”
Stoicism is the cherished virtue passed down from Ancient Rome. Roman Catholicism imbues us with quiet resolve. We are to tough out challenges. We are to suffer in silence.
Such is the way of the past before political correctness. Silence is no longer golden in the Cancel Culture age. To let others seal our fate is to lose our history, our traditions, our culture. We must, therefore, engage. We must advocate. We must persuade.
To the third branch of government, we come. To the U.S. Supreme Court, we make our plea: Do not quash the call of history. Let Italian Americans be heard. Grant us Certiorari.
THE TOWER OF LIGHT COMES TO STATEN ISLAND
Garibaldi-Meucci Museum Acquires New Sculpture
By Truby Chiaviello
The Tower of Light has arrived!
To Staten Island.
The edifice, completed by Venetian master sculptor Giorgio Bortoli, was unveiled on May 21st, on the grounds of the Garibaldi-Meucci Museum,
owned and administered by the Sons of Italy Foundation and New York State Grand Lodge of the Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America.
The sculpture measures 39 feet. The structure consists of high gauge steel and surrounded by Murano glass. It is an artistic representation of the twinning of the Tower of San Marco, in Venice, Italy and the Metropolitan Life Tower, in New York City. This unique piece was realized and created by the master sculptor Bortoli in 1999, with the intention of evoking a gesture of friendship between the two cities. Venice and New York are both characterized by water, art, and Venetian culture, as the Metropolitan Life Tower was modeled after the Tower of San Marco.
Signor Bortoli said, “A very special dream is about to be realized- the permanent placement of ‘La Torre Di Luce’ in a most significant place. The sculpture symbolizes a twinning of two cities surrounded by water, bridging Venice and New York. Most importantly, it represents a bond of friendship with our brothers and sisters of Staten Island and the Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America. ‘La Torre di Luce’ will serve as a beacon that will illuminate the Rosebank community and bring the well-deserved attention to the Garibaldi-Meucci Museum and its honorable history.”
The Garibaldi-Meucci Museum, a home to Inventor Antonio Meucci and his wife Esterre was built in 1843 and became the home to General Giuseppe Garibaldi from 1851-53 during his stay in New York. Artifacts are preserved at the Museum which is also the site for many programs that include classes in Italian at various levels, as well as children’s programs, lectures, visitations by many from the USA and abroad, especially Italy.
Carl Ciaccio, Chairman of the Board of Commissioners/Directors of the Garibaldi Museum, in anticipation of the imminent arrival of the Tower of Light, stated with much enthusiasm, “ The Venice-New York project has been a labor of love for the past four years, shared by numerous protagonists without whom such a complex project could not finally be on the verge of coming to fruition. ‘La Torre di Luce’ aptly named by its sculptor, Giorgio Bortoli, is a truly exceptional work of art, which will undoubtedly serve as a beacon that will attract a multitude of visitors from far and near.”
In speaking with the President of the Sons of Italy Foundation (SIF), Comm. Joseph Sciame indicated: “This is an incredible addition to all that the OSDIA has preserved since 1919 taking over the grounds and house now called the Garibaldi-Meucci Museum. This piece will enhance the current grounds and attract thousands of people we hope in the spirit of ‘light’ that oftentimes exists in a darkened world.”
Editor’s Note: The Garibaldi-Meucci Museum is located at 420 Tompkins Avenue, Staten Island, NY. Please visit the website at www.garibaldimeuccimuseum.org
LIGHTS, CAMERA…LOTS OF ACTION!
A Clandestine Thriller is the Latest Fare from the Russo Brothers
- Now Streaming on Amazon is “Citadel”
- The $200 million TV project circles the globe
- Another Russo, sister Angela, helped produce the series
By Truby Chiaviello
The Russo Brothers take over.
They conquered the big screen with their Marvel comics’ phenom “Avengers Endgame” shown all over the world in movie theaters everywhere; the second highest grossing film in history. Then, in 2022, it was Netflix. “The Gray Man” was released on the streaming platform to coincide with theatrical showings to win rave reviews from critics and audiences, alike.
Now…Amazon!
“Citadel” is the latest from Joe and Anthony Russo. They serve as executive producers for the TV series, now streaming on Amazon Prime.
It’s the word out on the street: “Citadel” is a winner!
The Russos know action. The first scene of the the first episode of “Citadel” is full of fist fights, gun play and explosions. Move over James Bond. “Citadel” contains the heroes, gadgets and sinister villains to make this another espionage thriller for audiences to watch and cherish.
The news from LA is the involvement from a third Russo. Their sister, Angela Russo Otstot, is President of Creative at their Hollywood studio, AGBO, which produced “Citadel.” The Brothers were also the producers of the Academy Award-winning Best Picture, “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”
We live in an interconnected world. A plethora of communication devices put us in contact with people in every continent. The Russos know this. Hence, “Citadel” is made with a global audience in mind.
Consider the locales: Italy, Oregon, Virginia, Chicago, Zurich, Switzerland… And that’s just the first episode!
No wonder the price tag for the TV project was a cool $200 million, as bankrolled by Amazon Studios. The plan is to have other series spin-offs in different parts of the world, utilizing native actors in native vernacular, such as “Citadel: Italy,” “Citadel: India,” and others to come.
Deep State pervades the collective consciousness of Americans. Conspiracy theorists abound with what goes on behind the scenes. Is America, and, for that matter, other countries of the world, controlled by a cabal of elites in government and business? According to the storyline of “Citadel,” the answer is a resounding, “Yes!”
The first episode ushers in the remnant of the spy agency, named Citadel. Their members are to be scattered in different parts of the world after their arch rival, a criminal enterprise, Manticore, undid their organization from within. Richard Madden plays Mason Kane, a former agent whose memory has been erased. He is tracked down by his old handler, Bernard Orlick, played by none other than Stanley Tucci. The purpose is to re-engage Kane. He is to team up, again, with his partner, Nadia Sinh, played by beautiful Priyanka Chopra, one of India's top actresses, to restore the agency and fight Manticore.
“We’ve had the good fortune of being able to tell stories that travel around the globe, and we’ve seen the effect that those can have on audiences,” said Anthony Russo in a recent interview with The New York Times. “But those were Hollywood-centric narratives that traveled. The idea that we could create a story that not only traveled around the world but was created around the world seemed like a very exciting movement forward."
Proud advocates of their Italian heritage, the Russo Brothers are lifelong members of Italian Sons and Daughters of America (ISDA), and six years ago they founded The Russo Brothers Italian American Film Forum, which, to date, has provided 48 grants to independent filmmakers who have created movies that depict the Italian American experience in positive ways.
Anthony and Joe are the sons of Basil & Patricia Russo. Basil currently serves as President of the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations (COPOMIAO) and National President of Italian Sons and Daughters of America.
Editor’s Note: “Citadel” is now showing on Amazon.com Prime. Date of article 5-10-23
GRANDMA’S GRAVY
By Elisa Revello
In Honor of Flora Revello…
I remember as a kid traveling to foreign lands of other people’s houses and staying for dinner, and the family cooking what they called spaghetti and a glass jar with a mustachioed cartoon man. I remember eating something unfamiliar and saying thank you, but I did not tell them that it’s not called sauce.
I did not tell them of cramped hot kitchens in summer
of a master curled over the stove stirring with a crooked hand
of olive oil in a can hidden under the sink and cast iron and
mounds of garlic and garlic turning gold and permeating the house
of thick paste and handling raw meat and tying meat with strings
of rolling and kneading and tossing flour
of Romano that is pulled from the depths of the freezer
of handfuls of salt and pepper and leaves and dashes
of ingredients that can never be measured or revealed
of wooden spoons and sizzling and snaps of oil
of parsley that you cut with your teeth
of hauling jugs of wine from the basement
of a massive pot and a long slow simmer
of waiting for a deeper richer red
a color that is only known to few
of armies of tasters lifting the lid
and releasing the scent of promise
and dipping bread in the pot
when no one is looking and
storytelling that seems like yelling
of grating the cheese because
you’re the kid and the kid gets the worst job
of the grater that hurts your hand
and a slippery paper plate
holding a mountain of cheese
of boiling water and steam
of huddling around a flame
and working a whole day
cooking. But you—
you are not just cooking
in your family. Your family—
are makers of
magic.
Op-ed
INCLUDE ITALIAN AMERICANS AS MEDITERRANEAN IN US CENSUS
- A Letter to the OMB to Change How Italian Americans are Categorized
(The following is an edited letter by Dr. Binetti to OMB on the U.S. Census future ethnic delineation of Italian Americans)
My name is Christopher R. Binetti and I am writing to you today as an Italian American with a Ph.D. in political science; as the President of the Italian American Movement, a 501c3 non-profit organization to advocate for Italian American civil rights. I am asking, on behalf of my organization, myself and my Italian American people, that the recommendations in the comments of the IALDHEF and COPOMAIO/NIABA submissions be enacted by the OMB. I agree with both sets of comments; in both spirit and logic. I now offer additional recommendations in lieu of my personal experiences as an Italian American.
As IALDHEF rightly advises, the minimum categories should be eliminated. I see any continued embrace of racialized categories as deeply problematic for Italian American and other Mediterranean ethnicities. However, I recognize, as does the COPOMAIO/NIABA, that you are unlikely to ever eliminate racialized minimum categories. Hence, I support the recommendation by COPOMAIO for OMB to create a new category titled, "European Mediterranean.”
I agree that Mediterranean groups, as now currently proposed to become the "Middle Eastern and North African" category, have the right to form their own group; as long as it does not relegate Italian Americans to the "white" or "European" category of U.S. Census. A Mediterranean group to include "Middle Eastern and North African" ethnicity, while not preferable over a "European Mediterranean" delineation, is vastly preferable to the possibility of Italians and other Mediterraneans being stuck in a "white" or generic ”European" category.
We want to avoid the deprivation of civil rights among Italian and other Mediterraneans, i.e., Greek, Spanish, Portuguese, etc., by being forced into a "European" or "white" category. Hence, we would rather be in a larger Mediterranean group, if that was our only option, to avoid being stranded inside the “European” or “white” category.
All of this is consistent with the comments of the IALDHEF and COPOMAIO. If you simply created a "European Mediterranean" category to house those ethnic groups, tied together by the Mediterranean region, originally denied a category by your initial proposal, the Italian American Community, including the Italian American Movement, would be ecstatic.
As a side note, I suggest the OMB ask different Jewish ethnic groups how they wish to be identified. We did not deal with this in our COPOMAIO comments because I was tasked with whom to include in our definition and forgot the Sephardim, Mizrahim and Askenazim subsets of Jewry. These groups should be asked by OMB if they prefer to be with us in the "European Mediterranean”category, or, instead, the "Middle Eastern and North African" category, or the "European"/"white" category. They should not be denied this choice simply because I forgot to write them in our joint comment.
My letter might be confusing to outsiders; who do not understand Italian Americans. We are not "white.” The perception by others of our "whiteness" comes without the real privilege of such a distinction. Instead, we suffer real-world consequences by being defined as “white.”
I am challenged with four diagnosed disabilities. However, being Italian is a bigger social disability than my actual afflictions. I have a PhD in Political Science from the University of Maryland, a Masters Degree from Rutgers-Newark in Political Science; and before that, six published peer-reviewed scholarly articles, three years of independent teaching experience at a community college and I am a volunteer Political Commentator at PRIMO, the nation’s largest independent Italian American magazine. I am on the General Council of the Northeastern Political Science Association. I am now running for State Senate, independent of my duties as President of the Italian American Movement. Nevertheless, I still had to go back for a second Master's Degree at Rutgers-Newark in History because I lost my job due to the pandemic and could not get a new one; not even an adjunct job in New Jersey and New York.
I am absolutely convinced that I unable to gain academic employment because I am an Italian American. Hence, the reason I am currently suing New Jersey is because the state’s policies make it virtually impossible for a highly-qualified Italian American, like me, to get an academic job. I support affirmative action and DEI for all current groups and seek Italians and other Mediterraneans to be included.
After I sued New Jersey for systemic ethnic discrimination, I experienced retaliation against me as an Italian American seeking justice. There was a compensation arbitration committee for lawyers organized under the New Jersey Supreme Court desperately seeking laypeople. I showed interest, but was never contacted. I am almost certain that the State was retaliating against me for being an Italian standing up for justice for his own people. I had my State Senator refuse to represent me. He ceases to communicate with me. He did not appoint me to the New Jersey Italian Heritage Commission. I complained about him to the ethics committee in Trenton, but was told that such retaliation is mandated by New Jersey law. This experience motivated me to run for State Senate against the man who has blocked every chance at bettering myself or the Italian American community.
The Division on Civil Rights is an agency under the Attorney General of New Jersey. It has systemically discriminated and retaliated against me and other Italian Americans. The DCR does not keep statistics on Italian Americans. When I once filed an OPRA request (similar to a FOIA request), I was given the record for the only case that the DCR handled in 10 years regarding anti-Italian discrimination; and of course, the DCR ruled against the Italian.
The DCR and the State of new Jersey can get away with this only because Italian Americans are declared "white" and not as the minority we are. When our statues are torn down, in violation of the law, people do not call it a hate-crime. When our politicians or broadcasters are fired, while other groups' politicians and broadcasters are not for committing the same offense, no one seems to care. When CUNY violates its promises to include Italian Americans in affirmative action, no one cares. When the Super Mario Brothers celebrate ethnic slurs against Italians, or the Simpsons supports mob stereotypes, or Italian actors only get to be stereotyped characters, the "social justice warriors" do not support us.
Within our community are the so-called "Redeemers" who want to liquidate our ethnicity. They support affirmative action only for other people. Since academia only hires "Redeemers,” the government thinks that the 80-90 percent of us who support affirmative action for all, including Italian Americans, are the minority when, in fact, we are the majority!
As the Supreme Court is threatening affirmative action for all, the OMB should recommend that affirmative action be available to any ethnic group (detailed category) that is severely underrepresented in employment or school admissions. This is almost certainly constitutional. There is no discrimination if all individuals in all detailed categories are treated similarly.
As a final thought, I want to ask you to consider my story and hopefully, after reflecting on this, you will give us the hope of salvation of "whiteness" that is the "European Mediterranean" category. With this category, we can get affirmative action and DEI. With this category, we can unify our community, convince the "Redeemers" that we do not have to give up our ethnicity to get jobs. Many Italians are pro-Colombo, while others support a type of out-spoken Catholicism. Still others want more support for the Italian language in America, which scares Anglo-whites. Ninety percent of the Italian American Community supports affirmative action (and DEI) for Italian Americans. If you grant us this "European Mediterranean" category, you are freeing Italians from now-urgent and brutal choice of being an unemployed academic with great credentials like me or giving up one's authentic self and ethnic identity to become a "Redeemer". I will never give up my Italianness. Help us end this terrible choice forever!
Sinceramente,
Dr. Christopher R. Binetti,
President of the Italian American Movement
Editor’s Note: Some of the views espoused by the writer may not be shared by PRIMO. The writer can be emailed at cbinetti@terpmail.umd.edu.
Primo Interview
A HEROINE AMONG THE SICILIAN VESPERS
First-Generation Sicilian American, Carlo Treviso, Pens a Saga Set in His Family’s Homeland in “Siciliana.”
Carlo Treviso grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and graduated from Columbia College Chicago with a degree in film directing. Traversing the worlds of Hollywood and advertising, Treviso has written and produced commercial broadcast campaigns for well-known brands all over the world. The son of a Sicilian immigrant, Treviso enjoys bringing his passion and appreciation for Sicily to his readers. He is a proud advocate and supporter of conservation organizations UNESCO, LIFE ConRaSi, and World Wildlife Fund—all of which work to protect the beauty and grandeur of Sicily's engrossing past, resilient culture, and vibrant biodiversity. Treviso resides in Chicago, Illinois.
PRIMO interviewed Mr. Treviso about his latest novel, “Siciliana.”
1.) Please tell us where your family came from in Italy.
The Treviso family came from a small fishing village called Porticello, outside of Palermo.
2.) What led you to write "Siciliana"?
I’m the first-generation son of a Sicilian immigrant family, and growing up, I’ve been long weary of that mafia-centric stereotype of Sicilians in popular entertainment—a people and culture often portrayed as a hotbed of mobsters and gangsters. So I aimed to change the narrative and challenge these stereotypes head on by creating an epic historical thriller set in a time when Sicily once considered its own kingdom filled with forbidden knights, forgotten fortresses and fallen kings.
3.) The book is set at the time of the Sicilian Vespers. Tell us why this so important to so many Sicilians today.
The Sicilian Vespers was a harrowing, world-shaping event that delivered an oppressed people from the scourge of tyranny and fundamentally forged the identity of a Sicilian nation. The event serves as a potent reminder of the passion and power that exists within the Sicilian spirit to affect change when we come together as a unified force. Rebellamentu!
4.) What did you find most challenging and most rewarding in writing “Siciliana”?
What I found most challenging about writing “Siciliana” is taking great care to create Sicilian heroes that the reader would become invested in. History has good records of the French villains who actually existed back then which I feature in the novel. However, there’s not as much that exists about the Sicilian rebels who fought blade to blade in the narrow streets and alleyways. This allowed me to take creative liberties with the history and create an original cast of Sicilian heroes. I decided then to base the character Aetna (who is destined to become the Siciliana) on my own sister.
What I found most rewarding is two-fold. The first is that the writing of “Siciliana” brought me ever closer to my heritage and culture. It could be said that the act of writing “Siciliana” was my own knight’s quest to discover my own history. The second is how well the book has been received. I get many reviews and comments from readers thanking me for bringing a story forth that portrays Sicily and Sicilians in a heroic light.
5.) What are your plans for the future? Any other books in the making?
I currently have a second novel in the works. I’m not quite ready to discuss details yet, though I will say it will be a thriller once again set in historical Sicily with a formidable female hero.
Editor’s Note: “Siciliana” was given an excellent review in PRIMO. To purchase this novel, please log on to Amazon.
The Rematch is On…
APPEALS COURT HEARING ON COLUMBUS MONUMENT IN SYRACUSE IS SET FOR THIS MONDAY, APRIL 3RD
By Truby Chiaviello
It’s showtime!
The rematch is on for this April 3rd, 10:00 a.m., at the New York State Supreme Court, Appellate Division, in Rochester.
Columbus Monument Corporation v. City of Syracuse!
You can tune in to the proceedings!
Italian Americans, from anywhere in the country, can watch their paisans in Syracuse take on Mayor Ben Walsh…again!
The appeals court will live stream the proceedings at the following link:
At issue, for the second time, is whether or not the city of Syracuse has the legal right to tear down the Columbus Monument inside Columbus Circle.
Justice Gerard Neri said no, back on March 11, 2022, after the case was initially tried at the New York Supreme Court that January.
Justice Neri ruled for the Columbus Monument Corporation after their lawyers showed an agreement had been made by the city to maintain and preserve the statue in Columbus Circle (formerly, Saint Mary’s Circle), first erected in 1934.
Trial victory came without gloating. The Italians of Syracuse reached out to their adversaries. They offered an olive branch, one of many, to Mayor Walsh.
What do you say, Mr. Mayor? How about if you agree to let stand the Columbus Monument; and in return, we Italians will donate $20,000 to a multi-ethnic art exhibition to be displayed at a nearby park?
Non c’e modo!
Ben Walsh is, perhaps, the youngest among a group of mayors from Chicago to Philadelphia who irrationally hate Columbus. The mayor of Syracuse was born just two years after the release of Star Wars. He neither belongs to the Democrat nor Republican Parties, but, rather, he is proud member of Independence and Reform Parties of New York. Now 43, a year into his second term, he seethes with an obsession to get Columbus, at any cost.
Mayor Walsh follows a cynical playbook to blame the ills of a city on the Genoese explorer who died over 500 years ago and who, by the way, never set foot on the mainland United States.
The time is now to decry the failings of Syracuse. Consider for a moment how the city has a 36 percent poverty rate under Mayor Walsh. That’s 123 percent more than the national average!! Consider how crime has gotten so bad that the mayor seeks to pay gang members to stay out of trouble! The price tag registers between $100 to $200 per hooligan, according to the new proposed program.
Everyone knows that the removal of a statue will not alleviate such urban ills. Yet, the young mayor is insistent to tear down the sculpture, at the cost $150,000 in legal fees, paid for by taxpayers!
The Italians of Syracuse are tough. They mobilized effectively when Mayor Walsh announced his intentions to strike down the edifice. A combination of savvy politics, creative public relations and stalwart legal advocacy on the part the Columbus Monument Corporation has kept the Columbus Monument in place.
Nicholas J. Pirro, the Onondaga County Executive for some decades, now retired, was able to craft a formidable defense of Columbus. A stacked deck against the Italians encompassed city hall, the local legislature, the local historical society, Syracuse University and the local press. The Columbus Monument Corporation circumvented censorship of their cause through an excellent web site to accompany frequent emails to win supporters. The Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations, under the leadership of Judge Basil M. Russo, provided the Italians of Syracuse with national exposure and, even, went so far as to file an amicus brief to support their case in the current appeal. Mr. Pirro and company created lawn signs delivered to thousands of citizens with the message to keep Columbus Monument in Syracuse!
Winning in the court of public opinion came with winning in the trial court last year. Now, it is time for a rematch. It is time for a second victory in court!
A number of the best and brightest attorneys of upstate New York have volunteered their time and expertise to help the Columbus Monument Corporation. Anthony J. Pietrafesa has done an exceptional job in leading the legal team. They include Senator John DeFrancisco (ret.), Marc Malfitano, Judge Anthony Aloi (ret.), Frank Veronese, Judge Anthony Paris (ret.), John DiLauro, Anthony Rivizzigno and Mike Vavonese.
Italian Americans can tune in to see the work of these exceptional attorneys in a cause we all support. We pray for their victory!
God save the Columbus Monument of Syracuse! God save Columbus Day in America!
The Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations features their web site at https://copomiao.org/
SEE YOU IN…U.S. SUPREME COURT
Basil M. Russo and COPOMIAO Make The Case for Italian Americans to be Deemed a Protected Class
- Attorney George Bochetto Petitions The U.S. Supreme Court
- All Things Change If Italian Americans are Victorious
- Petition Filed on March 14th, The Day of Infamy When Italians Were Hung by Lynch Mob in New Orleans
By Truby Chiaviello
Basil M. Russo remains resolute.
The fight is onward.
To the U.S. Supreme Court we go!
The next battleground is the biggest.
Judge Russo leads the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations (COPOMIAO). This past January, he and COPOMIAO made history when, through their youth committee, headed by John Viola and Patrick O’Boyle, convened the first-ever national Italian American youth summit.
Hence, the strategy is to offer a carrot and stick by Judge Russo and his team at COPOMIAO.
The carrot: Entice coming generations to proudly embrace their Italian American heritage.
The stick: Keep fighting! We advocate our cause and defend our legacy at school board, municipal and city meetings, and, of course, in the courts; and now, the third co-equal branch of the United States government.
The U.S. Supreme Court!
COPOMIAO has as its attorney, the incomparable George Bochetto, a weaver of legal miracles against Mayor Jim Kenney of Philadelphia to win one court case after the other in that city. Mr. Bochetto has now been given the green light by Judge Russo and COPOMIAO to bring their case to the highest court in the land.
If the U.S. Supreme Court agrees to hear the case, and if Italian Americans win, then everything changes. No more Columbus Day eliminations at the municipal and state levels. No more tearing down Columbus statues. No more denying the contributions of Italians in our elementary and secondary schools.
We will be, and rightly so, deemed a protected class.
Mr. Bochetto filed his petition to the U.S. Supreme Court on March 14; a day of infamy for Italian Americans. It was on this day, in 1891, when the call rang out in New Orleans to abduct 11 Italian immigrants to hang em high.
The worst case of mass lynching in America’s history remains a lesson for us all. These 11 men were hung for one reason, and, for one reason, alone: They were Italian. Hence, we cannot rely on others to do our fighting for us. We have to come together to take our cases to court, to advocate our cause in government, to defend our legacy at school board and municipal meetings.
We can no longer remain complacent. We can no longer remain silent.
Consider for a moment the reaction to the mass lynching in 1891. How most people in power felt about Italians then (and now) were best displayed by the likes of The New York Times and Teddy Roosevelt. America’s newspaper of record praised the lynchings! Uncle Teddy, in a letter to his sister, sided with the mob! He wrote: “Personally, I think it a rather good thing.”
****
Was Italy about to declare war against the United States? Yes, indeed! And for good reason. How would America feel if 11 of her citizens were taken from their homes and killed in another country for no reason? That’s how Italy felt!
Never mind we knew we could win a war against Italy. America had become one of the strongest nations by then. No, a conflict was to be avoided because many Americans shared Italy’s indignation at what happened in New Orleans. Most Americans did not cheer the mass lynching of Italians as did the New York Times and Teddy Roosevelt. Quite the contrary, most were outraged and disgusted. War with Italy was to be prevented. The diplomatic crisis was averted thanks to the first Columbus Day and subsequent cultural celebration built on inclusion and assimilation.
It was a night of horror on March 14, 1891. Hard to imagine now…or is it? Back then, prominent New Orleans citizens — including future mayors and governors — led the largest lynch mob ever to assemble on U.S. soil. Today, we see, not future mayors and governors - but present-day mayors and governors! - cheering on the violent mobs who destroy Columbus statues. We see the New York Times, who endorsed the lynching of Italians, as the only national newspaper who refused to run a paid ad by COPOMIAO in defense of Columbus! Message then and now: It’s okay to attack the legacy of Italians in America.
Numbering in the tens of thousands and wielding torches, rifles and rope, the mob of vigilantes stormed into New Orleans’ Parish Prison and murdered 11 Italian immigrants, all of whom had either just been acquitted or were falsely implicated in the 1890 murder of Police Chief David Hennessy.
The victims included:
• Antonio Bagnetto, fruit peddler: tried and acquitted
• James Caruso, stevedore: not tried
• Loreto Comitis, tinsmith: not tried
• Rocco Geraci, stevedore: not tried
• Joseph Macheca, fruit importer and Democratic Party political boss: tried and acquitted 330 × 190
• Antonio Marchesi, fruit peddler: tried and acquitted
• Pietro Monasterio, cobbler: mistrial
• Emmanuele Polizzi, street vendor: mistrial
• Frank Romero, ward politician: not tried
• Antonio Scaffidi, fruit peddler: mistrial
• Charles Traina, rice plantation laborer: not tried
The modern spin encompasses The Godfather mentality. These 11 men were lynched because…they were Mafia!
Mob conspirators claimed that Mafia influence swayed jurors, despite no evidence; and according to History.com, the court proceedings surrounding Chief Hennessy’s murder marked the genesis of Italian American mafia tropes that persist today (from boorish Saturday Night Live sketches, to Hollywood’s repetitive stereotypes).
Italian Americans and leaders of the kingdom of Italy were outraged by the mass lynching. Italy broke off diplomatic relations and recalled its ambassador from Washington, D.C. Then-President Benjamin Harrison, in turn, removed the U.S. legation from Rome.
With a looming presidential election and a deepening diplomatic crisis, President Harrison urged communities across the nation to celebrate Columbus and show their patriotism.
It was a major success, as more than one million people gathered in New York City on Oct. 12, 1892, to honor Columbus Day and cheer on the 40,000-strong parade (the larger-than-life NYC celebration took place exactly 400 years after the navigator first landed in what was deemed the New World, and it also jumpstarted the mass dissemination of the freshly scripted Pledge of Allegiance).
The next day, on Oct. 13, 1892, the towering Columbus Circle statue was unveiled in front of thousands of people. And just like that, the deep cultural connection between Columbus and Italian Americans was cemented.
President Harrison had successfully quelled the boiling diplomatic tensions, but he would ultimately lose the presidency to Grover Cleveland.
Despite the outpouring of support, Italian Americans would go on to experience crushing suppression across the United States.
At least 40 more lynchings of Italians took place on U.S. soil, and during WWII, 600,000 Italian immigrants and Italian Americans were deemed enemy aliens by order of the U.S. government — despite the fact that more than one million Italian American soldiers were fighting and dying in Europe and the South Pacific to protect America’s freedoms.
Many of these “enemy aliens” were surveilled, stripped of their livelihoods and native language, and were forced to leave their homes; and some were even sent to internment camps. Infamously, Joe DiMaggio’s father, a fisherman in California, had his boat commandeered by the U.S. government.
Columbus statues and monuments were installed in Italian communities across the U.S. to fuel assimilation and combat discrimination during this decades-long period of widespread racism and sedition.
They were paid for by poor Italian Americans who spent years rounding up funds to pay for the statues.
Columbus Day became a permanent national holiday in 1934 when Congress, after lobbying by the Knights of Columbus, authorized President Franklin D. Roosevelt to declare Oct. 12 as the designated date. In 1971, Columbus Day was made a federal holiday on the second Monday in October.
Despite this history, Columbus statues have been reinterpreted as symbols of hate, enslavement and colonialism by misguided reformists (the irony is astounding).
If only everyday folks knew the full story, they’d understand why a large segment of today’s Italian Americans are fighting to preserve the Columbus statues and parades.
In 2022, COPOMIAO (led by Italian Sons and Daughters of America President Basil M. Russo) worked directly with the White House in crafting the latest federal Columbus Day proclamation, which examines and clarifies this overlooked and under-appreciated history.
The Conference of Presidents is also working closely with the New Jersey Italian Heritage Commission (NJIHC) on the national rollout of an equitable, diverse and inclusive curriculum model that uses heritage as a guide to better educate U.S. students in both public and private schools. It is titled: The Universality of Italian Heritage.
In Syracuse, N.Y., the Columbus Monument Corp. won a lawsuit in March 2022 that blocked the removal of the city’s Columbus statue. Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh has appealed the ruling, and, in the process, is spending hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars on the misguided legal effort.
In Chicago, the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans is working with city officials in the hopes of promoting Columbus and easing the violent crime that has plagued the city. JCCIA President Ron Onesti told WGN that Chicago mayoral candidate Paul Vallas has agreed to hear arguments over returning a historic Columbus statue to Grant Park.
In Pittsburgh, Italian Sons and Daughters of America is suing to save the city’s Columbus statue. The suit is currently in the appeal process.
And finally, after a decade of holding class on the second Monday in October, Columbus Day will once again be celebrated during the 2024-25 school year in New Canaan, Connecticut.
The New Canaan Board of Education passed a motion 5-4 this past January to reestablish the holiday.
As Judge Russo says, “There’s much to fight for — and much to look forward to — as Italian Americans young and old come together to honor their ancestors.”
GOLAR TUNDRA ARRIVES
A Nightmare Is Now Anchored Off The Coast of Piombino
- For Rome, the orders of the EU override protests of Italians
- Threat of environmental catastrophe is now ever-present for fishing village
- What sanctions against Russia have wrought They are shills.
By Truby Chiaviello
Today’s leaders…
You can be in a whole different country. You can be 1,800 miles (2,877 kilometers) from the place of concern. You can have no connection, no agitation, no danger from a conflict far, far away.
Yet, you - the good people of Piombino - must pay the price!
Thus, says Mario Drahi. Thus, says Giorgia Meloni. Thus, says Italy’s parliament. Thus, says the European Commission!
Piombino is a city by the sea in Italy with not a scintilla of historical connection to Russia or Ukraine. Nevertheless, she is to face a daily threat of environmental destruction due to the war that began more than a year ago in Eastern Europe.
Look out the windows in Livorno…
She’s arrived!
The Golar Tundra.
She is a dark marvel of engineering; a seaboard re-gasifier. She is a floating petrochemical plant. She is a big boat full of chlorine bleach.
She is now anchored in Piombino’s harbor!
Sorry, good people of Piombino. You’re just fishermen. You’re just vessel captains, merchant mariners and farmers. You’re unemployed steel workers. You did everything you could. You protested. You held banners. You plodded and pleaded.
But, in the end, the Italian political class - left, right, middle - likes big governments. Piombino is small. The EU is mighty.
Mario Draghi will go down in history as Italy’s worst prime minister. His successor, Giorgia Meloni, may go down as second worst. Their message: To hell with Piombino.
Super Mario, as the praetorian guard press termed him, was in Rome for just two years when the Italian people ousted him. Rightly so. He did almost nothing for Italy. He was to be a godsend, was he not? He was supposed to show a mastery of governance equal to his rule at the European Central Bank. Setting interest rates, however, with help of super computers, is a lot easier than meeting the needs of 60 million people within the peninsula. Mario was more of a man of the EU than he was Italian.
Russian troops breached the snowy borders of Ukraine in late February, 2022. Now was the time for the West to get tough. The European Commission, the executive branch of the EU, under the leadership of Ursula Von Der Leyen, lodged a barrage of sanctions, against Mother Russia. “Bring her to her knees!” was the clarion call from Brussels. Not a single molecule of oil or gas was to be purchased from Russia!
Never mind Western Europe ranks near the bottom of oil and gas reserves. Never mind that Italy might refine and distribute oil; but she doesn’t drill it. Never mind that Italy brokered treaties with Russia to get the raw material through pipe lines and container vessels to the benefit of Italian cities and industries. The European Commission, gave an order. That’s that!
Mario was always a good soldier. His political life was drastically shortened when, without Russian oil or gas, household gas prices rose almost 70 percent in Italy. The shortfall was intense.
Snam S.p.A., an energy infrastructure company, partly owned by the Italian government, had an idea. The EU liked it. Mario had to do it.
Re-gasifier ships are a rarity. Rightly so. There is no need for them. Why have a ship to turn liquefied gas into regular gas, when you have pipelines to deliver the raw material to your plants and factories? Then again, tax revenue is constant. The Golar Tundra was paid for, in part, by the Italian government. She was ordered to anchor off the coast of Piombino. The journey was to be a long one. The vessel was somewhere North.
The decision from Rome was made with zero input from the people or Piombino. There was no deliberation. No consideration.
Last summer, the houses of Piombino were empty. Where were the people? They were out in the streets, day and night, demonstrating against the eventual arrival of the Golar Tundra. Could they succeed? Could they change the minds of Italy’s national government? Could they stop the Golar Tundra from coming to their harbor? The odds were against them. Yet, summer passed. Then came fall, winter, a New Year. The re-gasifier was still nowhere to be seen.
And then…yesterday…March 20, 2023…it happened. There she breaches! The Golar Tundra has come!
What a nightmare! Golar Tundra is the ultimate burden with no benefit. The people of Piombino will get nothing out of this. No jobs. No money. No security. Just the ever-present danger of an explosion, or a massive toxic leak, an environmental disaster of some kind.
Italy’s leaders rule on behalf of the European Commission not on behalf of Italians. The Russian-Ukrainian war fulfills the addicts of international machinations. Italy is there for them to help realize a nirvana in geopolitical stimulation. They are confederates. They are fixers. They are shills.
To the good people of Piombino, PRIMO stands with you.
Editor’s Note: Pictured is the Golar Tundra re-gasification vessel entering the harbor of Piombino, 3/21/23. The photograph comes by way of Cecilia Sandroni, a former resident of Piombino who now heads ItaliensPR, http://www.italienspr.com
CALL TO ACTION - KEEP COLUMBUS DAY IN MARYLAND!
PROPOSED MARYLAND HOUSE BILL 446 TO REPLACE COLUMBUS DAY with INDIGENOUS PEOPLE'S DAY
Please join me and 268,000 Marylanders of Italian descent to oppose House Bill 446, which would replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples' Day.
Replacing the Columbus Day holiday is not only a disservice to America's 63 million Hispanics and 17 million Italians, but an insult to the five million Native Americans in the US, who surely deserve better. Besides being against national policy (Columbus Day is still a Federal holiday with banks, post offices and federal offices closed), HB 446 would cause confusion in our region.
Please don't sanction replacing the history of our nation and the world with popular revisionist beliefs that Columbus hated, enslaved, and mistreated natives. Objective historians know the opposite is actually the true story.
I thank you and 17 million Italian Americans thank you!
Sincerely,
Dr. Albert F. Marra,
2021-2023 President
Little Italy Lodge 2286, OSDIA
(Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America)
###
Thomas Damigella, vice president of the Italian American Alliance, had this to say:
Dear Sir,
I believe such an act would be a divisive and insensitive action to the Italian American community who's heritage is very closely aligned to Columbus. Also, it is unfortunate that people have been seriously misinformed about Columbus an his actual role in history. He has been maligned and blamed for actions and historical tragedies that he was not associated. Instead , they are conveniently using him as a scapegoat for the purpose of debating social justice issues of Native Americans by our own US government that took place centuries after Columbus expeditions to the New World.
Lastly, why doe the State of Maryland pass a law that is in absolute contrast to President Biden's recent Proclamation of Columbus Day as a National Federal Holiday and it's special connection to Italian Americans.
Would it not be better to have Native American celebrate their own day on August 9th which is International Indigenous People Day by the UN and also have November be National Native American Heritage Month which was already designated by President Bush in 1991.
I hope my comments give you pause to consider not to pass this bill.
Sincerely,
Thomas Damigella
VP of IAA
###
This is what Rosalinda Mannetta wrote:
This is offensive and hurtful, based on mistruths and ignorance and inspired by persons who don't know the full history of the day. This devalues ALL of the sacrifices, discrimination, and suffering endured by our ancestors, my parents and maternal grandfather included, who came to this country from Italy with ideals, dreams, strong family ties and work ethic, receiving NO help from ANYONE.
At what point do one ethnic groups' rights supercede those of the ones that helped build this country, many times at wages lower than their fellow workers. We need to promote simply being correct, respectfully learning each other's history. There are 364 other days in the span of one year, so pick another day! Also, National Indigenous People's Day is already celebrated on June 21st. Please STOP the hate! Could this be classified as reverse discrimination?
Most historians believe it's very sad and clear that many have NOT read primary sources, and in turn, don't know the truth about Columbus. Ignorance is bliss, but knowledge is power. Those who partially read of Bartolomeo de Las Casas, a 16th century Spanish landowner, friar, priest, bishop, famed early Spanish Dominican missionary, historian, and social reformer, who arrived in Hispaniola as a layman. For 12 years, he too took advantage of the 'encomienda' law , a Spanish royal land grant including ownership of Indian inhabitants, his slaves, legally abolished in 1523.
The 4 voyages of Columbus are considered a turning point in human history, marking the beginning of globalization. On his 1st voyage, Columbus left 39 of his crewmen to trade for gold, while he sailed back to Spain. He returned to the European settlement 11 months later to find it, along with the surrounding Indian village burned and ALL of his men and the villagers, dead.
If one thinks that indigenous tribes did not war against each other, kill, rape and slaughter each other for territory, they are sadly mistaken. The Carib tribe were even cannibals who ate other natives and also Europeans. All humans have engaged in ugly practices, as ALL nations, or tribes, were born with blood, NOT benevolence. It's a sad attribute of the human race, but a fact. Most importantly, in this case, Columbus did not commit the atrocities or genocides ascribed to him by misinformed malcontents of today. Those atrocities were at the hands of many Spanish administrators such as Roldan, Orvando, and Bobadilla.
So, PLEASE, READ the full history before attempting to destroy a great explorer's good name and maliciously tearing down his statues.
STAND UP FOR TRUTH AND JUSTICE, NOT FALSEHOODS AND INTOLERANCE!
STOP THIS BILL!
Primo Interview
LEADER OF THE MYSTERY WRITERS’ PACK
Retired NYPD Detective, Anthony Celano, Pens a Fascinating Tale of Mystery in “The Case of the One Eared Wolf.”
- The author brings real-life police experience to writing fiction
- One of three novels in his Sgt. Markie series
We all love a good mystery. What attracts us is not only the circumstances of murder, but the lead character recruited to find the killer. Anthony Celano, retired NYPD detective, gives us a character, Detective Sergeant Al Markie, who is equally intriguing as he is likable. PRIMO interviewed the author about his second installment in the Sgt. Markie series, “The Case of the One Eared Wolf.”
Please tell us where your family came from in Italy.
My dad's family came from Abruzzi and my mother from Calabria. Both parents were born in NYC. My mother, born in 1916, lost her parents when she was two years old. She was raised by her grandmother. My father, born in 1907, and his five siblings, were placed in an orphanage until his mother, a widow, remarried. The children were then taken out of the orphanage and a half brother and step brother were added to the family. Tough times.
The Case of the One Eared Wolf” is a wonderfully written novel. What led you to write the book?
I retired from the NYPD after 22 years. I started a security business in Midtown Manhattan and retired a second time after 17 years. At that point, to keep busy, I started writing my Sgt. Markie mystery novels. I felt that since most mystery writers were never cops, I should have a credible voice. The books have ongoing characters. The Case of the One Eared Wolf was the third installment in which my characters continually evolve. The more you read about them, the more revealing they become. Fictional characters take on a life of their own and a writer plods along.
Like your protagonist Sergeant Markie, you were a police detective. How much is Markie modeled after you?
Markie is a combination of many people I've crossed paths with. He's a combination of different personalities, both positive and negative. There are definitely some characteristics we have in common. Markie is human, and not perfect. To make him more interesting to the reader, I've expanded the good and bad. I approach character development in a Jekyll-Hyde fashion.
The book weaves an amazing tale of murder, robbery and narcotics; all based on a cold case to turn suddenly hot. How often do cold cases reappear for a new investigation, based on your police experience?
Cold cases grow warm for various reasons. In my experience, I've found that informants are a good source in solving previously unsolved cases. Sometimes, picking up an old case and reviewing it years after the incident can also lead to solving a cold case. People die/perpetrators die, etc., and circumstances change over time. People become more willing to provide information they previously withheld when the threat is removed.
What are the key attributes to being a good detective?
Tenaciousness and determination to keep digging is key. Having street smarts also goes a long way. Thinking a bit like a crook is helpful. Having the ability to communicate with people in various ways, depending on circumstances, is also an asset.
What did you find most challenging in writing "The Case of the One Eared Wolf"?
Identifying the time an author is most creative is a key challenge. Early morning, middle of the night, etc. Finding your creative sweet spot saves time and reduces frustration. Knowing what to cut out of a novel is also a challenge. As you write, re-write, re-work, etc…sometimes you put too much down on paper. This needs to be trimmed to tighten the story and keep it within the parameters you desire in terms of words and pages. As far as “The Case of the One Eared Wolf,” figuring out a way to conclude the story was most challenging. For me, I travel many roads easily. However, at some point I must arrive at a finale. Finding a creative appropriate end at times can be difficult.
Editor’s Note: PRIMO gave rave reviews to “The Case of the One Eared Wolf,” and other novels by Detective Celano, i.e., “The Case of the Crosseyed Strangler” and his brand new, “The Case of One Too Many Wives.” These novels are available at Amazon at the following link: https://www.amazon.com/Case-One-Eared-Wolf/dp/1942500742
TODAY’S ITALIAN DIASPORA
How Many Italians Are There Worldwide?
- What are The Most Important Issues for People of Italian Ethnicity Outside Italy and United States?
- Australian and Brazilian of Italian Heritage Express Their Views to the Author
By Dr. Silvio Laccetti
Americans, particularly Italian Americans, are barely aware of the dimensions of the Italian diaspora - the settlement of Italians across the globe.
People of Italian heritage have played major roles with significant presence in a number of countries. A brief listing shows that:
1. Italy has 60 million people
2. Brazil has 32 million people of Italian heritage, or 15 percent of that country’s total population
3. Argentina has 25 million people of Italian heritage, a whopping 62.5 percent of that country’s total population
4. The United States has an estimated 17 million, about 6 percent of total population. Are we being undercounted. The the National Italian American Foundation thinks so. They claim the number could be as high as 25 million, since the census department stopped asking about Italian ethnicity in this century.
5. Venezuela, 1.7 million, or 6 percent, of this country’s population are of Italian heritage;
6. Canada, 1.5 million, or 4.5 percent of this country’s population have ancestors who were Italian;
7. Australia, 1 million or 4.4 percent, are Italian
8. Uruguay, 1 million, but 40 percent of that country’s population are Italian ethnicity.
If you are wondering, U.S. cities, with the most Italian Americans, are: New York City, 1 million, followed by Philadelphia, Chicago and Boston with 500,000 each. The biggest concentration of Italian Americans is in the Northeast with New York and New Jersey leading the way. The municipality with the highest percentage of Italian Americans is Fairfield, New Jersey, at 50 percent of that town’s population.
I was intrigued by these statistics, and so decided to ask two individuals associated with the work of my Foundation about issues facing their Italian communities, one from Brazil, the other from Australia. It would appear that the two uppermost issues for Italian Americans concern 1) the Columbus controversy and 2) Italian Studies in public schools. How does this compare to the interests foremost on the minds of Italian Brazilians and Italian Australians?
First, I inquired of Bill Macina to give me the lay of the land in Brazil. The peak Italian migration to Brazil occurred at about the same time in the United States, 1870-1920, with a smaller flow occurring after World War II. Atypically, Bill is a triple mover. His paternal grandparents came to the the United States from Italy. As a student, Bill lived in Paramus and afterwards, in Washington Township. In later adulthood, however, he moved to Brazil to establish his successful business, ITAMBRAS.
With regard to the two issues of importance to Italian Americans, Bill states that Columbus in a non-issue for him in Brazil. There are very, very few monuments dedicated to Columbus in Brazil, which, after all, was discovered by the Portuguese navigator Pedro Cabral. October 12th is celebrated there as a quasi-religious "Children's Day"! On the second matter, about the maintenance and expansion of Italian language and cultural studies. Unlike here in the United States, the younger generations in Brazil are concerned with this matter. They lobby for more Italian Studies in their respective school’s curriculum to display a strong interest in obtaining dual Italian-Brazilian citizenship. These trends are particularly evident in Bill's adopted hometown of Serra Negra, outside Sao Paolo, which garners an impressive 90 percent of population of Italian heritage.
My second contact is Italian Australian, Zack Facione. He is an amazingly accomplished world class scholar-athlete, a seven time All-American track star who is finishing up a Master's degree at Wake Forest University, North Carolina. Interestingly, in the heart of that state, Zach is identified by peers and associates as Australian, rather than a person of Italian heritage!
Regarding the Columbus controversy, in Australia, as in Brazil, there are very few markers to pay tribute to the Great Navigator. Of course, Australia was "discovered" by the Dutch in 1606 and re-discovered by British Captain James Cook in 1770, long after the Columbian voyages to the New World.
As for Italian Studies, as we saw in Brazil, there is a growing interest among young Italian Australians to learn more about their heritage, perhaps as tourism to Italy is rising. But in schools and universities, Italian language is being cut out, totally. Indeed, one university has ceased teaching any foreign languages, stating that this study is not compatible with its mission, whatever that may be! No wonder why Australia is called the "graveyard of languages.”
Zach lives in a suburb of Sydney, a major city to feature its own "Little Italy.” There is no such place in his American home of Winston-Salem. The best he can do is visit Dioli's Italian Market for some Italian specialities!
I conclude by urging all readers to delve more into the dynamics of today’s Italian diaspora and consider the topics raised in this essay in connection with the geography and politics of your respective hometowns.
Editor’s Note: Silvio Laccetti, Ph.D. is a retired professor of history who had been a national columnist for 20 years. His self-named Foundation promotes Italian heritage and culture in the United States and abroad. 3/14/23
ABSURDITY AT NOTRE DAME
America’s Foremost Catholic University Will Let Students View Pornography but Not Murals of Columbus
- Sexually Explicit Films Can Be Seen Anywhere on Campus
- Not So for Paintings Depicting Columbus’ Journey; They Remain Covered in Sheets at Old Main
By Truby Chiaviello
Students at the University of Notre Dame, the country's most famous Catholic institution of higher learning, in South Bend, Indiana, will have no problem watching a bare all film, such as "Deep Throat," on campus.
However, paintings by Luigi Gregori depicting Columbus' discovery of the New World, at the campus main building, will remain hidden from view.
The student senate voted, last week, not to ban pornography from campus WIFI. Yet, the Columbus murals, located inside the main building, are covered in sheets, as deemed, in 2020, offensive by some faculty members and school president, Father John I. Jenkins.
False and unfounded accusations to claim Christopher Columbus was a sex trafficker, among other nefarious deeds, were among key factors in the censoring of murals, 12 total, at Notre Dame. Yet, a number of pornographic films, such as "Deep Throat," made in 1972, are clouded by credible accusations by female stars, who say they were forced to make the films under threats of violence and blackmail. Such assertions were not persuasive, in contrast with those made against Columbus, in the debate to allow pornography at Notre Dame.
Last year, Pope Francis spoke out against pornography when he said, "The devil comes from there [pornography]. The pure heart that receives Jesus every day cannot receive this pornographic information."
Nevertheless, Notre Dame students will be free to watch, on their desktop and laptop computers and smartphones, anywhere on campus, "Deep Throat," and other films with such titillating titles as "Babylon Pink," "Hotel Erotica," and "Flesh Gordon," just to name a few.
The mission of Notre Dame reads, in part, "...a Catholic academic community of higher learning, animated from its origins by the Congregation of Holy Cross."
As commissioned by Notre Dame in 1880, Italian artist Luigi Gregori sought to capture the fullness of Columbus's discovery by painting 12 murals inside the campus main building. An image of the Holy Cross underscores the introduction of Christianity to North and South America by Columbus.
Last year, Pope Francis made an address at Saint Peter's Square to expound on that day's Gospel reading. An excerpt from the Book of Matthew contained the words, "Whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me.” Pope Francis defended the image of the cross when he said, "There is no true love without the cross...the cross is not scary, because He is always at our side to support us in the hour of the most difficult trial, to give us strength and courage."
Paintings of Columbus to contain Catholic symbols at various phases of his cross-Atlantic journey, may be considered non-inclusive or, perhaps, derogatory, even insulting, by Notre Dame officials. One mural shows Columbus at first landfall, with arms raised, giving thanks to God, with the cross behind him. A restrictive policy remains in place: Such an illustration of salvation to proffer the life of Columbus is not allowed for public view at Notre Dame.
Editor’s Note: The article was posted on 3-11-23.
Primo Interview
GO WEST, YOUNG MAN
Eugene DiCesaris Journeys to the Prairies and Hills of the Wild West in His New Book, “Clayton Sharp: Messenger of Warning.”
“…the Western has always appealed to me largely because of its emphasis on individualism, the sprawling beauty of the landscape, the diversity of cultures and lifestyles, and the ultimate struggle between right and wrong.”
Please tell us where your family came from in Italy.
My family came from several locations in Italy: my father's paternal line came from the Ferentillo area, and his mother's line came from Sicily, primarily from the San Cataldo/Caltanisetta region. Mom's paternal line was mostly in northeastern Italy--Udine, and the such, with her mother's genealogy located near and around Naples. Parenthetically, I've never been to Italy, but my wife and I are hoping to go next year. We're really excited about this, and are starting to learn some Italian.
What led you to write a Western?
I grew up watching westerns in the late fifties and early sixties. It seems--and I think I’m only slightly exaggerating--that there must have been a thousand cowboy programs on TV during that stretch. Also, living behind a large diary in Artesia for a few years when I was kid, lent the "flavoring and coloring" if you will. Nothing like the smells of cows, horses, droppings, and hay to whet a kid's developing sense of realism. Seriously though, the Western has always appealed to me largely because of its emphasis on individualism, the sprawling beauty of the landscape, the diversity of cultures and lifestyles, and the ultimate struggle between right and wrong.
As the title indicates, the key protagonist is Clayton Sharp. An interesting trait is his Mormon faith; where you show him in scenes of prejudice and persecution because of his religion. An overlooked negative of American history was the persecution of Mormons. What led you to make the main character a Mormon?
The idea for the story didn't start out the way it was eventually written. Honestly, I had no idea where to begin. I didn’t use an outline. I had no idea what time frame the story would be set within. Who would be my characters and how many should I have? What would be the plot? I decided to begin with Clayton (at first, he was actually named Ephraim, but that seemed cumbersome) riding into a dumpy town in what would become the opening chapter, and suddenly it all simply coalesced. I decided to write about what I knew, or in other words, to write through the lens of Mormon history. You see, though I was Catholic when I was a kid, my parents separated when I was ten and my church-going habits abruptly came to an end. For sixteen years I didn't step foot into a church, but when I was twenty-six, I made friends with a few people who were Latter-day Saints. They told me about their church, and of course, encouraged me to join, which I did a while later, remaining a Latter-day Saint for thirty years until I went back to Catholicism in 2010 when I was fifty-six. Still, I'd come to love LDS history--especially the westward pioneering aspect of it--and found my book naturally developing into a tale I had become very acquainted with, influenced by my personal reading, and also from teaching the many church classes I had been privileged and called to conduct. Persecution was very real in LDS history, and one simply cannot dismiss it as occasional happenstance. In a very real way, the violence thrusted upon the LDS people served not only as a great sifter of the weak from the strong, but also served as an incredible bonding glue to solidfy the faithful to their beliefs. My book practically wrote itself when I decided to go in this direction. Clayton exemplified both sides of this history: at first, the reader learns Clayton used to persecute Mormons himself, but then, converted to the very faith he earlier despised. If nothing else, I think that clearly demonstrates how fluid, and subject to reassessment, our own perceptions can be at times.
The book provides engaging insights into the Wild West. What was the message you are trying to convey to readers?
I guess I was just trying to write an entertaining story. I didn't want to come off preachy, but I did want to show that people can and do change if circumstances and peripheral observers will allow. Also, I tried to portray the vast openness of the prairies, along with its mixture of beauty, peace, loneliness, and potential for danger.
What did you find most challenging and most rewarding in writing “Clayton Sharp”?
The most rewarding aspect of the book was that I actually wrote it! It was my beautiful wife, Eva, who suggested I try my hand at writing again. (I had made a fling of it years earlier, but got nowhere and basically gave up.) Without her loving encouragement, the book simply wouldn't exist. The most daunting challenge of writing the book, I guess, was in trying to develop a serious storyline readers would find interesting and thought-provoking, while at the same time, writing it in such a way where I could employ a little humor and light-heartedness.What are your plans for the future? Any other books in the making?
The second book in this series, "Clayton Sharp: Life or Death," is scheduled for release a few weeks from now in mid March. I'm really excited about this project because I think I actually have a stronger storyline, a wider array of compelling characters, and fast-moving action scenes that, I hope, will keep the reader turning the pages!
Editor’s Note: 3-6-23, pictured is the author, Eugene J. DiCesaris with his wife, Eva. His book, “Clayton Sharp: Messenger of Warning,” is available at the following link on Amazon.
FIND THEM, ARREST THEM, PROSECUTE THEM
Christopher Columbus Monument in Central Park Vandalized…Again!
By Angelo Vivolo
The malicious defacing of the Columbus memorial in Central Park late Sunday night, February 24th, is only the latest hate-inspired attack of vandalism by cowards and criminals.
Hate underlies each and every one of these incidents. Vandals have struck the Central Park statue at least three times, including this most recent attack. We have witnessed more than a dozen recent attacks on Columbus memorials across the five boroughs.
We urge the Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg to prosecute this case as a hate crime— to the full extent of the law— and set an example and a warning that hate crimes will not be tolerated in New York.
The Latino community has a special connection to the Columbus memorial inside Central Park, the design of which predates all but one of the memorials devoted to Columbus in New York. The memorial is the work of the Spanish artist Jeronimo Sunol y Pujol, inspired from his previous work in the Plaza de Colon in Madrid in 1885.
New York City’s oldest memorial to Columbus was designed by pioneering artist Emma Stebbins, an icon in the gay community. That statue has been vandalized at least two times.
In 2019, when the woke culture set their sights on its takedown, the Columbus Heritage Coalition led the fight to keep Emma Stebbins’ statue in downtown Brooklyn.
Rest assured, we’ll continue the fight to drop the hate and seek the truth.
Editor’s Note: Pictured is the Columbus statue vandalized and its sculptor, Jeronimo Jeronimo Sunol y Pujol. Mr. Vivolo is the president of the Columbus Heritage Coalition. The organization’s web site is https://www.columbusheritagecoalition.org/leadership/
Columbus’ Revenge...
MAYOR LIGHTFOOT LOSES REELECTION IN CHICAGO
She Caved in to The Woke Mob to Remove Three Statues of Columbus
- Italian Americans of Chicago Kept a Promise of Electoral Payback
- First Time in 40 Years a Mayor Loses Reelection in Chicago
Take note other mayors of America! Your political lives will be short ones when you attack Columbus!
By Truby Chiaviello
Oppose Columbus at your peril.
That’s the key message to the stunning reelection defeat of Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot.
Touted as the first openly gay, first black female to head the city of Chicago, Lightfoot was praised as a history-making figure. Well, she has made history again: She is the first mayor in Chicago in 40 years to lose reelection.
Call it…Columbus’ revenge.
Mayor Lightfoot lost big on February 28th, coming in third with only 87,935 votes behind challengers, Paul Vallas, 173,630 votes, and Brandon Johnson, 104,306 votes. Since the top two candidates did not register more than 50 percent of the vote, a runoff election is to be held on April 4th between Vallas, former CEO of Chicago Public Schools, and Johnson, a member of the Cook County Board of Commissioners, representing the first district.
A lot went wrong in Chicago the four years after Lightfoot became mayor. Mayhem and murder gripped the city. Crime went unchecked. The city posted a devastating 800 homicides in one year. Municipal services ran amok. Key corporations, most notably Boeing, left Chicago.
Mayor Lightfoot needed all the electoral help she could get. In a city of slightly less than 3 million, Italian Americans number almost 500,000. To antagonize this core constituency in Chicago was a big mistake.
In the early morning hours of July 20, 2020, Mayor Lightfoot went back on her word. She ordered not one, not two, but all three Columbus monuments in Chicago removed from their respective pedestals.
Take note mayors of America! Your political lives will be short ones when you attack Columbus.
No matter the cancel culture obsessions of today’s mainstream media and academia, most Americans do not like the removal of public works of art. People love the statues and monuments in America’s cities. Only a loud and abrasive minority will seek statues of Columbus torn down.
Mayor Lightfoot could see from the front window of her home in Chicago’s northwest side the gathering of angry youth in the early evening of July 19, 2020. The mob was intense, unruly and threatening. Chicago saw several nights of senseless riots and vandalism, as did other cities, in the wake of the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Yet, Mayor Lightfoot had promised the Italian American community in Chicago that monuments of Columbus were to remain standing in their respective locations of Grant Park, Arrigo Park and the Drake Fountain. Under duress, the mayor caved in to the anti-intellectual mob. She played Judas to order all three statues removed after Midnight on July 20th.
Humiliated, Italian American residents convened a press conference to promise that a political price was to be paid for such gratuitous betrayal.
Three years later, they got their way.
Mayor Lightfoot is out.
Columbus will return.
Editor’s Note: Pictured is Mayor Lori Lightfoot and the Columbus Monument before and after removal in Grant Park, Chicago. Date of article, 3-2-23.
IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT COLUMBUS
The Story of McPherson Square in Washington, D.C.
- Italian Americans Fight to Preserve America’s Public Spaces
By Truby Chiaviello
It’s not just about Columbus.
It’s about every public park and monument in the United States.
Italian Americans fight the good fight to retain Columbus in bronze, marble or granite. We are on the front lines to change the hearts and minds of Americans. We seek to preserve and maintain public art and urban grasslands as places of beauty, respite and reflection as originally intended; rather than a stomping ground of discounted anarchists, social protesters and the enclaves of homelessness.
Look no further than McPherson Square in Washington, D.C.
Centered between K, I and 15th Streets in the nation’s capital, the two acre containment of grass, trees and art was, for years, alienated from its original purpose. A natural refuge for city workers and pedestrians was off limits after the encampment of social protesters arose in 2011, only to morph into the bivouacs of homeless individuals to make the area unseemly and unsanitary.
To offset the rise of the Tea Party movement, the passions of discontented youth were unleashed to assist the reelection of President Barack Obama. Occupy Wall Street soon became Occupy DC when college age sons and daughters conquered McPherson Square. One of the first acts of occupiers was to throw a blue plastic drape, decorated with stars, over the 136-year-old statue in the center of the park.
Major General James B. McPherson was the park’s namesake, some years after his death in the battle of Atlanta in the Civil War. An Italian sculptor, Louise Rebisso had, by then, emigrated from Genoa to Cincinnati. He was commissioned to erect a bronze statue of the Union general. Sitting proudly on a horse, atop a granite pedestal, was the figure, unveiled by Rebisso on October 10, 1876.
One of many outstanding works of art in the nation’s capital contradicts the urban legend of sculpted horse hooves. Two in the air, in bronze, are supposed to indicate the death of the figure in battle. One is to indicate he was wounded in conflict. Four hooves on the ground means he died of natural causes. Although General McPherson was killed in battle, his horse, as depicted by Rebisso, shows one hoof raised, instead of two.
Back in 2011, rumor had spread among some DC occupiers that Rebisso’s statue depicted a Confederate general. Yes, McPherson was born in Tennessee, a slave state at the time of the Civil War. Yet, he served as a high ranking Union officer throughout the conflict under Generals Ulysses S. Grant and William Tecumseh Sherman, before he died for the Northern cause in 1864.
Rebisso’s statue was covered in a symbolic gesture, consistent with the manifesto of Occupy DC to claim, in part, “Those with power have divided us from working in solidarity by perpetuating historical prejudices and discrimination based on perceived race, religion, immigrant or indigenous status, income, age, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, and disability, among other things.”
In 2012, Occupy DC participants were forcibly removed; yet, after a model of illegal encampment was established in McPherson Square. Although homeless shelters are available in the city, the mayor and city council allowed individuals, many of whom suffer from narcotics addiction, to erect tents inside the park without threat of eviction.
This year, on February 15th, the Park Police, a federal agency under management of the Department of Interior, finally cleared out McPherson Square, after years of complaints by residents. A chest high fence now surrounds the park to allow the redemption of grass, plants and flowers.
Italian Americans lead the fight to preserve statues and monuments of Columbus in urban parks. By doing so, we help to change the minds and hearts of Americans. We take our case to court, we defend ourselves at municipal and school board meetings, we advocate eloquently on radio, television and social media. Ours is a cause without equivocation. We seek to turn the tide against the decay and destruction of our cities and urban centers. We seek a return to law and order. We seek the rightful maintenance and sustenance of all public spaces. We seek a better America.
BACK INTO THE FREY
Basil Russo Enters the Legal Battle to Save The Columbus Monument in Syracuse
- COPOMIAO Files Amicus Brief in Appellate Court in New York
“…an important part of COPOMIAO’s mission is to speak on behalf of the Italian American community.”
By Truby Chiaviello
On to Syracuse…
Basil M. Russo is in no mood to rest on his laurels.
As president of the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian Americans Organizations (COPOMIAO), he can look back to January with a proud achievement.
From all accounts, the Italian American Future Leaders conference was a grand success. As conceived and organized by Judge Russo, John M. Viola and others of the organizations’ Youth Committee, the gathering of young Italian Americans from January 13-16 in Fort Lauderdale, reached heights beyond all expectations.
“We continue to receive written testimonials from attendees of our Italian American Future Leaders Conference expressing how excited they were to be part of our program,” says Judge Russo. “Some groups of attendees have scheduled follow up meetings in their respective communities so that they can build upon the relationships they developed at the Conference. We will keep you posted on some of the creative ideas and programs that are initiated as a result of those meetings.”
Now…the time has come to get back into the ring.
From the warm sunny environs of Florida, it's on to battle in the cold snowy hills of upstate New York.
Judge Russo looks forward to the fight. He has given the green light to general counsel, George Bochetto, to file an amicus brief in New York’s appellate court to keep the Columbus Monument standing tall in Syracuse.
The Columbus Monument Foundation, under the leadership of Nick Pirro, a native son of Syracuse, five term political office holder, former county executive of Onondaga County, has won repeatedly, in both, the legal and public relations bouts, brought on, unnecessarily, by Mayor Ben Walsh. The Columbus Monument, as erected in 1934, remains a beautiful work of public art inside Saint Mary’s Circle, more commonly known as Columbus Circle, along Onondaga Street in Syracuse. The Columbus Monument Foundation is one of COPOMIAO’s newest members and, as such, has the backing of Judge Russo and fellow member Italian American organizations, both large and small.
“Members of the Columbus Monument Foundation, and their attorney, Anthony Pietrafesa, asked COPOMIAO to file an amicus brief with the Appellate Court expressing our support for Judge Neri’s ruling,” says Judge Russo. “An amicus brief may be filed by an organization that is not a party to a case, as is the situation here with COPOMIAO, to provide the court with information that has a bearing on the case.”
Judge Gerald Neri ruled on March 11, 2022, that Mayor Walsh had no authority to try and tear down the Columbus Monument. Before and after the showdown in court, the Columbus Monument Foundation sought to settle the dispute. They went so far as to offer, to the tune of almost $30,000, funding for other works of art by other ethnic groups in the city. Mayor Walsh pushed away the olive branch to wither in the snow. He remains adamant to upkeep the expense of taxpayers to fight the Italians in the city.
“Since an important part of COPOMIAO’s mission is to speak on behalf of the Italian American community, our legal counsel, George Bochetto, filed an amicus brief with the court expertly explaining the historical tie the Italian American community has had to Columbus, and why we support the retention of Columbus statues,” says Judge Russo.
ODE TO A NATIONAL GATHERING
Poet and Activist, Robert Agnoli, Wants to Show the Best of Italian America to the People of the United States
- A 10 point plan for a new event
- A poem to inspire
“…Have we heard any clarification of the president’s neutralizing comments regarding Columbus Day?”
By Truby Chiaviello
Robert Agnoli, poet and Italian American activist, calls for a national venue to bring together the best and brightest among Italian Americans. The goal is to help resist the potential elimination of Columbus Day by fostering greater understanding of Italian American heritage and culture.
“As the New Year - 2023 - quickens, have we heard any clarification of the President's neutralizing comments regarding Columbus Day?” asks Mr. Angoli. “For now, I suggest we convene a public relations gathering designed to communicate to the country, at large, who WE, Italian Americans are.”
A lead figure among Italian American creators of New York, Mr. Agnoli is a member of the Italian American Writers Association, not to mention, also, a member of the Lt. Joseph Petrosino Lodge, Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America. He applauds the outstanding leadership of Basil M. Russo and the unrelenting dynamism of the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations (COPOMIAO). He considers “a great first step” the Italian American Future Leaders conference, as organized by John M. Viola, held in January in Fort Lauderdale.
“In my opinion, to reach beyond our community,” says Mr. Agnoli, “we must impact the thinking of America at large, the organization of a Public Relations event, which attracts nationwide coverage, as I have proposed, could achieve the next step.”
Mr. Angoli proposes a 10 point plan to include the following:
1. Assemble a Team to Organize (5-7 members).
2. Determine Topic and Sub-Topics.
3. Create list of Italian Organization to Approach several re provision of Tax Exempt Status and Donation Pledge of $3,000. - $4,000 with a GOAL OF $30,000 - $50,000.
4. Research and select a Public/Commercial Venue at which event can be held (such as a Hotel or Social Meeting Place).
5. Seek a venue with space to accommodate circa 150-200 guests at tables with provision of Food, Drink and Stage Space for Event Chair, Leaders and Speakers. Project 4-6 hour time frame.
6. Provide voice/video recording and microphones.
7. Determine cost per individual attendee (circa $125-$200).
8. Select Panel of Leaders/Celebrities to attend/speak.
9 Assemble list of Press and Media contacts.
10. For solicitation of attendees, plan initial notification a minimum of three months prior to event.
Mr. Agnoli is now looking for Italian Americans to serve on the organizing team. Meanwhile, for meditation, he offers the following words by Lisi Cecilia Cipriani, circa 1923.
ITALIAN-AMERICAN HYMN
Aspire To Aspire
Dedicato all'Italica Gente di Mare
The Christ bearing dove Columbus
Brought the cross unto this shore.
Hallowed us for love and duty
Evermore and evermore.
We are coming oh Columbus,
For we hold this country dear.
Glad to work and strive as you did.
Oh Columbus, we are here.
Heaven granted through Vespucci
At the call of God, Cabotto.
Westward, forward, Verrazzano
we are coming as you did.
Now! Gente di Mare. We are here.
Let us follow in your footsteps,
You who made our two countries great.
We hold this country dear
Are glad to work and strive as you did.
Our Fathers, we are here.
Editor’s Note: Please contact Mr. Robert Agnoli if interested to serve on the organizing team for his proposed national Italian American gathering. His email address is: rdiangelica@aol.com. Mr. Agnoli offers an anthology of his original poetry in “Edge City. The Chronicles of Bobby A. Un Italian in the USA,” now available at Amazon. The above article was published February 6, 2023.
Primo Interview
FAST TIMES AT STATEN ISLAND HIGH
Marc DiPaolo Takes Readers on a Humorous Fun-Filled Ride Back to 1980s New York and Italy in “Fake Italian: An 83% True Autobiography with Pseudonyms and Some Tall Tales.
As more writers hark back to their youthful days in the 1980s, a question arises as to what the decade was really like. Marc DiPaolo provides a humorous and insightful new novel about life as a teenager and beyond in Staten Island. He conveys a realistic view of the decade of Reagan, New Wave music, Heavy Metal and big hair.
Please tell us where your family came from in Italy.
I’ve always thought of myself as Neapolitan. Mom’s recent genealogy work has qualified this idea a little. My closest relatives on her side were from Armento - and we still have extended family there. My dad’s family was from Salerno.
“Fake Italian” is a wonderfully written novel. What led you to write the book?
Since moving to Oklahoma in 2009 for work reasons, I miss my Italian family. Also, now that I live in a rural, mostly Southern Baptist community and eat mostly Tex-Mex cuisine, I have missed the New York and New Jersey Italian food, the more Catholic and more diverse tri-state area communities and the vibrant arts culture I grew up with. The memoir was a way for me to reconnect with all I had lost when I moved away from the East Coast. I also want my Oklahoma-born kids to know my story and about the branch of the family we haven’t lived near as they have grown up.
Why the title, “Fake Italian?”
I’ve always thought the best way for me to be Italian was to be a Renaissance man: immerse myself in art and science and opera and Fellini movies, study history and literature, eat great food, dress flashy, and commit myself to behaving religiously and politically like Saint Francis of Assisi and Pope Francis. It may have been my bad luck, but growing up, I knew a lot of Italians who cared for none of those things, kinda just modeled themselves after characters from Goodfellas, and thought I was a “fake Italian.” The book is the story of my journey figuring out that there are many ways of being Italian - by embracing my roots, studying abroad in Italy, and meeting Italians who were Italian in the same way I was. The moral of the book is, since the cultures of the different regions of Italy are all so different – with their own unique languages, foods, and world views – the very idea of differentiating between real and fake Italians is kinda stupid and destructive. It fosters bad blood between different kids of Italians throughout Italy and Italian America - and between homeland Italians and Italians who immigrated to other countries.
The book provides engaging insights into families, ethnicities, urbanity; in a humorous coming-of-age saga. What was the message you are trying to convey to readers?
When I tell my family stories to my friends who are from India, or who are Jewish or Black or Korean, they all tell me, “That sounds like my culture and my family.” The closer we look at our family dynamics, our home cultures and our histories as immigrants, the clearer it is that all the American families and immigrant communities have more in common than not. If we really think about our Italian American history, and what it is like to live in an enclave and be victims of prejudice, Italians, like me, should stand in solidarity with all newer immigrants and not oppose their being made welcome in America and treated like human beings. Our stories – Italian stories - deserve to be told. Also, stories from other cultures deserve to be told. This message is especially important as different kinds of ethnic literature is being banned from classrooms for being too “political” and not Puritan or pro-Confederate enough. I don’t think Italian stories should be banned. I don’t think Black stories should be banned, either. Still, nobody likes a sermon, so I had to make this point by telling a human and engaging story.
Also, a lot of movies and books about Italians are bloody depressing. I wanted to make my book as funny as possible for a nice change of pace. (Also…no gangsters!)
The book is primarily set in Staten Island, in the 1980s. The decade remains popular in so many areas; especially in pop culture. What makes the 80s so prolific?
A lot of folks making movies and writing books now, grew up in the 1980s. I think that’s the main reason. Also, politically, America has been a bit 80s over the past few years, and that’s a point that the Stephen King movie It really drives home. Still, a lot of these recent stories, like Stranger Things, are about a superficial revisiting of the 80s: “Remember E.T.? Remember legwarmers? Remember this Culture Club song?” I wanted to bring the whole of the 80s back, talk about news stories of the time, and recall what it really felt like to be alive then. As a wacky bonus, I’d tell the story from a NY Italian perspective, which we don’t see as often, even in this 80s nostalgia moment.
I had another goal. Even when I was being nostalgic, I didn’t want to be nostalgic in the same way a lot of classic Italian stories are. After all, most stories about Italian American families are WWII generation or Baby Boomer narratives. I wanted to write about what it was like to be a Gen X Italian American. We don’t get a lot of those stories, either. It’s time we got a chance to speak up and tell our tales.
What did you find most challenging and most rewarding in writing “Fake Italian”?
My uncle was one of the first people who died during COVID 19. He’s one of the last of his generation. Most of the relatives I’ve grown up with have gone. In writing this book, I wanted to pay homage to and immortalize all the relatives I knew growing up who are no longer with us. I wanted to paint a loving portrait and a funny one, but also a realistic one. This meant if someone suffered from depression, had an unhappy marriage, or sometimes made jokes in questionable taste, I’d include all that in the book - not to run them down, but to make them fully fleshed out characters. (I also did plenty to show my own shortcomings when I wrote about the main character based on me: Damien.) A realistic ethnic novel isn’t worth much if it is just a sanitized, Disney-like family tale. My calculation was, the more “real” I made the characters, the more beloved they would be by readers who didn’t know them personally. That is exactly what has happened. Some of the most morally grey and flawed figures are far and away the most popular characters with people who are reading this book as a novel.
Basically, I was nervous writing the book because I wanted to be “fair” in my writing. Now there are a number of villains in Fake Italian – especially in the opening chapters about teacher and student bullies in a horrifyingly toxic junior high school – but I didn’t want any characters inspired by relatives of mine to come off as evil. My worry writing the book, and my reluctance to tell my family members I was writing and publishing it – came from my fear that they would be morally outraged that I: a) told family stories it was not my place to tell, b) made too much fun of people in a comedy like Marty when the book should have been a drama, and c) immortalized grotesque and inaccurate fictionalized versions of real people.
What I hoped would happen was that my family members would say, “YES! You brought that beloved relative back to life in these pages!” I also hoped that, if they had any issue with anything in the book, they’d thank me for presenting it as mostly a novel, making composite characters, compressing time, and changing everyone’s names. In the end, I’ve had a mix of these reactions. I think my mom has had all of these reactions. She tells me that, in the end, she likes the book – even if she prefers the funny second half to the sadder first half. I’ve got to give her credit. She read it and gave me a fair review.
Meanwhile, I have other friends and relatives who were so offended that fictional versions of them were “in” the book - whether they read it or not - that they won’t speak to me anymore! My fellow college professors who teach creative nonfiction writing tell me that is the main pitfall of writing both traditional autobiography and something like Fake Italian, which can be called an autobiographical novel, or autofiction, or a biomythography. I’m trying to be as Zen about this as I can be, but it is very upsetting. I didn’t write this book just to piss people off. My friend Fred Alsberg tried to comfort me by saying, “You’re not alone! Everyone from William Faulkner’s home town hated him and his novels.” I told him, “Yeah, that doesn’t make me feel better…”
The upside of all this is I’ve written a book that I’m very proud of. It works well as a mix of fact and fiction. It feels honest and fair. I actually enjoy reading it myself, and it seems to speak to a lot of people, Italian and not.
What are your plans for the future? Any other books in the making?
Right now I’m co-editing a collection of academic essays on Italian and Italian American science fiction, fantasy, and horror books, movies, and TV shows. The essays will focus on storytellers like Dorothy Fontana, Dario Argento, and Carlo Collodi. Italians around the world produce a lot of genre works, but we tend to be associated with only crime and literary fiction. I wanted to rectify that with my fellow editors, Anthony Lioi and Lisa Debora. Also, if I can gather the courage to do it, I want to write a sequel to Fake Italian about my time as a reporter working for The Staten Island Advance in the 1990s that ends with how 9/11 changed my life. As with this first book, it will be a funny and realistic examination of very serious issues. But…I have to find a way to not be worried about people getting mad at me and return to a place where I can write the best autobiographical novel I can and make the most honest art I can.
Editor’s Note: Pictured is the author, Marc DiPaolo, now an associate professor of English at Southwestern Oklahoma State University. Dr. DiPaolo is secretary at the Society of Multiethnic Literature of the United States. His book, “Fake Italian,” is available at the following link on Amazon
Primo Interview
BACK ON THE HILL
Carmine Sarracino Revisits His Home in Providence, Rhode Island, for His Memoir, “Of Blood & Love, Growing Up on Federal Hill”
One of the most prolific of Italian American neighborhoods remains Federal Hill in Providence, Rhode Island. Carmine Sarracino looked back on his time growing up there for his memoir, “Of Blood & Love, Growing Up on Federal Hill.” Our interview with Mr. Sarracino covers his background and how the old neighborhood has changed.
Please tell us where your family came from in Italy.
My grandmother was from Colorno, just north of Parma. Her family was well to do, and she met my grandfather, who was from the south of Italy, when he traveled to her family's residence to tailor for them. He travelled to where customers could afford tailoring. The two fell in love. When she told her family, they were incensed that she was involved with someone from "basa Italia" ("lower Italy") and disowned her. So she and my grandfather Immigrated to America! Amazingly romantic, no? A sort of a Romeo and Juliet story.
“Of Blood & Love: Growing Up on Federal Hill” is your memoir. What led you to write this book?
I was 52 when my son Dante was born, and 58 when my daughter Carina was born. Their children, should they have them, will not know me in the flesh. So, then, I wrote the memoir to fill out my children's knowledge of my life, and also to present myself in a tangible way to their children. It was a labor of love for family and friends,
Federal Hill in Providence is one of the celebrated Italian neighborhoods in America. What are some of the distinguishing qualities of this neighborhood that you highlight in the book?
When I grew up on Federal Hill, in the 1950s, the adult population consisted overwhelmingly of Italian immigrants and their first generation children. The immigrants and their children remained settled on "The Hill." But those of us comprising the second generation aspired to live in homes rather than tenements, surrounded by grass and foliage rather than cement. So we moved off the hill, and took up residence in Cranston and Mount Pleasant suburbs.
Federal Hill when I grew up there was a "Little Italy" where pushcarts filled the main thoroughfare, Atwells Avenue. On summer nights, vendors pushed carts of popcorn and peanuts, crabs, and snails, along with Dell's lemonade and ice cream trucks.
The tenements were abandoned until the wee hours. Neighbors sat together on stoops and smoked cigarettes, drank iced coffee, shared plates of pickled peppers, crusty bread, and provolone.They laughed and gossiped.
We kids played "Kick the Can," "Wild Horse Jump the Fence" and tag football. With asphalt roads, granite curbs, telephone poles and passing cars, it was a contact sport and not the chummy game of suburban lawns.
Federal Hill was a "tough" neighborhood, a mafia stronghold, but there was no street crime, and we all left doors unlocked. Everybody knew everybody. And the parish they belonged to.
How much has Federal Hill changed?
I have not spent a lot of time on The Hill since I left for grad school in1968. I have lived most of my life in Pennsylvania, the last 25 years in Hershey-- which has its own Italian immigrant history. Some remnants of the old days live on, mostly in the "feasts" on saint days. La festa di San Giuseppe is a good example. Lots of music in the streets, delicious food, wine, and dancing.
But in other ways Federal Hill is an imitation of itself, and a poor one. The restaurants are upscale, elite, where dinner for two will set you back a couple of hundred dollars. A plate of la tripa, fad food du jour, will cost you the entire food budget for a month of a '50's immigrant, who bought tripe at twenty five cents a pound.
Most of all, the demographics have inevitably changed, and Italian immigrants are as hard to find as baccala. Or a gallon of Cribari.
What did you find most challenging and most rewarding in writing “Of Blood & Love”?
I have a very good memory, which is a blessing and a curse. There are a lot of funny stories that had me laughing aloud. Others were hard to recall, painful, and had me wiping my eyes, but not from laughter. All in all, I found that recalling the stories of my life was like life itself. Beautiful. And painful. And beautiful.
What are your plans for the future?
I love writing, so I will always find something to write. I wrote a Civil War novel some years ago that is now out of print, and the rights are mine. I will rewrite it. Having had some tim-e to reflect on it, it's a challenge I want to take up again.
I also plan to learn to walk again. In 2019 a tick bit me, infected me with Lyme disease, and thus began a long struggle to regain health. But here too, blood and love: the support of my family has been invaluable beyond words. If I walk again-- I mean, when I walk again-- the credit will be all theirs.
Editor’s Note: Pictured is the author, Carmine Sarracino in Nevi, Italy. We pray for his recovery from Lyme disease. His Book, “Of Blood & Love, Growing Up on Federal Hill” is available at the following link on Amazon
VICTORY IN BROOKLYN
The Christopher Columbus Memorial Stays in Place in Front of Borough Hall
By Angelo Vivolo
Pioneering 19th-century artist Emma Stebbins might well have been the latest victim of the irrational frenzy that seeks to wipe away all memory of Christopher Columbus.
Stebbins, a trailblazer who was gay, was the first woman awarded a New York City art commission for her interpretation of the Great Admiral of the Ocean Sea. In 2021, a small group known as Take Down Columbus set their sights on ridding Stebbins’ Columbus statue, commissioned in 1863 and one of her earliest works. Determined to prevent Stebbins and Columbus from being carried off into the night, a group of courageous New Yorkers stepped forward, demanding that Community Board 2 in Brooklyn Heights reject Take Down Columbus. Nearly two years later, I am proud to report that Emma Stebbins and her Columbus memorial in Columbus Park have prevailed, thanks to a coalition of activists and their appeal to drop the hate and seek the truth.
As we begin 2023, we thank all who have supported the Columbus Heritage Coalition and its mission, as we say, to “Drop the hate. Seek the truth.” We are proud of what we all have achieved together. The new year will bring new challenges, including a proposal in the New York State Legislature that abolishes Columbus Day and renames the holiday Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Rest assured, we will continue to reach out, build bridges and protect our statues, holidays, and heritage.
THANK YOU, ITALIANS
The Parliamentary Representative for Italians Living in North America Looks Forward to 2023 A Christmas & New Year’s Message
By Andrea Di Giuseppe
First, I want to give you my thanks for 2022. You shared and followed my political activity and you are the reason for my change of life.
The legislative session, now underway in Italy, seeks to solve the main problems of our country. The budget law was approved before Christmas. This is a fundamental measure for the economic planning of Italy.
Some weeks ago, I felt it appropriate to present a bill to the Foreign Affairs and Budget committees. My proposal will amend article 17 of the law of February 5, 1992, number 91, re-opening the terms of reacquiring citizenship. This bill will now follow the amendment process. I am sure that it can see the light as a state law in a short time.
The theme, which I consider central to my political activity, will be carried forward with other important legislative initiatives. The challenges that await us in the next year will not discourage us from following our fixed objectives. I have no intention of backing down from realizing the program for which you have voted me (in), and which for me is the only possible compass to guide me in my parliamentary activity.
From me, you will have only the facts and not empty promises. For me, it is a great honor to represent the fundamental political challenges that allow the various generations of Italians abroad to obtain the many rights they have been seeking for many years. With the new center-right government, these battles will finally be won, making us feel, notwithstanding the ocean that divides us, even more proud of being Italian.
I also want to thank my family, who, notwithstanding the sacrifices related to the distances due to my parliamentary commitments, continue to support me. I thank my staff who, with professionalism and dedication, allows me to achieve the predefined political goals.
Thanking you for your trust and support, I send to you, to your families and to all my staff a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year.
With affection,
Andrea
Editor’s Note: Mr. Di Giuseppe is a member of the Brothers of Italy party and represents Italian citizens who live in North America in Chamber of Deputies, lower house of Italy’s parliament. His letter was written in Italian and translated to English by Dr. Christopher Binetti. Mr. Di Giuseppe’s web site is https://andreadigiuseppe.com/en/
Primo Exclusive, 12-19-22
L’ONOREVOLE ANDREA DI GIUSEPPE
- New Parliament Member Represents Italian Citizens in North America
- Member of the Fratelli d’Italia He and his party were the restorers of Italian Democracy
By Christopher Binetti, Ph.D.
I was honored to interview, last week, L’Onorevole (The Honorable) Andrea di Giuseppe, a member of the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of Italy’s parliament. Mr. di Giuseppe currently represents Italian citizens who live in North and Central America. He is a member of the Fratelli d’Italia (Brothers of Italy), now led by Giorgia Meloni, Italy’s current and first female prime minister. The interview was conducted primarily in English, but my ten main questions were in Italian. I was very excited to speak with an Italian parliamentarian, as being a dual citizen is one of my life goals. I was not disappointed.
The international media may unfairly brand members of Fratelli d’Italia as bigots, racists, misogynists, Fascists and far-right. I believe, after talking to Mr. di Giuseppe for almost an hour, that none of these labels are accurate. I say this as a left liberal. While I found Mr. di Giuseppe to be very conservative, I did not see him as a threat to liberal democracy, defined as majority rule with minority rights. He persuaded me that his party seeks neither a radical agenda for Italy, nor for the European Union nor NATO.
Mr. di Giuseppe referred to the European Union as “Europe” multiple times in the interview, without any trace of irony or bitterness. His best line was “more Europe in Italy and more Italy in Europe.” He made clear his opposition to European federalism, defined specifically as the European Union being able to undermine Italian sovereignty. Unlike me, he does not oppose a European army. He wants to look at the details and mechanisms to ensure any military structure serves Italy’s best interests and not just those of France and Germany.
Mr. di Giuseppe is less concerned about qualified-majority voting than I am. He made clear the preservation of Italian sovereignty must underline all negotiations on the expansion of current power within the European Union. The Eurozone, he argued, was ultimately good for Italy, as long as small and medium-sized businesses, which, he claims, makes up 85 percent of his country’s total, were protected. The ability of Italy to control, to some extent, her own economy, while participating fully in the “European” economy is very important to him.
Mr. di Giuseppe’s openness to the European Union was unexpected. Frankly, I think that he was more open to it than I am, and I am a leftist. However, despite our differences, I grew quickly to like and respect him. He is reasonable, pragmatic and, although very conservative, he did not strike me as radical or reactionary in any way. I was a little surprised by this, to be honest.
Mr. di Giuseppe said point-blank that he and his party will not change the abortion or LGBT civil rights laws. He made clear that racism in immigration policy had no place in Italy. I am skeptical that Matteo Salvini, current deputy prime minister and leader of Lega Nord, will obey such a doctrine. Nevertheless, I remain impressed at how moderate on immigration are the Fratelli. Mr. di Giuseppe acknowledged that unauthorized entry by foreigners in unlimited numbers, plus a lack of support from the European Union for Italy and Greece, were the only major issues on immigration for his party; not race, religion or culture.
In terms of foreign policy, Mr. di Giuseppe endorses military aid to Ukraine, and, along with Prime Minister Meloni, remains extremely supportive of NATO.
The sole radical element of L’Onorevole di Giuseppe and Prime Minister Meloni is a fierce commitment to democracy. This is my observation. For instance, Mr. di Giuseppe supported my interpretation of liberal democracy. I simply asked if democracy was “majority rule with minority rights,” and he supported the definition wholeheartedly, right away. He does not like to get stuck on words; but, rather, he cares deeply about concepts.
Mr. di Giuseppe blames the coronavirus crisis and subsequent disarray in Italy for the rise of Giuseppe Conte and Mario Draghi to absolute power status. “The professors,” as he referred to both former prime ministers, were not dictators, and Italy was not a dictatorship, he said. Nevertheless, he acknowledged that democracy disappeared for a while in his country.
I agree with Mr. di Giuseppe that Fratelli d’Italia restored democracy to Italy. That is the fundamental truth here; that conservatives, with whom I fervently disagree on many things, were more supportive of my core liberal democratic values than the Democratic Party of Italy or the center-left parties. It is a sobering thought.
Mr. di Giuseppe supports Italian federalism. He insists regions must not lose their power no matter the claims of any strong willed prime minister. This actually happened under Prime Ministers Conte and Draghi during the coronavirus crisis. Mr. di Giuseppe argues that the word “federalism” is less important than the concept. Many in Southern Italy may associate federalism with the bad old days of Lega Nord’s racism towards them. As I wrote before, L’Onorevole di Giuseppe does not obsess over words, but cares about concepts.
According to Mr. di Giuseppe, a federal Italy will allow regions true sovereignty and autonomy in local matters, while retaining power to the national government on national matters. This works with his nuanced approach toward the European Union. The lawmaker wants certain powers to be delegated by Italy to the European Union. Think not a three-tiered federation, but, rather, a confederal or hybrid approach in the Italian-European Union direction and a federal approach in the national-regional direction within Italy. He wants Italian sovereignty to show itself internally in two levels and externally on a third level.
All of this adds up to a strong vision for Italy, NATO and the European Union, even if I do not personally agree with some proposals. Fratelli’s platform, as offered by Mr. di Giuseppe, will seek to make Italian conservatism more modern. These are not the ideas of reactionaries, whether one disagrees with them or not. These are the ideas of the restorers of democracy in Italy, like it or not.
Editor’s Note: Dr. Christopher Binetti is a Political Commentator and Op-Ed writer for PRIMO, a political scientist and an Italian American civil rights activist. He can be reached at 732-549-2635 and cbinetti@terpmail.umd.edu.
Give It Up, Mr. Mayor!
BOCHETTO - 2
JIM KENNEY - 0
- Appeals Court Rules In Favor of The Italians
- Columbus Monument to Stay in Philadelphia
The plywood box to imprison the statue is to to be torn down. Now!
By Truby Chiaviello
Second time is a charm…
Not, so, if you’re Mayor Jim Kenney.
He lost…again. On appeal.
The Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania issued their ruling today in favor of the Italians: The Christopher Columbus Monument, inside Marconi Plaza, Philadelphia, stays.
It’s another victory for George Bochetto. The attorney extraordinaire, former candidate for the U.S. Senate, won at the initial trial phase in August, 2021. Judge Paula Patrick, of First Judicial District of Pennsylvania, Civil Trial Division, ruled, then, that the Columbus statue at Marconi Plaza, as sculpted by Emanuele Caroni, was to be kept where it has been in Philadelphia since 1876. Mayor Kenney’s effort to take down the statue was not supported by law, ruled Judge Patrick.
Instead of settling the matter, Mayor Kenney opted for a rematch. He boarded up the Columbus statue in a spiteful display; only for the Italians to one-up him. They painted the box in the colors of the Italian flag, red, white and green. The mayor appealed Judge Patrick’s decision to the three-paneled Commonwealth Court. Arguments were heard from both sides in June.
Now comes the appeals court decision: No ifs, ands or buts. The Christopher Columbus Monument is to remain in Marconi Plaza. The plywood box to imprison the statue is to to be torn down. Now!
Mayor Kenney has wasted a lot of taxpayers’ money with this petty, unnecessary fight. The cancel culture premise to wipe out Columbus’ legacy in Philadelphia has been nullified. The basis for a villainous spin of Columbus by Howard Zinn, in his polemic rant titled, “A Peoples History of the United States,” has been proven false and libelous. The Italian American community in Philadelphia will not to be intimidated by the woke mob. They will not sacrifice their worthy hero, Columbus, for the sake of political correctness. They are right to retain attorney Bochetto and his outstanding legal team, most notably, Matt Minsky, to advocate effectively, backed by sound precedent.
Now, what will Mayor Kenney do? Will he demand a rematch to the rematch he lost?
“He can appeal this decision to the State Supreme Court,” says Joe Mirarchi, a loyal son of Philadelphia and petitioner in the case. “But it is not likely to be successful.”
Attention Philadelphians: The time has come to demand your mayor give up this charade. There are more important matters at hand; instead of fighting a losing case to divide the city. Crime is out of control. Living standards have plummeted in the City of Brotherly Love. Residents want to regain what they lost in Covid-19 lockdowns. Now is the time to move forward with sound city management. The case against Columbus is nothing more than an effort by Mayor Kenney to deflect attention away from his failure to alleviate social problems to plague the city. Philadelphia deserves better.
Any appeal is frivolous. Move on. Let it go. Give it up, Mr. Mayor!
Editor’s Note: Marconi Plaza is located in Philadelphia at 2800 South Broad Street. To learn more about George Bochetto and his legal work, please log on to www.bochettoandlentz.com. To learn more about ongoing activities by the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations, pleas log on to www.copomiao.org
FORGET IT GALICIA, COLUMBUS WAS ITALIAN
An Expert on Columbus Blasts The Latest Attempt to Deny Columbus’ Ethnicity
- Recap: The 500-year-old body of a Spanish nobleman was exhumed in November, 2022, for purposes of DNA comparison with biological relics of Columbus. The project is sponsored by the Galician Columbus Association, an organization in Northwest Spain that seeks to prove Columbus was Spanish, not Italian.
By Rafael Ortiz
Columbus was born in Genoa, Italy. Anyone who says otherwise is not a historian but a conspiracy theorist. There is NOT one single primary source that says Columbus was NOT from there. All primary sources, including Columbus himself, claim he was from Italy.
Here is what the primary sources say:
1. Andrés Bernáldez (1450 - 1513) said, “There was a man of Genoa… that was called Christopher Columbus.” (“Obo un hombre de Génova… que llamaban Christoval de Colon…” “Historia de los Reyes Católicos,” by Andrés Bernáldez, Tomo I, Cap. CXVIII, p. 269. Translation from Archaic Spanish to English by author, Ortiz.)
The Archbishop of Seville, Bernáldez was a historian, not to mention, also, a good friend of Columbus. The explorer was a guest at Bernaldez’s house on several occasions.
2. Fray Bartolomé de las Casas (1484 - 1566) described Columbus, “the illustrious Genoese Christopher Columbus…” “History of the Indies,” by Las Casas, Book One, Ch. 3, p. 15.
Las Casas was a friar, priest, bishop and historian who personally knew Columbus. He testified Columbus had a foreign accent.
3. Peter Martyr d'Anghiera (1457 - 1526) wrote that, “A certain Christopher Columbus, a Genoese, proposed to the Catholic King and Queen, Ferdinand and Isabella, to discover the islands which touch the Indies, by sailing from the western extremity of this country.” “De Orbe Novo,” by Peter Martyr, The First Decade, Book I, p. 57.
Martyr was a historian, scholar and chaplain in the court of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabel. A friend of Columbus, he was also Italian. Martyr was born in Arona, Piedmont, almost 120 miles from Genoa. If anyone knew Columbus was not Italian, it was him.
4. Christopher Columbus, himself, said he was born in Genoa, Italy. In a letter he wrote in 1498 to secure his eldest son’s rights of primogeniture (institución de mayorazgo), he said, “I was born in Genoa [and] I came to serve you [the king and queen] here in Castile.” (“... que siendo yo nacido en Génova les vine á servir aquí en Castilla..” “Relaciones y Cartas de Cristóbal Colón,” p. 248)
In the same letter, Columbus requested his heir to always help someone of “our lineage” in the “city of Genoa” because “from there I came and from there I was born.” (“... que tenga y sostenga siempre en la ciudad de Génova una persona de nuestro linaje que tenga alli casa é mujer, é le ordene renta con que pueda vivir honestamente, como persona tan llegada á nuestro linaje, y haga pie y raiz en la dicha Ciudad, como natural della, porque podrá haber de la dicha Ciudad ayuda é favor en las cosas del menester suyo, pues della salí y en ella nací.” “Relaciones y Cartas de Cristóbal Colón,” p. 254)
5. Amerigo Vespucci (1451 - 1512), from whom America’s name is derived, was another Italian explorer who had met Columbus. Vespucci himself delivered a letter Columbus wrote to his eldest son, Diego, in 1505.
Like Martyr, Vespucci would have known for sure if Columbus was Italian or not.
6. Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo (1478 – 1557) wrote: “Christopher Columbus, according to what I know from people of his nation, was a natural of the province of Liguria, which is in Italy, where… Genoa is.” (“Chripstóbal Colom, segun yo he sabido de hombres de su nascion, fue natural dela provincia de Liguria, que es en Italia, en la qual cae la cibdad é señoria de Génova.” “Historia General y Natural,” by Oviedo, Lib. II, Cap. II, p. 12. (Translation from Archaic Spanish to English made by author Ortiz)
At the time, Genoa was a republic. Today, Genoa is the capital of Liguria, Italy. Oviedo was a Spanish historian who served in the king and queen’s court during the times of Columbus’ discoveries.
If Columbus was a Spaniard, then how come neither his Spanish friends nor Spanish historians knew about it? Were they that foolish? Columbus’ Italian friends knew he was Italian. Were they duped? Or, were they just plain dumb?
7. Antonio de Herrera y Tordesillas (1549 – 1625 or 26) wrote: “Don Christopher Colombo, which for easier pronunciation was called ‘Colón’, born in the city of Genoa.” (“D. Chriftoval Colombo, à quien por mas comoda pronunciacion, dixeron Colòn, nacido en la Ciudad de Genova…” “Historia General,” by Herrera, Década I, Lib. I, Cap. VII, p. 11. Translation from Archaic Spanish to English made by author Ortiz)
Though Herrera was not alive during the times of Columbus, his historical work is considered one of the best.
Italian historian, Paolo Emilio Taviani, brings more evidence of Columbus being born in Genoa in his book, “The Grand Design.” He shares the testimonies of several ambassadors from this period:
1. Pedro de Ayala was the Spanish Ambassador to the English court. In 1498, he wrote to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella concerning John Cabot, (who was Italian as well) and his discoveries. In the same letter, Ayala affirmed Columbus’ Genoese birth.
2. Nicolo Oderico was ambassador of the Republic of Genoa to Spain. In a letter on April, 1501, he praised Spain for their discoveries under Columbus’ leadership by saying, “our fellow citizen, illustrious cosmographer and stedfast leader.”
3. Angelo Trevisan was chancellor and secretary to Domenico Pisano, the Venetian Republic’s envoy to Spain. Trevisan wrote to Domenico Malipiero, a member of Venice’s Council of Pregadi, “I have succeeded in becoming a great friend of Columbus... Christoforo Colombi, Genoese, a tall, well-built man, ruddy, of great creative talent, and with a long face.”
4. Gaspar Contarini was Venice’s ambassador to Spain and Portugal. In November, 1525, as he was reporting to the Senate of the Venetian Republic on the whereabouts of Hispaniola, he spoke of Admiral Diego Columbus, who was Columbus’ son. He said, “This Admiral is son of the Genoese Columbus and has great powers, granted to his father.”
All of the above is in Chapter II of Taviani’s book. In Chapter III, Taviani brings more evidence of Columbus’ Genoese origins, where he, his father, grandfather and other family members are mentioned in Genoan contracts, documents, deeds of sale and the like. Here are a few examples:
A 1429 contract mentions Columbus’ grandfather, Giovanni. Another document indicates he was dead by 1444. Columbus’ father, Domenico, is mentioned as a master weaver in 1447. Records indicate Domenico was appointed as a warder of Porta dell’Oliviela, in Genoa.
At some point, Domenico moved, as he is mentioned as working in Savona in 1470, but six months later he moved back to Genoa with Columbus. Both names, Domenico and Columbus, are mentioned in a contract.
Another document shows Domenico selling his house in Genoa in 1473. In another, Domenico was a witness to a notarial deed drawn up in Genoa on 30 September 1494, etc.
Taviani reminds the reader that subsequent historians and geographers, who affirmed Columbus was a Genoan, came from Spain, Portugal, Germany, England, the Netherlands, Switzerland, France and Turkey.
The house Columbus grew up in as a child is now a museum in Genoa, Italy.
I’m not writing any of this because of “my heritage” since I’m not an Italian American. I’m writing all this because facts are facts, and truth still matters.
11-25-22
GIVE HIM A STAMP
Commemorative U.S. Postage Stamp Sought for Father Vincent R. Capodanno, Jr.,
- The Italian American Alliance Leads The Effort
By Truby Chiaviello
We have stamps for all kinds of Americans.
Celebrities. Politicians. Inventors. Even cartoon characters.
How about heroes?
We have them, also. Over the years, the U.S. Postal Service has issued a number of stamps depicting a unique class of American warriors.
John Basilone immediately comes to mind. He was a World War II Marine gunnery sergeant commemorated on a U.S. stamp in 2005. Basilone was a recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor as were others to be adorned on stamps such as Navy Lieutenant Commander John McCloy and Marine Sergeant Daniel Daly.
The time has come, now, for Father Vincent R. Capodanno, Jr. to get his stamp.
The Italian American Alliance has taken up a special cause for all Italian Americans to support. On November 16th, the Newton, Massachusetts based organization initiated a campaign to persuade the U.S. Postal Service to bestow a stamp for Father Capodanno.
“We, as leaders of some of the leading Italian organizations ask the Congress of the United States to recognize Navy Chaplain Lieutenant Fr. Vincent Capodanno with a Memorial United States Stamp. Like many Italian Americans, he served his country in the manner in which he was called, and he did it well,” so reads part of the formal request as conveyed by Tommy Damigella, chairman of the strategic planning committee of the Italian American Alliance.
Count this one of many commendable crusades continuously undertaken by the Italian American Alliance. The group made headline news earlier this year when they defeated proposed legislation in the Commonwealth to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous People’s Day. An active member of the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations, the Italian American Alliance is a key frontline fighter in defense of our Italian American legacy in Massachusetts.
Dominic Amara, Ph.D., chairman of the Italian American Alliance, considers a stamp to commemorate Father Capodanno, “a worthwhile endeavor in which ordinary Americans of every stripe can have a voice. We have no standing ‘committee’ as such. Just a group of individuals and groups who are trying to highlight the life of a great American who exemplified the best of American, Italian American values.”
The effort for a Father Capodanno stamp was announced at a recent ceremony at the 9/11 Memorial in Newton. “Many individuals and organizations have already voiced their support of the initiative,” says Dr. Amara. “Although the Italian American Alliance and the Pirandello Lyceum got the ball rolling, so-to-speak; since then many others have become equal participants. If you or your organization would like to participate please contact us.”
Since this is the first time the alliance has tried to win a stamp for an Italian American hero, “we sincerely solicit suggestions and hands-on assistance. This is very grass roots,” says Dr. Amara.
Colonel Vincent Basile, (RET), currently heads the effort on behalf of the alliance, “to recommend to the U.S. Postmaster General that a commemorative stamp be created to keep alive the memory of this outstanding Italian American who gave the last full measure of his life for God, family and country,” says Dr. Amara.
Father Capodanno remains one of the great heroes of the Vietnam War. Serving as a chaplain in the 1st Marine Division, 5th Marine Regiment’s 3rd Battalion, he was there to witness heavy combat on September 4, 1967. Father Capodanno left his post to assist a Marine unit in the field, soon to be overrun by the enemy. His self-sacrifice encompassed rescuing comrades, caring for the wounded, bestowing rites and prayers for the seriously injured. He was hit by mortar fire but refused medical care. He gave up his breathing mask to one Marine pinned down in a trench when poison gas was unleashed by the enemy. That day of battle proved the last for Father Capodanno. He was killed by enemy fire when he tried to rescue a medic.
Awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, posthumously, in 1969, Father Capodanno’s name has since been attached to many landmarks inside and outside the military; most famous, perhaps, is the USS Capodanno, a navy frigate, commissioned in 1973.
Born on Staten Island in February 13, 1929, Vincent Capodanno was the 10th and youngest child to an immigrant father from Gaeta, Italy, and an Italian American mother. As a young adult, he took night courses at Fordham University while employed as an insurance clerk. He became a priest in 1958 after he entered the Maryknoll Missionary Seminary in Ossining, New York.
Although a number of military men and women may have stamps to commemorate their service, Father Capodanno will, nonetheless, be a unique addition if approved by the postmaster general. “Only a handful of chaplains have earned the Medal of Honor,” claims Mr. Damigella. “Navy Lt. Vincent Capodanno, whose bravery and selflessness were exemplified during the Vietnam War, is one of them.”
A stamp to commemorate Father Capodanno will not only highlight his courage under fire, but, underscore the important contributions made by priests, ministers and rabbis in service to the military. Mr. Damigella says, “Chaplains are not just religious advocates for service members. They’re also relied upon for moral and spiritual well-being, with an ability to be calm in the most harrowing of circumstances.”
A Navy chaplain by definition, Father Capodanno saw himself a full-fledged Marine. “He earned the nickname ‘Grunt Padre’ for living, eating and sleeping in the same conditions as the Marines with whom he served,” says Mr. Damigella. “In the community where they were stationed, he organized outreach programs, started libraries and gathered and distributed gifts for the local people. He spent hours reassuring the weary, consoling the grieving and listening to confessions.”
Father Capodanno requested, and was given, a six month extension when the original period of his service ended. He had two months remaining in Vietnam when battle ensued to take his life.
Editor’s Note: If your organization wants to support the effort underway by the Italian American Alliance to bestow a stamp for Vincent R. Capodanno, Jr., please contact Dominic Amara, Ph.D., at domamara@aol.com and/or Virginia Gardner at virginiagardner@aol.com.
THE GALL OF GALICIA
Grave Digging in the Spanish Region Seeks to Disprove Columbus Was Italian
- A Morbid Phase in Columbus Hate
- Testing Bones of a Corpse
- Has Any Ethnic Group Ever Had a Hero of Theirs Suffer Such Abuse?
By Truby Chiaviello
Italian Americans have had to endure the ignominies of their hero more than any other ethnic group in history.
Christopher Columbus.
His holiday erased. His statues and monuments toppled. His legacy falsely libeled.
Now…his ethnic identity is up for denial.
The best and brightest of Europe cannot accept that Columbus was Italian.
The latest phase turns to the morbid affair of grave digging.
A small, select group of researchers in Spain have, for years, claimed Columbus is not Italian. Since evidence is lacking, the bones of a dead man are sought to verify their theory.
The gravesite of a Spanish nobleman named Johan Marinho de Soutomaior was exhumed on November 21st in Galicia, an autonomous region in northwest Spain. The endeavor is sponsored by the Galician Columbus Association, a group who believes the cousin of Columbus is a 15th century Spaniard buried in the grounds of the church of San Martín de Sobrán in Vilagarcía de Arousa. They plan to dissect the carcass for comparison with the available remains of Columbus and his sons. They hope to prove, once and for all, that Columbus was never from Italy, Genoa to be exact; instead, the explorer was from - right there - in one of their beloved hometowns in Galicia.
Never mind the established fact of Columbus’s birth in Genoa in 1451. Regional fervor gives way to nationalistic obsessions. A minority of people from different parts of Spain will claim the explorer came from their specific towns and provinces. Meanwhile, there are Portuguese who claim Columbus came from Portugal. There are Greeks who claim Columbus came from Greece. There are Poles who claim Columbus came from Poland. And so on.
Back in 2004, a set of relics of Columbus with biological material were collected for purposes of DNA analysis. The technology was only recently available to cross examine and compare burial remains, according to Spanish scientists.
The effort to disprove Columbus’ ethnic identity by way of an obscure corpse reveals the zealotry of haters, deniers and doubters of the great Genoese explorer. Nothing is off bounds in the ongoing effort to besmirch and redefine the discoverer of the New World.
Italian Americans are right to be outraged by this latest endeavor. One wonders how the Irish would feel if a body of an obscure Irishman was retrieved from inside a crypt in Dublin to debunk Saint Patrick was Irish. Or, how might the French feel if the grave of a historically insignificant figure was exhumed from the Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris to disprove Charles DeGaulle was French. Or, how might the Russians feel if a coffin containing the body of a little known aristocrat was unlatched in Moscow to try and prove Leo Tolstoy was not Russian. And so on.
The defense of Columbus continues to challenge the patience of Italian Americans. The assaults are seemingly endless. Historical revision and political opportunism were once the sole domain of insults cast at our worthy hero. Now, the boundaries of mortuary science are to be trespassed. Sacred ground is to be unearthed. The dead are to be probed. The call of Columbus haters can be heard throughout the land: Non riposare mai in pace Colombo!
ITALY’S LITTLE AFRICAS
African Communities Arise in Rome and Naples
- Most are from North Africa
- Most Come to Start Businesses
“The entrepreneurial dreams of immigrants convey a certain sense of rebirth in Italy.”
By Laura Ghiandoni
There are about 1 million Africans who, after leaving their homeland, have chosen Italy as a nation to seek a better life. Discovering these communities means going beyond stereotypes. Wonderful stories of redemption will color an undergrowth of migration little known to most Italians.
It is worth taking a look at the numbers released by Italy’s Ministry of Labor and Social Policies. The Moroccan community holds first place for the number of inhabitants with 429,000 people, followed by the Egyptians, 141,000, the Tunisian and Nigerian communities, 100,000 and 98,000, respectively.
The numbers, even if essential, tell of protagonists who embrace the momentum towards private initiative. The entrepreneurial dreams of immigrants convey a certain sense of rebirth in Italy.
First up is the Moroccan community. Some 65,000 individual companies in the industrial and commercial sectors were started by immigrants from Morocco. Their businesses are found in all parts of Italy, especially in the regions of Piedmont, Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna.
The second position goes to the Egyptian community, where some 20,000 companies have been set up in the construction sector. The third place goes to the Tunisian community with 16,000 companies engaged in both industry and construction.
The employment figures speak for themselves: There is a substantial difference between female and male employment, the former accounting for less than a third of the latter. Dr. Laila Maher stands out among the few Moroccan female entrepreneurs with a pharmacy she owns in the territory of Rome. “The role of Moroccan women in Italy is mostly still limited to childcare,” says Dr. Maher, recipient of a medal from the president of the Italian Republic for becoming the first Arab woman in the business and social sector. “Integration?” she asks rhetorically. “It is something that works if both parties commit themselves. The question of the country’s language is fundamental: Sometimes Moroccans do not speak Italian even after many years in the country.”
Dr. Maher, after the excellent results obtained with the pharmacy, is expanding her activity in other sectors such as imports, exports and alternative energies. "Before the 90s most people came for study or tourism,” she says, “but after the 90s illiterate people arrived, who cannot write in Arabic and do not learn Italian. For these people, it is often impossible to understand what they can and cannot do in Italy.”
While active women such as Dr. Maher are an exception among Moroccan immigrants, the Nigerian community offers a completely different perspective. Some 16,000 companies in Italy are currently owned by immigrants from Nigeria. Women make up 40 percent of the managers employed in Nigerian businesses. Vivian, who has been in Naples for about 10 years, tells us what it means to arrive in Italy to open her business. "In Italy it is not easy to start your own restaurant,” she explains. “There are an infinite number of laws and procedures to be respected, many security measures today are also linked to the Covid-19 epidemic.” She resides in Naples’ San Lorenzo district, a small African enclave of stalls and street traders. "Most Africans feel a lot of nostalgia for their country. They come to eat at my restaurant to savor the flavors of home. Here, we all feel like brothers and sisters. In Naples, there is the culture of hospitality. I like it.” Although satisfied with her new life in Italy, she acknowledges a consistent. obstacle. What is it? The language: "I still have difficulty speaking Italian well; I can't express myself.”
Korie Chidimma is a nurse who specializes in transplants and dialysis treatments in Rome. She currently serves as president of the association titled, “Break Your Bread for the Less Privileged.” We meet her in the parish of Saint Ambrose after the celebration of Mass. "We volunteer at the Policlinico Umberto I to promote the health of those who do not speak Italian,” Korie says. "When Nigerian patients arrive in the emergency room or in the hospital ward, we help them understand medical prescriptions and book medical examinations.”
Not mastering the Italian language will be a key reason for difficulty in becoming a well-integrated immigrant. According to the latest Ipsos survey, Italians perceive Nigerians as one of the largest groups of foreigners currently in the country. Yet, they remain a modest community to represent only two percent of the total population.
According to another survey, carried out by MigrAction, a majority of Italians, in 2019, were convinced that all foreigners represented over 30 percent of Italy’s population. In fact, the figure is just seven percent. Hence, newspapers and media tout a distortion of the Italian perception regarding the presence of foreigners. Italy joins other European countries to restrain from offering new policies to better manage the integration process. In addition, various disputes between Italy and several African countries has pushed for more enforcement measures to block migration.
The internal dynamics of the world of immigration was introduced by Souad Sbai, president of the association of Moroccan women titled, Acmid. “The immigrant in Italy has no opportunity to arrive legally,” she says. “Even those who want to visit Italy or stay for tourism purposes have difficulty to get a visa.” Also for this reason, some immigrants risk traveling by sea to land in Lampedusa, an island off the coast of Sicily. The reconfirmation of the controversial agreement between Italy and Libya, for the reduction of migration flows, was signed in July, 2021. This treaty guaranteed the Libyan Coast Guard to help stop illegal migration. The arrangement costs Italy some 10.5 million euro while migrants in Libya are locked up in prison-like "centers” to suffer mass violence and torture.
Other laws protecting migrants have been stationary in recent years. Starting with the Ius Solis, a rule to allow citizenship for those born in Italy with one parent who might be foreign and the other an Italian citizen. Even the "International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families,” signed in 1990 by 20 United Nations member countries, has never been signed by Italy. As European countries become increasingly reluctant to welcome foreigners. The resilience, strength and courage of migrants becomes increasingly evident to all. Such qualities lead to the growth of nations whose economic stability has been widely demonstrated. Stories that Old Europe tends to forget, while on other coasts they are much easier to be remembered.
FOR THE REPUBLIC
The poem is offered on the occasion of the coming elections this November 8th.
By Gerardo Perrotta
I am for the republic
But am not a republican
I am for democracy
But am not a democrat
I am for social justice
But am not a socialist
I am for the common good
But am not a communist
I am for liberty
But am not a libertarian
I am for tradition
But am not a conservative
I am for progress
But am not a progressive
I am for freedom
But am not a liberal
I am for a good party
But am not a partier
Whatever else I may need to be for
Let it be for content
And not discontent
For in the great hall of opposites
better to face the music face to face
than to tweet and shout.
Editor’s Note: Gerardo Perrotta is retired from the University of Cincinnati Department of Pathology where he worked in various capacities. He researches, writes and gives presentations on Italian American history in the Greater Cincinnati area, where he currently resides.
SHE’S IN A NEW YORK - GLOOMY - STATE OF MIND
State Senator Jessica Ramos Seeks to Replace Columbus Day with a Depressing, Dispirited and Divisive Indigenous People’s Day
- No flag waving, no floats, no parades
“Indigenous People's Day…an opportunity to reveal historical truths about the genocide…”
- Sound like fun?
By Truby Chiaviello
Everyone loves a good parade.
Except Jessica Ramos.
The New York Democratic state senator, from the 13th district, in Queens, wants to put an end to good times on October 12th, or its equivalent date. She sponsors a bill, still in finance committee, to end Columbus Day as an officially recognized holiday in New York. In place of the Italian American celebration will be Indigenous People’s Day.
Not a holiday, mind you, in the traditional sense. Indigenous People’s Day, as envisioned by Ramos and some others in the legislature, will reject festooned floats and marching bands up Fifth Avenue. Don’t expect folks to trade in their mariner hats for feathered headwear. Don’t expect children with smiling faces.
Indigenous People’s Day is to be a day of commiseration.
Angelo Vivolo, president of the Columbus Heritage Coalition, held nothing back in his email late September informing Italian Americans about the pending legislation. He wrote that the “flawed legislative language relies on an invidious, divisive construct that pits one group against others. The bill cynically ignores the many positive contributions of the Spanish and Latino cultures to the Western Hemisphere and the hundreds of millions of immigrants who followed Columbus in search of a better life.”
The effort in the state legislature to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous People’s Day is not to be ignored, according to Mr. Vivolo. There is an identical bill in the state assembly to indicate passage in both chambers for a governor to sign or veto the bills.
Senator Ramos is the sponsor of Senate Bill S2759. She seeks October 12th, or its equivalent, the second Monday in October, to be a 24-hour period of mass resentment at the history of the United States. Ingratitude, not gratitude, is the overriding theme. Instead of thanking Columbus for connecting the New World with the Old, people are urged to curse the day Europeans made their way across the Atlantic.
Is the proposed legislation really that bad? Judge for yourself.
The summary of the bill reads accordingly:
Christopher Columbus did not discover America. Indigenous People's Day reimagines Columbus Day and changes a celebration of colonialism into an opportunity to reveal historical truths about the genocide and oppression of indigenous people in the Americas, to organize against current injustices and to celebrate indigenous resistance.
Sound like fun?
Neve mind the lamentable spirit of the proposed legislation. Most disturbing is how violence can be interpreted from the last line: “…to organize against current injustices and to celebrate indigenous resistance…”
In what way, senator, do you foresee such “resistance”? Do you want native Americans and their supporters to riot in New York on said day? Do you see October 12th as a day to vandalize and, perhaps, destroy landmarks that, in your mind, represent “colonialism”?
Senator Ramos is, no doubt, angry at America. The reason remains mystifying. From all accounts, the United States has treated her well. She needs to be more grateful. She needs to ask herself, where else can a daughter of immigrants from South America rise to lawmaker status. By the age of 33?!
Speaking about Ramos’ background, what country did her parents come from? You guess it…the country named after Columbus…Colombia!
All Italian Americans in New York are urged to contact their state representatives to request this bill be tossed onto the ash heap of failed legislation. That’s Senate Bill S2759. A similarly worded bill, A10728, is also pending in the second legislative chamber, the state assembly. That bill is sponsored by Assemblymember Marcela Mitaynes, who represents District 51, Red Hook and parts of Bay Ridge in Brooklyn.
The senate and assembly bills to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous People’s Day are currently in finance committee. If passed in committee, the bill is to be scheduled for a vote in the Senate and Assembly. If the bill passes both chambers, then the governor has a choice to sign or veto the bill.
Editor’s Note: Please contact your New York State representatives to vote against changing Columbus Day to Indigenous People’s Day. You can log on to the following web sites to monitor the proposed bills.
Primo Interview
THE MOB GOES TO WASHINGTON
George Vercessi Weaves an Intriguing Story of Mafia High Crimes and Misdemeanors in “King of the Hill.”
- “Nothing indicated a criminal presence in the Washington, D.C. area. Consequently, I felt it was a perfect setting to depict the mob’s transition into ‘white collar’ crime.”
George Vercessi caught Potomac fever while on the faculty at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis. Subsequently stationed in the Pentagon, he went on to achieve the rank of captain in the Navy. Now residing in the middle Atlantic region, he puts his knowledge of Washington, D.C. to good use in his entertaining crime novel, “King of the Hill.”
Please tell us where your family came from in Italy.
Both sets of my grandparents were born in Italy. My father’s parents were from San Damiano al Colle, in the Lombardy Province of Pavia. My mother’s parents were from Chiaromonte, in the Basilicata Province of Potenza. I was born and raised in the Bronx.
“King of the Hill” is a crime novel unlike most others. Not to give away too much of the plot, Julius Vittorio is the main character, a young lawyer who gets involved with organized crime while he networks his way in Washington, D.C. in the 1960s. What led you to write this novel?
The idea for this historical novel came from a claim I heard in the early seventies while stationed in San Diego with the Navy. At the time, it was rumored that U.S. organized crime families wanted to install someone of high moral character in the White House. They believed such a person would direct his administration’s efforts to noble social causes which, in turn, would allow organized crime greater opportunities to pursue its criminal activities. At first, the notion sounded fanciful but the more I read about the size and scope of the criminal empire and its infiltration in society, the more I believed I could craft a credible story.
Most stories about organized crime and the Mafia are usually set in New York or Chicago. Although "King of the Hill" includes scenes in New York, much of the story takes place in Washington, D.C. Considering ours is the home to the FBI and Secret Service, one does not connect mafiosi to the nation's capital. How involved was organized crime in Washington, D.C.?
During my research phase I read many books and news articles about organized crime activities leading up to, and during the period in which my story is set. Nothing indicated a criminal presence in the Washington, D.C. area. Consequently, I felt it was a perfect setting to depict the mob’s transition into “white collar” crime. Furthermore, I was able to use my knowledge of the region to add additional color to the story.
What did you find most challenging and most rewarding in writing “King of the Hill”?
One of the most challenging aspects of writing this story was developing a credible plot to explain how to skim a steady stream of millions of dollars from the federal government and launder it without detection. Doing so required submerging myself into computer operations and anti-theft measures. This, at a time when computers were being introduced to day-to-day business operations. Locating and interviewing government technocrats who could help me explain in nontechnical terms how to accomplish the skim was rewarding in itself.
What are your plans for the future?
In response to positive feedback from readers, I am developing another novel in my NCIS Agent Jerzy Shore series.
Editor’s Note: Are you looking to read an entertaining and informative novel about organized crime? Look no further than George Vercessi’s “King of the Hill,” available at Amazon
WRITING & DRAWING
Children’s Author, Robert DiDonato, Give Us an Inside Look at Creating Stories for Children
“…the challenge has been in trying to connect to these very young readers and to present the story on their level in an interesting way.”
By way of Pittsburgh, Robert DiDonato pens two wonderful children’s books, titled “The Nevergreen Tree” and “Giraffe Has a Bug.” Not just a writer, Mr. DiDonato is also a skilled illustrator. PRIMO interviewed him about his passion for conveying stories for children, of all ages.
Please tell us where your family came from in Italy.
My father, Aladino DiDonato, and his family came from the region of Abruzzo in the town of Manoppello. My mother, Rose Marie Ereditario, and her family came from the region of Campania in the city of San Salvatore Telesino.
What led you to write (and illustrate) both children’s stories?
I have taught elementary school for over 30 years and would hear first-hand the situations that would arise in the classroom. "Giraffe Has a Bug" tells the tale of discussing problems in a calm manner, while "The Nevergreen Tree" is about not being envious of others.
Do you write first, or illustrate first? Tell us some of the process in creating your stories.
I decide on the story to tell first, with an arc to capture the interest of a young reader. Then I usually storyboard the illustrations to get a feel for the characters and how they move on paper. The final step, after editing the text, is to draw all final copies while including specific color and movement to create an exciting narrative.
All children’s stories try to impart a bit of wisdom to children. “The Nevergreen Tree” and “Giraffe Has a Bug” does this in rhyme and colorful illustrations. Without giving away too much of the respective plots, please tell us what children can learn both stories?
In "Giraffe Has a Bug" children can learn to 'talk out' their problems. In "The Nevergreen Tree" children can learn to be proud of who they are and to not be jealous of others.
What did you find most challenging and most rewarding in writing “The Nevergreen Tree” and “Giraffe Has a Bug”?
For both of these books, the challenge has been in trying to connect to these very young readers and to present the story on their level in an interesting way. The most rewarding experiences have always been watching their reactions of being read to and seeing the excitement in their faces.
What are your plans for the future? Any other books in the making?
My plans for the future is to find a publishing house that believes in my work as much as I do and to then market and distribute my work. I have two other books I am writing and illustrating and hope to have completed by the end of 2023.
Editor’s Note: You can purchase Robert DiDonato’s “The Nevergreen Tree” and “Giraffe Has a Bug” at Amazon.com
FOR THE LOVE OF LUPA
Cincinnati Residents Optimistically Embrace The Effort to Replace The Stolen Statue
- A Newly Made Bronze Sculpture of The Capitoline Wolf Could Be Installed as Soon as February, 2023
- No eyewitnesses?
By Truby Chiaviello
The people of Cincinnati love their Lupa.
That’s one way to interpret the latest developments in the replacement of the stolen statue.
The bronze replica of the she-wolf of legend, who nurtured Romulus and Remus, was detached and abducted from Eden Park in Cincinnati in the dead of night on June 17th. What was left was a pedestal to display the sudden abandonment of the suckling founders of Rome.
A new animal statue is sought by a partners in the cause, Cincinnati Parks Foundation and a local lodge of the Order Sons and Daughters of Italy. “Capitoline Wolf - Returning a Classic to Eden Park” is the title of a web page to gain donations. The Capitoline Wolf, along with “educational signage, is to come back to Twin Lakes at Eden Park, where the statue has stood for nearly 100 years.”
Joe Mastruserio, president of the Sons of Italy Cincinnatus Lodge 1191, reports, “$30,000 of the initial replacement budget of $50,000 has already been received from two anonymous donors!” All Italian Americans can make a donation to help restore the Capitoline Wolf.
The abduction of the bronze sculpture might have been disastrous if not for the discovery of a “plaster copy in Florence…verified as a near-exact replica of the Eden Park statue,” claims Mr. Mastruserio. A foundry can now recreate the figure in Italy. “We will be sending the remaining base with the twins to Florence to have the wolf replaced. The remaining paws that were removed will be sent along with the base and melted into the new casting. The foundry in Florence will send us back a ready-statue for installation in its original location in Eden Park.”
A positive outlook is the only outcome in what remains an unsolved crime. The thieves are still out there. Law enforcement is stumped: No arrests. No suspects. No leads.
The Capitoline Wolf is not the type of contraband to be easily hidden. Surely, there must be an eyewitness somewhere in the city who saw the crooks transport the heavy bronze out of Eden Park.
What was the motive? Greed, maybe. Melted bronze can sell on the black market; albeit not the easiest way to make a dollar considering the haphazard nature of the crime and felonious penalties. More likely, the culprits were moved by political considerations. The Capitoline Wolf was one of many statues created in Italy under orders of Benito Mussolini to celebrate the legacy of Ancient Rome. One could imagine a member of Antifa or some likeminded group hellbent to destroy the statue once a spurious connection is made to Fascism. Historical context is lost in a heated environment of radical politics. For the record, the statue was not a gift from Fascists. Rather, the Italian community in Cincinnati sought a means to show their appreciation to the land of opportunity. The statue was acquired from Italy at little or no cost to eventually be dedicated in 1932.
Prevention of future crimes in and around the bronze sculpture is a key priority. “Security features such as lighting, cameras and alarms are being planned for the site and will be finalized prior to the installation,” said Mr. Mastruserio. He informed members of Sons and Daughters of Italy via email that “we hope to have the statue ready by the end of February in time for the Order Sons & Daughters of Italy Cincinnatus Lodge’s 100th Anniversary celebration.”
THE HISTORY OF MY NAME
One’s Identification Derives from a Host of Factors
- Many Italian families had to change their last names because they sounded “too ethnic”
By Alfonso Guerriero
When I was growing up, I never liked my name.
It was always mispronounced. Anytime a teacher called attendance he/she/they always butchered my name. Every morning, I would slowly sink into my chair and brace for the inevitable; “Alfanzo Gurer’…I mean, “Gua-ri-ero.”
The awkwardness brought on by adults sounding out my name was usually followed by some hesitation, “How…How do you say your name?”
No doubt, my forename and surname did not sound very American. I was not John Peterson, Peter Smith or George Washington.
One day in elementary school, a classmate of mine called out, “Hey Al.” Uncertain to who he was addressing, I did not turn around. When he tapped me on the shoulder, I realized he was calling - me - Al.
I immediately liked the moniker. It was quick and concise. My identification now arose from just two letters and one syllable, instead of the multisyllabic and very ethnic-sounding, Alfonso.
Retrospectively, the acceptance of my new nickname was a way to deflect the unwanted attention, that I firmly believed, my birth name attracted. It was not until my mid-twenties, when I joined the American Society of Geolinguistics, that I began to realize: We all have beautiful names and we should be proud of their origins.
In America (and most likely other parts of the world), first and last names that sound “too ethnic” will push a family away from their ancestral roots to choose a different name. Such decisions are made, in part, because of the assimilation process. This notion forced me to ponder the question: Did my name automatically make me Italian-American, or American (without the hyphen) Italian? The duality of cultures through my name was truly an awakening.
I am my father’s namesake. Hence, I am identified as Alfonso Junior (Jr.). The etymology of Alfonso is Germanic, brought over by Visigoth invaders to Spain after the fall of the Roman Empire. In German, Alfonso derives from hildis-funs (always ready) in English. In the 6th century, the Visigoths became the rulers of the Iberian Peninsula. The name became popular, pushing aside many of the current Latin names that were already utilized by the Romans.
Popular names have influenced families for centuries. In this case, many Spanish nobles named their sons Alfonso. It was the name of several kings of Aragon (a region in Spain) from the 11th to the 15th centuries. During this period, the name Alfonso was brought over to Southern Italy.
The Hohenstaufen family from Germany ruled much of the territory below Rome in the 12th and 13th centuries. A daughter from the German family married a Spanish prince from Aragon consolidating the two noble clans. They reigned for more than 500 years in Southern Italy. An influencing figure in the region was King Alfonso V (1442-1458), nicknamed the Magnanimous. The monarch’s popularity encouraged my paternal family to adopt his name for generations.
My great-grandfather's first name was Alfonso. My father was the second son and was, thus, named after his maternal grandfather. He had several cousins named Alfonso and a female cousin named Alfonsina. My paternal uncle named his last son, Alfonso, and, years later, my brother named his first-born, Alfonso. Alfonso is not only popular in my family, but, today, is a popular first name and surname in Portugal, Spain, France, Italy and parts of Latin America. A number of variants have arisen to include: Alfonzo, Alonzo, Alfonsi, Alfonseca, D'Alfonzo, Fonzo, Fonsato, Fonsatti and many more.
The name’s long and distinguished history even applies to food and wine. There are olives called Alfonso. In Spain, as well as in Italy, there is a delicious red wine called Principe Alfonso. Although the last King of Spain, Alfonso XIII, abdicated in 1931, his legacy lives on with a cocktail named, The Alfonso.
My last name is equally interesting. Many think it is Spanish (Guerrero) or Portuguese, but it is spelled with an i--- Guerriero. In Italian, guerriero, (or in Spanish) means "warrior,” as derived from guerra, “war” in Latin.
There are several ways how European last names developed.
Prior to the Modern Age, some English surnames derived from the father’s trade like Miller, Baker or Carpenter. My last name may have originated from this category since guerriero was a hired soldier during Ancient Rome. His identification may have begun as a nickname—to describe a personality trait of a belligerent (argumentative) person.
Surnames may have also arisen from patronymic descriptions. The father's Christian name applied to his offspring, such as Peterson, the son of Peter, or Fitzgerald, the son of Gerald. This is like Spanish last names that end in ez, which means the "son of.” Hence, Gonzalez was the son of Gonzalo, Ramirez, the son of Ramiro, and so forth.
Place can be another factor. For example, Leonardo da Vinci, the famous Renaissance painter, really means Leonardo from the town of Vinci. Italian locative surnames include Tarantino, Romano and Abruzzo. This method of naming should not be confused with surnames derived from monikers.
English surnames that began as nicknames are Armstrong, Goodfellow, Lowell and Darling. As the European population expanded, last names became just as important for common folk as for aristocracy.
The subject of names continues to fascinate me with a popular story about my paternal grandfather.
He was a captured soldier in World War II, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Every morning, roll was called to make sure everyone was accounted for in the prison barracks. His name was Liberato Guerriero, translated to mean, liberated warrior or soldier.
One day, the officer did his usual rounds. He called out my grandfather, who immediately stood at attention and said, “Present!” The officer followed by saying, in a sardonic tone, “We should all be Guerriero, Liberato,” liberated soldiers.
The jailer’s remark is a valuable reminder of the profound meaning behind our names. Never mind the mispronunciation that triggers a level of discomfort in ourselves especially when we are young. We should all embrace our names.
Editor’s Note: Alphonso Guerriero is a professor at Baruch College in New York. He has written an outstanding book about the history of Italian monikers and nicknames, titled, “From Fra Angelico to Frankie One Eye.” The book can be purchased at www.lulu.com. Pictured is the author, who shares his name with King Alfonso V, a type of olive and wine.
RESTORATION IN PROGRESS
Artemisia Gentileschi’s “Allegory of Inclination” Descends from Casa Buonarroti Ceiling in Florence
- In-progress restoration on public view until April 2023
By Linda Falcone
Florence’s home-museum dedicated to the memory of Michelangelo embarks on the restoration of Artemisia Gentileschi’s “Allegory of Inclination,” (1616), one of the first paintings the artist created during her seven-year sojourn in Florence. From now until April 2023, the painting will be restored in public view, at the Casa Buonarroti Museum, following its removal from the gallery ceiling. Artemisia’s allegorical figure depicting “the inclination to produce art” was originally painted nude, only to be censored, in the 1680s, with the addition of drapery and veils.
This conservation project, dubbed “Artemisia Unveiled,” and co-funded by British not-for-profit Calliope Arts and British philanthropist Christian Levett, will use modern diagnostic and imaging technologies, to discover what the painting looked like, as Artemisia created it. The project includes an exhibition at Casa Buonarroti, from September 2023 to January 2024, spotlighting the project’s findings, for the refurbishment of select areas of the museum, including a full re-design of the Galleria’s lighting, so that Artemisia’s painting – part of a cycle celebrating the glories of Michelangelo that includes paintings by 14 other up-and-coming Tuscan artists of her time – will be revealed in their full splendour.
International Support for Casa Buonarroti
“To see Artemisia’s painting come down from the ceiling was very emotional, because none of us had ever seen a painting descend from there before,” says Casa Buonarroti Foundation president Cristina Acidini, “Most likely, it has never been taken down, since it was painted in 1616. So, this is the first step of a great adventure, for which we are extremely grateful to our generous donors.”
“Artemisia Unveiled” was created in conjunction with Casa Buonarroti Museum and Foundation, as supported by Calliope Arts, a not-for-profit organization based in Florence and London. Founded in 2021, it promotes public knowledge and appreciation of art, literature and social history from a female perspective, through restorations, exhibitions, education and a magazine and YouTube broadcast “Restoration Conversations.” The project’s major donors are Calliope Arts co-founders, British/Canadian philanthropists and retired lawyers Margie MacKinnon and Wayne McArdle, and British art collector Christian Levett, founder of the Mougins Museum of Classical Art in France and the Levett Collection home-gallery in Florence, featuring artworks by major female Abstract Expressionists.
Artemisia uncensored
“Artemisia Gentileschi lived in a world where women were excluded from the study of anatomy – a gender-based limitation that continued until the early 1900s. Her painting of the nude figure representing “Inclination” not only proved she was up to the challenge of anatomical drawing and painting – but that, as a woman, she could very skillfully put the female body at the centre of the canvas,” says donor, Margie MacKinnon. The drapery and veil were added in the 1680s by Tuscan artist Baldassare Franceschini, known as Il Volteranno, by order of Lionardo Buonarroti who lived in the palazzo and wanted to protect the decorum and modesty of his wife and children. “This project aims to restore Artemisia’s first Florentine painting and investigate what lies beneath Volterrano’s later additions,” McArdle adds. “What is the condition of the original paint and canvas? What will we learn about Artemisia unveiled? These are the project’s guiding questions, and we are excited to support and follow the conservation process, in hopes of finding the answers.”
In-progress at the Museum
From October 2022 to April 2023, during museum opening hours, the art-loving public will have the opportunity to see the “Allegory of Inclination” restoration in progress, thanks to a worksite set up in Casa Buonarroti’s Model Room. The conservator will be available to answer questions from the public, on Fridays. This home-museum, brainchild of Artemisia’s patron Michelangelo the Younger, was a venue Artemisia herself frequented during her stint as a court painter in Florence, hobnobbing with her patron – whom she called “godfather” – and renowned members of the Accademia delle Arti del Disegno, Europe’s first drawing academy, of which Artemisia became a member in 1616. Her fellow members include Galileo, with whom the artist corresponded, even after his exile. The compass her allegorical figure is holding is thought to be a nod to the renowned scientist and his controversial theories. As a sidebar, just steps from the in-progress restoration, visitors will find the museum’s Marble room, newly restored by Friends of Florence and Michelangelo’s Madonna della Scala and Battle of the Centaurs, from whose central figure Artemisia sought inspiration for the positioning of her allegorical figure.
Detective work
“Through working photographs, diagnostic imaging and analysis, we will be able to determine the exact technique Artemisia used, correctly map the work’s condition, and monitor our treatment plan for the painting,” says US Florence-based conservator Elizabeth Wicks, who heads the project’s state-of-the art team comprising expert technicians and restoration scientists, under the supervision of Casa Buonarroti Director Alessandro Cecchi and Jennifer Celani, official for the Archaeological Superintendence for the Fine Arts and Landscape for the metropolitan city of Florence. “Due to the historic nature of the repaints, it is not possible to remove them from the surface, but the scope of our diagnostics will facilitate the creation of a virtual image of the original that lies beneath the surface of the painting, as we see it today,” Wicks explains. “Next week, we start our virtual journey ‘beneath the veil’ under diffuse and raking light sources, followed by UV and infrared research. Hypercolormetric Multispectral Imaging and examination by digital microscope will then help us learn as much as possible about the condition of the original painting technique and the later repaints. X-ray and high-resolution reflectography and other analytical techniques will follow.”
Refurbishment and TLC for Casa Buonarroti
“We’d like to look at this project as the start of something bigger,” says project co-donor Christian Levett. Beyond the painting’s restoration, the project includes a refurbishment of the museum entrance, the renewal of its signage, and the redesign of the Gallery room’s lighting. This museum has an amazing story to tell, and we want to shed more light on it—literally.” This ‘tender-loving-care’ for the gallery will be completed by the end of 2023, and enhance the visitor experience, particularly of the seventeenth-century wing, a treasure trove designed by Michelangelo the Younger over the course of 30 years, whose genius conceived the first-ever architectural and artistic tribute to an artist, his great uncle, ‘Michelangelo the Divine’.
‘A’ is the beginning
“The conservation and research project surrounding Artemisia’s ‘Inclination’ is the start of a wider project that will transform into a future exhibition at Casa Buonarroti, scheduled to run from September 2023 to January 2024,” says museum director Alessandro Cecchi. “The show will spotlight conservation findings and explore the context surrounding the painting’s creation, including the significance of her Florentine debut and her key relationships with Grand Duke Cosimo de’ Medici and the city’s cultural milieu.” Its English language exhibition catalogue (The Florentine Press, 2023) will be flanked by the Italian language publication ‘Buonarrotiana’ series (2023 edition) featuring specialist studies on Artemisia and her time, followed by a lecture series with major scholars in response to the show.
Who’s involved?
The project brings together restoration scientists, technicians, photographers and filmmakers to compile, analyse, document and share findings. The project’s players include: Italy’s National Research Council (CNR) and National Institute for Optics (NIO), Teobaldo Pasquali for X-ray and radiographs, Ottaviano Caruso for diagnostic images; Massimo Chimenti of Culturanuova s.r.l. for digital image creation; Olga Makarova for video and reportage photography.
FRANCESCO PONTORIERO WINS GARIBALDI AWARD
Son of Calabrian Immigrants Praises The Importance of Family Traditions
The Silvio Laccetti Foundation has announced Francesco Pontoriero of Warren, New Jersey as this year’s winner of their prestigious Garibaldi Award.
Finalists were chosen from among 14 North Jersey high schools whose students excel in Italian Studies and who have advanced the Italian American legacy in their communities. Francesco is a junior honors student at The Delbarton School in Morristown, New Jersey.
For years, Francesco has been active in school and community theater groups. He currently has the lead in Delbarton's version of Shakespeare's “Love's Labour's Lost.”
Francesco’s essay was a superb exposition of how Italian traditions and family values are remarkably interwoven within themes of personal identity and contributions to America. It has been published in several Italian American publications
More Than Maiale
By Francesco Pontoriero
It’s 7:00 a.m. on a Saturday.
I groan at the sound of my alarm clock as I suddenly remember why the heck I woke up so early.
It is ‘nduja weekend.
I eat a Stella D’Oro cookie, drink a cappuccino and depart on the half hour pilgrimage down Route 78 to the house of Vincenza Pontoriero, my nonna.
The weather is cold and overcast. I feel winter’s aggressive breeze as I stroll through the Ironbound. I step along the dirty, tobacco-filled sidewalks to the only house with a tile roof on Garden Street: number 96. I open the black, rusty gate to walk up bluestone steps. I ring the old, deteriorated bell. The door opens. Bello mio! Come ti senti? Sei tanto grande! I’m flooded with the aggressiveness and excitement of an old, Italian woman who I know like the palm of my hand.
Facciamo la‘nduja oggi!
It is about eight in the morning when I enter my nonna’s basement in Newark. Her kitchen is dilapidated. An old table in the middle of the room is accompanied with dusty, lightly stained cabinetry to contain an encyclopedia’s worth of pictures inside drawers.
A massive pig lays on the table wrapped in a large translucent bag. My nonna opens it while holding a footlong knife. She begins to butcher the animal: piece by piece, cutlet by cutlet. This goes on for hours until there is no longer a pig, but mounds of pink pork and white intestines; not one piece to go to waste.
My nonna brings out the grinder. The machine is turned on for me to hand her pink filets. She throws the large lumps of meat into the steel contraption. The grinder groans on to transform the carcass into a massive pile of ground pork.
At this point you may be wondering: what is this “‘nduja”? ‘Nduja (pronounced an-doo-sha) is a spreadable sausage that originates from my family’s village of Spilinga in Calabria. Once considered an underground and underrated delicacy, the cured meat has become popular in the United States in recent years. What you may find sold in supermarkets is far less authentic than what my family has made since the time we emigrated from Italy in 1971.
A second day of labor is necessary in the creation of ‘nduja. We fill the sausage liner (the pig’s intestines) with the ground meat, before tying ends with withered string. Tubes of meat are hung inside a smokehouse in my nonna’s backyard. A few weeks must pass for the curing process inside a dark and cold chamber of blackened walls, the remnants of newspapers, cardboard and pork bits on the floor.
I grab a piece of ‘nduja to place in the smokehouse, strategically based on its length and girth. Longer in the corners, shorter in the middle, since the shorter ones are further from the fire, my godfather once told me. I put the ‘nduja on a two-by-four slat to hang. The tube suddenly swings. POOMPH! The two pound piece of raw ‘nduja falls down from the ceiling to hit me in the face with its foul odor and cold, mushy texture. My uncle comes quickly to my aid only to laugh hysterically at my being slapped by sausage.
Throughout the ‘nduja process every year, 80’s Italian music blares into worn speakers while my uncles make vulgar jokes about each other, their childhoods and society. Few people understand why this tradition holds such great value for my family. Most just take it at face value: your family makes sausage out of a pig for fun every year. What they don’t realize is that although the process may come off as gross, the work unites us with pride in ourselves, our origins and each other.
Whether your sister is working the press or your uncle is pretending to be productive while watching a soccer game, a family connects through work. Although making ‘nduja takes hours out of a weekend I could be spending with my friends, I make lifelong memories with my family.
Making ‘nduja reminds me of the rolling hills of western Calabria, where clocks roll at a slower pace, where the elderly are refreshed by the ocean breeze through olive groves. When I eat ‘nduja I am reminded that Spilinga, in the province of Vibo Valentia, is my home, even though I’ve only been there once. Making ‘nduja reminds me of the sacrifices my nonni made to come to the United States with nothing but a bag’s worth of clothes. I remember the conditions that my dad, uncles and grandparents endured living in a one-room apartment in Newark, opening a pizzeria and praying for its success.
When I taste ‘nduja’s I remember my family’s accomplishment in attaining the American dream - coming from nothing and becoming something. Making ‘nduja doesn’t just serve as a bonding experience in the unnecessary murder of a pig. It’s my past.
Families all over the world share intimate customs from their homelands. Unfortunately, many traditions fade away through generations, as people get caught up in their daily lives and seemingly important activities. The preservation of the past is one of the most important and beautiful things a family can do. Traditions reassert the importance of a connected family, the value of knowing one’s origins. Traditions give people a sense of pride, a sense of belonging that no job or school can fulfill.
Wherever I go, I consistently seek to show others the importance of such traditions, and encourage them to maintain their own family traditions, no matter how frivolous they may seem.
Editor’s Note: We congratulate Francesco on his wonderful essay. Pictured is the young writer hanging sausage for curing, with his grandmother and family and with Silvio Laccetti at Delbarton Courtyard in New Jersey.
Letters to the Editor
MOST ACCURATE PORTRAIT OF COLUMBUS
- Strong and Resolute Depiction
With all of the fanfare about Columbus Day with all of the portraits and statues of him, one would hope that someone besides our good man, Professor Robert Petrone, would have a real portrait for our hero.
Some of those said portraits are hilarious. My favorite is that bug eyed fat banker.
There was only one artist who actually lived during Columbus's lifetime and ever saw, met and painted him at the Spanish Court. His name was Lorenzo Lotto and Columbus's son upon seeing the portrait, commented and marveled at the likeness.
Columbus had red hair and green eyes.
The only person I know who, without knowing any of the people in the lineup of portraits of Columbus, picked out the right one, passed away a few years ago. When I asked him how he guessed it he said "All of those other guys look like wimps. In those days to be the Captain of a ship, one had to be a tough S.O.B."
Actually, he was right.
Rich Russo
Pleasanton, Texas
PHILLY CROONER JOHN PRIMERANO PENS COMPLAINT TO BANK OVER COLUMBUS DAY
Thought you two might like to see the email I sent to my bank upon its closing for Columbus Day/Indigenous People's.
I was angered by the double "holiday" and wanted to make my ire known. I'm still in the fight.
To Santander Bank:
Thank you for this new information.
It has always been a pleasure banking with the people at Santander. Their friendliness and helpfulness are exceeded by no one.
So, this is not about them.
Today, I went to my branch, forgetting it was a holiday, to do some business, to find it closed, with the sign about the bank's closing saying, "Closed for Columbus Day/Indigenous People's Day".
This raised my ire in such heights as to make me want to write to you.
There is NO Indigenous People's Day Federal Holiday, no matter how many people deride Christopher Columbus.
There IS a federal holiday for Christopher Columbus, the founder of The New World.
Your inclusion of this so-called "indigenous People's Day" on the same day we celebrate the founder of the North and South American continents is an insult to me. It is not only an insult as an Italian American but an insult to me as an AMERICAN who sees your bank, and the people who have the authority to use the term of which I am writing about, as part of the Cancel Culture that has become so pervasive in our country.
I have no problem with Indigenous People's Day, as long as it is celebrated on any other day than COLUMBUS DAY. Why this has to overlap on a long-standing, Federal holiday honoring a great man is just another way to divide us as a nation.
Again, I have no problem with Indigenous People's Day being another day during the year, but your collusion in the Cancel Culture does not help these problematic matters, it only serves to throw the proverbial oil on the fire. At least it did on mine, and I wanted you to know it.
I certainly am not going to end my relationship with my branch of Santander. But I wanted to pass along the anger I felt seeing the double reason my branch was closed.
To me, and countless others, COLUMBUS DAY is the RIGHTFUL reason Santander should be closed. Any other is just plain nonsensical.
Very truly yours,
John Primerano
Philadelphia, PA
MESSAGE RECEIVED LOUD & CLEAR AT THE WHITE HOUSE
Basil Russo Wins a Revision in the Annual White House Proclamation
- Italian Americans Flooded the Executive Branch’s Communication Network
- Columbus Day 2022 Showed Intense Outpouring of Enthusiasm
- Oh No!…Biden Issues a Supplemental Proclamation for Indigenous People’s Day
By Truby Chiaviello
What a day!
Maybe the best Columbus Day of the 2000s.
Italian Americans came out in glorious enthusiasm for festivals, ceremonies and parades, from Boston to Baltimore, from Syracuse to San Francisco.
Amateur photographs and videos from endless smart phone uploads flooded social media yesterday to show hundreds of thousands of participants in this year’s Columbus Day.
The weekend celebration began with a bang.
Big news from Washington.
Victory!
The outcome was at hand over the annual Columbus Day proclamation by the White House. Would the message be a repeat of 2021? Would President Joe Biden again insert text to taint the legacy of Christopher Columbus with reminders of past injustices committed by others against native Americans?
Niente da fare!
Basil M. Russo came through. He sent out a call for all Italian Americans to get involved. As president of the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations (COPOMIAO), Judge Russo structured a well-managed grass roots campaign. Italian Americans were urged to contact the White House by emails, texts and phone calls. The mission was to demand this year’s proclamation be about Columbus, only.
Italian Americans flooded the communication lines of America’s executive branch. The message was heard loud and clear inside the West Wing.
The White House Office of Public Engagement turned to Judge Russo about the specific wording of this year’s Columbus Day Proclamation. Unacceptable was any wording to diminish the legacy of Columbus or taint the celebration of a day of great importance to Italian Americans.
No repeat of 2021: There was no of Indigenous People’s Day or the past injustices of native Americans.
This year’s White House proclamation, posted on October 8th, praised the courage and vision of Columbus, along with the acknowledgement of contributions made by Italian Americans to the United States. That was what we wanted.
The effort is indicative of what Italian Americans can do when mobilized. When we speak up, we will be heard by our elected officials.
Victory is to be cherished. Defeatism avoided. Cynicism contained.
There will be those to remind us that, not one, but, two, White House proclamations were made this year. One for Columbus Day, the other for Indigenous People’s Day. This was also done in 2021. Yet, unlike last year’s, the proclamation set aside for this Columbus Day was solely focused on the Genoese explorer and Italian Americans. That’s a big step forward in lieu of a Democratic president and administration tied to a host of interest groups to embrace political correctness and historical revision.
President Biden is, no doubt, an experienced politician. He knows the ways of Janus. He turned one side to Italian Americans to ensure Columbus Day was exclusively issued as our ethnic holiday. Another side was turned the other way toward American Indians and supportive minority groups to claim the duality of October 10th, for Columbus Day and Indigenous People’s Day.
Machiavelli would be proud.
Like it or not, Columbus Day has become a hot button political issue. Hence, leaders such as Basil Russo and others, with experience in politics and grass roots campaigns, are to be supported and followed.
The struggle continues. We have to keep up the pressure in all corners of the United States. From City Hall to the Halls of Congress. From Governors’ Mansions to the White House. Italian Americans are called upon to petition their elected leaders to ensure the survival of Columbus Day for future generations. We must educate ourselves about the true achievements of Columbus to defend our hero against any and all revisionists who seek to destroy his reputation. We must engage. We must stay on offense.
We take heart in the Italian American One Voice Coalition, as founded by the late Dr. Manny Alfano. Here is a group that is unceasing in their frontline advocacy. They have Andre DiMino, a natural born speaker, with the necessary charm and eloquence, who was on more radio and television shows this year than in years past to offer his vital defense of Columbus Day.
Moving forward is a theme to make this year’s Columbus Day so special.
The Columbus Day parade up 5th Avenue in New York remans the stellar event. An incredible display of Italian American pride was in full force with festooned floats, boisterous bands and fervent flag wavers. Shown on local television, the occasion marked a time when the federal holiday was one of the city’s top events. The Columbus Citizens Foundation, an organization devoted to all things Italian American, as founded by Generoso Pope in 1944, once again did an outstanding job in organizing the Columbus Day parade. Meanwhile, the Columbus Heritage Coalition, as led by Angelo Vivolo, has established wide range political support. Vivolo was most pleased to hear Mayor Eric Adams say on the Arthur Aidala Power Hour radio show, yesterday, “Uplifting the heritage of groups doesn’t have to tear down other groups. We have room in this country to uplift all groups because all of us contribute to what we call the American Dream.”
Festivals from Boston to San Francisco saw more attendees than in years past. The reason was, in part, due to a continued reduction in Covid-19 restrictions, not to mention conducive weather in most places. Sunny blue skies were seemingly everywhere. Here are some highlights:
Columbus Day Italian American Heritage Parade in Philadelphia started at the 1700 block of south Broad street between Moore and Morris on Sunday, October 9, high noon. This year’s grand marshal was Deana Martin.
Also, in Philadelphia, was the first-ever Acme Festa Italiana at 1901 Johnston St in South Philly from 12-4pm, October 8.
In Baltimore, the Italian Heritage Festival convened from 1-5 p.m., along Stiles and Exeter Streets in Little Italy on October 9.
In Hunterdon County, New Jersey, the Columbus Day Parade was held on Sunday, October 9, in Seaside Heights. The grand marshal was the Honorable Gilda Rorro Baldassari.
In Chicago, the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans hosted the 70th annual Columbus Day Parade up State Street, from Wacker Drive to Van Buren Street, on October 10th, 1 p.m. The parade saluted Angelo and Romana Caputo.
In San Francisco, the Italian Heritage Festival & Parade was held in North Beach.
In St. Louis, The Italian American Heritage Festa and Parade, formerly known at the Columbus Day Parade, begins at 12 noon on the Sunday before Columbus Day at the corner of Macklind and Botanical.
In Bloomfield, Pennsylvania, The Pittsburgh Columbus Day Parade was held on October 8 at 11 a.m. near the West Penn Hospital on Liberty Avenue with a reviewing stand in front of Saint Joseph Church.
In Watertown, Massachusetts, a whole month’s worth of events have been ongoing in celebration of Italian American Heritage Month. In East Boston, The Columbus Day event at Tall Ship Park had thousands in attendance.
In Cleveland, the Columbus Day Parade began at noon on October 10th after a morning Mass at Holy Rosary Church in Cleveland’s Little Italy neighborhood. The parade was sponsored by the Italian Sons and Daughters of America with grand marshal Paola Allegra Baistrocchi, Consul of Italy in Detroit. Special parade guests were Phyllis Lippardo, Marie Frank and Joe Frank.
In Queens, New York, the Federation of Italian American Organizations of Queens, Inc. presented the 45th Annual Queens Columbus Day parade, Saturday, October 8, 2022. This year’s grand marshall was Vito Giannola, executive vice president, chief retail banking officer of Provident Bank.
In Manhattan, the 2022 Columbus Circle Annual Wreath Laying Ceremony was held on Sunday, October 9, in Columbus Circle as organized by the National Council of Columbia Associations and the Columbus Citizens Foundation.
In Manhattan, the 78th Annual Columbus Day Parade began at 11:30 am along Fifth Avenue. This year’s grand marshal was Tom Golisano, founder of Paychex.
In Washington, D.C., the Holy Rosary Church and Piazza Italiana held a Columbus Day ceremony on October 9.
In Washington, D.C. the National Christopher Columbus Association held a ceremony a the National Columbus Memorial on October 10th. Honored was the Ambassador to Italy to the United States Mariangela Zappia and the Ambassador of Spain to the United States Santiago Cabañas.
In Syracuse, New York, the Columbus Monument Corporation hosted their annual Columbus Day Wreath-Laying Ceremony at Columbus Circle with a luncheon celebration that followed.
In Fairfield, New Jersey, the Italian Columbus Festival was presented by Unico National on October 9 at the Fairfield Recreation Center from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Below is the full text of President Joseph Biden’s 2022 Columbus Day proclamation and excerpts from White House proclamation for Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
WHITE HOUSE PROCLAMATION - COLUMBUS DAY 2022
In 1492, Christopher Columbus sailed from the Spanish port of Palos de la Frontera on behalf of Queen Isabella I and King Ferdinand II, but his roots trace back to Genoa, Italy. The story of his journey remains a source of pride for many Italian Americans whose families also crossed the Atlantic. His voyage inspired many others to follow and ultimately contributed to the founding of America, which has been a beacon for immigrants across the world.
Many of these immigrants were Italian, and for generations, Italian immigrants have harnessed the courage to leave so much behind, driven by their faith in the American dream — to build a new life of hope and possibility in the United States. Today, Italian Americans are leaders in all fields, including government, health, business, innovation, and culture.
Things have not always been easy; prejudice and violence often stalled the promise of equal opportunity. In fact, Columbus Day was created by President Harrison in 1892 in response to the anti-Italian motivated lynching of 11 Italian Americans in New Orleans in 1891. During World War II, Italian Americans were even targeted as enemy aliens. But the hard work, dedication to community, and leadership of Italian Americans in every industry make our country stronger, more prosperous, and more vibrant. The Italian American community is also a cornerstone of our Nation’s close and enduring relationship with Italy — a vital NATO Ally and European Union partner. Today, the partnership between Italy and the United States is at the heart of our efforts to tackle the most pressing global challenges of our time, including supporting Ukraine as it defends its freedom and democracy.
In commemoration of Christopher Columbus’s historic voyage 530 years ago, the Congress, by joint resolution of April 30, 1934, and modified in 1968 (36 U.S.C. 107), as amended, has requested the President proclaim the second Monday of October of each year as “Columbus Day.”
NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim October 10, 2022, as Columbus Day. I direct that the flag of the United States be displayed on all public buildings on the appointed day in honor of our diverse history and all who have contributed to shaping this Nation.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this seventh day of October, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-two, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-seventh.
JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.
WHITE HOUSE PROCLAMATION - INDIGENOUS PEOPLES’ DAY 2022 (EXCERPTS)
On Indigenous Peoples’ Day, we honor the sovereignty, resilience, and immense contributions that Native Americans have made to the world; and we recommit to upholding our solemn trust and treaty responsibilities to Tribal Nations, strengthening our Nation-to-Nation ties.
I learned long ago that Tribal Nations do better when they make their own decisions. That is why my Administration has made respect for Tribal sovereignty and meaningful consultation with Tribal Nations the cornerstone of our engagement and why I was proud to restore the White House Council on Native American Affairs. To elevate Indigenous voices across our Government, I appointed Deb Haaland as Secretary of the Interior, the first Native American to serve as a cabinet secretary, along with more than 50 other Native Americans now in significant roles across the executive branch.
These efforts are a matter of dignity, justice, and good faith. But we have more to do to help lift Tribal communities from the shadow of our broken promises, to protect their right to vote, and to help them access other opportunities that their ancestors were long denied. On Indigenous Peoples’ Day, we celebrate indigenous history and our new beginning together, honoring Native Americans for shaping the contours of this country since time immemorial.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim October 10, 2022, as Indigenous Peoples’ Day. I call upon the people of the United States to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities. I also direct that the flag of the United States be displayed on all public buildings on the appointed day in honor of our diverse history and the Indigenous peoples who contribute to shaping this Nation.
JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.
Call to Action
DON’T SAY “NO,” JOE!
Just a few minutes of your time…
That’s not too much to ask for President Joseph Biden from the Italian American community.
And yet, Judge Basil M. Russo’s request for a White House meeting about the coming presidential proclamation on Columbus Day remains unanswered.
The waiting is over. The time has come for action.
Judge Russo calls for all Italian Americans to contact the White House today to urge President Joseph Biden to set the date. Mr. President, please meet with Judge Russo and other Italian American leaders about Columbus Day. Hear our complaint. Understand our concerns. Work with us to find the best way forward.
We, Italian Americans, will not stop celebrating Columbus Day. This is our day. This is the only federal holiday set aside for us, for our legacy, for our ancestors. We understand and support the need to, not only acknowledge, but, celebrate Indigenous People’s Day…but not at the cost of Italian Americans. We will not allow for the unjust warping and false demonizing of Christopher Columbus.
Last year’s proclamation by President Biden was a terrible disappointment. He broke away from tradition. Instead of praising Columbus, the spirit of discovery, Italian and Spanish Americans and the legacy of immigration, President Biden’s proclamation inserted Indigenous People’s Day to be celebrated in tandem with Columbus Day.
Why would the president do this?
Because, we, Italian Americans are too silent. We don’t speak up. We don’t make demands.
That must end. Now!
Yes, President Biden, like every president, has a full itinerary concerning national and international affairs. From the war between Russia and Ukraine to new fears of a recession at home, his concerns are many.
Especially, the midterm elections.
This November could spell disaster for the White House. Republicans are in position to take both chambers of Congress by considerable majorities. If so, the president will be in a much weaker position.
As leader of the Democratic Party, the president needs to stem a red tide.
Italian Americans hold the key to political victory or defeat for the president.
We number around 20 million. (Likely more, as possibly under-counted by the U.S. Census.) Our votes remain considerable in swing states such as in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Florida. We have taken up residence elsewhere to make districts more competitive in Virginia, North Carolina and Arizona. Other states have also experienced a new wave of Italian American migration to change their political landscapes
We have the numbers. We have the votes. We, now, need to have a voice.
The White House will hear from all Italian Americans from every district in every state. They will recognize our electoral significance. They will hear from all of us. They will keep Columbus Day for Columbus, only.
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To President Joseph R. Biden:
PRESERVE OUR HISTORY, HONOR THE FEDERAL COLUMBUS DAY HOLIDAY
Last October, the Italian American community at large expressed its concerns over a pair of proclamations issued by you. The proclamations implied that Indigenous Peoples Day should be celebrated on Columbus Day, even though the entire month of November is duly recognized as Native American Heritage Month, and August 9th is recognized as the international celebration of Indigenous Peoples Day.
The first national Columbus Day proclamation, recognizing the 400th anniversary of the landing of Columbus in the New World, was signed in 1892 by President Benjamin Harrison as a way of easing tensions between America and Italy after 11 innocent Italian immigrants were lynched in New Orleans. Thousands of people witnessed and cheered on the carnage; it was the largest lynch mob ever to assemble on U.S. soil.
By celebrating both holidays on the same day, you’ve promoted the culture of one group at the expense of another. This of course is not a demonstration of a unifying policy, but rather something less. Italian Americans request separate holidays on separate days, enabling us to properly observe and honor our proud heritage and history, as well as allowing Indigenous People to honor their heritage.
For the past year, the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations has requested a meeting with you to resolve this issue. I ask that you show our community the same respect that you’ve extended to so many groups in our country and meet with the COPOMIAO leadership to resolve this issue.
Learn more about COPOMIAO, and its Member Organizations, here: https://copomiao.org
Thank you for your time.
Editor’s Note: Now is the time for action. Please support Judge Russo’s call for a grassroots effort to save Columbus Day at the White House. Thank you!
PRESIDENT BIDEN, MEET WITH US!
Basil M. Russo’s Letter to the White House Calls for an In-person Meeting to Resolve Columbus Day Issue
By Truby Chiaviello
The annual Columbus Day proclamation, as issued by the president of the United States, has been grossly politicized and negatively warped.
The future is upon us.
Italian Americans must stand united to urge the White House to change back wording to the original intention of the Columbus Day proclamation.
Basil M. Russo, president of the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations (COPOMIAO), along with member organizations, including PRIMO Magazine, has rightly submitted a letter, dated September 9th, to President Joe Biden to request a meeting at the White House to ensure the wording of this year’s scheduled Columbus Day proclamation is about Columbus, and, only Columbus.
In 2021, President Biden incorporated Indigenous Peoples Day with Columbus Day, to the shock and disappointment of the Italian American community, not to mention other ethnic and civic organizations, most notably the Knights of Columbus.
President Biden stated in his first Columbus Day proclamation, last year: “Today, let this day be one of reflection — on America’s spirit of exploration, on the courage and contributions of Italian Americans throughout the generations, on the dignity and resilience of Tribal Nations and Indigenous communities, and on the work that remains ahead of us to fulfill the promise of our Nation for all.” After the U.S. Congress made Columbus Day a federal holiday in 1937, all presidents, since Franklin D. Roosevelt, made an official announcement, just prior to October 12th, to praise Columbus and his discovery of the New World.
Year after year, presidents celebrated Columbus’s legacy as a key precursor to the development of the United States as a beacon of democracy and freedom for the rest of the world. The values of international relations, immigration and a celebration of Italian Americans were always applauded on Columbus Day.
The interaction between European explorers and indigenous people was never mentioned in any Columbus Day proclamation until President George H. W. Bush did so in 1990. He spoke positively of how ideas and technology were exchanged between the people of the two hemispheres.
In 2014, President Barack Obama broke tradition. No longer was Columbus Day solely positive. He devoted several sentences to the suffering of native Americas. His was a negative view of American history to taint Columbus Day until the end of his presidency.
President Donald J. Trump returned the Columbus Day proclamation to its original mission. He did not mention the plight of indigenous peoples in his first annual address in 2017. In 2020, he went so far as to include a whole paragraph to oppose the historical revision that sought to demonize the Genoese explorer.
President Biden has adopted Obama’s precedent, but, with more words than before devoted to the plight of native Americans. His Columbus Day proclamation goes a long way to infer the inclusion of Indigenous Peoples’ Day day on Columbus Day.
Judge Russo wrote how President Biden, “left the nation confused as Indigenous Peoples’ Day was linked to the historically celebrated Federal holiday (Columbus Day) originally recognized and enacted by President Harrison in 1892.”
The Biden White House focused on historical wrongs committed against native Americans, not Italians, in last year’s Columbus Day address. This was in stark contrast to the original adoption of the holiday, in 1892, by President Benjamin Harrison. Columbus Day was meant to heal the national wound wrought by the mass lynching of Sicilian men in New Orleans for crimes they did not commit.
Judge Russo’s letter claims, “Last year’s proclamation implies that Indigenous Peoples’ Day should be celebrated on Columbus Day. We understand your efforts to bring unification to the Nation after two unwieldy years from managing a national health crisis. However, the optics of contaminating the focus and purpose of a recognized traditional Federal holiday for Columbus, with another purpose or focus, rewards one group of Americans politically, at the expense of another. This of course is not a demonstration of a unifying policy, but rather something less.”
Every Italian American organization defending Columbus Day recognizes the contributions of native Americans. Judge Russo conveyed this point in his letter to the president. “To be clear, the Italian American community across America respects and supports an Indigenous Peoples’ Day celebration, which should be celebrated with a singular focus in November or by expanding the existing international celebration of Indigenous Peoples on August 9th either of which the Italian American community happily supports. At the same time the Italian American community requires the same level of respect for our historical, traditional celebration of Columbus Day which reflects the value of all immigrants and their added value to the fabric of this Nation.”
Future Columbus Day proclamations should not seek to divide Americans. “This action, to remove a day celebrated by Italian Americans for generations, although unintentional, was clear and most disrespectful to the upwards of 20 million Americans who identify as having roots in Italy,” writes Judge Russo.
As midterm elections approach, Judge Russo calls upon President Biden to meet with the Italian American community to resolve the Columbus Day issue. “We would appreciate a few moments of your time to reach common sense solutions. This will allow all of us to come away from this more united, not divided. The magic of democracy is most notable when each of us can celebrate our unique heritage and cultural traditions and accomplishments, as well as respecting the traditions and accomplishments of all ethnic groups, which make up the fabric of America.”
Editor’s Note: The the web site for the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations is www.copomiao.org.
Below is the full text of Judge Russo’s letter, the full text of President Joseph Biden’s 2021 Columbus Day proclamation and highlights from previous presidents’ Columbus Day proclamations.
LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT
September 9, 2022
Dear Mr. President,
In October of last year, the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations (COPOMIAO) wrote to you to express our community’s collective concern with respect to the proclamations you issued pertaining to Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples Day. Those proclamations left the nation confused as Indigenous Peoples Day was linked to the historically celebrated Federal holiday originally recognized and enacted by President Harrison in 1892. That year’s Federal holiday, recognizing the 400th Anniversary of the landing of Columbus, was adopted as a way of easing tensions among America and Italy after a brutal lynching of eleven innocent Sicilian men in New Orleans, the largest mass lynching in our history.
Last year’s proclamation implies that Indigenous Peoples Day should be celebrated on Columbus Day. The entire month of November is duly recognized as Indigenous Peoples month and August 9th is recognized as the international celebration of Indigenous People Day.
We understand your efforts to bring unification to the Nation after two unwieldy years from managing a national health crisis. However, the optics of contaminating the focus and purpose of a recognized traditional Federal holiday for Columbus, with another purpose or focus, rewards one group of Americans politically, at the expense of another. This of course is not a demonstration of a unifying policy, but rather something less.
To be clear, the Italian American community across America respects and supports an Indigenous Peoples Day celebration, which should be celebrated with a singular focus in November or by expanding the existing international celebration of Indigenous People on August 9th either of which the Italian American community happily supports. At the same time the Italian American community requires the same level of respect for our historical, traditional celebration of Columbus Day which reflects the value of all immigrants and their added value to the fabric of this Nation.
This action, to remove a day celebrated by Italian Americans for generations, although unintentional, was clear and most disrespectful to the upwards of 20 million Americans who identify as having roots in Italy.
Most recently, Mr. President, you have stressed that our democracy is on the line in the upcoming mid-term elections. Indeed, that is true. But an equally profound threat to our democracy is any policy of exclusion, of favoring one group of Americans over another.
We would appreciate a few moments of your time to reach common sense solutions. This will allow all of us to come away from this more united, not divided. The magic of democracy is most notable when each of us can celebrate our unique heritage and cultural traditions and accomplishments, as well as respecting the traditions and accomplishments of all ethnic groups, which make up the fabric of America.
We therefore again respectfully request the opportunity to meet with you and your staff advisors, in person, to discuss more specific language recognizing the contributions of Italian Americans in this year’s Columbus Day proclamation from the White House.
A meeting with you and your staff would provide an opportunity for a discussion to avert unintended misperceptions and help move the nation closer to unification, without promoting the culture and heritage of one group of Americans at the expense of another.
Kindly contact my office prior to September 14th to schedule this important meeting and discuss any required security clearance protocols for our attendees.
Respectfully,
Basil M. Russo
President, Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations (COPOMIAO)
A PROCLAMATION ON COLUMBUS DAY, 2021
BY PRESIDENT JOSEPH R. BIDEN
More than 500 years ago, after securing the support of Queen Isabella I and King Ferdinand II, Christopher Columbus launched the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria from the coast of Spain in 1492. While he intended to end his quest in Asia, his 10-week journey instead landed him on the shores of the Bahamas, making Columbus the first of many Italian explorers to arrive in what would later become known as the Americas.
Many Italians would follow his path in the centuries to come, risking poverty, starvation, and death in pursuit of a better life. Today, millions of Italian Americans continue to enrich our country’s traditions and culture and make lasting contributions to our Nation — they are educators, health care workers, scientists, first responders, military service members, and public servants, among so many other vital roles.
Today, we also acknowledge the painful history of wrongs and atrocities that many European explorers inflicted on Tribal Nations and Indigenous communities. It is a measure of our greatness as a Nation that we do not seek to bury these shameful episodes of our past — that we face them honestly, we bring them to the light, and we do all we can to address them. For Native Americans, western exploration ushered in a wave of devastation: violence perpetrated against Native communities, displacement and theft of Tribal homelands, the introduction and spread of disease, and more. On this day, we recognize this painful past and recommit ourselves to investing in Native communities, upholding our solemn and sacred commitments to Tribal sovereignty, and pursuing a brighter future centered on dignity, respect, justice, and opportunity for all people.
In commemoration of Christopher Columbus’s historic voyage 529 years ago, the Congress, by joint resolution of April 30, 1934, and modified in 1968 (36 U.S.C. 107), as amended, has requested the President proclaim the second Monday of October of each year as “Columbus Day.” Today, let this day be one of reflection — on America’s spirit of exploration, on the courage and contributions of Italian Americans throughout the generations, on the dignity and resilience of Tribal Nations and Indigenous communities, and on the work that remains ahead of us to fulfill the promise of our Nation for all.
Now, therefore, I, Joseph R. Biden Jr., President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim October 11, 2021, as Columbus Day. I direct that the flag of the United States be displayed on all public buildings on the appointed day in honor of our diverse history and all who have contributed to shaping this Nation.
In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this eighth day of October, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-one, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-sixth. Joseph R. Biden Jr.
COLUMBUS DAY PROCLAMATIONS OF PAST PRESIDENTS
Both Democrat and Republican presidents have made Columbus Day Proclamations. Here are highlights:
John F. Kennedy, 1962
“Whereas his westward course was followed by millions of others from the Old World who came with the same enterprising spirit to build this Nation and other nations in this hemisphere, and to create an indestructible bond between the two hemispheres which continues to grow closer and stronger…”
Lyndon Johnson, 1965
“Whereas Christopher Columbus four hundred and seventy-three years ago journeyed westward across forbidding and unknown seas to open the way for the eventual establishment of our Nation and its free institutions…”
Jimmy Carter, 1979
“We are the inheritors of Columbus' legacy. As a nation which has always striven for the same qualities as the Great Navigator, we must continue the search for new horizons.”
Bill Clinton, 1995
“A native of Genoa, Columbus' courage and commitment led him to leave safe shores in pursuit of his goals. But he could not have made his trips without the support of the Spanish crown. People of Italian and Spanish descent continue to energize communities across our Nation, enhancing every occupation and sector of American society. We are grateful for their tremendous contributions and for the ingenuity of spirit that is Columbus' enduring legacy.”
Barack Obama, 2014
“In a new world, explorers found opportunity. They endured unforgiving winters and early hardship. They pushed west across a continent, charting rivers and mountains, and expanded our understanding of the world as they embraced the principle of self-reliance. In a new world, a history was written. It tells the story of an idea -- that all women and men are created equal -- and a people's struggle to fulfill it. And it is a history shared by Native Americans, one marred with long and shameful chapters of violence, disease, and deprivation.”
Dwight David Eisenhower, 1958
“Whereas we who long for the attainment of this goal may draw inspiration from the vision and courage of Christopher Columbus, who sailed across an uncharted sea and found a western continent and opened a new world…”
Richard M. Nixon, 1973
“Columbus launched the great age of discovery in the Americas. For five centuries, the spirit of discovery has continued to flourish here. On this Columbus Day, we can usefully reflect on the many ways in which that spirit still lives on, not only in our efforts to expand our physical horizons but in everything we do which helps us broaden our understanding of our world and of ourselves.”
Gerald R. Ford, 1975
“We can all take great pride, as we look forward to our Bicentennial celebrations, in honoring the memory of the epic accomplishments of Christopher Columbus which led to the development of the Americas and the founding of this great Nation.”
Ronald Reagan, 1986
“Americans of Italian descent are proud to say that Columbus, a son of Genoa, was the first of many Italians to come to America and a powerful reason the United States and Italy share the unique friendship they do. Those of Spanish descent likewise point out that Spain made Columbus's voyages possible and that he is the first link in the friendship of the United States and Spain. All Americans share in this just pride.”
George H.W. Bush, 1990
“Seizing an opportunity to pursue his dreams and theories and to expand the realm of the known, Christopher Columbus not only introduced European culture and technology to the native peoples of the Western Hemisphere but also obtained for his countrymen an alluring glimpse of their rich lands and exotic customs. In so doing, he began a long, fruitful exchange of knowledge, resources, and traditions between the Old World and the New.”
George W. Bush, 2005
“Since 1934, when President Roosevelt first proclaimed the national holiday, our Nation has observed Columbus Day to mark the moment when the Old World met the New. As we recognize Columbus' legacy, we also celebrate the contributions of Italian Americans to our Nation's growth and well-being. Americans of Italian descent are musicians and athletes, doctors and lawyers, teachers and first responders. They are serving bravely in our Armed Forces.”
Donald J. Trump, 2020
“Sadly, in recent years, radical activists have sought to undermine Christopher Columbus's legacy. These extremists seek to replace discussion of his vast contributions with talk of failings, his discoveries with atrocities, and his achievements with transgressions. Rather than learn from our history, this radical ideology and its adherents seek to revise it, deprive it of any splendor, and mark it as inherently sinister. They seek to squash any dissent from their orthodoxy. We must not give in to these tactics or consent to such a bleak view of our history. We must teach future generations about our storied heritage, starting with the protection of monuments to our intrepid heroes like Columbus.”
Primo Review
TO PARODY OR NOT TO PARODY…THAT IS THE QUESTION
“Qui Rido Io” (The King of Laughter) Is a Film for All Americans to Watch y
By Truby Chiaviello
“Qui rido io” should be required viewing for all Americans.
The Italian import, translated directly as, “Here I Laugh,” was rebranded as, “The King of Laughter” for American audiences. The film conveys an obscure event in Italian history to indict our current cancel culture age.
Today, we may watch the Oscars, once a gala parade of class and distinction for Hollywood, only to see the likes of actor Will Smith, believing himself entitled, leave his seat to slap comedian Chris Rock on stage for telling an off color joke. We may remember a rodeo clown some years ago who was immediately fired after wearing a caricature mask of President Barack Obama. There was the recent saga of comedian Dave Chappelle who was almost banned from Netflix for joking about transgenders.
Such are just a few examples of McCarthyite tyranny where blackballed and ostracized are those who laugh away the opinions and beliefs of the ascended intelligentsia.
Censorship is in. Shunnings are trendy.
Such was also the state of Italy at the turn of the 20th century. A court case reverberated through the land when two luminaries of stage, one, a writer, the other, an actor, opposed each other. To be decided was the freedom of expression for comedy.
In 1904, the poet, playwright, novelist Gabriele D’Annunzio sued Eduardo Scarpetta for plagiarism. The source of the dispute was the lyrical play by D’Annunzio titled, “The Daughter of Iorio,” a masterful work compared to Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.” The accusation of plagiarism was just a means to an end. D’Annunzio, among others of Italy’s elite, sought to expunge satire and parody from theater.
D’Annunzio took himself seriously as did others among Italy’s best and brightest. “The Daughter of Iorio” was set in the mountains of Abruzzo, where D’Annunzio was born and raised. The story was about a shepherd named Aligi who is betrothed to marry a woman he does not love. The village outcast, Mila, daughter of a pagan worshiper, captures the eye of the young man. What follows is a romantic tragedy in poetic verse to underscore the superstitions of peasants depicted. The play was heralded a masterpiece. The writer was acclaimed a king poet of his time.
Scarpetta was one of many in Italian theater, at that time, impressed by D’Annunzio. The actor, by then, had dominated the stage in Naples in bourgeois comedies based on translated plays from France. He thought D’Annunzio was ripe for parody. He sought out the writer to discuss a satirical interpretation of his latest play.
Reminiscent of Universal Horror, in the film, is when Scarpetta, portrayed by the always outstanding Toni Servillo, treks through a dark rainstorm with his associate to meet D’Annunzio inside a Tuscan villa. The interior is seemingly Gothic with black mahogany walls, stained glass windows and decorative grotesques. D’Annunzio greets his guests dressed in a bathrobe. He resembles the devil with sharpened goattee and sardonic smile. To observe the visit from upstairs are prostitutes who look more like witches in heavy make up.
The whole display is cunningly surreal. D’Annunzio seems to give his blessing, and, yet not, for Scarpetta to lampoon his work. One wonders if the meeting was a setup. In a following scene, fans of D’Annunzio infiltrate the audience for a planned assault to shout down Scarpetta, his troupe of actors and actresses at opening night for the parody.
D’Annunzio then sues Scarpetta for plagiarism. The roots of comedy are to be legally questioned. Should satire be allowed? Scarpetta sees his reputation turned upside down. He is now a pariah. He is a dinosaur past his time. He is seen as out of touch. He descends the common denominator to poke fun at works far beyond his acumen, according to intellectuals who testify in court against him.
The motivation of authors and playwrights is partly envy at the monetary success of Scarpetta. His plays sell out theaters all over Naples. He is rich enough to afford the largest villa where he and his wife can raise their three children, in luxury and comfort, along with his in-laws, his nieces and nephews. A conspiracy is hatched among Naples’ literary elite. “We must ensure that Neapolitan theater regains its popular purity,” says one author. “Ours is a cultural battle for the theater of art.” Another writer exclaims: “Look around you. Trades people, lawyers, doctors. They adore Scarpetta as they identify with his easy-going characters. There is no violence. Tragedy? Heaven forbid! Only laughter. So they go home happy and satisfied. And what happened to life? The drama in life is found in the street, among the poor.”
Mario Martone is the director and co-writer of “Qui rido io.” His task was large and complex since Scarpetta was connected to other key figures of Italian theater. The director thought it necessary to highlight the back story of other famous Italians depicted in the film. It turns out Scarpetta had many liaisons, most notably with his wife’s sister, Luisa De Filippo, played by Christina Dell’Anna. The couple had three children, one of whom was the famous playwright Eduardo De Filippo and his brother, Peppino, the actor.
Naples in the early 1900s was a combination of Rococo ambience and late Victorian style. The film’s set designers, Laura Casalini and Francesco Fonda, captured the glorious interiors of theaters, villas and salons of the era. The costumes by Ursula Patzak are a time capsule of festooned headwear for women and top hats for men. Neapolitan cuisine is on full display when tomato sauce doused spaghetti is hurriedly twirled and consumed by the astutely dressed diners.
There is much to like about “Qui rido io.” The acting is excellent as is the design and flow of the film. A flaw, however, is the director’s equitable focus on the goings-on of children. Considerable time in the two hour film is spent on the innocent inquiries, playful interactions and slight dramas of infants and pre-adolescents. Such meanderings take away from the film’s central conflict, engrossingly relevant for today, as to the extent of artistic freedom.
The film’s ending is one to remember. Servillo embraces the role of Scarpetta in the ultimate test of true integrity between the artist and literary intellectuals. The audience is ripe to remember where Italy went in the years to follow this court case. As Scarpetta’s star eventually faded, his adversary, D’Annunzio, ascended the heights of celebrity from theater to politics. He emulated the gross intolerance and authoritarianism to later plague the mid-20th century. D’Annunzio embraced the violence of World War I to eventually organize a militia to illegally invade Fiume at war’s end. He set himself up as dictator for a year until the world community pressured his surrender. Such militaristic belligerence served as the perennial model for Benito Mussolini. The rise of Fascism soon followed for D’Annunzio proclaimed its godfather and celebrated supporter.
That fact alone should remind us to support the Scarpettas of today’s cancel culture war. Censorship, shunning and ostracism should never be tolerated by any and all artists. Scarpetta said it best in one telling scene of the film: “By condemning me, you condemn an entire art form…The truth is, in Italy, you can’t deride anyone close to those in power. Freedom is in danger.”
Editor’s Note: “Qui rido io” (The King of Laughter) can be seen in a host of streaming sites on the Internet. The film was made in 2021 for release in Italy, only to arrive in America this summer.
Just Call Him… WRECKING BALL BARAKA
- Newark’s Mayor Goes Nuclear on Columbus Monument Pedestal
By Angelo Vivolo
If you think the upcoming Columbus holiday is safe, or that a statue in your community of the man who united two worlds with a rickety wooden caravel won't be carried away in the middle of the night, you're dreaming. Some legislators have proposed wiping away the holiday here in New York. Its sponsor in the state senate, Jessica Ramos, also wants all statues of Columbus removed. "As the daughter of a proud indigenous woman, I would love to see a statue honoring the people whose land has been stolen," she says.
Who can argue with the need to respect and honor the contributions of those who preceded the new waves of immigrants that followed Columbus?
But why destroy a statue or a holiday commemorating the man who sailed from Spain? Indeed, Columbus brought the Hispanic language and Hispanic culture to the Western Hemisphere, and led the way for hundreds of millions of immigrants to follow his path? And if you think that Senator Ramos is alone in the belief that recognizing the first indigenous settlers must be entangled with a wrongful demonization of Columbus and the cultures that followed, it's time to rise from slumber.
A survey of candidates by the Jim Owles Democratic Club, earlier this year, turned up responses from eight Senators, including Senator Ramos. All are in favor of removing the memorial from Columbus Circle in Manhattan.
"I support removing the Christopher Columbus statue," wrote a member of the state assembly. "I would support replacing it with an indigenous hero and believe we should work with activists to determine who that would be."
In 2018, the U.S. Department of the Interior honored the Columbus Circle Memorial's historical value and aesthetic excellence with recognition in the National Register of Historic Places. This protection was made possible by a dedicated and united group of volunteers and community groups, including the Columbus Heritage Coalition.
Our beautiful memorial and symbol of the contributions of all immigrants, especially the Italian American immigrants who built it-- isn't going anywhere. But we must remain united and vigilant.
Sadly, no such designation protected the 93-year-old Columbus memorial in Newark's Washington Park historic district. Instead, by order of the City of Newark, the statue was taken under cover of darkness in 2020 to parts unknown, eventually turning up in a storage cage in Trenton.
Community activists and historic preservationists advocated for the return of Columbus. They also strongly supported a plan to honor Harriet Tubman, the famed abolitionist. But the City rejected the possibility of returning the Columbus memorial to its pedestal.
The base of the statue, by itself, was worthy of historical and artistic recognition. Master craftsman, architect and sculptor, Giuseppe Ciocchetti, created bronze relief plaques to depict Columbus's commissioning, embarkation, voyage, and landing. These depictions were attached to the statue’s pedestal.
Ultimately, the matter was referred to the state's Historic Preservation Council. The panel urged the City of Newark to explore alternate locations within George Washington Park, renamed the City Harriet Tubman Square. The council strongly suggested the City pursue a plan to allow the Columbus and the proposed Tubman memorials to "co-exist in the park."
Restoring Columbus and welcoming Tubman seemed a proper compromise. But the city administration rejected any possibility of restoration as it would "undermine the City's stated goals to foster a more inclusive park setting and therefore [was] dismissed by the City."
Rejecting the Tubman-Columbus compromise, Commissioner Shawn LaTourette, of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, ruled that the arrangement does not meet the "project need to replace the former Christopher Columbus statue with the Harriet Tubman monument."
La Tourette approved the removal of the pedestal under certain conditions placed upon the City, including bringing in a consultant to ensure proper handling of historical materials as per federal preservation guidelines.
Instead, the City came through with a wrecking crew last week and wiped the site of any trace of the Columbus legacy. "In essence, this was a done deal from the outset," said activist Guy Sterling. "I highly doubt the city did much or any of it before it pulled the trigger on taking down the statue's pedestal."
This outrageous behavior cannot go unanswered. Therefore, we are asking New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy to launch an investigation into this gross violation of process by the City of Newark that totally ignored the state's requirement for the proper retrieval of Ciocchetti's reliefs and other historical material.
We live in a democratic country of laws that are supposed to protect the rights of all citizens equally. We live by the principle to respect all cultures and ethnicities for their accomplishments and contributions to America. Tearing down a statue and erecting another in its place offends all cultures and violates the values for which this country stands.
Governor Murphy, you were elected to represent all the people. Right this wrong! Stand up to those who seek to divide, rather than unite, us.
Op-ed
GOOD RIDDANCE
The Resignation of Mario Draghi as Italy’s Prime Minister is a Good Thing
By Christopher Binetti, Ph.D.
Everyone in mainstream media loved Mario Draghi.
He alone was to save Italy. He, alone, was the essential progressive to merge technocracy with populism.
I am a man of the center-left in the United States, so it is appalling for me to see Draghi as the face of the center-left in Italy. This man was nothing more than a dictator for his 18-month tenure as prime minister. His fall is a good thing for democracy, especially liberal democracy. So why is the international media so enamored by this disgraced dictator?
To be fair, Draghi was popular for a while. He was unelected with absolute power. In the depths of the coronavirus, he took over from the (even more) heavy-handed Giuseppe Conte, prime minister of Italy from June 1, 2018 to February 13, 2021. The people of Italy understood Draghi to be temporary, in the tradition of the Roman Republic, whereby an all-powerful leader might serve for a period of six months.
Draghi had no respect for regional autonomy. He was a unitary absolutist who was subservient to both the international business community and the European Union (EU). He was entirely out of tune with the future of Italian politics. He wanted to turn Italy into nothing more than a province of the EU. He had no interest in federalizing Italy’s regions.
Draghi ranted about the far-right, to the extent that any opponent of his dictatorship was declared far-right. This only empowered and emboldened his political enemies, especially Giorgia Meloni, leader of the Brothers of Italy political party and quite possibly Italy’s next prime minister. Remember that the worst far-right actor, Matteo Salvini, of The League, supported Draghi’s dictatorship in one form of another. Fascists on the far-right seem little different from the fascists who claim to be progressives.
I visited Italy during Draghi’s dictatorship and, frankly, it was a little frightening to be there. His fall has to be a good thing.
Now, everyone is terrified that the far-right will take over. However, is not a liberal democracy, a concept seemingly forgotten by European Union elites, about majority rule with protections for minority rights? Draghi trampled on both. Free and fair democratic elections are now coming to Italy for the first time in years. Yet, even liberal leftists like me will not contact Meloni and the Brothers of Italy for an interview, even a critical one, because of fear of being branded Fascist or far-right. I am a little ashamed of myself, actually.
The rise of the far-right is an awful thing, but, at least, it is democratic. Progressive dictatorship was not very progressive but very dictatorial. Its demise is to be replaced by far-right democracy. The international business community and the European Union elites want someone to “govern” Italy for them. They vastly prefer a “good” dictatorship over a “bad” democracy. This is not right. You either believe in some form of democracy or you do not.
Italy needs to govern herself. Flaws in the country’s constitution allowed for this dictatorship to occur. The time has come for Italy to move to a presidential or semi-presidential system, where the chief executive has a defined term and must be elected directly by the people. The proportional representation system needs to be retained. Yet, a new constitution must make impossible for politicians to simply seize absolute power as did Matteo Renzi, Conte and Draghi. Citizens should vote for a paramount leader. Perhaps a semi-presidential system, where the prime minister and a president could share power might be a good idea. Currently, Italy’s president is not entirely powerless, but he is not directly elected by the people, as he should be.
Italy’s fundamental problem remains her unitary format where all power is kept in Rome. The regions have autonomy only at the discretion of Rome unlike, here, in the United States, where the states have real sovereignty. Dictators hate federalism. Hence, the main reason to establish a system for Italian regions. Federalism will make it harder, if not impossible, for a dictator to take control of the country. Regional autonomy will limit the power of the far-right or far-left when either group takes control of parliament.
Two equally horrifying forces in Italy are now far-right democrats and centralist (pro-unitary) dictators. Neither force is acceptable. We need the rise of a federalist center-left democratic bloc in Italy. This is really the only way to save Italy’s liberal democracy.
Dr. Christopher Binetti is a political scientist and an Italian American civil rights activist from New Jersey. He can be contacted in Italiano or English at cbinetti@terpmail.umd.edu and in English at 732-549-2635 and 732-887-3914. The views expressed by the writer may not be shared by PRIMO’s publisher or staff.
DON’T SCAPEGOAT COLUMBUS
Discoverer of The New World Has Become The Convenient Fall Guy for Today's Cancel Culture
- Villain Status Based on Lies and Disinformation by Howard Zinn - Just 8 Pages!
- All Wrongs of American History Blamed on This One Man?!
“The time is now for a more sensible effort of intellectual precision to convey the greater truth of Columbus.”
Tom Damigella
VP Italian American Alliance
No one can deny Columbus' discovery of the New World had a long-term impact on the Indigenous People of North and South America. It was Columbus's life-long mission to discover a shorter sea route to the Far East, not only for new trade, but, also, to find an unobstructed path to Jerusalem, then occupied by the Muslims. Not only was Columbus an incredible navigator who brought his crew safely to an unknown world, he was a pious Christian whose devotion was to spread the word of God.
It was never in this man's heart to brutalize, rape, or, as some people have accused him of, creating purposeful genocide. Columbus was a noble man who was nothing like the villainous exploiter as attributed to him by Howard Zinn in “A People’s History of the United States.” This character assassination has unfortunately been repeated unwittingly by those who use just eight pages of Zinn's book to teach the life and times of Columbus.
That's right. Zinn wrote only eight pages of unmerciful lies and misinformation about Columbus to set the stage for a smear campaign against the United States. He wanted people to believe that the United States, along with the whole Western World, were nothing more than executioners of all minority people. In order to defame America, Zinn had to first defame Columbus.
Tragically, some 90 percent of the native population died of diseases brought here by explorers and settlers from Europe. The Indigenous People lacked the natural immunity to withstand such epidemics as Small Pox and Malaria. There was no intent on the part of Columbus, not to mention other explorers and settlers, to purposely inflict these diseases upon the natives. This cannot be called an act of genocide, but, rather another example of the Tragedy of History. The Black Death of 1345 to 1347 was transmitted from China to eventually kill up to one third of the European population. (Sound familiar?) It was estimated that 25 million people died in a five year period! This was horrific, but should we blame China or accuse Chinese historical figures of genocide? Of course not. It was due to microbes, not people.
These facts are not meant to excuse the many broken treaties and wars against Native Americans by the United States government. Rather, my point is to bring intellectual precision to this historical discussion of Columbus.
Yes, there were atrocities committed against the Taino people, but not by Columbus. Indeed, he went so far as to ally himself with the tribes of Hispaniola against their historical enemies, the Caribs. Columbus sought only to befriend and treat fairly the Taino. He made efforts to baptize the Taino into the Christian faith to make illegal their enslavement. He never threatened to cut off their hands or forced them to dig gold. These are lies and myths. Columbus never owned any slaves, although at that time, human bondage was acceptable in every corner of the world. Columbus never raped or condoned the raping of Taino women. He punished his own men who rebelled against his authority to commit such felonies. This is all recorded and documented by Bartolomé de las Casas, a Spanish priest who lived in the 16th century to publish a personal account of the Indies. Father de las Casas attributed most crimes to the conquistadors who followed Columbus to the New World.
An extensive list of scholarly sources are available today that support my viewpoint. For instance, the eight page defamation of Columbus by Howard Zinn is thoroughly disproved by such works as “Debunking Howard Zinn Fake History,” by Mary Grabar, “Columbus Hero,” by Rafael Ortiz, “Columbus and His Quest for Jerusalem” by Carol Delaney and “Admiral of the Sea” by Samuel Morrison, just to name a few.
To solely lay the blame on Columbus for the inhumane acts, wars and conflicts to occur after his death because of mass migration, the clash of cultures and the introduction of diseases is absurd on its face and libelous in its action.
Columbus is a legitimate historical figure who helped change the world for the better. The positive contributions to humankind far outweigh the unfortunate tragedies that came with development and discovery of the New World.
Yes, Native Americans deserve to have their day of special recognition for us to proudly celebrate their culture, history and heritage. They remain a significant part of the United States. Such recognition can and must be formalized, but not at the expense and insult to Italian American communities who have so proudly associated themselves with Columbus for more than 130 years.
It is unfortunate that some people do not understand the historical connection of Columbus to our grandparent’s generation who endured incredible oppression and bigotry. This emotional connection of pride to Columbus cannot be ignored if one is to truly understand why we defend Columbus against uninformed and misguided critics.
Since our nation's founding, we have honored Columbus by naming cities, buildings and statues for his discovery of the New World. Because of Columbus, the United States has existed to do more for the betterment of all people than any society or nation in the history of the world. The world is a far better place because of America, regardless of Zinn's poisonous telling of our country’s history.
The efforts made by those, today, who use Columbus as their scapegoat to push a political agenda is unnecessary and unwarranted.
We are all better than that. The time is now for a more sensible effort of intellectual precision to convey the greater truth of Columbus.
Editor’s Note: The author was a key leader in the successful effort to stop the most recent attempt in Massachusetts to change Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day. The Italian American Alliance web site is https://www.theitalianamericanalliance.com
CHARACTER ASSASSINATION 101
CLASS NOW IN SESSION
Professor Anthony Tamburri, of the Calandra Institute, Crafts an Inexcusable, Vicious Attack on Judge Basil M. Russo
- Dean Unhinged
- Many Convoluted Connections in Hatchet Job Disguised as Academic Treatise
- Expression of Catholic Enthusiasm Reminiscent of Taliban? - Tamburri actually voted for Russo in 2020!
By Truby Chiaviello
From the halls of academia…
After a positive, productive summer national meeting of the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations (COPOMIAO) on July 23rd, where Judge Basil M. Russo was unanimously reelected to serve another term as president and just prior to a major victory this past week by Italian Americans in Massachusetts to retain Columbus Day, there came to Italian American leaders a sample writing lesson in takedown tracts.
An uninvited excoriation of Judge Russo by none other than Dr. Anthony Tamburri, Dean of the Calandra Institute, was sent by mass email.
“‘Where Ignorance Reigns, Life Is Lost’: The Dangers of Neglecting History” is the title of a verbose tirade by the professor submitted to PRIMO and leaders of the Italian American community.
What might seem an academic treatise turned out to be nothing more than a bitter hatchet job, replete with falsehoods and exaggerated misjudgments, perpetrated against Judge Russo.
Not to mention a dose of irony.
In a beginning paragraph, Professor Tamburri accuses Judge Russo of “Self-referential oration”, albeit in a piece the scholar publishes for his immodestly titled, “Anthony’s Newsletter.”
Dr. Tamburri, no doubt, worked overtime to search every nook and cranny to try to find fault with the president of COPOMIAO. Statements by Judge Russo are grossly taken out of context. Rash judgments are made by the professor from convoluted connections. The writer makes mountains from molehills. Or, better yet, skyscrapers from lego pieces.
First up, religion.
A delegation of Italian Americans to Rome led by Judge Russo earlier this year is spuriously connected to the Taliban by Dr. Tamburri. Outrage is the scholar’s reaction to the following statement by Judge Russo after meeting, in person, Pope Francis: “it was most important that COPOMIAO leaders reaffirm their faith and publicly pledge their allegiance to their Church.”
What was, no doubt, an expression of enthusiasm in line with the mission of a devout Catholic to spread the Gospel is unnecessarily warped and twisted by Dr. Tamburri into something negative and ugly.
Judge Russo is accused by Dr. Tamburri of “religious essentialism” and “consequential exclusion.” How does the writer know this? Did he interview Judge Russo to solicit his intentions? No, instead, he extends the matter to an absurd conclusion. He writes: “No other US ethnic group, save one or two that may be based in a Taliban-like belief system spouts a separatist discourse as stark as what Russo is stating here.”
Huh?!
So, in other words, the elected president of COPOMIAO is no different than Ayman al-Zawahiri. Such a bizarre conclusion comes from a man whose profession mandates the use of reason and logic.
Every facet of Judge Russo’s presidency, ranging from election process to policy, is denounced by Dr. Tamburri.
As the Trump campaign questioned the 2020 presidential election results so too does Dr. Tamburri question the election of Judge Russo, president of COPOMIAO. The professor makes the stunning claim that Judge Russo was, “appointed in that role, not selected through a contested election as is usually the case with such organizations.”
Delegates of the member organizations gathered at the annual meeting of COPOMIAO on October 24, 2020. Records show Dr. Tamburri was present at that meeting as one of the voting delegates and cast his vote in favor of electing Judge Russo president of COPOMIAO. Clear misrepresentation of this and other facts by Dr. Tamburri completely undermine his credibility and call into question his motives.
Wait, there’s more…
At a COPOMIAO meeting on March 27, 2021, attorney George Bochetto made a presentation about the federal lawsuit he intended to file in Philadelphia. He asked if COPOMIAO would agree to serve as the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit. This was a federal lawsuit for Italian Americans to be designated as a protected class under the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution to prevent the city’s mayor from arbitrarily issuing an executive order to cancel Columbus Day, and replace it with Indigenous Peoples Day. Again, records show that Dr. Tamburri attended that day’s meeting as a member delegate and cast his vote to have his organization included in the pro-Columbus lawsuit as the lead plaintiff. A few days later, when Dr. Tamburri realized that he and his organization were to be publicly identified as supporting a pro-Columbus lawsuit, since his organization was to be listed as a member of COPOMIAO in the text of the lawsuit, he withdrew his organization. Does Dr. Tamburri’s vote indicates he was willing to stand with the Italian American community and support Columbus secretly, but did not have the courage of his convictions to do so publicly? Or does his organization’s withdrawal indicates that his true beliefs are with the anti-Columbus segment of academia? Such ambiguity comes from a man who touts himself an expert on the Columbus issue.
Judge Russo is seen by Professor Tamburri as wholly allegorical. He’s devoid of flesh and blood.
It’s the age-old mantra for character assassins…I condemn “what he represents” not “who he is”.
And what does the reelected president of COPOMIAO represent? An “example that underscores the dangers of not knowing,” writes Professor Tamburri in his introduction.
Exactly, what are you are trying to say, sir?
That Basil M. Russo, who holds a BA in political science from John Carroll University and a JD from the Marshall College of Law…is a man who never went to school?
That Basil M. Russo, one of youngest to ever get elected to the city council of Cleveland, to serve in that body for some eight years, unanimously elected and reelected majority leader by representatives of different races and ethnicity, who sponsored and passed the first anti-redlining law of any major American city, who sponsored and passed, what may be, the first law of any American city to mandate smoke detectors in all homes, who passed a law to ensure public transportation was equipped to meet the needs of the elderly and handicapped…is a cold-blooded man who doesn’t understand the needs of society?
That Basil M. Russo, a judge of the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas, a judge of the 8th District Court of Appeals, a respected lawyer with 50 years experience…is a man who never read a book?
That Basil M. Russo, the initiator of the Bishop Anthony Pilla Italian American Studies Program at his alma mater John Carroll…is a man who knows nothing about Italian American history?
Any rational reader is unable to accept such a conclusion by Dr. Tamburri that Judge Russo poses “dangers in not knowing.”
Hence, the question begs: What could be the motivation for such a mean and unwarranted diatribe by Dr. Tamburri?
Did Judge Russo wrong Dr. Tamburri in a previous life?
The answer is…Christopher Columbus!
Judge Russo leads the way to stop this cancel culture assault on a man most Italian Americans feel is their hero and Dr. Tamburri probably hates it.
Judge Russo tirelessly supports those at battle with mayors, city councilors and school board members who seek either to tear down depictions of Columbus or eliminate his national holiday. Judge Russo has been there to offer his legal expertise, organizational skills and experienced advocacy to countless groups fighting to keep Columbus, in one form or another, in their cities, counties and states.
Where, then, is Dr. Tamburri?
Is he there with Judge Russo and others to defend the Columbus Monument at Columbus Circle in Manhattan? Is he there with Judge Russo and others to help the good people of Philadelphia to stop the Columbus Monument at Marconi Plaza from being boarded up by their mayor? Is he there with Judge Russo and others to answer the call of Italian Americans in Pittsburgh to prevent the removal of their beautiful statue of Columbus in Schenley Park?
It is always easy to stand on the sidelines to jeer and pelt snow balls. It is another thing to step into the arena to defend our cause. Judge Russo has been there from the beginning as a tireless advocate in defense of Columbus. After the tragic death of George Floyd in 2020, when vandals destroyed statues in Richmond, Saint Paul, Boston, Baltimore and elsewhere, it was Judge Russo, and so many others like him in COPOMIAO, not to mention other Italian American organizations, Italian American individuals and those of many other ethnicities, who stood up against this incessant assault.
Very little is positive in this scorching screed by Dr. Tamburri. Verbose and haughty, the piece seeks nothing but to tear down a decent man with noble intentions who has broad support in the Italian American community. Much like the hateful vandals might tear down statues of Columbus.
At one moment of self-reflection in this exhaustive hit piece, Dr. Tamburri wonders if he is being “too strong” in his critique of Judge Russo. Nah, he concludes. Then, lo and behold, he finds common ground with the subject of his disdain. He agrees with Judge Russo for Italian Americans to stay united.
Thanks but no thanks.
Editor’s Note: PRIMO is a proud member of the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations. The magazine enthusiastically voted in favor of reelecting Basil M. Russo this past July as president. We support his leadership. The web site for the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations is www.copomiao.org.
COOL MEETING, HOT AGENDA
Ambitious Way Forward Touted at Summer Gathering for Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations
By Truby Chiaviello
Hot and muggy outside, cool and productive inside.
That’s one way to describe the summer national meeting of the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations (COPOMIAO) on July 23rd in New York.
Inside an air conditioned brownstone building, a block away from Central Park, was where delegates deliberated on an ambitious agenda. The stunning baroque setting was provided by the Columbus Citizens Foundation, a mainstay organization of Italian American engagement and activism in New York, as headquartered on 69th Street and founded by the original publisher of the National Enquirer, Generoso Pope.
Italian American leaders from all over the country got down to morning business while a heat wave covered the region outside with temperatures near triple digits and barometer readings not too far behind.
First up at the podium was the indefatigable unifier of Italian Americans, Basil M. Russo, president of COPOMIAO, president of the Italian Sons and Daughters of America, founder of the Italian American Museum of Cleveland and fighter for Columbus and all things Italian American. He held nothing back in an opening statement about the incessant political correct assault on Columbus, the diminishment of Italian American historical figures in school and the effort to inspire future generations to embrace our proud heritage.
“Our community finds itself at a very critical point in our history,” Judge Russo said. “The preservation of our heritage is being challenged in ways we never imagined before. We have an education system that ignores who we are and what we contributed to this country. We have a younger generation that no longer appreciates the importance of identifying with and preserving our heritage. We have a radical element in our society determined to erase Columbus Day and Columbus statues which symbolize our struggle to assimilate into American society. Those serious challenges are exactly what makes this time in our history so meaningful and so exciting. As leaders of the Italian American community, we’ve been charged with the responsibility to save the heritage that our parents and grandparents passed on to us. And that is exactly what we are going to do.”
Several major initiatives are to meet the challenges spelled out by Judge Russo. The most groundbreaking was arguably the proposed gathering of a national summit for young Italian American leaders. John M. Viola, vice president of COPOMIAO, hosts the Italian American Podcast. He is former president of the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF), perhaps the youngest in history to lead a non-profit at such size and scope. He displayed the working draft of what looks to be one of the most exciting events for Italian Americans in recent memory.
Titled “Italamericon,” the Italian American youth leadership summit, the first of its kind, is tentatively set for January 13-15, 2023, in beautiful Fort Lauderdale. Young adults from all corners of the United States will be invited to meet other Italian American leaders in their age group. Such a gathering can be interpreted as a personal endeavor for the lead organizer. He recalled how important it was to attend his first NIAF gathering as a young adult.
“I was 17,” said Viola, when he attended, “the NIAF Convention Gala Weekend. I was bored out of my mind, frankly. Then, I went to the lobby and ended up singing at the piano until two in the morning with my new young Italian American friends, also Tommy Lasorda and Jerry Vale. I felt like I was finally home. I felt like I had finally arrived to the motherland. From there, I made friends with future leaders. We need that again.”
Inspiring youth through education is sought to preserve our Italian American heritage. Cav. Gilda Rorro Baldassari, Ed.D was invited to the podium to discuss her collaboration efforts with Robert DiBiase, who leads the New Jersey Italian Heritage Commission’s Curriculum Committee. She manages a campaign for American school districts to adopt the Universality of Italian Heritage Curriculum Model, a new and exciting approach to inspire greater learning by offering students introductory lessons in Italian art, history and culture.
COPOMIAO has grown substantially these past few years to include some 400 Italian American organizations. Judge Russo was most enthusiastic to announce four additional members: Italian American Women of Iowa, Association of Italian American Educators, Italian American Heritage Foundation of Colorado and, most notably, the Columbus Monument Corporation, an organization from Syracuse, New York, tasked to fight for that city’s Columbus monument against the mean spirited efforts of the mayor to tear down the edifice.
Judge Russo was the first to praise the activities in Syracuse where present for the meeting were two representatives from the Columbus Monument Corporation. He was followed by George Bochetto, former candidate for the U.S. Senate from Pennsylvania, named in the meeting the lead attorney for COPOMIAO. Mr. Bochetto spoke for some minutes about pending court cases filed to stop the removal of Columbus statues and the elimination of Columbus Day in Philadelphia and elsewhere. He awaits a decision form Pittsburgh regarding the statue of Columbus in Schenley Park and the freeing of the Columbus monument from Mayor Jim Kenney’s boarded confinement at Marconi Plaza in Philadelphia. He went out of his way to commend the efforts of Syracuse as a model for all to follow. It was at that moment when Robert Gardino, a retired teacher from Syracuse and delegate from the Columbus Monument Corporation, spoke up from where he sat in the audience. “No it is you who we followed,” he emphatically said. “You’re our model!”
The assaults on Columbus range from negating his historical legacy to tearing down his statues to eliminating his holiday. The fight to keep the Genoese explorer as a vital element in the Italian American experience remains central to the cause of unity espoused by Judge Russo. He was once again unanimously re-elected to serve another term as president of COPOMIAO, after his nomination by Italian scholar and activist, Stephanie Longo.
The future remains one of ambitious action for Judge Russo. The history-making summit he organized for Italian American leaders to meet Italy’s Ambassador to the United States, Mariangela Zappi, in Washington in December, last year, was only outdone this year by his history-making gathering of delegates in Rome to meet officials of the Italian government there and, then, on to the Vatican to meet Pope Francis.
Next up…the White House.
Judge Russo demands a face-to-face meeting with President Joe Biden. He wants the opportunity, inside the Oval Office, to express his disappointment and seek resolution over the president’s inclusion of Indigenous People’s Day in last year’s annual Columbus Day proclamation.
Editor’s Note: Pictured: Basil M. Russo, John M. Viola, Gilda Rorro Baldassari and Manhattan brownstone of the Columbus Citizens Foundation. The web site for the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations is www.copomiao.org. You can learn more about the Columbus Citizens Foundation at their web site, www.columbuscitizens.org.
7-29-22
RUSSIAN UKRAINIAN WAR LEADS TO EXPLOITATION IN PIOMBINO
Italy’s Government Decided In Secret to Anchor Re-gasification Plant in Tuscan Coastal City
By Cecilia Sandroni
In Italy, the side effects of a seemingly distant war between Russia and Ukraine leaves citizens with the impression of having returned to a subject governed by the wealthy. They feel as if the world is against them. The effects on the rest of the national community are artificially made to appear as necessary. When they protest, they are portrayed as "enemies of the people.”
A striking example is Piombino, a post-industrial steel-making city overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea. The necessity to minimize the dependence on Russian oil and natural gas has been authorized by the European Commission in response to the war in Ukraine. As a result, Piombino is suddenly forced to host one of two massive re-gasifier ships purchased by the Italian government (at 330 million euros). This ship is supposed to anchor in a small port that, until now, served as a key hub for transiting tourists (second in Italy for total journeyed passengers). The re-gasifier plant is to operate off the coast of a city of some 40,000 residents who’ve witnessed over the years one steel factory after the other shut down, leaving 15,000 of them without employment.
Piombino has become largely reliant on subsidies for the remediation of contaminated areas. They await the promised construction of infrastructures essential to the development of their disadvantaged domain.
The central government teamed up with the president of the Tuscany region to decide, without any preliminary analysis, to locate the re-gasification plant in Piombino’s port. Their determination was made in secret. They acted with the intention to withhold information about the operation from the mayor of Piombino and those of neighboring territories. The dangers inherent in the re-gasification terminal will permanently stop the development of the port. The potential for an explosion of the moored plant is 50 times more powerful than that of an atomic bomb. The emissions of cold water and chloride used to re-gasify compressed gas to a liquid state is likely to destroy Piombino’s fish breeding industry, the first of its kind in Italy.
In order to find a solution, the government proposed the granting of transactions (foremost land reclamation works). This has been continuously promised for decades, only to be discarded at the final stage. They’ve tried to buy off residents by promising to reduce gas and electric prices in exchange for Piombino’s approval of the re-gasifier plant.
Citizens have risen up in protest only to be threatened by local political forces. The former minister of economic development, Carlo Caledda (center-left party), went so far as to call for military intervention. He declared the matter a serious national emergency. He seems to have forgotten that Piombino has already been widely damaged. He seems to have forgotten that Piombino was officially declared a Site of National Interest for environmental emergencies.
The re-gasification plant will be the only one in the world to be placed only a few hundred meters from local homes (in Barcelona the distance to the nearest homes is more than four kilometers). The seabound structure will be an open-cycle re-gasifier with a daily release of hectoliters of chloride into the water. It will be placed in a small and high-passenger-traffic port, with about 120 departures every day.
In reality, relieving Italy’s dependency on gas from Russia is not cause for a real emergency. The nation has wells already in operation in the Adriatic Sea to be re-started in only a few months. The same gas could be extracted at twenty times lower cost than gas arriving by sea.
The good people of Piombino feel powerless. We are truly faced with an absurd cessation of democracy.
Editor’s Note: The writer was born and raised in Piombino, in Tuscany, where daily demonstrations against the proposed re-gasifier plant are pictured. The web site for the city of Piombino is https://www.comune.piombino.li.it/
RETURN LUPA TO CINCINNATI
The Replica Statue, a Gift from Italian Americans in 1931, Was Stolen This June, from The City’s Eden Park
By Gerardo Perrotta
On June 17, someone noticed that the famous symbol of Rome, the Capitoline wolf, the Lupa, on display nearly 90 years in beautiful Eden Park, was missing. Left on the pedestal near the twin lakes of the park were the paws and suckling twins. Vandals sawed off the legs of the Lupa to disappear with the bronze loot sparking indignation in the community, especially among Italian Americans.
The police are investigating this theft to hopefully shed some light on the authors and their motives. Whether politically motivated, as was uttered in recent years to have the statue removed for its connection to Benito Mussolini, or, simply, a robbery of bronze for cash, this unfortunate development may either incite division or promote understanding. We have an opportunity to learn more about the role of the local Italian community in granting this statue as a gift to the city. A more robust response from interested parties, beyond the $50,000 offered to recover the artwork, will serve the community well. It was never referred to as Mussolini’s statue. Mussolini is dead. The Lupa stood on the pedestal, not Mussolini.
Italians in 1931, through the auspices of the local lodge of the Sons of Italy (on the occasion of the biennial convention held in the city) arranged for the Lupa to be a gift to Cincinnati. They sought a tangible expression of appreciation as proud residents. They knew how Cincinnati was named by Arthur St. Clair, governor of the Northwest Territory, member of the Cincinnatus Society honoring Revolutionary War officers. The name derived from the Roman war hero, Cincinnatus, who returned to plow his land rather than pursue political power for personal benefit.
The city’s newspaper, The Enquirer, published a headline: “replica of the statue to enhance goodwill.”
The Italians of Cincinnati were led by Dr. Sante Ferraresi, Dr. Louis Valerio, Messrs. Carlo Ginocchio, Michele Mastronardi and Louis Aielli. They were among the principals to generate, promote and pursue the idea of the Lupa as a gift. At the time, Mussolini was giving statues to commemorate his 10th year in power. However, Italian Americans, not the Fascist dictator, generated the thought to give this gift to Cincinnati.
The Lupa statue was originally to be presented in 1929 by the Sons of Italy. However, the edifice did not meet specification. A new one had to be made for a rededication in 1931. Whoever inscribed on the base the official dedicator, “the Governor of Rome (Francesco Boncompagni Ludovisi) Year X” was likely unaware of the time needed to fulfill the request. Out of convenience, the date was marked by an “X.”
The Santa Maria Institute, in Cincinnati, celebrating this year its 125th anniversary, was led, back then, by Blessed Sister Blandina Segale and her sister, Justina. They published a monthly newsletter titled, “Veritas” with a tagline "devoted to the interest of Italians.” In the September, 1931 edition, the Sisters of Charity, said about the Lupa: “Il dono acquista una grande importanza…mostrano il loro affetto per la citta`che e` il campo del loro lavoro e delle loro ambizioni” which translates: “the gift assumes a great importance…they (Italians) show their love for the city which is the field of their labors and their aspirations.” Clearly, an acknowledgement of the efforts of local Italians.
It is important to appreciate the Lupa as an expression of gratitude to Cincinnati by Italian Americans. They gave the city a replica of a statue that forever represents the millenary history linked to the Etruscans and the Eternal City. Eden Park’s Romanesque setting, overlooking the Ohio Tiber, from one of its seven hills, are joined by the Lupa to evoke Etruscan art and Rome’s legendary influence in the world.
No Italian Americans ever thought of Mussolini whenever they visited the Lupa statue. In the open air, they spoke of the precious past and rich present to gaze at a work of exceptional art to inspire great love for their city, Cincinnati, and great love for their country, the United States.
The robbers might sell the statue for cash. They may be richer for a misdeed while the city is momentarily poorer for losing a jewel offered in friendship by local Italians. The actions of a few misguided individuals alert us to the precarious times ahead. We must always be on guard to resist losing other historical treasures that are part of the community’s rich patrimony.
We can never get used to or become indifferent to these types of episodes. A concerned and exemplary response by many citizens will mute the undesirable behavior of a few disgraceful individuals and promote the goodwill the Enquirer once foresaw.
City leaders, park board executives, the reputable University of Cincinnati Classics Department, benefactors, artists, the United Italian Society, OSDIA and the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations must come together for a serious commitment to bring back the Lupa. Already, several individuals have offered their time and talent to produce an exact replica to stand on the pedestal. Placing a more detailed instructive plaque near the base can add clarity to the artwork. Updating the whole story in lieu of contemporary polemics is a better way to recognize the Italian experience in Cincinnati. Short of an engaged commitment or resolution, there is a risk for unintended decline and deterioration of instructing the adults of tomorrow that the complex weight of history is too much of a burden to carry forward and thus best forgotten. Without art, history loses perspective. Great relics lose value, only to be reduced to flea market status.
As they say in Italy, “In bocca al lupo,” break a leg! In this case may the wolf, the “Lupa Romana Cincinnatensis,” stand tall once again on all four legs in beautiful Eden Park!
Editor’s Note: Pictured is the Lupa statue, before and after theft. The author lives in Cincinnati and researches, writes and gives presentations on Italian American history in the Greater Cincinnati area.
Op-Ed
WHY WE PROTEST AGAINST THE RE-GASIFICATION PLAN IN PIOMBINO
- We now know that chlorine to be used to cool the GNL (liquefied natural gas) must inevitably be spilled into the sea, just a short distance away from Piombino’s prestigious fish farms.
By Alessandro Dervishi, M.D.
Piombino was once a major industrial center in steel-processing, until interrupted by market dynamics, when more substandard, yet, cheaper products, could be produced in other countries. The coastal city in Tuscany used to provide jobs to about 12,000 workers. After plants were forced to close, thousands of laborers lost their jobs, without any clear indication about their future. To the journalists that took the time to kindly and patiently listen to me, I tried to summarize this anthropogenic rage against Piombino, owing to its artistic, historic and environmental beauty.
The abandoned Enel power plant in Piombino is reminiscent of the past when the factory was virtually adjacent to the beach with nothing less than pollution and towers visible from afar. Nearby are warehouses of what used to be the Dalmine plant, where today hazardous and dangerous products are processed. The former garbage dump of Rimateria, is visible. A mountain of urban waste rises some 36-meters (118 feet) high where discarded substances remain unknown, even after several investigations. Granted, the steel plants were once the pride of the city. Yet, today, they are obsolete. They once provided jobs and wellness for residents over many years, not to mention important structural material for Italy. Yet, we, also, must remember that they were the main source of environmental pollution and a number of illnesses.
At the port of Piombino is the re-gasification plant (a 300 meters (984 feet) long and 40 meters (131 feet) wide ship) to be moored. This pier was originally designed to host the dismantling of the cruise ship, Costa Concordia; that, in the end, was not even conducted here. Some 3 million people visit Piombino, by sea, every year, not to mention 120 crossings daily from the mainland to the islands of Elba and Sardinia. Ferries go to and fro near the re-gasification terminal. It is impossible to ignore the grave potential for accidents, here, where hundreds, if not thousands, of tourists could get injured or lose their lives.
There already exists a gasifier in nearby Livorno, some 22 kilometers (13 miles) from the coastline surrounded by a total marine interdiction area of three to four nautical miles. No one is allowed to enter, stop or fish within this delimited region. If we wanted to apply this regulation compliant to Piombino, the city should be entirely evacuated at least once a week, when the re-gasification plant is supplied by another gas carrier of similar size entering port. Most alarming is how there are no fire stations or ships to extinguish fires in the proximity of the port. Why, therefore, has Piombino been selected for this project? The reason behind all this is that Snam S.p.A, a company based in Milan to build energy infrastructures, was tasked to retrieve the area for a re-gasification plant. The government, as led by the former chairman of the Italian Council of Ministers, Mario Draghi, edged out everything in accordance with the current legislation, that would have certainly prevented the following plan. Neither the president of the Tuscany region nor the inhabitants of Piombino were informed until the very last moment. We now know that chlorine to be used to cool the GNL (liquefied natural gas) must inevitably be spilled into the sea, just a short distance away from Piombino’s prestigious fish farms.
To sum up, Piombino has, for years, been exploited for the national good and then abandoned to itself. Despite all the efforts on behalf of the Italian government, the city that has been trying to find a way out of this never-ending crisis. Piombino returns to the national spotlight as the leading choice to host a potentially harmful re-gasification terminal and as land populated by selfish and foolish local inhabitants, at least according to the statements of politicians and journalists that know very little and agree to the current mainstream trend of thought.
Editor’s Note: The writer, a surgeon in Italy, once served as the director of the Committee of Public Safety in Val di Cornia in Tuscany. To learn more about the re-gasification terminal in Pimobino, please log on to www.italienspr.com
Primo Review
GRAY IS THE NEW BLACK
- “The Gray Man,” Exciting, Engaging, Excellent
By Rami Chiaviello
Joe and Anthony Russo extend their meteoric rise to the top of the Hollywood heap of A #1 film directors.
Released July 22 on Netflix, “The Gray Man” serves as the Russo Brothers’ first big budget foray since their temporary exit from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Few films will be as successful as “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Avengers: Endgame.” These two productions by the Russos remain the highest grossing films in Hollywood history. Will Joe and Anthony return to Marvel? Rumor has it the announced film adaptation of Marvel’s “Secret War” comic book will be directed by the brothers Russo. We await this exciting possibility. For now, our focus is rightly on the “The Gray Man” to serve as the latest and greatest from the cinematic duo for fans to cherish.
“The Gray Man” is another outstanding picture by the Russos. They teamed up again for a screenplay by Marvel veterans Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. Adapted to the big screen was the novel, of the same title, by Mark Greaney.
“The Gray Man” follows Ryan Gosling as the main character, known by his alias, “Sierra Six,” the CIA’s most skilled mercenary. When he acquires incriminating evidence against the agency’s top brass, a bounty is placed on his head for a team of international assassins to collect. Lloyd Hansen is a sociopath-for-hire mercenary played by Chris Evans to lead the manhunt. The two male stars share top billing status with actress Ana de Armas, as Dani Miranda, a CIA agent who allies with Six.
“The Gray Man” stars an international cast of supporting players to include Regé-Jean Page as Denny Carmichael, a CIA chief who orders the hit on Six, Indian actor Dhanush as one of the hired assassins, Billy Bob Thorton as Donald Fitzroy, the rogue agent’s mentor, Jessica Henwick, as Suzanne Brewer, Carmichael’s second-in-command and Alfre Woodard as Margaret Cahill, ex-CIA agent who helps Six.
Cast members excel in their respective roles, only for Gosling and Evans to especially shine. Both stars reinvent themselves in “The Gray Man.” Gosling effectively, and surprisingly, sells himself as the stoic, hardened and witty expert assassin in a grueling physical performance. Meanwhile, Evans does a complete 180-degree turnaround. He goes from hero Captain America to sinister villain. The actor, no doubt, had lots of fun playing a complete sociopath. His take on the character is addicting to watch. His chemistry with Gosling provides an exciting viewing experience. I also appreciate seeing Billy Bob Thorton return to the blockbuster realm. He does a great job playing the veteran CIA operative.
“The Gray Man” moves fast. The film offers only a few moments for the audience to catch its breath. The film jumps from action set piece to set piece, with each and every one as exciting, well-paced, well-choreographed and beautifully shot as the other. The film’s budget of nearly $200 million was well spent. With “The Gray Man,” the Russos have perfected what makes a modern-day action blockbuster so exciting to watch. Sweeping camera movements combine with well-timed cuts to hone in on the precision, grace and force of every punch, kick and fall. The highlight for viewers will be the well-timed convergence of hunters and hunted in the city of Prague. This scene is undoubtedly one of the most exciting of the year in cinema. The elegance and beauty of the final confrontation between Six and Hansen will have viewers on the edge of their seats. The action of the film is accentuated from an excellent score by Henry Jackman, a frequent collaborator with the Russos, whose electrically captivating sound, full of heavy, rapid beats, serves as the melodic spirit for the film’s ferocity.
“The Gray Man” is a fun, enthralling, well-paced, tight blockbuster to feature the most exciting action set-pieces this year. The Russo Brothers lead an expert cast and crew for an outstanding film to what hopefully will be their first of an exciting new spy franchise.
“The Gray Man” is awesome.
Editor’s Note: “The Gray Man” can be seen on Netflix at https://www.netflix.com/title/81160697. The writer is a part-time actor, playwright and rising Pre-Med junior at California State University in Los Angeles.
MASSACHUSETTS' ITALIAN AMERICANS NEED OUR HELP
Anti-Columbus Day Bill Advancing in the Massachusetts Legislature
- Please Write the Speaker of the House in Massachusetts
By Italian American Alliance
Friends,
The Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight has voted favorably on both H.3191 and S.2027 and the bills are now out to the House Steering, Policy and Scheduling Committee and Senate Rules Committee.
If passed by the legislature, these bills would eliminate Columbus Day as a state holiday and replace it with Indigenous Peoples Day.
These committees must schedule the bill for a vote by a full session of the legislature by the deadline of July 31.
If this bill is not supported by Speaker Mariano then this bill will not be scheduled for a vote and will die for this session.
Many of us have already emailed Speaker Mariano these past months asking he not support this bill.
WE ARE ASKING YOU AGAIN, TO PLEASE EMAIL SPEAKER MARIANO!
Subject: H3191/S2027 An Act establishing an Indigenous Peoples Day
Mr. Speaker,
I am writing to you regarding the pending bill to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day as a State Holiday.
I believe Italian-Americans should be recognized and respected by not taking Columbus Day away from them as a State Holiday. No other group is expected to have their day merged with another group’s. It is disrespectful both to Italian Americans as well as the Native American communities. It is not only important to Italian Americans, but has also been a proud part of America history and tradition.
There has been much misinformation circulating in the past few decades regarding the history of Christopher Columbus, and in a misguided effort to be inclusive and sensitive to all cultures, this bill produces the opposite effect - it foments exclusion and resentment, especially among Italian Americans, who have struggled for decades to be accepted into the American national life.
I urge you to not support this Bill and keep Columbus Day as is. I also suggest that the day after Thanksgiving be recognized as Native American Heritage Day and that the entire month of November be Native American Heritage Month as already declared by proclamation by the Federal Government. Both groups deserve to preserve and protect their cultural heritage and it isn’t fair to take away one people’s holiday and replace it with another, especially when there are other available days appropriate for celebration.
Sincerely,
(name)
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Please email us with any questions you may have regarding this process
Thank You,
Save Columbus Day Committee
Editor’s Note: Please help the Italian American Alliance in their battle against the Massachusetts legislature to save Columbus Day. The web site for the Italian American Alliance is https://www.theitalianamericanalliance.com/
HOLLYWOOD’S HEROIC DUO: JOE & ANTHONY RUSSO
The Russo Brothers Ascend Creative Heights for Netflix
By Truby Chiaviello
Hollywood has never been more competitive.
Streaming services proliferate alongside theatrical releases, cable franchises and new markets to take hold throughout the world.
Content is king. Filmmakers contend with each other in a variety of sectors. Old stalwarts compete with an endless line of new talent. The battle is on as to who will be the best among living filmmakers.
Count Joe and Anthony Russo to set the bar higher in their climb to number one status. They are currently in second place. Only the great Steven Spielberg has generated more in ticket sales. Mr. Spielberg has 37 films to his credit while the Russos have seven. The former has generated some $10.6 billion in revenue while the Russos close in at $7 billion to remain ahead of iconic competitors Peter Jackson, Michael Bay, James Cameron and others.
Even when one accounts for inflation, films by Joe and Anthony Russo rank among the most popular and lucrative in Hollywood. “Avengers: Endgame” was their top hit. The Russo brothers made the Marvel saga to garner almost $2.8 billion worldwide to remain the number one film in box office history. The Russos hold a massive lead among filmmakers for the highest average in ticket sales at $977 million. No one comes close.
Great success breeds great expectations. One recalls how Alfred Hitchcock practically built Universal Studios with one hit after the other. The Master of Suspense remains the model to dominate the big screen and small screen. So to is the current attempt by Joe and Anthony Russo. Their new film, “The Gray Man,” is now showing in movie theaters nationwide; but, also, via streaming on Netflix, beginning July 22.
“The Gray Man” is perfect material for the Russo Brothers. The directorial duo are masters of cinematic thrills for well-choreographed fights, shootouts and chases. Theirs is a cinematic world of new twists and turns for high speed suspense. This is what the audience wants. This is what they get with the Russo brothers.
“The Gray Man” conveys a story of Deep State intrigue coupled with intense action. Based on the novel by Mark Greaney, the screenplay was written by Joe Russo, in collaboration with Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. The film stars Ryan Gosling as CIA assassin, aka, code name, Sierra Six, who goes rogue after he unwontedly uncovers national security secrets. Chris Evans, who starred as Captain America for the Russo brothers, plays, here, the villain, a sadistic CIA operative named Lloyd Hansen who leads a worldwide manhunt for Sierra Six. The film is an action packed adventure set in key cities and among landmarks in Europe and elsewhere, not unlike the James Bond franchise, at production costs of some $200 million, the highest budgeted film for Netflix, thus far.
Every filmmaker will establish a unique style based on his or her background. This applies to the Russo brothers in a Midwestern spirit for the 21st century. They embrace large-scale narratives to underscore a conflict between loyalty and sedition. Sophisticated intrigue tests the inherent nobility of key characters. Through their films, the Russos seek to resolve their Italian American roots in an ever changing culture. Where is America going? Can stoic values endure the New Age? Can virtue survive in a world of divergent complexities?
Joe and Anthony Russo call Cleveland their hometown. They are the sons of Patricia and Basil M. Russo, two key patrons of Italian American unity. Judge Russo continues to craft miracles to preserve our Italian heritage as president of the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations and as president of the Italian Sons and Daughters of America. His groundbreaking efforts in Italian advocacy are paralleled by his sons’ efforts in Hollywood.
Now winning positive reviews from critics and filmgoers, alike, is “The Gray Man.” Industry observers see the film as a massive hit in the making, especially in light of a full court press by Netflix.
The Russo brothers know well the changing dynamics of film distribution. Because of the global lockdown wrought by the Covid-19 pandemic, studios have adapted to online streaming services to make new releases concurrent and, increasingly, independent of cineplex engagements.
Hence, the Russo brothers are scheduled to utilize Amazon, as well as Netflix. Their new spy thriller, titled “Citadel,” is in the works. The mega-project is bankrolled by Amazon Studios to include an unprecedented production concept for multiple episodes around the world concurrent to the American version. For instance, there will be “Citadel: Italy” and “Citadel: India,” among others, to feature settings, languages and actors from respective countries.
The latest from the Russo brothers continues to help them climb to number one status. They are to direct “The Electric State,” a futuristic story to unfold across the American West in a new frontier for fans. Their film studio, AGBO, is now worth more than $1 billion with a dozen new projects in production.
Despite all the fame and success, the Russos are happily married to their high school sweethearts. They never miss an opportunity to bring their parents, siblings, nieces and nephews to the red carpet.
They continue to give back to the Italian American community.
Joe and Anthony created The Russo Brothers Italian American Film Forum. Each year, they award eight filmmaking grants to aspiring storytellers who deliver standout depictions of the Italian American experience.
For Italian Americans, the Russo brothers remain the ultimate model for Hollywood success. We look forward to more films and television shows from this cinematic duo.
Editor’s Note: “The Gray Man” can be seen on Netflix at https://www.netflix.com/title/81160697. The web site for the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations is www.COPOMIAO.org and the Italian Sons and Daughters of America is www.orderisda.org Pictured: Joe and Anthony Russo at the red carpet premiere of “The Gray Man,” COPOMIAO President Basil Russo and his wife Patricia (left-center) pose with their sons, Anthony and Joseph, daughters, Gabriella and Angela, at the world premiere of “The Gray Man” on July 13 in Los Angeles.
IS NEWARK BIG ENOUGH FOR WASHINGTON, COLUMBUS & TUBMAN?
NJ State Historic Preservation Office Rejects Mayor Baraka’s Tubman Plan and Exclusion of Washington & Columbus
“The City of Newark can begin a conversation, commit to a transparent process, build trust and find common ground…”
By Angelo Vivolo
Is the City of Newark big enough for Washington, Columbus and Tubman, three great giants of history?
We are about to find out.
The New Jersey State Historic Preservation Office has sent back a plan to honor famed abolitionist Harriet Tubman, a plan that had removed a Columbus Memorial in the city’s historic Washington Park.
Crafted by Italian artisans more than a century ago, the Columbus Memorial disappeared in 2020. Last month, Newark detached George Washington’s name from the park. The space is renamed Harriet Tubman Square.
A local news outlet recently reported that the Historic Preservation Office voted unanimously to reject Newark's plan and urged the city administration to start over. Historic Preservation Officer Flavia Alaya commented that Newark's plan banning Washington and the Italian-born Columbus makes that public space “less inclusive.”
Born into slavery, Harriet Tubman freed herself and charted the underground railroad of the mid 19th century. Her work led to the freedom of dozens of slaves. Harriet Tubmam richly deserves to be recognized as the great American she is. But not at the price of divisively wiping away the memory of Washington and Columbus.
Community activists have suggested at least two sites with historic roots, worthy venues for a Tubman memorial. One leader has suggested a site near the Newark Museum of Art and known to be a stop on the underground railroad. The site “would definitely have an actual connection to history and be a fitting honor to Harriet Tubman without the potential for cutting century-old trees and without the ulterior motives of corporate and political interests,” the activist wrote.
Liz Del Tufo, founder and president of Newark Landmarks, has suggested the city’s new 22-acre downtown park Mulberry Commons. She has objected to the entire planning process as exclusionary and opaque. “Now I understand why,” she said. “The plan is a disaster, causing chaos and accomplishing nothing.”
The decision of the New Jersey State Historic Preservation Office is an opportunity for a fresh start. The City of Newark can begin a conversation, commit to a transparent process, build trust and find common ground to ensure that all groups are properly respected. Then, with the Washington name restored and the Columbus memorial returned, everyone will more fully appreciate the new memorial to the life, the valor and the sacrifice of Harriet Tubman.
Editor’s Note: The writer is the president of the Columbus Heritage Coalition. The organization’s web site address is https://www.columbusheritagecoalition.org/ Pictured is a statue of George Washington in Newark and the empty pedestal of the Columbus Monument.
ITALIAN AMERICAN WINS ITALY SPONSORED RACE
- Robert Napolitano Hopes His Victory Will Get More Young Italian Americans to Take Up Long Distance Running
By Dr. Silvio Laccetti
Long-distance runner Robert Napolitano, who starred at Red Bank Catholic High in New Jersey was victorious in the Italy Run by Ferrero, a four mile course in Central Park, New York on July 16.
Napolitano, an All-American at Columbia University, finished first out of a field of 5,295 competitors. His winning time was a formidable 19 minutes, 38 seconds. His pace per mile was four minutes, 55 seconds. He finished 34 seconds ahead of second place runner, Jacob Adams of Yonkers.
Speaking after the race, Napolitano said, "I am pleased with my performance. As an Italian American I was honored to be part of this year's festival celebrating Italy's Independence Day.” He entered the race through his association with the Silvio Laccetti Foundation of Fairview, New Jersey, which also sponsored him. The foundation seeks to promote Italian American heritage and achievement in the United States, especially in New Jersey.
Some years ago, Dr. Laccetti noticed the paucity of standout Italian American distance runners in U.S. high schools. He hopes Robert Napolitano's victory will inspire more Italian American boys and girls to take up distance running.
The 2022 race is the third edition of Italy Run; suspended the past two years because of Covid-19. A triumvirate of partners brought the return of this special event: Fabrizio Di Michele, the Consul General of Italy in New York City organized the race in cooperation with the New York Road Runners (NYRR) and Ferrero North America. Ferrero is a world leader in the confections industry with its Nutella brand known the world over. The significance of the race is best summed up by George Hirsch, president of NYRR. It “…represents a great act of friendship between Italy, America and the City of New York.”
Now, that legacy is epitomized by the first Italian American winner of The Italy Run
Editor’s Note: The author is the founder and director of the Laccetti Foundation. He can be reached at 201-943-1008 or by email at slaccetti@verizon.net.
7-3-22
RAGE IN PIOMBINO
Environmental Dispute Looms Large in the Italian Coastal City
- Demonstrations Arise Against New Plant to Store Natural Gas
- The first ones to arise are the fishermen: “They will throw bleach overboard killing our fish. Where is the government?”
By Cecilia Sandroni
Piombino, the city flies into a rage: “No re-gasification plant in our port.”
A one-time demonstration of some 2,000 people in Piazza Bovio, in late June, against the 170,000 cubic meters re-gasification plant, was all it took to put Piombino under the national spotlight. This city of some 30,000-inhabitants overlooks the Tyrrhenian Sea and is opposite the Island of Elba. Piombino sees herself undermined by 10 years of industrial decline, not to mention the ongoing fight against a twofold increase for a special waste disposal site, nearby. After two years of global pandemic, Piombino is to finally see cruise ships reach her port.
Golar Tundra is a massive tanker to impact the future of Piombino. The new top-down project is an offshore support vessel, built in 2015, some 293 meters (961 feet) long and 44 (144 feet) meters wide. The ship was purchased in June for $330 million dollars by SNAM (Società Nazionale Metanodotti) an energy infrastructure company based in San Donato Milanese, Italy’s Lombardia region. We are talking about the so-called FSRU ship, a storage and re-gasification unit to bring liquefied gas - GNL - back to its original gaseous state. Golar Tundra has a re-gasification capacity of some 5 billion cubic meters to contribute 6.5 percent in the national demand.
The people of Piombino are well aware that another gasifier in nearby Livorno, has a licensing range of two nautical miles (where navigation, anchoring, stopping, fishing or any other activity at sea is strictly forbidden). That is the exact point of the popular uprising: Why is the re-gasification plant directly placed in the port of Piombino? In Italy, no similar facility exists; although, there are systems of this kind abroad, but they are located inside petrochemical poles.
“If all the expected precautionary measures were implemented a little further north, the entire city would need to be evacuated. Instead, here, the idea is to provide routine activities carried out in a commercial and touristic port that experiences the transit of 3 million passengers and tourists for or from either Elba or Sardinia,” claims one participant of the No-Rigassificatore Committee.
“This project undergoes the Seveso law, thus, in order to avoid any victim in case of an accident - as the Committee of Public Safety of Piombino declares - the city center and a large part of the outskirts would be condemned, as well as our only road in or out of town.”
The Mayor of Piombino, Francesco Ferrari, emerging from a meeting, when the re-gasification plant draft was displayed, said he was concerned the position of the re-gasifier was just 30 meters away from ferries. On top of that, the permanent presence of a re-gasification terminal in port is likely to compromise an already existing market for small to medium sized enterprises such as Tankoa Yachts, a maker of super yachts. Also threatened is Italy’s first national fish farming facility in the waters outside Piombino.
Not without reason, the first ones to arise and set up the No-Rigassificatore Committee were the fishermen. They claim the re-gasification plant will endanger marine flora and fauna due to sodium hypochlorite, otherwise known as bleach. Golar Tundra will funnel liquified gas via underground pipelines. The sodium hypochlorite is specifically used with the purpose of preventing seaweed and micro-organisms from damaging the metallic aqueduct. The whole issue is happening on the outskirts of Santuario dei Cetacei and sheltered waters, such as Parco dell’Arcipelago Toscano, along with safeguarded islands, the ones of Giglio, Montecristo and Pianosa.
The minister of the Green Transition, Roberto Cingolani, and president of the Region, Eugenio Giani, have pledged to the city of Piombino ‘compensation’ ranging from the construction of a new road to the port (a promise dating back many years) to a host of decontamination activities (ever carried out in the SIN area - Site of National Interest - owing to steel industry).
“Where was, and currently is, the government when sitting at the table of Economic Development? Less than one month ago we were provided with milion-euro contracts from Ferrovie dello Stato and we saw quickly fade away,” says one protester.
“How is it possible for leaders not to realize that we only wish to live at peace on our land? Or should we, instead, think that once again a great number of people’s fate is being tied down to the misfortune of having the suitable depth of a seabed or an available dam? We are willing to fight in order to prevent mere technical data from stopping the business turnarounds and development of a city that for decades has been making a substantial contribution to the national richness, thanks to its steel mills, costing many lives and work-related illnesses.”
IF IT’S AMERICA, IT’S COLUMBUS
Columbus Monument Corporation, Syracuse, Uses National Data to Make Their Case
The Legacy of the Genoese Explorer Proves Formidable in All 50 States
- From Columbus, Georgia to Columbia, Oregon
By Truby Chiaviello
The battle for Columbus continues.
In Syracuse, the Columbus Monument still stands, inside Columbus circle there; but Mayor Ben Walsh moves on with his appeal after a stunning legal victory, back in March, by the Columbus Monument Corporation to keep the edifice in place.
“Ben Walsh is out of touch with the majority of Americans,” claims the Columbus Monument Corporation in a recent email blast. The organization continues to make their case to the general public; this time with impressive data, compiled nationally on the status of Columbus in the guise of monuments, statues and name bearing municipalities and landmarks.
“Ben Walsh said he does not like the message that the historic Columbus Monument Syracuse sends to his constituents. In 1934, the message at the monument’s unveiling was that European immigrants were thrilled to call Syracuse their home, and Syracuse was happy to have them as citizens. Indeed, that same message rang throughout the United States. And it still does. Most Americans continue to honor the explorer, and refuse to scrub his name from thousands of places.”
The year 2020 remains one of the most divisive in American history. Many Columbus monuments and statues were either removed by official decree or torn down by rioting mobs in the wake of George Floyd’s tragic death by police in Minneapolis. In several unique graphic displays, pictured, by the Columbus Monument Corporation and PRIMO Magazine, only “40 monuments to Columbus” were removed, while 130 Columbus monuments “still remain, making Columbus one of the most venerated figures among US monuments and memorials. Only Abraham Lincoln and George Washington enjoy greater presence in American statuary.”
It was Chicago to rank as the worst in a display of mob pressure in 2020. Demonstrators and rioters assembled, one summer evening, in front of Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s private residence, to threaten her and her neighbors with possible property destruction, to force her to remove three Columbus monuments there in the city. Yet, as the Columbus Monument Corporation has noted, Chicago is one of several cities, today, to consider returning Columbus Monuments to previous locations.
“More than 6,000 places in the U.S. take their name from Christopher Columbus,” claims the Columbus Monument Corporation. “There are streets and avenues and traffic circles, along with lakes and rivers and mountains - defining features of the nation’s civic and natural geography.”
Columbus Day remains a day of celebration for thousands of Syracuse residents when they “gather at the historic Columbus Monument to pay tribute to those generations…who fought for and defended the very special freedoms afforded to immigrants when they came and made this their home,” reads a press statement by the Columbus Monument Corporation. “If that is a ‘bad message,’ as Walsh suggests, then he is really out of touch with the majority of Americans and with his own city.”
“James Madison once said that democratic communities are subject to the ‘turbulence and weakness of unruly passions.’ That is why a democracy is purposely designed to slow things down, protecting it from the mania of the moment. Walsh bought into that mob mania, and illegally attempted to destroy Syracuse’s Columbus Monument. Fortunately, his constituents were there to slow him down, and stop what could have been a tragic blow to Syracuse’s history and heritage. Now he continues to waste your tax dollars on this folly, paying expensive lawyers and consultants.”
“Ask Ben Walsh to stop dividing us with his petulant denial of the Supreme Court's ruling to leave Syracuse’s Columbus Monument untouched. Tell him to join us in creating a fully inclusive Columbus Circle without insulting turn-of-the century immigrants and their descendants.” Forward this email (article) to him at BWalsh@syrgov.net
DR. MANNY ALFANO PASSES
Pioneer Civil Rights Leader for Italian Americans
- Founder of Italian American One Voice Coalition
- His Efforts to Save Columbus Day Were Most Commendable
“Dr. Alfano and his team, at IAOVC, were like David versus Goliath. Outnumbered, outgunned, outspent, they bravely showed up at dozens of municipal and school district meetings…”
By Truby Chiaviello
One of the last efforts of Dr. Manny Alfano was, ironically, not Italian.
Back in March, Dr. Alfano sought to organize a unity rally with Jewish leaders in Randolph, New Jersey. All ethnic groups were invited for purposes of solidarity in an outdoor assembly to protest the removal of the second day of Rosh Hashanah from the school district’s calendar there. As Dr. Alfano, pioneer civil rights leader for Italian Americans, saw it: The persecution of one ethnic group was inherently connected to all others. The censorship of Rosh Hashanah was no different than the censorship of Columbus Day. Our adversaries were not people of different faiths and ethnicity but rather government and mainstream media who incited division and animosity through undue censorship, fake news and stereotypes. Italian Americans were called by him to speak out against all injustice.
Such was the life and, now, legacy of Dr. Manny Alfano, founder and principal of the Italian American One Voice Coalition (IAOVC) who passed away on June 19th. The loss to the Italian American community is most felt in the arena of social justice and activism. Dr. Alfano, a tireless advocate for all things Italian, rose to the ultimate occasion the last two years when cities and towns throughout America sought to eliminate Columbus Day and tear down Columbus statues and monuments. It was Dr. Alfano and his cadre of activists, in Andre Dimino, and others at IAOVC, who consistently and vigorously fought the incessant assault against Columbus and the right of Italians to celebrate this national holiday at state and local levels.
At a time when most people are long retired, Dr. Alfano was incredibly active in fighting the good fight for all Italian Americans. “Calls for action” by him, through email blasts, were delivered to organizations, individuals and the Italian American media, almost on a daily basis, especially after the death of George Floyd, when cities, towns and school districts were hellbent to destroy any remnant of Columbus in America. Dr. Alfano and his team, at IAOVC, were like David versus Goliath. Outnumbered, outgunned, outspent, they bravely showed up at dozens of municipal and school district meetings to hold placards, signs and speak out against the elimination of Columbus Day. When all hope seemed lost, Dr. Alfano, and IAOVC, posted some impressive victories:
Rockaway, NJ - Columbus Day restored
Randolph, NJ - Columbus Day, back on the school calendar
Scotch Plains, NJ - Columbus monument retained
U.S. Senate - Bill to eliminate Columbus Day withdrawn
West Orange, NJ - Municipality sued for removal of Columbus Monument
Network of lawyers, nationwide, initiated to fight the removal of Columbus statues and monuments in court
Assembling a list of legislators nationwide to lobby and retain Columbus Day
GoFundMe - Removal of bounty posted to destroy Columbus monument in NYC
Born in 1936 to Sicilian immigrants in Newark, New Jersey, Dr. Alfano spent his entire adult life in Northeast New Jersey. A chiropractor, professional musician and civic leader in Bloomfield, he was a loyal and active member of UNICO National. He founded IAOVC in 1992 to fight anti-Italianism and defamation. His focus was mostly on negative stereotypes perpetuated in mainstream media. Italians were, and still are, depicted in cinema and television as inherently violent, ignorant and boorish. Indeed, rarely, if ever, are Italians shown in films outside the gangster genre. In an era of MTV’s “Jersey Shore” and HBO’s “The Sopranos,” Dr. Alfano was a sole voice in opposition to objectionable portrayals of Italians in mainstream media. He was ahead of his time. Not just non-Italians; indeed, many Italian Americans find it hard to believe that such negative stereotypes in pop culture can have lasting impact. Yet, such is the way of our media-driven age. Just ask Andre Dimino. An owner of a company to manufacture various electronic machines and devices, many of which were invented by his Sicilian father, Mr. Dimino ran for local office only to be derided by an opponent as connected to organized crime. It was Dr. Alfano, on his own volition, who showed up at the next municipal meeting there to defend Mr. Dimino and to accost any and all in that chamber for anti-Italianism and defamation. It was that experience to lead Mr. Dimino to, not only join IAOVC, but become that organization’s spokesperson and active leader.
Stepping into the arena of political and social dispute is what we learn from Dr. Alfano. Even when leaning on a cane, in declining health, he was there, in person, to fight on our behalf. His will be a model in the continued fight to save Columbus Day and our shared Italian heritage in America. Our condolences are extended to his family, friends and comrade-in-arms.
Editor’s Note: The Italian American One Voice Coalition web site contains the latest events and news items for the organization at https://www.iaovc.org. Top photograph of Dr. Manny Alfano followed by photographs of IAOVC in action advocating for Columbus Day and IAOVC logo.
MY MENTOR, DR. MANNY ALFANO
An Inspiration for All Italian Americans
“We all need to become ‘defenders’ of our community…”
By Christopher Binetti, Ph.D.
Dr. Emanuele A. Alfano, known as “Manny” to many, and as “Dr. Alfano” to me, passed away on June 19, 2022. He will be deeply missed by all whose lives he touched. He was a major mentor to me, in a very important point in my life and career. I have known Dr. Alfano since August 1, 2016, when I, an absolute nobody in the Italian American community at the time, wrote to him and the Italian American One Voice Coalition. I was worried about the future of our community. I did not expect his reply. Yet, he wrote me back that very day. I was absolutely floored that someone so important could make time for me. I sincerely regret that I never told him how much that meant to me. Like most mentors, he was all about making me the best advocate of the Italian American cause I could be. He could be critical at times, but, in his unique way, he always fundamentally believed in me. He made me better as a person, as an advocate and as an Italian American.
With my many disabilities, I did not think I could be a leader. However, it was Dr. Alfano who encouraged me to form my own 501c3 Italian American civil rights group, the Italian American Movement. I never would have created it without him. He introduced me to another one of my great mentors, Dr. Joseph Scelsa. He opened up many doors for me to be an active “defender” of the cause and our community.
Dr. Alfano was a very consistent and passionate man; in fact the epitome of what Italian American leadership can and should be. He did not take prisoners. He never compromised his principles. He demanded that Italian Americans not merely be passive “members” of the IAOVC. He outright demanded that we be “defenders” and actively put our reputations and careers on the line for the cause. He often viewed me as too timid or politically correct to be an effective advocate, but I certainly became a better “defender” under his tutelage.
Dr. Alfano’s passing saddens me, because I never got to thank him for changing my life for the better. He remains an inspiration. As he often emphasized, the cause of Italian American civil rights and anti-bias work is above any one person. We need to take the movement, that he essentially started by himself decades ago, to achieve the vital goals that are finally in reach now.
Dr. Alfano believed that Western civilization was essentially rooted in Italy. Yet, Italians are being erased in places like New Jersey and New York. We are starting to peacefully push back against the anti-Colombo crowd, the people at CUNY who improperly deny us affirmative action despite the law and the far left historical revisionists who forget that we were the second most lynched ethnic minority after African Americans. All of these efforts for civil rights for Italian Americans are only possible because of Dr. Alfano and his incredible legacy.
When I first met Dr. Alfano in 2016 and became part of the executive board of the Italian American One Voice Coalition, I thought I was too old to become an effective Italian American civil rights activist. I was 31 then; I am 37, now, and more active than ever. I am suing the State of New Jersey for systemic ethnic discrimination against Italian Americans and I am in the State Joint Ethics Commission to complain about State Senator, Patrick J. Diegnan, refusing to represent me due to my ethnicity and as retaliation for my civil rights suit. I could have done none of these things if not for Dr. Alfano’s exhortation to be a “defender” of the Italian American cause and not just a “member” or “bystander.”
We all need to become “defenders” of our community, for our cause of equal civil rights, including affirmative action for Italian Americans in academic employment. Dr. Alfano was both a ferocious advocate for the Italian American way of life and a champion for our civil rights. He will be deeply missed.
Editor’s Note: Dr. Christopher Binetti is an Italian American civil rights activist and the President of the Italian American Movement. He can be reached by email at cbinetti@terpmail.umd.edu and by phone at 732-549-2635.
OPEN ROADS NEW ITALIAN CINEMA FESTIVAL RETURNS
The Latest Italian Films Are Showcased Again at Manhattan’s Lincoln Center
Italian filmmakers come back to New York, after a two-year hiatus because of coronavirus
By Truby Chiaviello
It was always in June when Films at Lincoln Center hosted Open Roads New Italian Cinema for Manhattanites to see the latest and greatest films from Italy. That was until 2020; when coronavirus reared itself to close down much of the country. Italian filmmakers were devoid of America’s cultural capital to show their latest creations for broader distribution. Italy had suffered some of the highest casualties in the world due to the pandemic. Now, more than two years after the rise and fall of the global disease, comes a time for filmmakers to take on new projects in Italy. After the lockdowns, the masks, the mandates, renewal is upon us where Italian cinema returns to Lincoln Center.
Open Roads: New Italian Cinema 2022 offers 14 new films from Italian directors. Their stories range from the surreal to the gritty, from past crimes to present day afflictions, from journeys of rediscovery to the journeys of redemption. This year’s lineup is one to embrace after a two-year absence. The above photographs, from left to right, show a still image from each of the following films.
FREAKS OUT
Gabriele Mainetti, 2021
181 minutes
A fantasy epic is the latest offering from Gabriele Mainetti. “Freaks Out” combines a host of intriguing elements to transform a World War II drama into a surreal saga. The Circus Mezzapiotta, in Rome, in 1943, houses the strange talents of, among others, a man with magnetic powers, a man covered in hair and a boy who is a conduit for electricity. A deranged 12-fingered pianist, who time travels, is the villain. After he sees the future where Hitler kills himself, he sets out to kidnap the strange circus performers to harness their powers to keep alive the Nazi leader.
THE CODE OF SILENCE (Una Femmina)
Directed by Francesco Costabile, 2022
120 minutes
The long tentacles of organized crime run deep in “The Code of Silence.” Director Francesco Costabile takes viewers to a village in the rugged countryside of Calabria. Here, a young woman, Rosa, played by Lina Siciliano, pushes herself to uncover a family secret. Brought up by her grandmother after her mother’s untimely death, she is beset by grief, exacerbated by the omertà of villagers. The more she delves into her family’s background, the more she discovers brutal truths of the tyranny of the ‘Ndrangheta crime syndicate.
THE GIANTS (I giganti)
By Bonifacio Angius, 2021
80 minutes
Bonifacio Angius shows himself to be a cinematic Renaissance Man in this multi-tasked effort, “The Giants.” The filmmaker does it all: Director, producer, writer, editor and actor. Set in a villa in the Italian countryside, the film observes a group of male friends who convene to drink, take drugs, reminisce about past thrills and discuss the philosophical underpinnings of shared experiences. The film turns when one of the friends arrives with a gun.
A GIRL RETURNED (L’arminuta)
By Giuseppe Bonito, 2021
113 minutes
Giuseppe Bonito’s third feature is an emotionally precise meditation on childhood and family set in Abruzzo in the summer of 1975. An adopted 13-year-old girl arrives at a farmstead, having been sent against her will to live with her biological family, whom she has never met before. Surrounded by strangers in a smaller, shabbier house than that of her wealthier adoptive parents, she must grapple with a new life in a new daily environment, as well as the feelings of abandonment brought on by her reunion with the family she never knew.
THE INNER CAGE (Ariaferma)
By Leonardo Di Costanzo, 2021
117 minutes
Prison dramas are a mainstay of American cinema. From the “The Shawshank Redemption” to “Escape from Alcatraz” to “Brute Force,” the gritty environs of penal life supports the suspense of escape and revolt. Leonardo Di Costanzo’s “The Inner Cage” follows this American cinematic tradition with Italian style and pacing. Toni Servillo plays an aging guard of a prison set to close. After most inmates are evacuated, what remains inside the massive jail are just a few guards and a group of the most dangerous and notorious prisoners there. What follows is a dangerous game of wits between captured outlaws and those who must watch over them.
THE KING OF LAUGHTER (Qui ride io)
By Mario Martone, 2021
133 minutes
Toni Servillo remains an enigma by Western standards. At 63, he’s at the height of his career, a star in Italy who is slightly overweight, bald, gray haired, yet equal in celebrity status to what 26-year-old Timothee Chalet might be here in the United States. The Italian actor returns to his geographical roots of Naples for Mario Martone’s “The King of Laughter.” Servillo plays Eduardo Scarpetta, a late-19th century Neapolitan playwright and actor whose theatrical company faces a time of rapid change. Scarpetta is a dreamer who is confronted by the harsh reality of family turmoil, theatrical infighting and a plagiarism accusation made by another writer.
THE LEGIONNAIRE (Il legionario)
By Hleb Papou, 2021
82 minutes
Hleb Papou delves into the migrant crisis of Italy with his action-packed drama, “The Legionnaire.” The film follows the exploits of Daniel, played by Germano Genitle, a riot police officer, of African descent, in Rome. Newly married with a child on the way, Daniel belongs to an elite force tasked to move out squatters from inside abandoned buildings in the city. Since many are migrants from Africa, Daniel faces the test of loyalty to his job, his new country or his people.
LENORA ADDIO
By Paolo Taviani, 2022
90 minutes
Paolo and Vittorio Taviani were once the prize collaborators of Italian cinema. They were most famous for bringing to the silver screen the writings of Luigi Pirandello. They continue this effort with one sad exception: Vittorio died in 2018. Hence, “Lenora Addio” is the first solo outing from Paolo, who dedicated the film to his brother. The focus, once again, is Pirandello. The film follows the writer’s dying wish to be buried in his homeland of Sicily. In the reign of Mussolini, his ashes are kept in a Roman columbarium. Those tasked to keep his remains are committed to his final resting place in Sicily. The last part of the film features one of Pirandello’s stories, “The Nail,” about a Sicilian boy who kills a young woman in New York.
ON OUR WATCH
By Pif, 2021
108 minutes
A high-tech farce, “On Our Watch,” is the latest film by Pienfrancesco Diliberto, who goes by the moniker, Pif. The story begins inside a large corporate complex where Arturo, played by Fabio De Luigi, conceives an algorithm to unexpectedly make his position obsolete. Fired from the company, he must work as a delivery man only to be closely observed by a computer app. Not fit for his job, he returns from daily runs discouraged and tired, only to find compassion from a female hologram. As he struggles to make ends meet, the subscription service to provide him with a computerized companion may soon run out, unless he can pay the invoice.
THE PEACOCK’S PARADISE (Il paradiso del pavone)
By Laura Bispuri, 2021
89 minutes
A neurotic family assembles to celebrate its matriarch’s birthday in Laura Bispuri’s fourth fiction feature. Nena (international film icon Dominique Sanda) and her husband Umberto (Carlo Cerciello) are visited by their pushover son Vito (Leonardo Lidi), his girlfriend (Alba Rohrwacher), the younger couple’s daughter, and the daughter’s pet peacock, Paco; they’re soon joined by Nena and Umberto’s daughter Caterina (Maya Sansa), her ex, and her ex’s new girlfriend. Tensions within the group surface quickly, and Bispuri unravels their complex web of secrets and lies.
SMALL BODY (Piccolo Corpo)
By Laura Samani, 2021
89 minutes
The first feature length film by Laura Samani is an ambitious set piece titled “Small Body.” The year is 1900. A peasant woman named Agata, living in what is today the Friuli Venezia Giulia region, gives birth to a stillborn daughter. Unchristened, the child is sentenced to Limbo in the afterlife. Agata hears of a church in the north with powers of resurrection. She takes the body of her dead child on a journey through the vast wilderness with hopes of bringing the girl back to life to be baptized.
SWING RIDE (Calcinculo)
By Chiara Bellosi, 2022
96 minutes
Youthful discontent comes in a soft, bittersweet light for Chiara Bellosi’ “Swing Ride.” The main character is Benedetta, played by Gaia Di Pietro, a teenage girl who is shy and withdrawn from being overweight. When a carnival arrives, Benedetta befriends a transgendered woman who gives her a glimpse of a life without judgments or prejudice.
THREE FLOORS (Tre Pani)
By Nanni Moretti, 2021
119 minutes
Nanni Moretti remains the pre-eminent storyteller of the city of Rome, as was Federico Fellini a few generations ago. “Three Floors” is a story, written by Eshkol Nevo. The setting was originally Israel, only to be transported to Rome by Moretti. The varied adversities of different people living in a condominium complex is the topic of the film. The Eternal City is the setting of modernity to affect, both good and bad, the fate of families. As apartment dwellers engage with one another, they uncover shared dilemmas and misfortunes that, at times, bring them closer together or set them farther apart.
UNFINISHED (Il Palazzo)
By Federica Di Giacomo, 2021
97 minutes
A unique documentary from Federica Di Giacomo is titled “Unfinished.” The film follows the fate of an artists’ commune set in a large villa, whose patron, Mauro, passes away. The building’s owner and collective sponsor was committed to an unfinished film. The question arises among the budding filmmakers and assorted tenants as to who will finish Mauro’s project? Each participant has a unique story to tell. The film captures the undeterred struggle of visions to be realized amid the heights of ingenuity and the flaws of complacency.
ON TO ROME
Basil M. Russo Organizes a History-Making Summit of Italian American Leaders in Italy’s Capital
- A meeting with Italy’s top leaders, dignitaries and Pope Francis; all to deepen Italian American prominence, influence and cultural roots
- Rome Summit Scheduled for May 10th to May 14th
By Truby Chiaviello
Basil M. Russo continues to defy expectations as he unifies the Italian American community to preserve our heritage, history and culture.
For two years now, Judge Russo has tirelessly organized virtual meetings to bring together some 400 Italian American fraternal, cultural and social organizations. He devised a national strategy to sue municipalities in court to stop their changing Columbus Day to Indigenous People’s Day and their removal of Columbus statues. History was made this past December when he assembled Italian American leaders to meet Italy’s first female ambassador to the United States, Mariangela Zappia, in Washington, D.C., to foster an unprecedented international effort to preserve Italian American culture.
Now comes another history-making move: The first ever Italian American leadership summit in Italy.
A delegation of some 32 Italian American leaders from the United States will be led by Judge Russo to meet in Rome with members of Italy’s parliament, Italian leaders and dignitaries and, inside the Vatican, Pope Francis.
“The journey to elevate the visibility and influence of Italian Americans in our society began for me in early 2021, after I was elected to lead the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations (COPOMIAO),” said Judge Russo. “Still mired in the pandemic at that time, it all felt like a darkening dream: toppled Columbus statues, renamed holidays, canceled feast day celebrations, the loss of loved ones and the end of many Italian American shops and eateries. Covid also applied further strain to longstanding issues in our community, i.e., a growing generational divide between old and young, fading traditions and an absence of national unity. It all needed to change.”
In an impassioned announcement of the scheduled summit in Rome from this May 10 to May 14, Judge Russo urged all Italian Americans to keep fighting to preserve our heritage. He sees the current battle over Columbus monuments and Columbus Day as indicative of our culture’s future survival in America.
“In the late 1800s and the early 1900s, many of our ancestors fled southern Italy to escape famine, disease, natural disasters and crushing poverty,” espoused Judge Russo. “The journey was hellish, and our culturally formative years in America were marred by violence and suppression that included some 50 lynchings of Italian immigrants. Our ancestors persevered, but over the last 40 years, with each passing generation, we’ve watched our heritage and our history gradually slip away. With that in mind, I knew 2021 would need to be a transformative year, I knew it would take all of us to regain our cultural footing, and I now know that our recent initiatives have sparked a revival within our community that our forebears would be proud of.”
To organize a summit in Rome was the logical next step for a winning strategy to preserve our Italian American heritage, according to Judge Russo.
“My fellow presidents and I turned COPOMIAO — a relatively inactive 36-member East Coast umbrella organization — into a bustling, 54-member national nonprofit,” he said. “Next, we organized three virtual National Summit Meetings that brought more than 400 Italian American organizations to the table. From there we created national committees comprised of hundreds of diligent Italian American volunteers to address issues of mutual concern. Since then, we have saved several Columbus monuments, we’re currently organizing a robust youth summit in Florida this October, and we’re working with dignitaries and leaders across the Italian Republic to cement COPOMIAO’s international prominence.”
A “giant leap for Italian America” is how Judge Russo described the coming Rome summit of Italian American leaders. The first step was to collaborate with Mariangela Zappia, he says, Italy’s first female ambassador to the U.S., who “agreed to my request to host a reception for 55 of our national leaders at her residence in Washington, D.C. During that meeting we struck a landmark partnership to strengthen cultural relations, foster new trade, and bolster advocacy-related initiatives.”
Judge Russo believes the time has come to build upon a strategic relationship with Italy in a delegation of 32 Italian American representatives to meet with political leaders in Rome and at the Vatican.
“We leave in mid-May, and our itinerary includes meetings with the Deputy of Foreign Affairs for the Italian Republic, Representatives of the Italian Senate and Chamber of Deputies, Justices of the Italian Supreme Court, as well as a meeting with the Vatican's Secretary of State, and a Papal audience,” says Judge Russo.
The long-term goal will encompass five to 10 years in the progress of cultural preservation, not to mention a need to advocate for a wide range of political and social issues affecting Italian Americans. “Our ancestors taught us to aspire, and now’s the time to put their principled and faithful vision into action,” proclaims Judge Russo. “By working together, we can amplify our collective voice, and assume a more important role in influencing our country’s collective culture — all while strengthening ties to Italia and to our Church.”
Judge Russo sees the way forward through a prism of our immigrant past in a renewed effort of Italian American pride and sustenance. “We have always made great contributions throughout history, and we need to ensure that we are in a strong position to continue to do so moving forward,” he says. “Our ambitious planning and unified approach will give us the momentum to reach this goal. We’ll give a detailed report on all the developments related to our historic international trip in a special e-newsletter within the next few weeks.”
COPOMIAO Presidents & Guests Traveling to Italy for Meetings with Italian Government Officials and Vatican Officials May 10 through May 14
The Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations, COPOMIAO.org, is the largest and most important Italian American organization in the United States. It is the umbrella organization that speaks on behalf 54 of the most influential Italian American cultural, fraternal, religious, educational, Italian language and anti-defamation organizations in our country. COPOMIAO represents and communicates with the majority of the 17 million Americans of Italian descent. Several of the presidents of the COPOMIAO member organizations are traveling to Italy from May 10th to May 14th, 2022 to develop working relationships with the leaders of the Republic of Italy and the Vatican. To date, meetings have been confirmed with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Italian Republic, Leaders of the Italian Senate and Chamber of Deputies, Justices of the Italian Supreme Court, the Vatican Secretary of State,, as well as a Papal audience.
The 33 presidents of the organizations and their guests who will comprise the COPOMIAO delegation are as follows: Basil M. Russo, a retired judge who serves as President of COPOMIAO, as well as National President of the Italian Sons and Daughters of America, one of the two largest membership based organizations in the United States. Joan Prezioso, Chairperson of the Board of the Italian Welfare League, the oldest and largest Italian American charitable organization. Frances Donnarumma, National President of the Italian American Bar Association, which represents all Italian American judges and lawyers. Anthony Ficarri, President of the Italian American War Veterans of the United States, representing all Italian American military veterans. Berardo Paradiso, President of the Italian American Committee on Education, which provides teacher instruction and funding which allows 75,000 US high school students to study the Italian language. Gabriele Delmonico, President and Executive Director of A Chance in Life, an international charitable organization founded in Italy, and serving needy youth. Charles Marsala, President of the Italian American Federation of the Southeast, representing twenty-two Italian American organizations. Marianna Gatto, Executive Director and cofounder of the Italian American Museum of Los Angeles. Robert DiBiase, Chair of the New Jersey Italian Heritage Commission. Richard DiLiberto, President of the Delaware Commission on Italian Heritage and Culture. Ron Onesti, President of the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans, representing thirty Italian American organizations in Chicago. Tom Damigella, Board Member representing the Italian American Alliance of the New England states. Joseph Rosalina, National Executive Vice President of the Italian Sons and Daughters of America. Frank Maselli, President of the Italian American Museum of New Orleans. Kathleen Strozza, Trustee of the UNICO Foundation, the largest Italian American service organization. Anthony Gianfrancesco, Past President of the Italian American Bar Association. Patricia Russo, Executive Editor of La Nostra Voce, the largest Italian American newspaper. Cav. Gilda Roro, Chair, New Jersey School Curriculum Development Committee. Umberto Mucci, Founder and Editor of We then Italians, a major social media Italian and Italian American news magazine. Paul Pirrotta, President of the Canicattinese Society. Giampaolo Girardi and Marco Di Fazi, Ordine Avvocati di Roma Board Members.
Additional Guests: Loyse Paradiso, Faith DiLiberto, Roberta DiBiase, Rita Damigella, Beatrice Delmonico, Maryann Ficarri, Geraldine Caggiano, Hercules Paskalis, Joseph Rosalina, Jr., and Dr. Mary Roro.
The web site for the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations, www.copomiao.org
4-9-22
THE DEATH OF THE PRISONER OF EF ACADEMY
Italian Student, Claudio Mandia, Endured Days of Solitary Confinement, Before Killing Himself, at a Boarding School in New York
- ISDA, Basil M. Russo and George Bochetto join forces with Claudio’s parents to reform the system
By Truby Chiaviello
The Italian Sons and Daughters of America (ISDA), whose president, Basil M. Russo, president of the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations, uniter of Italian Americans to save Columbus Day, announced, yesterday, the joining of forces with U.S. Senate candidate and attorney, George Bochetto, to ensure justice is done over the suicidal death of Claudio Mandia.
Now underway, in New York, is a criminal investigation to suggest a dark tale of sadistic shunning of an Italian student at one of America’s most exclusive boarding schools.
On February 17th, Claudio Mandia, a 17-year-old student from Battiglia, Italy, hung himself inside an isolation room, after days spent in solitary confinement, on the campus of EF Academy in Thornwood, New York.
“The facts surrounding this young man’s death are unconscionable, and require important reforms in certain areas of our educational system,” Judge Russo wrote in a press statement issued April 8th. “This sad story has caused enormous outrage in Italy, with all the Italian newspapers covering the story.”
Judge Russo learned of Claudio’s tragic death from Fabrizio Di Michele, the Consul General of Italy in New York.
“I assured him that the Conference of Presidents, and the entire Italian American community, would support Italy’s efforts to promote the necessary reforms to ensure that situations such as this never again occur in U.S. schools,” Judge Russo stated.
Described as an outgoing and generous teenager, enamored by all things American, Claudio began life as a student at EF Academy when he was 15 years old. Like many young people of foreign birth and rearing, he was fascinated by the cultural phenom that is the United States. What could be better than to attend school in America? There, in Westchester County, alongside kids his own age, from all over the world, Claudio embraced life as a teenager in America.
Scheduled to graduate in May, Claudio planned to attend university in Italy this fall. He sought to obtain a degree, before embarking on a career to help his father, Mauro, at Fiad, the family’s successful frozen pizza export business.
Lapses in judgment are not uncommon in youth. Needed are the steady, tolerant hands of adult mentors for discipline and direction. A system of harsh rebuke and mental violence can often lead to tragedy.
Such was the case of Claudio at EF Academy.
A little more than a month after the New Year, Claudio admitted to school officials that he cheated on a mathematics exam. Abruptly pulled from his second period class on February 14th, Saint Valentine’s Day, Claudio was told by school officials of his expulsion from EF Academy. He was escorted to his dormitory room to collect his belongings. He was then taken to a separate wing on school grounds for a period of solitary confinement.
The system of punishment at EF Academy was to come to Claudio in two parts.
The first was harsh. An official expulsion from school. Apology, not accepted. No mitigation. No graduation. A black mark to remain forever on a boy’s academic record.
The second was sinister. A shunning by school officials. A grueling, imposed exile on school grounds. Young Claudio was to undergo bleak isolation inside solitary confinement. He was to suffer the extremes of banishment. He was to lose his way in desperation. He was to take his own life.
Departure from campus was originally scheduled for Claudio on Thursday, February 17th. Hence, for almost four days, he was shut inside an isolation room at school.
An ISDA article, issued on April 8th, conveys an indictable assessment of Claudio’s treatment at EF Academy. The young Italian was banned from nearly all direct contact with classmates, staff, faculty, any and all persons on campus. Trash had accumulated before meals were no longer delivered on the last day of confinement, according to ISDA. Parents Mauro and Elisabetta had repeatedly contacted school officials to demand an end to Claudio’s punishment. They wanted him released for needed care and attention.
On Thursday, February 17th, at approximately 10 a.m., having not heard from Claudio for days, Martina Mandia (Claudio’s younger sister) and a friend met with a counselor at EF Academy. They entreated the adviser to check on Claudio. When acceded to their pleas to enter a silent room, there he found Claudio’s dead body hanging from the ceiling.
Questions of anti-Italian bias may be warranted. According to the April 8th article by ISDA, another Italian student a EF Academy had also been expelled within the last year. He too “had attempted suicide on EF’s campus shortly after being notified of his expulsion. Further, EF Academy was explicitly directed by Mauro and Elisabetta to immediately cease their horrific treatment of Claudio and provide him the attention and care he desperately needed. Nonetheless, EF Academy abandoned Claudio in a barren room, told him not to leave, forced him to skip meals, failed to provide him adequate mental health services, and neglected to supervise him after delivering the life-altering news of his expulsion.”
ISDA underscored legal aspects of Claudio’s untimely death by reporting “minors accused of criminal acts in New York State are prohibited by law from being placed in solitary confinement.”
The ISDA article went on to convey how “New York law provides that ‘any person twenty-one years of age or younger . . . shall not be placed in segregated confinement for any length of time.’ Claudio was placed in segregated confinement for nearly 4 days for cheating on an exam. EF Academy subjected Claudio to worse treatment than minors his same age receive after being convicted of a criminal act. EF Academy’s treatment of Claudio was inhumane, inexcusable, and is now the subject of an intense criminal investigation.”
Led by Judge Russo, ISDA will join forces with Claudio’s parents, Mauro and Elisabetta Mandia, and their attorney, renowned trial lawyer and defender of all things Italian, George Bochetto, of the law firm Bochetto & Lentz, P.C.
As declared in the ISDA article of April 8th, actions will be taken “to not only hold EF Academy accountable for this tragedy but also to effect reform in the laws governing private boarding schools’ treatment of students to prevent a catastrophe like this one from ever happening again.”
Now running for the U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania, Mr. Bochetto, said, while on the campaign trail, “I was appalled upon learning of the circumstances leading up to this horrific and unnecessary death, and am equally appalled at the lack of legal oversight of private boarding schools in New York by its Department of Education. I will fight for sweeping changes to N.Y. law and will assist the family in holding EF Academy fully responsible on all levels for its inhumanity.”
Editor’s Note: The web site for the Italian Sons and Daughters of America is https://orderisda.org/. Endorsed by PRIMO Magazine, George Bochetto, running for the U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania, has a web site at https://bochettoforsenate.com/. The Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations has a web site at https://copomiao.org/
3-12-22
SYRACUSE ITALIANS REACH OUT TO ADVERSARIES
After a Decisive Court Victory to Preserve the Columbus Monument
By Truby Chiaviello
A day after Justice Gerald Neri ruled in favor of the Italians of Syracuse to preserve that city’s Columbus Monument in Saint Mary’s Circle, the effort is underway by the victors to reach out to other ethnic groups for more public art to represent the city’s diversity.
The Columbus Monument Corporation, the lead petitioner in the lawsuit to preserve Columbus in Syracuse issued a statement, yesterday, to read: “We reaffirm our openness to work with the community to expand St. Mary’s Circle with additional perspectives and representations.”
The Columbus Monument Corporation had sought to settle the dispute prior to the case going to court. They continued to offer the olive branch to their adversaries in Syracuse. “With the Court’s resolution of this issue, it is time for everyone to come back together and work collectively on an additive approach to Syracuse public art, celebrating our city’s other rich ethnic heritages,” read their statement to the press. “This has been the approach taken in New York City. The Columbus Monument Corporation would be pleased to take a lead role in that initiative.”
The Columbus Monument Corporation succeeded in its challenge of Mayor Ben Walsh’s decision to remove the statue of Christopher Columbus in the center of Columbus Circle, officially known as Saint Mary’s Circle, in Syracuse. They stated, “We are pleased with the Court's decision to preserve the historic Columbus Monument as is, in its original location, where it was dedicated by over 40,000 Onondaga County citizens in 1934. We appreciate the Court's careful consideration of our petition requesting that this important public art be preserved. The decision reflects the extent to which the court heard and analyzed the arguments of all parties.”
The written decision by Justice Neri was delivered to lawyers late yesterday, March 11. He ruled the city of Syracuse must maintain the Columbus Monument as required by law and the trust provisions of the City Charter.
Yesterday’s ruling considered an agreement that had been made by the city to preserve the statue in Columbus Circle, first erected in 1934. A press release by the Columbus Monument Corporation explained, “The Court’s decision confirmed that the City had entered into a contract to maintain and preserve the monument for its useful life. At the Mayor’s direction, the City Corporation Counsel’s office represented to the State that the City ‘made the decision to remove the Columbus Statue and modify Columbus Circle’ to get around the City’s obligation to maintain the Columbus Monument for its useful life. The Court found those actions to be both ‘disingenuous’ and ‘disheartening’”.
“The decision also ordered that the misrepresented agreement that the City attempted to file to hide its obligation to maintain the monument for its useful life is null and void and the Court ordered the Onondaga County Clerk to expunge the document from the records.”
According to the Columbus Monument Corporation, public art should still be preserved no matter the “changes by certain community leaders about their interpretation, sensitivity and historical perspective is not a basis to destroy or remove the Columbus Monument.”
A statement by The Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations praised the effort to preserve Columbus in Syracuse. They reminded all Italian Americans how similar lawsuits are now being litigated in Chicago, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and elsewhere.
The nationwide legal effort to save Columbus was spearheaded, in large part, by The Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations, Italian Sons and Daughters of American (both led by Basil M. Russo), the Commission for Social Justice (OSIA), the Italian American One Voice Coalition, the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans, the Italian American Alliance and attorney George Bochetto, who is currently running for the United States Senate from Pennsylvania.
3-11-22
SUCCESS IN SYRACUSE
Italian Americans Win in Court
Columbus Monument Stays
- Justice Neri Rules in Favor of the Italians
By Truby Chiaviello
A hard fight is won.
Success for Syracuse Italians.
Justice Gerald Neri ruled late today, March 11, that Mayor Ben Walsh did not have authority to tear down the Columbus Monument inside Saint Mary’s Circle, more commonly known as Columbus Circle, along Onondaga Street in Syracuse.
Columbus stays where he has since 1934.
The written decision has yet to be issued to the press. Lawyers from both sides, however, were notified of the court’s decision today.
For two years, the battle raged in Syracuse after Mayor Walsh vowed to take down the Columbus Monument. The Columbus Monument Corporation, a group of Italian Americans and other people of various ethnic groups stood their ground. They challenged the mayor’s authority and took him to court. Now, comes a legal victory to be savored by proponents of Columbus.
The Italian Americans of Syracuse offered a number of olive branches to try and settle the dispute. Mayor Walsh shrugged away their proposals; one of which was to fund a revolving art exhibit, inside a city park, at the cost of some $25,000. To be featured were the artworks of non-Italians in Syracuse. Artists and sculptors could display paintings and statues about the persecution and historic wrongs suffered by their specific ethnicities. They could even protest, through their art, Columbus and the settlement of the Americas. Italian Americans only asked, in return, for the Columbus Monument to remain where it has for almost 90 years.
On January 13th, oral arguments was heard by Justice Neri in Onondaga County Supreme Court about the fate of the Columbus Monument. At issue was whether Mayor Walsh overstepped his jurisdictional boundaries when he abruptly declared the structure’s demise. The Columbus Monument Corporation was the key petitioner to preserve the edifice.
Now, almost two months later, Justice Neri has rendered his decision.
A victory for Syracuse Italians.
A loss for Mayor Walsh.
A victory for the civil society. A victory for American history. A victory for exploration.
Salute to our brothers and sisters of Syracuse! Salute to Columbus!
Thank God for this victory!
Editor’s Note: Pictured is the beautiful Columbus Monument at Saint Mary’s Circle in Syracuse. To learn how you can help the The Columbus Monument Corporation in Syracuse in their admirable struggle to retain the Columbus Monument, please log on to their web site at www.columbusmonumensyracuse.com. We continue to send our prayers, support and do all we can to help them win.
3-3-22
Primo Endorsement
TOM SUOZZI FOR GOVERNOR OF NEW YORK
By Truby Chiaviello
When Judge Basil M. Russo sought to unite Italian Americans, in 2020 and 2021, through a host of unprecedented national meetings sponsored by COPMIAO, Representative Tom Suozzi was there. Indeed, he attended many such gatherings, far more than any other major political figure. Representative Suozzi was an active participant, who took time away from his busy schedule, to offer words of encouragement for practical solutions to preserve Columbus Day and Columbus statues and monuments throughout the country.
Hence, PRIMO is proud to endorse Tom Suozzi to be the next governor of New York.
More than ever before, we Italian Americans need friends in political office who will fight on our behalf. Unfortunately, that’s not the current New York governor, Kathy Hochul. As lieutenant governor, she was called to replace the then-governor, Andrew Cuomo, after a host of sexual harassment and assault charges, all of which were dropped by local prosecutors, forced him to resign from office. Strange, that one of the first things Mrs. Hochul did as governor was to fire Dolores Alfieri as the Italian American Affairs director; and, all but, shut down that office. She only re-established the post after hearing fiery protests from the likes of Representative Suozzi, along with Judge Russo, Dr. Joseph Scelsa, president of the Italian American Museum and executive officers of the New York branches of the Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America.
Most troubling was how Governor Hochul went about the dismissal. She neither notified nor sought the counsel of the Italian American community in New York. She sought not their feedback or recommendations. It was her way. Period. She is an exact carbon copy of the mayors and governors, elsewhere, who have changed Columbus Day to Indigenous People’s Day and torn down Columbus statues and monuments by quick executive orders without any outreach to the Italian American community. Governor Hochul has shown herself an unreliable gubernatorial leader in our ongoing struggle to retain Columbus Day and Columbus monuments and statues in New York. She will do nothing to stop the likes of Syracuse mayor, Ben Walsh, who is hellbent to humiliate and bully the Italian Americans of that city in his mean-spirited effort to destroy beautiful edifice of Columbus, erected by Italian immigrants there in 1934.
For Italian Americans, an important ally in the governor’s mansion of New York will be Tom Suozzi. He will be there to help us win such battles in Syracuse and elsewhere, as adversaries continue their unjust and unnecessary assault on our Italian American heritage.
Mr. Suozzi is a Democrat who has served honorably in a host of important posts over the years, ranging from the mayor of Glenn Cove to Nassau County chairman to, today, U.S. Representative of New York’s 3rd Congressional District. An increasingly diverse community, he has retained a focus for the government to provide legal and other assistance to newly arrived immigrants, many of whom come from Asia. His sensitivity for America’s newest citizens stems from the experiences of his late father, Joseph Suozzi. An immigrant from Italy’s Basilicata region, specifically Potenza, Joseph Suozzi was one of the first Italians to earn a law degree from Harvard after his honorable service; a flight navigator on B-24 bombers, in World War II. Joseph Suozzi went on to be New York’s youngest judge, not to mention the mayor of Glen Cove and Nassau County supervisor from 1956 to 1960 and further service as a state Supreme Court judge.
Tom Suozzi shared a sad anecdote about his father at a recent meeting for the COPOMIAO. While looking at Joseph’s old high school yearbook, his father said his primary goal back then was to one day be seen by others as a real American. Such sentiment was indicative of the gross prejudice he and other Italians faced in the years prior to World War II.
In Congress, Tom Suozzi has done more, arguably, than other Italian Americans to help us in our collective struggle. He has co-sponsored a bill with Representative Zoe Lofgren, of California, for the United States to officially apologize for the mass detainment of Italians in World War II. He seeks grants to be given to elementary and high schools throughout the country to teach coming generations of the terrible discrimination Italian Americans faced over the last century. “This means a lot to me,” he said for his reason to pursue such legislation.
A person with such a passionate connection to his Italian legacy can only be the best asset for Italian Americans in New York. PRIMO urges all Americans of Italian and other ethnicity to vote Tom Suozzi for governor of New York.
Editor’s Note, 3-2-22: To find out more about Tom Suozzi and his bid to be the next governor of New York, please log on to https://suozziforny.com/.
Primo Interview
JOANNE RUSSO INSULL
Author of “Asinella, the Nanny Donkey”
“Seeing the lambs peeking out of the pockets of their coats totally convinced me that this would make a great children’s book.”
Joanne Russo Insull has written a new children’s book about Francesca, an Italian farm girl, who saves baby lambs with the help of her donkey, Asinella. The book was illustrated by Kelly Artieri to showcase Italy’s rural culture. We spoke with the author about her new book, “Asinella, The Nanny Donkey.”
Please tell us where your family came from in Italy.
My family came from Sorrento, Italy. My great-grandparents were from Meta di Sorrento. I have cousins in Sorrento and Naples. The house where my grandfather grew up is still on the main street in Sorrento and is owned by a doctor who has an office there.
What led you to write a children’s book set in Italy?
My husband and I have been to Italy many times. The summer before the pandemic, we traveled to Puglia on vacation. During the trip, we stopped at a caseificio where they made caciocavallo cheese. They had a small barn with a beautiful gray donkey and a couple of sheep. I spent time visiting the donkey who was so gentle and responded to me. I almost couldn’t tear myself away for lunch. When we got home, someone sent me pictures of the nanny donkeys working in the northern part of Italy. Seeing the lambs peeking out from the pockets of their coats totally convinced me that this would make a great children’s book. I started to do some research and began to write.
This story highlights the use of pack animals in Italian farming. Please explain.
In my research, I learned that donkeys are used to herd the sheep and watch over them. They have a natural dislike for dogs and have been used to protect the sheep from wolves. Many animal activists fear the donkeys may suffer serious injuries. Yet others, especially donkey owners, praise the animal for their bravery to protect the sheep in their charge. In the area where the donkeys are used, in the hills of Lombardia, carts and vehicles find it difficult to maneuver. Donkeys are sure-footed, strong enough and well-suited to the terrain. They are also used in Ireland and France as “shepherds” and nanny donkeys.
Are any characters based on your ancestors?
I named the little girl, “Francesca,” to honor my great-grandmother Francesca Mastellone, the first of my family to come to America. She was a farmer’s wife before she came to America after her husband died. She was an accomplished embroiderer and a brave woman who arrived alone in the United States having left my grandmother in a convent school. As an unaccompanied woman, she was deported when she arrived at Ellis Island. She went back to Italy and returned two years later. By that time, her brother had arrived in Boston. He sponsored her when she returned to America for the second time. She then sent for my grandmother for both of them to settle in Brooklyn.
What are your plans for the future?
I have just finished another picture book called “Sarah and the Crows Clean Up,” about a little girl who befriends a family of crows. She feeds them and they bring her gifts, mostly paper and trash from a nearby field. She wonders if they would help her clean up the field, and when her friends see the crows bringing trash to be recycled, they help too. I feed a family of crows every day who come when I call them. They have brought me feathers and pieces of bark. The book will be released in April.
Editor’s Note: To learn more about the author and to purchase the book, “Asinella: The Nanny Donkey,” please log on to https://joannerussoinsull.com
“WAR CRIME”
Senate Candidate George Bochetto Condemns Russian Invasion of Ukraine
- A Fighter for Italian Americans Vows to Fight for All Ukrainians and Ukrainian Americans in the U.S. Senate
By Truby Chiaviello
Attorney George Bochetto knows how to fight. He took on Mayor Jim Kenney in Philadelphia and won. He saved the Columbus statue there only to take the mayor to court to save Columbus Day.
Now comes another fight for Mr. Bochetto. One that he is more than willing to undertake. He vows to help the Ukrainian people who are now at the mercy of Russian invaders.
Campaigning hard to become the next U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania, Mr. Bochetto wasted no time to condemn Russia’s unprovoked war with her eastern neighbor. In a statement, he claimed, “Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, a democratic ally of the United States and our European partners, is a war crime and must be met immediately with swift, certain, and crippling consequences.”
Mr. Bochetto wants Russia punished for this latest military adventure. “While this should have been done already, the U.S. and Europe must now impose the harshest possible sanctions to decimate Russia’s ability to sell oil, natural gas, and minerals, and cut off their financial systems and oligarchs from the world financial system.”
The Russian military crossed the border into Western Ukraine to soon take that country’s capital Kyiv. Mr. Bochetto sees diplomatic weakness on the part of the United States as one reason for the latest conflict. “While the primary blame for this unprovoked violent conflict lies with Vladimir Putin, President Biden’s failure of leadership created the conditions that made it possible,” he said. “Russia has now shown aggression against its neighbors when President Biden was Vice President, and during his presidency. This is not an accident.”
Mr. Bochetto wants to keep up the pressure against Russia to free Ukraine. He said, “Peace through strength works, and this should not be a partisan issue. Our nation should return to energy independence and export energy to Western Europe. We must maintain sanctions against aggressors against our interests. And America’s leaders must do more than publicly acknowledge the intelligence we have gathered—they must demonstrate unpredictability and ensure that potential costs effectively deter the enemies of peace around the world.”
Before returning to the campaign trail, Mr. Bochetto urged all Americans to stand with Ukrainians in their hours of need. “Today we pray for our allies in Ukraine, and for our leaders to respond with moral clarity and strength to roll back Russia’s unprovoked and illegal aggression.”
Editor’s Note: To follow George Bochetto on the campaign trail, please log on to www.bochettoforsenate.com
WE STAND WITH THE UKRAINIAN PEOPLE
All Italian Americans Should Condemn Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine
- We Empathize With All People Who Suffer from Tyranny, Either Here or Abroad
- A Global Conflict of Democracies versus Dictatorships
By Christopher Binetti, Ph.D.
I am an Italian American civil rights activist and political scientist. If you read my articles here on PRIMO’s web site, you know my views on domestic politics, Italian American civil rights and contemporary Italy. Hence, what does Ukraine have to do with Italian America?
Italian Americans need to stand with oppressed peoples all over the world, both domestically and abroad. I wrote an article about standing with the oppressed people of Cuba. Italian Americans are wrong not to show solidarity with Cubans and Cuban Americans.
There are many Ukrainians who live and work in the United States. There is an archdiocese of Ukrainian Catholics, or archeparchy, in Philadelphia. Most Ukrainians are Eastern Orthodox, but quite a few are Roman Catholic of the Byzantine tradition. As are most Italians and Italian Americans, I too am Roman Catholic. There are ethnic Ukrainian co-religionists of ours in Philadelphia and in Western Ukraine who are, right now, deeply terrified.
I ask you to think of Mother Italy. What if Italy were invaded by Russia, would you care? I would be on the first flight to Italy to fight the Russians. We cannot pretend, that even though we are Americans, that we would not demand the defense of our Italian motherland. Our fellow Ukrainian Americans want there country to be defended.
Do you know that Russia will slaughter our coreligionists in Western Ukraine due to historical enmities? Roman Catholics in Western Ukraine who are pro-NATO and pro-Western are likely to be massacred by the Russian Army. We need to support our coreligionists in this current conflict.
I am not arguing for any ethno-kinship of Italians and Ukrainians. Instead, I pose a question of Italian security. Do you think that Italy is safe from Russia? Well, if you do, you are wrong. Italy has a strong pro-Russian faction and even Mario Draghi, current prime minister of Italy, has long been too pro-Russian for my liking. Italians once suffered terrorist attacks by Soviet-backed Red Brigades. Russia wishes to control Italy. Russia wants to break up the EU. You know that I criticize the EU frequently, but I have been clear that it should not collapse but, rather, be loosened to allow for Italian sovereignty. The EU deserves our support right now and Italy needs to support our liberal-democratic values.
We Italian Americans need to realize that by Italy fully opposing Russia’s dictatorship, the Draghi government will, also, likely fall. This a good thing! Italy’s future must be for liberal democracy and freedom and not dictatorship-like governments aligned with Russia.
Italy needs a leader who will stand up for Ukraine. Italian Americans need to unify in defense of Ukrainian freedom. The Cold War is back. What side are we Italian Americans on? Are we for liberal democracy or dictatorship? On what side is Italy?
Liberal democracy, defined as majority rule combined with minority rights, has been weakened in the United States, especially in New Jersey and New York. We no longer call Canada a liberal democracy after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau utilized an emergency powers decree to plunge his country into martial law. Liberal democracy has fallen. The new Cold War is both an internal and external struggle to preserve liberal democracy against both dictatorship and illiberal democracy.
We need to be the glue to bind Italy with America. We must demand that our common values be respected and revitalized. The invasion of Ukraine is a threat to Italian sovereignty and to freedom everywhere, including that of Italian America.
So, this is not some conflict confined to Ukraine. This is not some war in “Europe.” This is a global conflict between liberal democracy and dictatorship. All of our freedoms are at stake. God protect us!
Editor’s Note: Dr. Christopher Binetti is a political scientist and Italian American civil rights activist. He is the President of the Italian American Movement, a 501c3 civil rights organization. He is reachable at 732-549-2635 and cbinetti@terpmail.umd.edu.
Covid Chronicles 2-15-22
IT’S MATTARELLA AGAIN
Elected to Serve Another Seven Year Term as Italy's President is Sergio Mattarella, 80
- Coronavirus Deaths Decrease
- Pope Francis to Visit Florence
By Deirdre Pirro
Here, as we come to the end of Weeks 61 to 65, it is no longer news that 80-year-old Sergio Mattarella has been voted in for a second seven-year term as Italy's president, a job he did not wish to take on again.
Mattarella was officially sworn in on 3rd February. He said during his acceptance speech that, “It was an unexpected call and one he could not refuse,” because of his sense of duty and responsibility. Although this was a popular decision to meet with wide consensus among the country's citizens, it was not without controversy. Many in the national and international press saw the decision to re-elect Mattarella a defeat for the parliamentary system and Italy’s political parties.
There was certainly fear that a change upsetting the status quo with Mario Draghi as prime minister could have led to a crisis in the government. The other names in the presidential race gradually fell by the wayside as Mattarella emerged with 739 votes. Only Alessandro Pertini, who served as Italy’s president from 1978 to 1985, received more votes historically.
The decision to reelect Mattarella caused a deep rift within the center-right coalition. Although, on paper, it looked as though Forza Italia, the Lega and Frattelli d'Italia had the numbers to elect one of their candidates, it was not to be. In the end, Matteo Salvini, leader of Lega, lent his support to a second Mattarella term. This infuriated Giorgia Meloni, leader of the Fratelli d'Italia party, who commented, “I just can't believe it.”
Cracks also appeared between the Democratic Party and the 5 Star Movement and, more seriously, within the 5 Star Movement itself. In fact, it emerged from the presidential election that there are now two influential political currents within the Movement, one supporting its leader and former prime minister, Giuseppe Conte, and the other, Luigi Di Maio, minister of foreign affairs. The election over, Conti was quick to announce he plans an internal investigation after a number of his parliamentarians did not vote in line with the party's position. Looks like there may be some bloodletting on the agenda.
On the coronavirus front, there are 118,994 new registered cases in Italy while some 964, 000 swabs were taken. Positivity had risen slightly to 12.3 percent. The good news is a decrease in the number of deaths.
The rules regarding the virus are due to change. There will be a new calendar in force until 31st March when the state of emergency should expire. The government enacted a decree to lighten restrictions and slowly bring the country back to normal. For instance, the Super Green Pass is only valid for six months, rather than nine, as originally planned. The pass will allow unlimited access for those who have had three vaccine shots. The same applies to those with two shots who have recovered from Covid. Rules will also change in Red zones but not for those who have been vaccinated. Masks no loner have to be worn outdoors and nightclubs will reopen. Workers over 50, will, as of 15th February, need a Super Green Pass to enter the workplace. Whether the state of emergency will be lifted on 31st March depends entirely on the virus.
The head of the vaccine strategy unit of the European Medicines Agency, Marco Cavalieri, said there is not enough scientific evidence to recommend a fourth vaccine shot, except perhaps for very fragile cases.
In Florence, excitement is growing for the upcoming visit of Pope Francis on 27th February on the occasion of the international conference of Mediterranean mayors and bishops in Palazzo Vecchio. He will also visit the Santa Croce Basilica to celebrate mass there. The last time he visited Florence was four years ago.
At home, at this time, means Nice, where I have sold our flat there. That means emptying out 26 years of clutter. It's sad but has to be done. I swear I'll never buy another thing – that is, not until I sort through all of this.
Stay healthy and safe... Deirdre
ILARIA OREFICE SINGS CANTO A TENORE
- The Male Low Voice Range of Ancient Songs are Performed by a Woman
- A Strange Sound of Sardinian Tradition Captures a New Audience in the Digital Age
Canto a tenore is a style of singing from Sardinia with deep, guttural voices to harmonize behind a soloist. The vocal method has been the domain of men for centuries. Ilaria Orefice, a native of Sardinia, has broken the glass ceiling to sing the low bass traditions of canto e tenore. PRIMO spoke with her recently about singing this unique style of Sardinia. Tell us about yourself.
I am 35 years old and I am Italian; to be precise I come from the island of Sardinia. I am currently a vocal performer, teacher of vocal techniques and accredited researcher of the voice. I started my career like many, singing modern repertoires in local bands, then I decided to undertake a path to study modern singing techniques for certifications to teach them. My ear was always captivated by the most particular sounds, of distant populations, fascinated by all the extraordinary things that the human voice is capable of doing. So I started studying Overtone Singing, and from there I branched out to many other styles, including canto a tenore Sardo.
How would you describe canto a tenore to someone who has never heard it?
The canto a tenore is an ancient "male" singing group, typical of the Sardinian musical tradition, the word “tenor” in this case derives from the verb “man-tenere”, "to keep", in fact each element (four singers) is indispensable and must support the other, and it's not possible to sing it individually. What is impressive is the peculiarity of the timbres, in fact, in the canto a tenore, specific technique, timbres are used always together to create that particular, strong sound. The tenore singers trio must support the lead singer, they must create chords and rhythms between one verse and the other of the poet. For the completeness of the sound frequencies, we find a guttural bass, a middle voice with brilliant frequencies; a more acute voice to complete the agreement. Its harmonic richness is very exciting to the listener; one feels completely overwhelmed and enveloped, goosebumps! We find the same sounds in the traditional chants of the Mongolian and Tuvan nomads, where the singer can be a soloist to create melodies by filtering the harmonics individually. The only form of similar singing in all of Europe is in Sardinia. And we wonder, if in ancient times, there was a kind of contamination between these geographically distant peoples.
Considering the style is exclusively for male singing, how did your interest arise?
Sardinia is an island that in the last 20 years tried, in every way, to emancipate itself; often to do this, has mistakenly removed attention and value from what has belonged to us for centuries, almost ashamed of it, like an out of date thing. So it was for the canto a tenore. But when I started teaching Overtone Singing while studying Tuvan singing, I compared myself to non-Sardinian people. I realized how much charm and how much beauty the singing arouses in others. In looking with other eyes, I began to really observe something that for us was normal and obvious, but it is a real jewel to protect. I decided to practice it personally, even if I am a woman, as Tuvan women do. I decided to teach it to other women, because it is liberating and greatly enriches our cultural background. I had the opportunity to deal with tenor singing groups who were very impressed to hear me, especially the older singers who think women are incapable of doing it. It is nice to redefine the oldest conventions about tradition.
You founded a school, in what ways do you intend to spread the canto a tenore?
Being a point of reference, a bridge for those who want to deepen. Once in Sardinia, it is not easy to find information or reach Canto a tenore groups. What I am doing with my school is shortening the distances, creating the opportunity to come to Sardinia to do a "tour of Canto a tenore". I helped the "tenores of Tokyo" to meet tenor groups for their study project, and we had as students, two American ambassadors from Berkley who presented their research at the University of Valencia. The most important thing is to respect tradition and keep it as pure as possible, but without closing too much. I would like anyone who comes to Sardinia to have the opportunity to hear this wonderful sonority, it is a way of keeping it alive, it's our musical identity, and it is unique.
Where can we see a sample of your a tenor singing?
The best way is to subscribe to my social channels, and to Youtube, to see videos and content that are always updated. In addition to canto a tenore I practice various other “tribal” styles that involve vocality in its most curious limits. My link: https://www.ilariaorefice.it/
ITALIAN MISSIONARIES KILLED IN 2021
- Priests and lay people targeted
- Murder of Catholic Evangelists Continues to Increase Worldwide
As Pope Francis said, last year, “How many generous persons suffered and died...for the name of Christ! Theirs was a witness borne out of love of Him whom they had long contemplated.”
By Truby Chiaviello
We’re not there...yet.
The threshold to claim worldwide Catholic persecution from the number of fatal assaults per year has not, thus far, been breached. The vocations of Christ can be assessed as no more dangerous than those of any other profession, or trade, in the secular realm. Yet, with each passing year, we get closer to the point of alarm. Priests, nuns and lay people, who serve the poor and sick in the world’s most remote regions, are increasingly victims of lethal violence. The brutal nature of such crimes stands in stark contrast to the inherent passivity of the victims. From all accounts, slain Catholic missionaries have done nothing to warrant such attacks.
While we all were making arrangements for the festivities of this past New Year’s Eve, Agenzia Fides, the Vatican’s official news service, was busily publishing their annual report of Catholic missionaries killed in the line of duty. It was 42 years ago when such a roster was first published. The number of slain priests, nuns and lay ministers were relatively modest for many years. Some 115 missionaries were killed between 1980 and 1989. Since then, however, the number of casualties has doubled to roughly 250 this past decade.
In 2021, the Catholic Church gained 14 million new adherents. Much of the Church’s growth occurred in Africa, Central and South America. The total number of Catholics today is 1.3 billion. Many new parishes require priests and lay people to leave their homes to relocate to foreign regions to serve the faithful. Italy remains a stalwart source of Catholic activism and evangelism. Many young Italians take up the call to help the poor and needy. They serve as parish priests in Sudan to catechize and convert. They serve as nuns in Pakistan to teach children to read and write. They serve as the laity in Brazil to help treat the sick and wounded.
The dedication of missionaries will come, not from recognized praise or adulation, but, rather, from the satisfaction of doing God’s work. Most survive the demands to spread the faith. However, as Agenzia Fides reports, some do not. In 2021, there were 22 missionaries, who had their lives cruelly taken. Three of them were Italians.
Brother Luigi Manganiello was 49 years old when he was murdered on January 5th, 2021. He was the son of immigrants from Avellino who had resettled in Puerto Cabello, Venezuela, where he was born. Brother Manganiello belonged to the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, founded in 1679 by Saint Jean-Baptiste de La Salle. A lay congregation of teachers, they are known today as De La Salle Brothers to manage parochial schools in almost every country. Brother Manganiello was one of the administrators of a school run by the order in Barquisimeto, a small city in Venezuela. He was asleep in his room, inside the school, when a group of thieves snuck in to steal his laptop computer. Awakened by the intrusion, Brother Manganiello confronted the burglars only to lose his life when one of them struck him in the head with a blunt object.
Elsewhere in South America is the case of another slain missionary. Nadia de Munari was born and raised in the village of Schio, in Italy’s Vicenza province. At 50 years old, she was part of Operation Mato Grosso, a lay missionary group founded by the Italian Salesian priest, Ugo De Censi. The organization trains young people to be teachers or child care workers to serve the poor in Peru. Nuevo Chimbote was a small town with schools run by Operation Mato Grosso. Miss Munari was a kindergarten teacher there. When she was absent for early morning prayers on April 21st, a friend went to her room to discover her, face down, in a pool of blood, on the floor. The unconscious woman was taken to a nearby hospital where she died later in the day. Many bruises, scars and deep lacerations covered her body. The weapon used against her was a machete. The homicide has yet to be solved with no suspects or motives.
Not all slain missionaries were employed by the Church or a Catholic related organization. Some, such as Michele Colosio, were baptized to be called by faith to serve independently, according to the Vatican’s news source, Agenzia Fides. At 40 years old, Mr. Colosio had, some years back, given up a career as a radiologist to help the poor in Chiapas, Mexico. Mr. Colosio was originally from Borgosatollo, a small commune in Brescia. He had the notion for a farm to be partly owned by Mexico’s poorest residents to generate income in Eco-tourism. Last year, on the night of July 11th, he was in Chiapas to get supplies when two men on a motorcycle drove by to shoot four rounds from a revolver to kill him. The motive might have been a contract killing, one of many to stem from land disputes in the region.
Those who lose their lives in the service of God remind us of the demands of faith. As Pope Francis said, last year, “How many generous persons suffered and died...for the name of Christ! Theirs was a witness borne out of love of Him whom they had long contemplated.”
La Capitale Americana 1-17-21
TYGERIAN LACE STUNS DC FASHION SCENE WITH HER NEW “ALL SEASONS” COLLECTION
- A Bold Presentation for an Interactive Audience
- Form-Fit Follows Function
“If I can’t wear it, I don’t want to make it”
By Dima Chiaviello
Tygerian Lace Burke is a local designer in Washington D.C.
Originally from Fort Washington, Maryland, Mrs. Burke has been native to the DMV area for years to splash onto the DC fashion scene with a remarkable presentation. She showed her collection on January 15th at the Foundry Gallery on 8th Avenue, N.W., within a short walk to the main campus of Howard University.
Some 35 looks with a total of 52 individual pieces were displayed on what was an icy cold night prior to a snowstorm. The collection mainly included dresses and gowns, a color scheme consisting of red, orange, pink and black. Sheer paneling, floral applique, embroidery, sequins and, of course, lace, were all seen within Tygerian Lace’s 2022 Collection.
The DC fashion scene was taken by her presentation, as many masked faces arrived to get a glimpse of Mrs. Burke’s first show in the area. Due to the rise of COVID cases in Washington, the collection was unable to present a fully-fledged runway show. “We had to pivot,” says Mrs. Burke, “COVID pushed all designers to grow…we were able to be very creative.”
Mrs. Burke opted to use mannequins and a handful of models to unveil the collection. This allowed the presentation to become interactive with the audience, with people able to look up close at the intricacies within each garment. Attendees were seen talking and conversing with models, as well as the designer herself, giving them an inside look into the creation behind the collection, making the night all the more special.
The presentation is undeniably bold with nothing about each look silent or lost; each garment stands on its own as vivid. When asked about the inspiration behind the bold choices she made, Mrs. Burke said, “I’m getting older. As you get older, you’re not scared, I don’t have to live by a certain identity for the brand, it’s more so a feeling.” This idea is reflected within the clothes that the designer created for the show. “It’s time to live life and be bold, especially after the pandemic, you need something that makes you happy.”
Each garment is eye-catching, nothing is simple, yet still wearable. The collection makes its mark as universal for any woman, confidence intertwined with every ensemble, effortlessly feminine.
Every season was represented, from some looks incorporating fur, long sleeves, as well as shawls; meanwhile, others bear it all, with mini dresses and garments reminiscent of swimwear represented. The fit is another intricacy of the collection. “The complexity of the fit is what makes it nice…if I can’t wear it I don’t want to make it,” said Mrs. Burke.
On each one of the models, who physically represented parts of the collection, were garments to form-fit, but not in an over-sexual way. It felt as if the clothes were highlighting their bodies, instead of trying to show them off, which is an amazing accomplishment on par with the designer. Even on the mannequins, it’s clear that aspects of sexuality within the fit were done with the feminine intuition, defining what sexiness means for the brand.
So, what’s next for Tygerian Lace? When asked, Mrs. Burke said she wants the opportunity to network. “I’m so small and still building a brand,” she said. “Even though I’m from the area, I’ve lived in North Carolina for so long that I built a network there. Coming here and this being my first show, it’s building those relationships.”
It’s safe to say there is definitely a future for Tygerian Lace in DC, bringing fresh ideas and incredible designs to the area, her mark is made.
Editor’s Note: Pictured: Fashion Designer Tygerian Lace Burke stands next one of her creations; a group shot with her models; attendees at the gala. To view the latest from Tygerian Lace, please log on to her Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/tygerianlace/
1-16-22
APPEAL IT NOW
Italian Americans Vow to Fight On After Judge Jones Dismisses Case to Preserve Columbus Day in Philadelphia
- No Discrimination Against Italian Americans, Says Judge
- “…They Can Still Celebrate Christopher Columbus Under the Holiday’s New Name.”
By Truby Chiaviello
Appeal!
That’s the new battle cry among Italian Americans to echo throughout the City of Brotherly Love and the country.
The trial phase is over. Judge C. Darnell Jones II dismissed, in its entirety, the suit brought against Jim Kenney and Philadelphia to claim unlawful discrimination his changing of Columbus Day to Indigenous People’s Day.
George Bocchetto, lead counsel for Italian Americans in Philadelphia, who argued the case, had this to say about Judge Jones’ judgment. “I, like all of you, am disappointed that the federal court in Philadelphia has issued a decision dismissing the pending case…The Court found that our plaintiffs lack ‘particularized discriminatory impact or injury.’ I have thoroughly reviewed the opinion, and I believe the trial court’s conclusion…is just wrong.”
We move on to Round Two. Next stop: The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
A case can ascend the judicial ladder all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. Today’s defeat can be tomorrow’s victory. The mission is to never give up until the final decision of all decisions is rendered.
Such is the immediate reaction among those who took Mayor Jim Kenney to court. Their mantra is summed up in two words: Keep Fighting.
It was Judge Basil Russo, president of the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations, who had his organization as one of many plaintiffs in the lawsuit. He expressed new vigor in his letter to organization members about the recent legal setback.
“In response to Judge Jones’ ruling,” he wrote. “Although this is disappointing, we must remember this trial court decision is not the ‘final say’ on the matter. Decisions in cases like this often get appealed. That is why we have appeal courts – so that when a trial judge does make a wrong decision it can and does get overturned on appeal.”
No cheers are ever heard for the boxer’s hand not raised at the end of a bout. No celebration is lauded after Judge Jones’ ruling to shrug away the Italian American claim of discrimination. Bottles of Prosecco remain uncorked after the judge let stand Mayor Kenney’s abrupt and callous executive order to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous People’s Day.
All 20 pages of the judge’s dismissal centered on whether or not the Italians had standing, whether or not the Italians suffered discrimination and whether or not the changing of a holiday was, in essence, the right of free speech by City Hall.
The judge’s order was written on Thursday, January 13, but issued to the public on Friday, January 14th.
A reexamination of the case by a higher court can result in judgment to undo the negative ruling of Judge Jones.
Attorney George Bochetto is ready for action.
“I have determined that an appeal is warranted. I will promptly file an appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit,” he said.
On April 6th, 2021, Mr. Bochetto filed suit to overturn Mayor Kenney’s executive order to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous People’s Day. The following individuals and groups remain as plaintiffs: Philadelphia City Council member, Mark Squilla, Jodi Della Barba (former personal assistant to Mayor Frank Rizzo), the 1492 Society, Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, Sons and Daughters of Italy and, as stated prior, the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations, Inc.
Mr. Bochetto scored some impressive knockdowns in court against Mayor Kenney over the latter’s obsession to tear down the Columbus statue at Marconi Plaza. The Italian American community sought his legal prowess to take the mayor to federal court over another of his obsessions - to wipe out Columbus Day, once and for all, in Philadelphia.
For dismissal, Judge Jones included a number of laws and case citations to pepper his opinion. According to his view, all was well with the Italian American community, never mind that their cherished holiday was ignobly scrapped by the mayor. He wrote, “Though Plaintiffs allege that Defendants’ renaming of Columbus Day wipes away recognition of Italian Americans in favor of Indigenous People, they fail to state any discriminatory impact that supports such a conclusion.”
Judge Jones concluded that the mere canceling of Columbus Day by executive order was nothing more than a flexibility of expression by Mayor Kenney. He wrote: “The City of Philadelphia maintains direct control over the messages conveyed of holiday names…Thus, the Court concludes…renaming Columbus Day constitutes government speech.”
A spirit of relativism could easily be interpreted in Judge Jones’ dismissal. Are things really that bad?
The Italian American complaint was, “void of any alleged inability to still celebrate Christopher Columbus” no matter if the mayor jettisoned the holiday, concluded the judge.
The good news…
“…They can still celebrate Christopher Columbus under the holiday’s new name,” he wrote.
Appointed to the federal bench by President George W. Bush and confirmed by the Senate in 2008, Judge Jones is, by all measures, a learned jurist with some 50 years experience in the law. An ability to dissect a case for legal finery is most apparent in this latest judgment. This effort may cut both ways, however. A misjudgment can occur, at times, by dwelling too much on the threads rather than the suit.
As Mr. Bochetto surmised, “The trial court considered the question of standing as to each issue of the Mayor’s conduct in isolation without considering all of his conduct as a whole.”
In his original complaint, Mr. Bochetto outlined a host of words and deeds to allege the essence of anti-Italianism by Mayor Kenney prior to his mothballing Columbus Day. The following are highlights:
* In 2016, at the height of the illegal immigration debate, Mayor Kenney made reference to Italian Americans when he said, “…undocumented brown and black people, and that’s what drives the underlying source of anger…If this were Cousin Emilio or Cousin Guido, we wouldn’t have this problem because they’re white.”
* Before he sought to take down the Columbus statue at Marconi Plaza, Mayor Kenney took down the statue of deceased mayor Frank Rizzo from the Municipal Services Building.
* Mayor Kenney defined those Italian Americans who surrounded the Columbus statue to stop its removal as “vigilantes.”
* Fearful of roving bands of “vigilantes,” on June 16, 2020, Mayor Kenney ordered the reassignment of Lou Campione from police command in South Philadelphia. In contrast, Black Lives Matter demonstrators who broke curfew and other laws were given waivers.
* After the production of vaccines to stop Covid-19, Mayor Kenney was alleged to have skipped over the Italian American community among 20 eligible zip codes for the antidote supply in Philadelphia.
Although these instances were recorded in his dismissal, they did not persuade Judge Jones that Italian Americans suffered a pattern of discrimination under Mayor Kenney.
His dismissal is recorded as an example of how laws, procedures and facts convey complex decisions among the judiciary.
Judge Russo belongs to the astute membership of the bench. He knows better than anyone what it takes to get the law right. As he sees it, the trial court erred in its abstruse analysis. He wrote in a letter to members of his organization that “…we will challenge the trial court’s hyper-technical ruling that there was no ‘discriminatory impact’ – since the trial judge appears to have ignored the pattern and history of this mayor’s anti-Italian conduct and public statements.”
Although we face this defeat, Judge Russo said, we can look back on an aggregate of legal success, thus far, for the fight to preserve Columbus. In the closing of his letter to organization members, he readies the Italian American community for the next phase of battle. “This latest decision is a speed bump, but the fight for our rights and our heritage continues on multiple fronts, and I am certain that as a result of our newly created spirit of national unity, and our strong sense of resolve, we will prevail.”
Editor’s Note: You can read the text of Judge Jones’ dismissal here. The web site for the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations is www.copomiao.org. Not only is George Bochetto the key attorney for the fight to save Columbus, he is also running for the U.S. Senate. His campaign web site is www.bochettoforsenate.com. PRIMO enthusiastically endorsed Mr. Bochetto for the U.S. Senate.
Covid Chronicles 1-15-22
ITALY HIT HARD BY OMICRON
New Coronavirus Strain Infects Almost Quarter of a Million
- Vaccine Mandates and Restrictions Increase
- Election of Italy’s New President Begins
- Men’s Fashion Event Comes to Florence
By Deirdre Pirro
At the end of Weeks 56 to 60, the Omicron strain of the coronavirus gallops ahead with 220,000 contagions for the Italian health system to come under considerable strain. The regions of Piemonte, Liguria, Calabria, Valle d’Aosta and Friuli Venezia Giulia risk passing from Yellow to Orange zones. Lombaria, Lazio and Campania are also in the balance. The imposition of more rigid regulations will try to stem the rising numbers of people testing positive for Covid-19 with subsequent increased hospitalizations and intensive care treatments.
Italians are now required, by law, to wear masks outdside and FFP2 face masks in cinemas, theaters, stadiums and on public transport. Outdoor events are prohibited and nightclubs are closed.
Come this February, all people over 50 must vaccinate or face a 100 euro fine. To work, they are required to either show evidence of immunization or recovery from Covid-19, or face a fine between 600 and 1,500 euro.
All Italians, no matter their age, must either be vaccinated, have a negative swab test or proof of recovery from infection to go to the hairdresser, post office, banks and shops. An exemption applies to supermarkets and grocery stores. Breach of this regulation may result in fines between 400 and 1,000 euro. Persons without either proof of Covid-19 vaccination or infection recuperation can no longer eat inside or outside at restaurants, use public transport or go to the gym.
Schools began again for students in most regions after the Christmas holiday, except in Campania. The governor there, Vincenzo De Luca, has decided to keep all primary schools closed in favor of distance learning. It seems from television interviews that most students are anxious to return to the classroom with their preference for in-person instruction.
The first round of voting to elect Italy’s new president begins on January 24th. Horse trading commenced for political parties to jostle and promote their candidate to replace President Sergio Mattarella. There is never a dull moment when it comes to dishing out power.
On January 11th, the Florentine-born, former journalist and current president of the European parliament, David Sassoli, died at 65 years of age. Initially, a rumor circulated among anti-vaxxers to clam his death was from complications of being injected with the necessary serum. This was totally false and you have to ask whether these folks have any shame. In fact, it was announced that Sassoli had been ill for some time before he died of a dysfunction from his immune system due to cancer. Tributes to him poured in from both Italian and European representatives across the entire political spectrum.
January 13th marked the 10th anniversary of the worst shipwreck in Italy's history, that of the liner, Costa Concordia, off Giglio island. Thirty two people died while ship’s captain, Francesco Schettino, was convicted of causing the incident, abandoning ship and sentenced to 16 years in prison. Images of the ship, laying on its side, remain imprinted in our collective memory.
Here in Florence, Pitti Uomo convened at the Fortezza da Basso for the latest in men's wear with 540 brands represented. It was combined with Pitti Bimbo for the latest in children's fashion. These will be followed in February 2022 by Pitti Filati dedicated to the newest trends in knitwear. This is a serious sign of optimism for one of Italy's most important industries.
Stay healthy and safe... Deirdre
1-11-22
Primo Endorsement
GEORGE BOCHETTO FOR THE U.S. SENATE
Attorney Proved His Mettle to Save Columbus Statues in Philadelphia
- He Will Fight for All Pennsylvanians as He Has for All Italian Americans
- An Inspiring Story of an Orphan Who Fought His Way Through Law School
We need fighters who will win for us in Washington.
We need George Bochetto.
Some candidates might claim they will battle against special interests. Yet, once elected, they usually come to Washington to just cower against the mighty lobbyists who, all but, dominate our nation’s capital.
Not so with George Bochetto.
He has proven his mettle. We know he will fight for us in every round, every day of every session in the United States Senate.
Mr. Bochetto said, today, at the launch of his campaign, “I’m running for the U.S. Senate because I believe in hard work. I believe in respect for our laws. And I believe the leaders we elect should know how to face a challenge, rise to the occasion and fight relentlessly for our beliefs.”
We Italian Americans know well what Mr. Bochetto can do inside the ring. He stood up to Mayor Jim Kenney of Philadelphia and the woke mob there who wanted to tear down the Columbus statue at Marconi Plaza. He fought valiantly and effectively for all Italian Americans, not just in Philadelphia, but, also, in Pittsburgh and elsewhere in Pennsylvania and in other parts of the country. George Bochetto will do for all voters in Pennsylvania what he has done for all Italian Americans. He will fight and win for us in the United States Senate.
“The outcome of this election will fundamentally change our Commonwealth and our country for the better, or for the worse,” said Mr. Bochetto.
We know these are harrowing times. Americans have had to suffer through the spread of coronavirus, its bans, mandates and regulations. Many small businesses in Pennsylvania and throughout the country have been decimated by government overreach in combatting the pandemic. The American Dream seems lost as families are burdened by the artificial assaults of high inflation, high gas prices and high taxes. The crisis of the supply chain has vacated the shelves of grocery stores, not seen in the United States since the Great Depression. Americans are at a loss as to what has happened to their country. They find infuriating how elected leaders do nothing to stop mass riots, higher crime rates and the disturbing increase in homicides in Philadelphia and in so many other cities.
For things to improve, we need a champ in the United States Senate. We need George Bochetto.
When it looked as though all hope was lost in 2020, when Mayor Jim Kenney was going to have his way to tear down the inspiring Columbus statue at Marconi Plaza, it was George Bochetto who came through with a knockout blow. He threw a hard right punch in legal research and advocacy, working pro bono, for Philadelphia’s Italian American community. Thanks to him, the Columbus statue stands today, where it belongs, at Marconi Plaza.
In June, 2020, during the height of civil unrest, workers at the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation (DRWC) at Penn’s Landing in Philadelphia boarded up the lower section of the Christopher Columbus monument there to conceal the navigator’s name. The DRWC, which maintains the monument, said that the 106-foot historical obelisk did not align with their “mission to create and maintain a safe and welcome space for all.”
It seemed another hopeless lost cause for Italian Americans. Yet, once again, George Bochetto came to the rescue. More than just utilizing his legal expertise, he conveyed a mastery in negotiation to effectively represent the America 500 Anniversary Corporation. The settlement he fostered is a win for Italian Americans. Today, the “chalkboards” plastered across the base of the Columbus Monument have been rightly removed.
George Bochetto is not an outside celebrity who now only resides in the state to take advantage of an open senate seat there. Mr. Bochetto has lived in Pennsylvania for much of his adult life to raise his family, start and maintain a successful law practice and contribute to the betterment of his state.
In George Bochetto, Pennsylvania voters will have someone who understands the struggles they face. He knows, more than anyone, what it is like to be the underdog. His story is most inspiring. Abandoned by his natural parents at the doorsteps of an orphanage, he had to rely on the care of the Sisters of Mercy. Without parents, without family, he had to find his own way. He never gave up no matter how hard and unfair might be his unique circumstances. He found his calling in the boxing ring and in the halls of academia. He was an outstanding student who fought his way through law school to become one of Pennsylvania’s top attorneys.
“How we choose to move Pennsylvania forward is up to each one of us,” says Mr. Bochetto. “With your support, and our shared belief in the principles that keep our families safe and our economy prosperous, I believe our best days are yet to come."
Mr. Bochetto will crisscross his home state of Pennsylvania to meet with voters to earn their support and their vote.
He’s got ours. And we urge all Pennsylvania voters to support his candidacy and vote for George Bochetto for the United States Senate.
Editor’s Note: To learn more about George Bochetto and his run for the United States Senate, please log on to his YouTube channel here. We will follow up with reports on his senatorial campaign.
Op-Ed 1-10-22
MALREPRESENTATION OF ITALIANS EXTENDS TO EXTREME PRO-ABORTION LAW IN NEW JERSEY
- Supplement to the Reproductive Freedom Act Will Force State Residents to Pay for All Late Term Abortions
- To Be Voted on Today
By Christopher Binetti, Ph.D.
Tomorrow, the New Jersey Senate and the General Assembly, with little debate, will vote on the successor bill to the unpopular Reproductive Freedom ACT (RFA). In a state with 40 percent of the population Roman Catholic, with legalized abortion to the day of birth, the RFA is clearly unpopular.
In the last election, Jack Ciatteralli, the Republican candidate for governor, unwisely, did not emphasize how radical is the current establishment in Trenton. Nevertheless, many voters knew what was going on.
Despite being unorganized, voters vented their frustration, costing the pro-abortion establishment six seats in the New Jersey General Assembly and one seat in the senate and almost the governor’s mansion. The incumbent and current governor, Phil Murphy, who supports making every resident in New Jersey pay for late-term abortions, only won re-election by less than three percentage points.
Governor Murphy lied when he said he was going to listen to all New Jersey residents. The vote in November was a repudiation of extreme pro-abortion politics in New Jersey. He again lied to the state’s voters when he promised in his victory speech to govern by consensus. This is how Governor Murphy lost so much support over the years. He has used all sorts of tricks to ensure that no one knows what he is doing until it is too late. He convenes lame duck sessions more aggressively than most governors do nationwide. This is how he got the marijuana amendment on the ballot, not to mention the law for physician-assisted suicide. When he wants to stick it to the Catholic minority in New Jersey, 40 percent of the population, he waits until the last day of the lame-duck session to deviously force his will upon powerless Catholics. Being an outsider, he does not understand New Jersey or her people but he knows how to game our broken system. If Murphy ran for reelection on the RFA or its minor revision he is trying to pass now, he would have lost. He almost did after continuing to persecute Catholics, pro-lifers, and Italians - an expansive demographic to see him as both backward and antithetical to their values.
The Democratic Party does not represent the majority of New Jersey residents. Although they lost some seats recently, they still have absolute power over state government. The Republicans are to blame. Instead of going hard on cultural issues, Ciatteralli, an Italian, refused to defend Colombo or fight aggressively against the pro-abortion lobby. He obsessed over taxes instead.
Nearly all politics take place at the state level, but most New Jersey residents consider their municipal and county levels more important. The lack of statewide participation leads to the power of the abortion lobby in New Jersey. Right now, the state is deciding its legislative districts for ten years. That process discriminates against Italians and Catholics by including unauthorized residents in the redistricting process. Urban secularists and pro-abortion radicals get more voting power. They will count unauthorized residents, most of whom oppose radical abortion policies, but not grant them the right to vote.
The current system does not benefit unauthorized residents or Latinos but is used to prop up the power, unconstitutionally, of the abortion lobby and other radical anti-Catholic and anti-Italian interests. Malrepresentation, a lack of political participation and transparency, leads to events such as the vote for the RFA’s successor. The people of New Jersey are not represented.
Editor’s Note: Pictured is Jack Ciattarelli, Republican, who barely lost to Phil Murphy in the most recent election. Dr. Christopher Binetti is a political scientist and President of the Italian American Movement. He can be contacted at 732-549-2635 and cbinetti@terpmail.umd.edu
1-10-22
2021 WAS A WATERSHED YEAR FOR ITALIAN AMERICAN UNITY
- Judge Basil Russo Led The Way as President of the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations (COPOMIAO)
- National Virtual Summits, Forging New Ties with Italy’s Ambassador to the United States and Utilizing Legal Expertise to Sue Cities That Seek to Tear Down Columbus Statues
“For far too long our ancestors' story has been targeted by radical public officials, agitators, and attention seeking reformists for their own misguided social and political gain,” said Judge Russo
In October 2020, in the wake of a boiling anti-Columbus movement, ISDA President Basil M. Russo was unanimously elected by his peers to lead the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations.
Within a matter of weeks, COPOMIAO became an incubator of advocacy and activism focused on addressing longstanding issues undermining and erasing Italian American history.
Seemingly overnight, COPOMIAO launched coast-to-coast virtual summit meetings, established national committees to coordinate the efforts of all Italian American organizations.
“For far too long our ancestors' story has been targeted by radical public officials, agitators, and attention seeking reformists for their own misguided social and political gain,” said Judge Russo. “It’s the Italian American way to be self-reliant and not to play the ‘victim card’, but first and foremost we are about giving — and getting — respect. Our people aren’t toppling statues or discriminating against other groups, and thus, we used Columbus as a rallying cry that once and for all brought millions of Italian Americans together. Our work has flourished into a broad set of initiatives that pour resources and ingenuity into education, businesses, institutions, youth engagement, and diplomacy.”
With the goal of fostering a new era of collaboration to strengthen cultural relations, to promote new trade and bolster advocacy on issues of mutual concern between the Italian American community and the Italian government, COPOMIAO forged a new diplomatic partnership with Italy's Ambassador to the United States, Mariangela Zappia, at a special meeting held in Washington, D.C. on December 3, 2021.
“The Embassy and Italian institutions on both sides of the Atlantic greatly appreciate all that you do, each day, to promote our language, culture and traditions — in short, our heritage — in this exceptional country,” noted the ambassador in welcoming Judge Russo and the COPOMIAO delegation. "The entire diplomatic network in the U.S. is proud to work with you, side-by-side, to continue enhancing and promoting our beautiful Italy.”
Through bold initiatives of both national and international collaboration undertaken in 2021, Italian Americans began a new chapter to uphold the Italian culture in new and unexpected alliances to benefit those both inside and outside our heritage.
2022 Will be a Year of Continued Success:
Judge Russo issues new goals for ongoing work in 2022:
• Creating an Italian American Youth Summit Meeting to bring up-and-coming leaders and visionaries into the fold.
• Working to create public education lesson plans to promote the Italian language and Italian American history.
• Fostering Italian American museum exchange programs to highlight Italian and Italian American contributions to the United States.
• Coordinating lawsuits to protect Columbus statues in Philadelphia, Chicago, Pittsburgh, New Jersey and Syracuse, led by nationally recognized attorney George Bochetto.
• Initiating discussions with Indigenous Peoples’ groups to spark inter-cultural understanding and collaboration.
Judge Russo says, “Our successes have only been achieved because of our willingness to join hands and speak with a united voice at the national level.”
Editor’s Note: You and your organization can become part of this historic movement to embrace and preserve Italian American heritage by joining COPOMIAO here.
1-8-22
THE COLUMBUS STATUES IN NEWARK
- The Statues Were Erected to Quell The Persecution of Italian Americans During the Red Scare
- The Statues Were Torn Down by Mayor Ras Baraka in 2020 Without Deliberation or Any Input from Italian Americans in the City
By Daniel P Quinn
One Christopher Columbus (1972) statue endorsed by Congressman Peter Rodino used to stand on Bloomfield Avenue near North 8th Street. The city says it does not know who is responsible for taking it down.
Newark also removed another original Columbus statue from Washington Park (1922-25) that honored Giuseppe Verdi and Italian immigrant history in Newark.
The Dawn of Nevarca (Newark’s Little Italy) from 1885 when they fled economic hardship and poverty of the impoverished Mezzogiorno region. Southern Italy (Il Sud) was the raison d'etre for Newark’s Little Italy. Phonetically, Nevarca, was a Southern Italian contraction for their New Ark in America. Antonio Caruso (my great-Grandfather) arrived in the 1880’s and became a grocer in the First Ward on 8th Ave (now Central Ward). His wife’s maiden name was Tuosto. The family attended St Lucy’s Church. All nine children worked in the grocery store to help the family earn a living.
The immigrant Italians suffered deportations and discrimination. In part, this came out of the 1912, 1913 and 1919 labor strikes in Paterson and Lowell, Massachusetts. Deportations began the FBI career of 24-year-old J. Edgar Hoover. The Red Scare began after the Russian Revolution in 1917-20. Labor activists like the Irish native Elizabeth Gurley Flynn spoke at the American Labor Museum Botto House during the 1913 Paterson strike. Russian émigré Emma Goldman was also active in the pursuit of workers rights and living wages. She was later deported back to Russia. A Shoe Factory Payroll robbery in 1920 in South Braintree, Massachusetts had Nicola Sacco & Bartolomeo Vanzetti (Sacco & Vanzetti) arrested for the crime. Terrified, they spoke little English. They became a media sensation of the radical left and the hard rock conservatives in Boston. They endured two infamous trials to be convicted of “consciousness of guilt” and executed by electric chair in 1927. While in Italy, the other elephant was Mussolini (1883-1945) who rose to power in 1922 .
Columbus was a manifestation of anti-fascism in Newark in that period.
In 1925-27, the Giuseppe Verdi Society of Newark commissioned a Columbus statue for Washington Park on Broad St. The artwork demonstrated their commitment to Newark and America. Tenor Enrico Caruso (1873-1921) bridged opera and popular music to become one of the best selling recording artists of all time. Italians repressed their language in America. My mother was scolded by her grandfather to never speak Italian outside their house. They all struggled to learn English. It was considered anathema to speak Italian in public.
They saluted Columbus at that time because of the popular Columbus World’s Fair exhibitions. The statue of the great Genoese explorer was to mark their identity as Americans in a foreign land. The Statue of Liberty greeted these migrants and refugees in New York Harbor and at Ellis Island from their impoverished life in Southern Italy. Caruso and Verdi’s music still shine as legends in Italian culture for every opera house in the world.
The Newark Sunday Call published a striking photo of my Caruso Family in 1925. The Irish journalist referred to them as a “clan” which is an endearing Irish expression foreign to gli Italiani (the Italians). As an Irish-Italian and now a bridge between both cultures, I was asked if I was “Irish” at LaScala, and later when directing Tom Murphy’s Irish play “The Gigli Concert” in Italian in Rome.
As a child, I remembered only a few Italian expressions but nothing else. Frustrated, after my Master’s Degree at The American University in Washington, DC, I started taking Italian language classes in Bloomfield and Belleville Adult Schools before my season at LaScala began the rediscovery of my complicated Irish-Italian roots here and in Italy ever since. Columbus is part of the mix for all Italian Americans from Newark and elsewhere in New Jersey.
Editor’s Note: Mr. Quinn is the author of “Newark, Italy + Me.” You can purchase his book at Amazon.
1-7-22
UPDATE
Judge rejected Vincent Martinez Ortega's attempt to reduce the Columbus vandalism charge from a felony to a misdemeanor. A felony charge precludes him from serving of the city council there. He seeks to refile a new plea on January 19. PRIMO will continue to monitor the case.
- Italian Americans Are Called to Action
CITY COUNCIL MEMBER - VINCENTE MARTINEZ ORTEGA - IN PUEBLO, COLORADO IS COLUMBUS STATUE VANDAL
- According to Pueblo City Charter, No Convicted Felon Can Serve on the City Council
- Contact Prosecutor to Retain Felony Status for January 7 Hearing
1-4-22
SYRACUSE ITALIAN AMERICANS MAKE THEIR STAND
Their Fight to Retain the Columbus Monument Goes to Court on January 13th
- Italian Americans Offered The Hand of Settlement but Were Rebuffed by the Mayor
- A Contrast of Motivations Between Both Sides Is Most Apparent
By Truby Chiaviello
Another city. Another fight to save Columbus.
Italian Americans stand united to keep forever the stunning Columbus Monument inside Saint Mary’s Circle, more commonly known as Columbus Circle, along Onondaga Street in Syracuse.
Much can be said about the current controversy in this mid-size city in Upstate New York.
What remains most indicative, however, is how Mayor Ben Walsh rebuffed the generous offer of settlement by the Italian American community there.
Last year, through the guise of the Columbus Monument Corporation, Italian Americans proposed to fund a revolving art exhibit, inside a city park, at the cost of some $25,000. To be featured were the artworks of non-Italians in Syracuse. Artists and sculptors could display paintings and statues about the persecution and historic wrongs suffered by their specific ethnicities. They could even protest, through their art, Columbus and the settlement of the Americas. Italian Americans only asked, in return, for the Columbus Monument to remain where it has since 1934.
Silence was Mayor Walsh’s response. The olive branch was left to wither in the cold.
Several questions arise. Why is it the Italian American community are willing to accept works of art they might deem offensive but Mayor Walsh and his supporters are unable to do the same? Why is it Italian Americans seek resolution while Mayor Walsh and his angry supporters seek only division? Why is it Italian Americans offer healing while the mayor and his ilk only offer hate?
On January 13th, oral arguments will be heard by Justice Gerard Neri in Onondaga County Supreme Court about the fate of the Columbus Monument. At issue is whether Mayor Walsh overstepped his jurisdictional boundaries when he abruptly declared the structure’s demise. The Columbus Monument Corporation is the key petitioner to preserve the edifice in what is likely to be a long and arduous legal battle to take years to resolve.
It was never supposed to be this hard.
For Mayor Walsh, that is, and his anti-Italian supporters.
The playbook was to go something like this: Express hatred for Columbus. Make a proclamation to tear down the statue. Repeat a few generalized accusations against Columbus based on the writings of Howard Zinn. Never allow a more nobler view of Columbus from more reputable scholars based on facts and evidence. Never allow for deliberation. Never allow for negotiation. Never allow for compromise.
Mayor Walsh was to be like General Patton giving marching orders for contractors to invade St. Mary’s Circle to capture the statue. He was to be like Houdini to wave a hand for the object of his scorn to disappear.
Yet…the Columbus statue still stands in Syracuse today.
The Italian American community are resolved to fight in Syracuse. This is their city founded to be a source for salt mining and extraction as was its namesake - Siracusa - in Sicily.
Italian immigrants came here in the early 1900s, almost a century and a half after armed conflict ceased between Indigenous People and Northern European settlers in this part of the country. Strange, then, how the Italians and their hero, Columbus, remain a source of anger and resentment among some who belong to the Onondaga Indian tribe, today. Never mind, Columbus never set foot on what is today the mainland United States. Never mind, soldiers were either English or French, never Italian, who fought and killed Indigenous people here. Never mind, the Onondaga, who number only 156, can make their demand to dismantle the Columbus statue contrary to the wishes of some 22,000 Italian Americans in Syracuse.
Such is the incongruity of the current battle.
The Columbus Monument is a tangible connection to the Italian ancestors of participants in the current lawsuit. Consider Tony Pietrafesa, one of the lead attorneys, now working on the case, pro-bono, to preserve the statue and pedestal. His brother, Richard, oversees IT to manage the web site for the organization. They are the great-grandsons of Joseph Pietrafesa, an Italian immigrant entrepreneur who helped found the Columbus Monument Association, served as its location committee chairman and association president when the monument was erected in 1934.
Nicholas J. Pirro, former Onondaga County executive of some 20 years, is a key figure among petitioners. He is responsible for a host of public works in Syracuse, including the city’s convention center to bear his name. His grandfather, Joseph Pirro, an undertaker and real estate developer, pushed ahead fundraising activities for the Columbus Monument at a key moment in the late 1920s when Italians were ostracized during the Red Scare.
Mr. Pirro personifies how a great majority of Italian Americans feel. He vigorously supports the retention of the monument and considers Columbus a great man worthy of adulation and celebration. Yet, at the same time, he is sensitive to the needs of Indigenous People. For instance, on the shores of Onondaga Lake, at the edge of Syracuse, in nearby Liverpool, is a beautiful interactive educational campus, the Ska-Nonh Great Law of Peace Center. Onondaga Lake is sacred to the Onondaga Nation. As county executive, Mr. Pirro worked with the Indian tribe to create for them this important historical center. Those who might complain that Mr. Pirro and the Columbus Monument Corporation wish not to work with the Onondaga Nation have not considered the facts to exploit those with a lack of knowledge of the recent history, the achievements of Mr. Pirro and other Italian Americans. The Ska-Nonh Great Law and Peace Center is now managed by the Onondaga Nation and the Onondaga Historical Association, along with other community groups.
The Columbus Monument inspires Italian Americans to perform incredible feats. Consider Robert Gardino, a retired teacher who now serves as secretary for the Columbus Monument Corporation. He too is a party in the lawsuit, as is his wife, Joanne. Two years ago, he scaled the 29 foot tall monument to take down a tasteless sign demeaning the Genoese explorer. He had just turned 80.
To look back at the development of the Columbus Monument is to see a model of success for an ethnic group often at the receiving end of prejudice and discrimination. Hundreds of Italian Americans were involved in the effort. As far back as 1910, Torquato DeFelice and Serafino Chiarulli, professors at Syracuse University, conceived the idea for a statue by Renzo Baldi, a renowned sculptor from Florence. They sought a new narrative for Italian immigrants in America. Their notion came not less than 20 years after the largest lynching in American history of 11 Italians, wrongly accused of murdering a police chief in New Orleans. It was in 1920 when Italian anarchists were suspected of exploding a bomb on Wall Street that killed 20 people. A spirit of malevolent prejudice confronted the Italians, even after two anarchists, Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, were put to death for the murder of a paymaster in Braintree, Massachusetts, when extensive evidence suggested their innocence.
Erecting the Columbus Monument was to send a message that Italians had arrived. They had come to contribute to America, a country they loved equal to, if not more than, their cherished Italy. They raised funds and made plans only to be interrupted by World War I, the 1929 stock market crash and the beginnings of the Great Depression. Years of setback were met by increased determination. When the statue was finally unveiled, all of Syracuse celebrated with parades, rallies and parties.
To see the Columbus Monument today is to see an inspired work of art where stands the bronzed figure of the Genoese mariner at the cusp of discovery and adventure. He is in the center of a historically recognized landmarked area, where situated is Saint Paul’s Cathedral, the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception and the old courthouse. Although the statue was made by an Italian, the pedestal was constructed by Syracuse native, Dwight James Baum, a distant relative to L. Frank Baum, author of “The Wizard of Oz.”
Such are the two groups in Syracuse now in dispute.
The Italian Americans seek to create and preserve while Mayor Walsh and his angry supporters seek to diminish and destroy. The Italian Americans seeks to educate and understand while their adversaries seek only to mis-inform and deny. The powers-that-be, key political figures, the local newspaper, historical and art societies are no different than those of other cities in America. They line up against the Italians with relished zeal to employ a totalitarian concept of intolerance and censorship. They embrace contradiction. A mayor for all residents pits himself against a specific ethnic group to make up 20 percent of residents while the historical preservation society there seeks to infringe history and tear down an art masterpiece.
The Italian Americans of Syracuse inspire great pride among all of us. They enter the arena to oppose opportunistic trends of historical revision and hatred. They battle to preserve the legacy of their ancestors. They strive to retain the status of their hero, revered by them as he was by members of their respective families; those who are now gone, but never forgotten.
The Italian Americans of Syracuse. Their fight is our fight.
Editor’s Note: Pictured is the beautiful Columbus Monument at Saint Mary’s Circle in Syracuse. The Italian Americans have been most vigilant in communicating their cause ranging from a billboard sign to lawn signs in the city. Hatred for the monument can extend to religious intolerance as the mayor has called for the removal of plaques at the base where one depicts the Holy Cross. To learn how you can help the The Columbus Monument Corporation in Syracuse in their admirable struggle to retain the Columbus Monument, please log on to their web site at www.columbusmonumensyracuse.com. We send our prayers, support and do all we can to help them win.
1-2-22
- Italian Americans Are Called to Action
CITY COUNCIL MEMBER - VINCENTE MARTINEZ ORTEGA - IN PUEBLO, COLORADO IS COLUMBUS STATUE VANDAL
- According to Pueblo City Charter, No Convicted Felon Can Serve on the City Council
- Contact Prosecutor to Retain Felony Status for January 7 Hearing
From Italian Sons & Daughters of America
Vicente Martinez Ortega was recently elected to the Pueblo City Council (Colorado).
However, authorities contend that Mr. Ortega, who has been one of the most vocal advocates for the removal of Pueblo’s Columbus Monument, vandalized Christopher Columbus Plaza in late May 2021, and according to the Pueblo City Charter, an elected official convicted of a felony is required to forfeit their position. Mr, Ortega plans on beating this by simply pleading guilty to a lesser charge — a misdemeanor — which would enable him to assume office. And there you have it. This man not only spit on our heritage but then proceeds to defecate on our laws and history by simply pleading to a lesser charge because insulting Italian Americans and our ancestors is not important; it's trivial; it's a misdemeanor. What if this was done to a Native American monument or Hispanic monument?
Mr. Ortega’s plea hearing is set for January 7, 2022. He is scheduled to be sworn into office three days later.
The community is urging Italian Americans ACROSS THE COUNTRY to contact special prosecutor, Cody Christian, and respectfully ask that the felony charge NOT be reduced to a misdemeanor. Her contact information is below.
Your silence means Martinez Ortega is correct: Italian-Americans are insignificant... so much so that he can vandalize our statues and suffer no consequences. DON'T HAND HIM A VICTORY!
Contact the people below and tell them we need to be respected!
------------------------------
Reference case number 2021CR000943.
Ms. Cody Christian, Special Prosecutor
Reference Vicente Martinez Ortega
Email: codychristian@elpasoco.com
………………………………………………………………………………………
PRIMO Magazine has crafted a template letter to be used by Italian Americans when politely contacting Special Prosecutor Cody Christian regarding Mr. Ortega’s case. Please copy and paste the document with insertion(s) of your immigrant relatives, your name and state to email to Ms. Christian at codychristian@elpasoco.com
Dear Ms. Cody Christian, Special Prosecutor
I hope this email finds you well. Happy New Year!
I am writing you today in reference to the pending case number 2021CR000943 of Mr. Vincente Martinez Ortega.
As a proud Italian American, I am outraged at the vandalism hate crime committed by Mr. Ortega against the Columbus statue and monument in Pueblo, Colorado.
The edifice is an attractively designed tribute to the Genoese explorer, a hero to a great majority of Italian Americans, such as myself. Many Italian immigrants, such as my (INSERT NAME OF YOUR ANCESTOR(S)) came to the United States near the time the Columbus monument was erected by Italian Americans in Pueblo in 1905.
Many Italian immigrants were greeted with prejudice and outright hostility when they came to America. Statues and monuments of Columbus helped to mitigate a spirit of malevolence towards them. Words and depictions in stone and bronze conveyed a message that was most relevant then, as it is today: We, Italians and Italian Americans, come, not to take from America, but to contribute to America in the spirit of the New World discovery by Columbus.
As a patriotic American who is proud of my Italian immigrant ancestors, I find it a hate crime towards the Italian American community when Mr. Ortega vandalized Pueblo’s Columbus statue and monument. Mr. Ortega’s motives are based on a false and maligned view of Columbus and American history, as notoriously written and promoted by the late Howard Zinn. Mr. Ortega is no different than those of the past who attacked and assaulted Italian immigrants, for no other reason than they were different, that they were born in another country with different cultural attributes and mores.
Mr. Ortega’s propensity towards violence in settling disputes is most apparent. His attack against a defenseless structure conveys his nefarious character. He cannot be trusted to serve Italian American and other residents on Pueblo’s city council after his hateful display towards a symbol of hope for our Italian American community.
I respectfully urge you to please not reduce Mr. Ortega’s sentence from a felony to a misdemeanor status. Please do not send a message that crime pays against Italian Americans. Please do not allow Mr. Ortega to serve as a model for others to desecrate the legacy of Italian immigrants and their descendants.
Sincerely,
Name
City, State
1/1/22
ITALIAN AMERICAN ONE VOICE COALITION REVIEWS PAST YEAR AND CHARTS COURSE FOR 2022
The Organization Proclaims a Successful 2021 for Victories in Preserving Columbus; Defending Italian American Civil Rights; Gaining Support from Italian American Organizations and Individuals Across The Country; and Plans for an Active New Year
The Italian American One Voice Coalition (IAOVC), America’s largest independent Italian American anti-bias and educational organization, reports a successful 2021. Plans are now underway for an ambitious 2022 to continue the organization’s mission to defend Columbus and Italian American civil rights.
Dr. Manny Alfano, founder and president of IAOVC, said, about 2021, “Looking back at this past year, I am amazed at our many, many accomplishments in defending our Italian American civil rights and especially, our victories preserving Columbus as the iconic symbol of our heritage. We worked with Italian American groups and individuals across the country opposing the widespread attacks on Columbus statues, Columbus Day and Italian American civil rights. We are grateful for the strong participation and support of many groups and individuals with their advocacy efforts and financial support. This encourages us to plan for more activity in the New Year so we can expand our media, legal and advocacy activities.”
IAOVC posted some serious victories in 2021 to preserve Columbus Day in many schools and towns across the country, particularly the schools of Randolph, New Jersey where the dispute garnered worldwide media attention. Throughout 2021, IAOVC chalked up significant nationwide media exposure. Over 100 TV and radio appearances were made by Andre DiMino, IAOVC executive board member. He spoke consistently to defend Columbus and oppose the stereotyping and denigration of Italian Americans. IAOVC continues its landmark federal litigation filed against West Orange, New Jersey over the removal of the Columbus monument there and the resulting violation of Italian American civil rights under the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
A number of awards and commendations were given to IAOVC in 2021 such as the Columbus International Award from Fondazione Italia, an international academic organization based in Italy. Dr. Alfano and Mr. DiMino accepted an award from the Italian American Heritage Club of Hunterdon County, New Jersey. IAOVC’s Frank Lorenzo received the Mille Grazie Award from UNICO National.
With its main office in Bloomfield, New Jersey, IAOVC was actively involved with Italian American organizations and individuals from across the United States to oppose the continued malevolent moves to eliminate Columbus Day in 2021.
IAOVC established a cooperative relationship with the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations (COPOMIAO) through its president, Basil Russo; the Commission of Social Justice of the Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America through its president Robert Ferrito; and the Anti-Bias Committee of UNICO National through its chair, James Scanelli.
IAOVC organized video conferences, webinars, petitions and attended a number of public hearings, in tandem with the use of extensive social media venues, to further the defense of Columbus and Italian American civil rights. Although there were a number of places where Columbus Day was eliminated, a number of important victories were achieved by IAOVC. Based on these wins, there appears to be a lessening of activity in the moves to replace Columbus Day with another group’s holiday – a violation of Italian American civil rights and the epitome of discrimination.
With its mission to educate, IAOVC established an academic panel and committee, chaired by historian, Maria Ricupero, to coordinate factual content to support IAOVC initiatives. IAOVC continued its electronic media education efforts for an initiative to highlight unique facts about the Italian American experience with concise and interesting videos called “The ONE VOICE Minute.” New editions featured topics on Columbus, famous Italian Americans and background information on specific holidays and events.
“2022 will be another exciting and eventful year for IAOVC,” commented DiMino. “There is much work to be done across the country as stereotyping of Italian Americans continues and we see continued attacks on Columbus with the rampant cancel culture in schools and towns. We must be vigilant as we join with Italian American organizations and individuals across the US in defending our great heritage and culture.”
This past year, IAOVC held a nationwide virtual conference for its organization and individual members. Based on the success of the gathering, IAOVC will now conduct virtual conferences several times a year to coordinate activities and share information among its’ membership. The IAOVC Winter 2022 Conference is scheduled for Sunday, January 23, 2022 at 7 p.m. to include some special guests and presentations.
IAOVC is different from all other Italian American organizations in that its sole focus and objective is to foster education to fight bias, stereotyping and discrimination against Italian Americans. IAOVC is an IRS-registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization.
IAOVC issues a regular e-newsletter, titled The Alfano Digest, to more than 5,000 individuals and Italian American organizations nationwide. Written and compiled by Dr. Alfano, the Digest issues alerts on instances of bias, stereotyping, discrimination and defamation. The newsletter serves as a means to activate the IAOVC nationwide network of “Defenders” who respond through calls, emails, faxes, letters and demonstrations where necessary. The Digest contains Italian American cultural and heritage information. To receive the Digest, email Dr. Alfano at mannyalfano@comcast.net.
To support IAOVC’s efforts at defending and educating about Columbus and Italian American civil rights visit iaovc.org/donate
Editor’s Note: Pictured from left to right in the top photograph are the board members of IAOVC: Gene Antonio, Andre DiMino, Dr. Manny Alfano, Anthony Bengivenga, Tony Santarelli, Bob Tarte, Frank Lorenzo, Dr. Ann Walko, Paul Alongi and Robert DiBiase. Mr. DiMino, Mr. DiBiase and Dr. Alfano are pictured together at an awards ceremony.
12-31-21
Response to “In Defense of Chris Cuomo” Op-Ed
THE CUOMOS ARE VICTIMS OF THE TIMES
- However, Anti-Italianism Was Still at Work in the Firing of Chris Cuomo
“…I hardly agreed with Cuomo’s political viewpoint but I was also pleased to see an Italian American in TV prime time…”
By Peter Vitale
I read the Op-Ed piece on PRIMO’s web site by Dr. Christopher Binetti, “In Defense of Chris Cuomo,” and, at first, I was put off by it’s very premise, but as I got deeper into it, I can appreciate the point he makes by way of ethnic contrasts going back so far as 11 years.
For full transparency, I hardly agreed with Cuomo’s political viewpoint but I was also pleased to see an Italian American in TV prime time, partly out of nostalgia for his father, Governor Mario Cuomo, who made one of the most profound and impactful speeches at the 1984 Democratic National Convention 37 years ago.
The answer to Dr. Binetti’s question regarding ethnic loyalty is that we are in a completely different world now when you consider the cancel culture and the political division we face every day.
From a political view, 30 years ago, former Governor Andrew Cuomo’s scandal never would have made the front page. When we couple his alleged sexual harassment (true or not) and the decline of ethical journalism with the hyper-partisanship in America today, the family ties and brotherly love are left in the dust.
From an ethical view, CNN may not have fired Chris Cuomo but for the egregious trail of irresponsible and unethical journalism that has plagued them for at least the last two years. CNN could not change the optics of the Cuomo situation. They had to take action. Was it easy because he was Italian and not a minority? Of course.
Nevertheless, it begs the question that Dr. Binetti asks…Why don’t Italians stick together despite these serious allegations?
The lack of grass rooted Italian American effort to reverse the Columbus Statute removal is but one example. It appears we are now one of the modern minorities and our voice is slowly diminishing just like ethnic groups before us. America’s history is littered with them.
The Cuomos were caught up in the perfect storm of our society’s ever-growing social dissent and political dementia. Those are the only terms I can use to describe where we are at the moment and to boot….Lemon is still on the air after passing information to Jussie Smollett.
In any case, enjoy the New Year and pray we get over this chaos.
Editor’s Note: Mr. Vitale has written a number of excellent articles for PRIMO and continues to pen stories for the magazine with emphasis on Italian Americans in Massachusetts. To read Dr. Binetti’s op-ed, please scroll down two articles on this home page.
HOME IS WHERE THE HEART (AND FOOD) IS
For Italian-born, U.S.-based Alessandro Concas, Sr., Teaching the Romance Language Through His Serata Italiana (Italian Evening) Initiative is All about Heart, Passion and Great Cuisine – Even in the Midst of a Pandemic.
What do you get when you combine an expert Italian language and culture program with authentic Italian settings, cuisine and an avid passion for bringing like-minded people together for authentic experiences?
The Serata Italiana initiative, brainchild of Alessandro Concas, Sr., husband/promoter/business partner of renowned pianist and entrepreneur Oksana® Kolesnikova.
For the Italian-born Concas, teaching the quasi-seductive Romance language through his Serata Italiana program is all about heart, passion and great food – even in the midst of a pandemic.
Due to social distancing measures, Serata Italiana has been operating mostly in an online fashion for the entire last year, but the program has finally resumed on a face-to-face basis, with new classes now forming in Los Angeles. Online classes are ongoing and always available anywhere in the United States via pre-scheduled Zoom meetings.
Concas was born in Rome, the son of Sicilian and Sardinian parents and grew up in the Costa Smeralda area of Sardinia. He has been a U.S. citizen for over two decades – yet it was his underlying connection to his native country of Italy and the Italian people that spearheaded his launch of Serata Italiana, first in Florida, then in Los Angeles; which, ultimately, led to his decision to teach classes. His fun, hands-on teaching approach is often compared to the Rassias Method.
“The way I see it, there is an inherent value in being able to speak a foreign language, especially when it comes to Italian, being that I am of Italian descent and share a deep-rooted love with the culture and ancestry there,” Concas explains. “This is one of the primary reasons I started Serata Italiana, as I believe all like-minded Italy lovers, especially those with business, familial or personal connections to the country, should honor their roots and interests – and there’s no better way to do so, by my estimation, than learning the language.”
Serata Italiana (Italian Evening) is an expert Italian language and culture program that offers beginner, intermediate and advanced levels of courses, all experienced to the backdrop of authentic Italian settings, dinners and more. Described as a “fun and effective approach” to learning Italian, the classes encompass grammar review, reading/writing exercises, geography lessons, role play, travel planning and culture notes, with native instructors regularly stressing the practice of proper verb conjugations, vocabulary building and popular idiomatic expressions – all while ultimately keeping the experience fun and educational.
“We find that couples especially love attending Serata Italiana” says Concas. “It’s a fun and educational activity not easily found anywhere else.”
As a bonus, a complimentary authentic Italian meal is served during every in-person class, featuring generous portions of delicious pasta, antipasti and other Italian delicacies.
During the Serata Italiana grammar instruction sessions and accompanying meals, Italian-language films may be shown from time to time alongside popular Italian song translations, with Concas and his partner in this endeavor, Natalie Blancardi of www.compass.com always welcoming film and music suggestions from their students.
“Students are always invited to bring their favorite desserts or vino to class, and are always encouraged to network and socialize amongst themselves – in Italian, of course,” adds Concas. “We do stress, however, that students use Uber or Lyft should they indulge in additional revelries.”
In the midst of these educational opportunities, Concas and his Serata Italiana program, in collaboration with his partner, Maria Catja Caradonna, of www.LikeItaliansDo.com, is also planning a yearly Italy Dream Vacation starting the summer of 2022. Pending the outcome of the ongoing pandemic, Concas is offering friends, colleagues and attendees of the Italian language classes, a 14-day luxury vacation indulgence throughout July. While the second leg of the trip focuses on Sicily, the first itinerary includes a special 30-percent-off rate at the jaw-droppin Colonna Resort in beautiful Costa Smeralda, Sardinia, a deal Concas struck with the property’s management team. Beyond the culinary magnetism of this awe-inspiring resort are luxurious pampering amenities, meeting and events facilities and a culturally-rich locale that, according to Concas, must be experienced to be believed.
The second leg of the Italy Dream Vacation promises to be equally as enchanting, what with the majestic shores of Sicily providing the vibrant backdrop. The Sicily leg of the Italy Dream Vacation is being mostly planned by Caradonna, a seasoned serial entrepreneur who shares Concas’ very own passions about Italy.
More details about the trip will be announced on the Serata Italiana website, so interested parties are encouraged to check for updates from time to time.
Classes for children and teens also available via Zoom. Visit www.SerataItaliana.club, TEXT 323-533-8623 or email info@oksanafoundation.org
Op-Ed
IN DEFENSE OF CHRIS CUOMO
Fighting for Chris Cuomo Ensures Fair Treatment for All Italian Americans
- When Did Helping One’s Brother Become Grounds for Dismissal?
By Christopher Binetti, Ph.D.
Chris Cuomo was a veteran journalist. He was a main star at CNN. Now he has lost his job after he helped his brother. Many in the media, such as those on Fox News, celebrated Chris’s departure. They did the same for his brother, Andrew Cuomo, former governor of New York, who resigned in November over allegations of sexual assault and misconduct.
The latest news are cases still pending from the attorney general’s report of the various accusations made against former Governor Cuomo. Yet, just before Christmas, prosecutors in Nassau County dismissed theirs for lack of credible evidence. Nevertheless, criminal investigations continue in other New York counties.
For now, two questions arise in our focus of Chris Cuomo.
Would Chris Cuomo not have been fired from his post at CNN if he was not Italian? And…why doesn’t the Italian American community fight for him?
On October 19, 2020, Jeffrey Toobin, while employed at The New Yorker Magazine, was caught molesting himself on a Zoom call when interviewed on WNYC radio. The New Yorker fired him and WNYC has all, but, banned him for life. Yet, he remains employed at CNN as their chief legal analyst.
In 2012 and 2014, Fareed Zakaria, an Indian American journalist was accused of plagiarism, not just while working at CNN, but, also, for his articles published in Time, Newsweek, The Washington Post and Slate. Zakaria went so far as to apologize for his conduct to writer Jill Lepore. Did he get fired? No, of course not.
In stark contrast, Chris Cuomo was fired almost immediately after evidence arose he offered to help his brother survive the current scandal. His motivation was obviously familial duty and love of sibling. Why was he, then, dismissed so abruptly? Why wasn’t a lesser penalty or punishment offered? Why wasn’t he kept on at CNN and other media venues as was Toobin and Zakaria?
Chris Cuomo’s fate is tied, in part, to his Italian identity. The lack of an ethnic group to back him led to his isolation for a quick dismissal.
Italians have become the least protected ethnic group in America when it comes to celebrity justice. Why is this so? For one, it comes down to the sad and unnecessary division among Italian American leaders and groups. Until recently, we never united over anything. The anti-Colombo movement changed some of this thanks to the commendable efforts of Judge Basil Russo who now leads the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations (COPOMIAO). Yet, the National Italian American Foundation, the largest and most powerful Italian American organization in America refused to support the Italian American community’s suit against Philadelphia to save the Colombo statue there. If the most powerful Italian organization is against us on Colombo, then how can we unify over anything else?
When Chris Cuomo was being attacked as “Fredo,” I wrote in his defense, but the Italian American community, at large, was silent. When police officer Daniel Pantaleo was fired after he accidentally killed Eric Garner, the Italian American community refused to fight for him. When Joe Giudice, husband of a star on the Real Housewives of New Jersey, was deported to Salerno, his birthplace, after serving a prison sentence for over 40 months here in the United States, no one defended him. Now, Chris Cuomo has lost his job and no one in the Italian American community wants to come to his aid. They refuse to even talk about potential discrimination in his case.
No wonder, we’re picked on! We are the only minority community where those accused of wrongdoing must defend themselves alone without support from their ethnic group.
In 2010, Dharun Ravi, an Indian American student at Rutgers University, was arrested and charged with cyberbullying his gay Italian roommate, Tyler Clementi, who killed himself. The Italian community stayed silent, letting the LGBT community, alone, fight for Tyler. The Indian American community came to Ravi’s defense by making him a victim. They demanded he not be jailed or deported back to India where he was born. He was convicted in the case but sentenced to only 30 days jail time. His appeal overturned many of the charges. Ask yourself, what might have happened if the roles were reversed. What if the offender was Clementi and he was born in Italy? What if Ravi was the victim? No doubt, the Italian would have been deported.
You cannot blame Indian Americans for defending their own. The community was worried that the young man’s life could be ruined for what they perceived was a minor crime. I view it as a major crime, but you see the parallel. Our guy gets deported, their guy doesn’t.
In the end, Italians reject solidarity with other Italians as other minorities do and we get creamed for it. We say things like, “oh, that guy has a different ideology than mine,” or, “that guy is a crook.” Well, guess what? The Anglo-controlled mainstream media thinks all Italians, who are proud of their ethnicity, are crooks.
Do you believe black civil rights activists think all people they support are angels? No, but they understand what solidarity means. Sometimes, you must defend a person when he is a victim of discrimination even though you may not like him. Hence, we must defend Chris Cuomo to ensure fair treatment for all. We do this to establish a precedent in the media, academia and government for all Italian Americans to be treated without prejudicial bias and double standards.
It might be tempting to refuse solidarity with those of our own community. You have seen excessive displays such as the support Jussie Smollett received before he was proven to have faked a racist assault in Chicago. Nevertheless, Italians need to stick up for other Italians, if for no other reason, because no one else will.
Editor’s Note: Dr. Christopher Binetti is a political scientist, historian and president of the Italian American Movement, a 501c3 Italian American civil rights organization. If you want to contact him, email him at cbinetti@terpmail.umd.edu or call him at 732-549-2635.
Primo Review
“HOUSE OF GUCCI”
- A Failed Attempt at Oscar Bait
- Too Many Flaws Riddle This Film by Ridley Scott
By Rami Chiaviello
“House of Gucci” is the most disappointing movie of 2021. The film, as directed by Ridley Scott, dramatizes the tumultuous inner conflicts of the Gucci family in the 1980s and 1990s. The struggle for power over the Gucci brand was a key event in international fashion. Lady Gaga stars as Patrizia Regganni, former wife of Maurizio Gucci, played by Adam Driver. Others in the film are Jared Leto as Paolo Gucci, Al Pacino as Aldo Gucci, Jeremy Irons as Rodolpho Gucci and Salma Hayek as Pina, a psychic who guides Patrizia.
With such a talented cast and director, it’s incredibly surprising how much “House of Gucci” fails in nearly every aspect of it’s identity. The film suffers from lackluster performances, bland dialogue, rushed pacing, an uninteresting visual style and frustrating creative choices. The film attempted to emulate a sleek, fast-paced, savvy style present in other bio-dramas such as “The Social Network,” “Steve Jobs,” and “The Founder.” In “House of Gucci,” however, a lack of charisma, heart and intelligence, present in those other films and crucial to their success, dooms this tale of an Italian fashion empire.
The first flaw noticed is the film’s dichotomous pacing. Scenes between characters seemingly last forever while nothing of substance is shown. Yet, in what remains an odd contradiction, the film goes through key events very quickly. In the beginning, for instance, Patrizia is introduced to Maurizio, only for the very next scene to have Maurizio attempt to convince his father, Rodolpho, to allow him to marry her. The speed of progression never allows the audience enough time to fully understand the characters.
The most glaring issue is the writing. “House of Gucci” suffers from one of the weakest screenplays, I’d argue, ever written for a production of this caliber. Nearly every line of dialogue is uninteresting and dull. The conversation between Rodolpho and his son, Maurizio, is vacuous. It feels incredibly slow, because it’s incredibly uninteresting. The film’s lackluster screenplay coupled with a frenetic, fast-paced progression exhausts the audience. We move from one event to another, but the journey is incredibly miserable.
Much of the buzz for “House of Gucci” was its stellar cast. Lady Gaga won an Oscar for her musical performance in the 2018 remake, “A Star is Born.” She is perfectly cast as Patrizzia. Adam Driver, a two-time Academy Award nominee, also, has an incredible likeness to Maurizio. Jared Leto, Jeremy Irons, Al Pacino and Salma Hayek are all incredibly talented with dozens of accolades. However, their performances in this film are less than desirable. Actually, I empathize with the actors involved, as it must have been incredibly difficult to make this lackluster screenplay work. Nevertheless, each actor and actress, with the notable exception of Lady Gaga, is simply phoning in their performances. When watching “House of Gucci,” the real-life characters seem to disappear when the actors portray them. You aren’t watching Maurizio Gucci or Rodolpho Gucci, you’re watching Adam Driver and Jeremy Irons with silly Italian accents. Lady Gaga, however, does shine in her role. She comes across as charming and enigmatic to make her character work.
What else could go wrong is answered in the film’s poor creative choices. Visually, there is nothing present as either stunning or compelling. The camera doesn’t elevate the story. This is both strange and sad, since Ridley Scott, over the course of his long and distinguished career, has cultivated one of the greatest visual styles among contemporary directors. The material, here, seems to box him in without the creative space to really explore a unique directorial style. The film is riddled with creative choices that are puzzling such as the editing that is both choppy and disorienting. Most baffling is the lack of a memorable original score. Instead, licensed music is a frequent accompaniment to be glaringly out of place. In one scene, Maurizio Gucci, after being cut out of his father’s business, works for his father-in-law’s trucking company. After cleaning a rig, he sprays one of his coworkers for a “fun” spray battle to ensue. It’s a ridiculous scene, made even more ridiculous by the choice to score the action with an Italian cover of “I’m A Believer” by The Monkees. While the most egregious example of this odd music choice, the film is riddled with moments like this.
Of all the issues with “House of Gucci,” none is more frustrating than the choice of narrative. The tragedy of the Gucci family is not conducive to light fare. Their tale is a reminder of how greed, jealousy, anger and power can tear a family, a brand and a business apart. This is especially true when an outside force is responsible for much of the destruction. “House of Gucci” is told through the perspective of Patrizia, who infamously ordered a contract killing of her ex-husband Maurizio. There is no issue with her viewpoint as narrative, except when this film conveys her, not as a coldhearted murderess but, rather, a glamorized victim. Meanwhile, those whom she destroyed are portrayed as pompous buffoons oblivious to her manipulations and deceptions. The Gucci family were no saints, mind you, but they deserved to be treated better.
“House of Gucci” is a sad reminder that just because you have the best pieces, doesn’t guarantee you’ll win the game.
Editor’s Note: Film locations for “House of Gucci” were mostly in Northern Italy; highlights include Florence, Como, Lake Como, Rome, Aosta Valley, parts of the countryside in Tuscany and Lazio regions, and, of course, Milan. “House of Gucci” is still playing in movie theaters throughout the country. You can learn more about the film by logging on to https://www.houseofguccimovie.ca/home/
WREATHS ON HALLOWED GROUND
- The Spirit of Christmas at Arlington National Cemetery
- A New Annual Event to Lay Wreaths at The Graves of Military Veterans Parents and offspring of the deceased were there with photographs, notes and mementoes to attach to wreaths beside markers
By Truby Chiaviello
A new tradition is upon us.
One to fuse the spirit of Christmas with the spirit of patriotism.
An annual event in Washington, D.C., akin to the spring cherry blossom parade and festival, is the laying of Christmas wreaths at Arlington National Cemetery.
Not actually in Washington, mind you, as the sprawling burial ground, at 639 acres, is situated in Arlington, Virginia, as the name so indicates. Yet, seen from a host of vantage points in the nation’s capital is the massive graveyard for deceased military service men and women. Most were killed in action. However, there are those also buried here who were in the reserve corps but died of natural causes and might have been employed in certain federal agencies or served in Congress, or as federal judges, ambassadors, or even, the president of the United States. The final resting place for those who served their country is seemingly connected to the National Mall by way of the Ancient Roman inspired Arlington Memorial Bridge over the Potomac River.
Many burial sites inside Arlington National Cemetery received a Christmas wreath in the early morning hours of Saturday, December 17th. Hundreds of volunteers were on hand to carry evergreen bouquets, each tied to a circular wire with a red ribbon. The pine rings were to lean upon some 250,000 marble headstones that day.
Participants were more than just good samaritans acting as temporary groundskeepers. They were parents, offspring, siblings, close relatives, friends and comrades-in-arms of those who died and are buried inside the cemetery. They had come from all over the United States to share the Christmas spirit with those who passed.
Wreaths Across America is the name of the non-profit organization to provide wreaths, the scheduling and the management of laying activities. They also raise money to fund the mission from a host of sponsors, most notably Lockheed Martin, who contributed $210,000 for this year’s event. Credit husband-and-wife farmers, Morrill and Karen Worcester, for conceiving the idea to place wreaths at the cemetery. Karen, currently, serves as the organization’s executive director. Their evergreen farm in Harrington, Maine had an excess of Christmas wreaths back in 1992. Morrill recalled a boyhood visit to Arlington National Cemetery with his family on their trip to Washington, D.C. Why not send the wreaths there?
The Worcesters donated 5,000 wreaths, then. They continued to increase the size of their contributions in each of the years that followed. In 2005, at the height of the Iraq War, a photograph circulated on the Internet to show green wreaths on the many gravestones after snow fell at Arlington National Cemetery. People from all around the country contacted the Worcesters to volunteer to lay wreaths at their local veterans’ memorials and graveyards. Today, some 230 military cemeteries throughout America and overseas, near famous battlegrounds, contain wreaths at Christmastime.
It was just after dawn on December 17th when 66 tractor trailers full of wreaths arrived for people to carry to grave sites inside Arlington National Cemetery.
Parents and offspring of the deceased were there with photographs, notes and mementoes to attach to wreaths beside markers. A solemn moment of remembrance could be felt for those who passed. Survivors know how past Christmases cannot be replicated when gone are their husbands, wives, children, parents and good friends. The closest they come to special holiday moments is to lay a fresh wreath at the final resting places of loved ones.
Parades of wreaths transform the burial ground into something vital and memorable. Although hallowed and solemn, the cemetery now contains many evergreen displays to usher in a sense of vibrance and celebration for Christmas. Those who have passed are not alone. The wreaths are there to connect them, spiritually, to families and friends who miss them on Christmas.
Plans are currently underway for next year’s event at Arlington National Cemetery. Wreaths Across America announced a grand ambition to lay wreaths at all American veteran cemeteries throughout the world.
Editor’s Note: Pictured are the many wreaths at Arlington National Cemetery, below, left to right, volunteers, the founders of the event, Morrill and Karen Worcester, and a child mourner by a gravesite. You can learn more about Wreaths Across America by logging on to their web site at https://www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/. The Arlington National Cemetery reports some 25 burials occur there almost every day. Their web site is https://www.arlingtoncemetery.mil/#/.
MEMORIES OF PAIN IN NAPOLI
Director Paolo Sorrentino Recalls His Troubled Youth in His New Film, “The Hand of God”
- Now showing on Netflix
- Italy’s choice for the Oscars
“My film aesthetics have always been linked to an order of things. So, its not so easy to shoot in Napoli.”
By Jesper Storgaard Jensen
PR photos: Gianni Fiorito and Studio Lucherini Pignatelli
“This is my most personal film, so far.”
In recent months, film director Paolo Sorrentino, when interviewed by the Italian press about his new film, “The Hand of God,” has repeated this sentence several times. Actually, so often, that it almost seems to have the strength of a religious mantra. And this – being his most personal film – could really not come as a surprise, since Sorrentino tells the story about his family, and, especially, about the sudden death of his parents.
At 16, Sorrentino used to join his parents at the family’s newly bought countryside home in Roccaraso. But, that particular weekend, when the tragedy occurred, the young Paolo did not join them. Instead, he stayed home in the family apartment in Napoli to watch the game when Diego Armando Maradona was playing.
In Roccaraso, in the small house, there was a leak of carbon oxide. This led to a huge explosion. And back in Napoli, Paolo’s life changed radically from one second to another.
“My parents died when I was 16, and it was an indescribable tragedy,” said Sorrentino in an interview with Il Venerdi, an Italian weekly. “The words I know are not suitable. My youth ended that day. At 16. There is no right time to lose your parents but losing them during your teenage years is a very serious problem. Certain losses don't just create pain. You suddenly become old and at the same time you remain anchored to childhood. At 16, you need support, comfort, security. On the day of my parents' funeral, the principal of my school only sent a representation of four classmates and not the whole class. I was extremely disappointed about that. But today it doesn't matter anymore because now the whole class is present, they are my audience. Cinema can be used to distract from reality. Because the reality is poor. This is why, I want another life. This is why, I want to make films. I want my children to know that the future can be there for everyone, even for those who leave their childhood with a handicap.”
When creating art – both in writing and in a cinematic language – there is often a fine line between what is strictly personal and what has been added for artistic purposes.
Sorrentino says, “I have had to cut the time of the pain that my parents’ death had inflicted on me. This is in order not to make a devastating film. I have also had to cut out certain things that would risk annoying the spectator. Then, as regards the timeline, I have had to mix different events to give them a natural order. I have quite a good memory about my childhood and teen years, so I have been able to choose elements to build the plot, so that it could have a value for the whole movie. You need to do that as a director because certain things may be important to you, but less important to the spectator.”
The Sorrentino touch
“The Hand of God” is Sorrentino’s film number ten. You’ll definitely feel the famous Sorrentino touch, sometimes difficult to describe. It seems to be floating in air, something invisible. Is it the lightning? The photography? Is it the way the story is told? Is it the oddness - or even bizarreness – of certain characters? Or, perhaps, a mix of all these elements?
Despite the presence of the invisible “Sorrentino trademark,” in some way, the film seems to be “different” from his previous work. But why is that?
“I don’t interrogate myself too much about my films,” says Sorrentino. “I have been used to making them in a certain way. But, at a certain point – I must admit – it got a bit tiring. I became aware of the fact that frequently using the same tricks and making variations of the same theme, I only managed to reproduce the same things, but, in a slightly, different manner. I had become habitual. When I think about the two pope-series I have done, it is as if they, together, recount for ten films. At a certain point your mental images seem to end, you use them all and then you start to repeat them. This new film was to be totally different. It’s a much more simpler work, without articulate and complex feelings. It’s a film about joy and about pain.”
The film’s gallery of strong personalities is impressing. Until the incident occurs, Sorrentino’s family life seems to have been quite colorful and, especially, full of extravagant characters.
“Well, my family was like that,” he says. “People from Napoli are quite blatant. They have a very strong instinct for acting; and I was living inside this family setting. I do believe that it is due to the fact that throughout history Napoletaneans - in order to ingratiate themselves with the city’s many different conquerors over time – have had to appear skilled, as nice people and also servile, and, all this leads them to put up on act. This is the reality I was living in; and, in that sense, it is a realistic film. That family was my world and my culture. My wife is from Napoli. We are like that. I’m like that.”
You will, indeed, meet a number of out-of-ordinary characters in “The Hand of God,” which, also, in quite a frank way, tells the story about the adultery of Sorrentino’s father. On the question of how this issue was addressed in the family, he says to Il Venerdì: “’It just happened,’ my father said. And that was the end of the conversation. That story went on like the wind. Some periods were quiet while other periods were not so quiet, especially, when my mother discovered that my father was still seeing his lover.”
Sorrentino’s father’s love affair not only produced quite a stormy family life – as very well-illustrated in the film. It also gave him a half-brother.
“He was born from my father’s secret relation. Back then, I was told the truth about his existence only the day after the death of my parents. And, I have actually met him,” Sorrentino recounts.
Sorrentino also has a sister, who is only slightly visible in the film. In fact, she seems to be locked in the family’s bathroom the entire time. Well, at least, this is the impression you get as a viewer. Did she manage to accept being “locked up”?
“She was actually the one who told me about my half-brother,” Sorrentino says. “She is 13 years older than me, and, after the death of our parents, she was very motherly to me. That was the time of her first boyfriends; and I recall that she was in the bathroom for hours and hours. She was a bit sorry about her role in the film, so I had to explain to her, that this was necessary from a dramaturgical point of view. And in the end she accepted.”
From Rome to Napoli
After Sorrentino’s biggest success, “The Great Beauty” - which was shot in Rome and gave him an Oscar in 2014 – in the new film, he has returned to his hometown of Napoli. Has this “coming home” given him a sort of emotional assurance during the making of the film?
“Well, actually not,” he says. “And the reason is the way that I like to do my framings. Napoli is a hostile city because of its chaos. It’s not a coincidence that I have made two films in Switzerland. My film aesthetics have always been linked to an order of things. So, its not so easy to shoot in Napoli. But, quite honestly, I wasn’t so concerned about aesthetics. I have chosen some of the places I knew, when I was young, and, in the film, you’ll see them as I remember them from my youth.”
Sorrentino never hides his “worship” of Maradona, whose name and “spirit” are an important element in the film. Back in 2015, in “Youth,” you’ll find the legendary scene where a look-a-like Maradona juggles a tennis ball in quite a spectacular way.
Sorrentino shares his a real life-memory of the famous soccer player. “Maradona didn’t arrive in Napoli. He suddenly appeared. There are no photos of his arrival. He showed up around the city, in the strangest places. He was driving a Fiat Panda in order not to be recognized. Once me and my brother saw him in a street, and, in that moment, it was as though the world stood still.”
No doubt, it takes a lot of courage to make such a film full of personal childhood memories and full of pain. Has it been a liberation to, finally, make this film?
“Well, luckily I have always felt free to make whatever kind of film I wanted,” says Sorrention. “But, yes, this was the right moment, also, because I have matured. Over time, the pain has become less intense, and, in the months before the premiere of the film, I have really been speaking so much about pain. So much so, that, in the end, it has been almost boring. Fefore this period, all this had only been like an intimate dialogue that I had had with myself for 35 years, and that, in terms of soothing the pain, had not made me feel any better. Perhaps, making this film is a sign that I have finally come to terms with that loss.”
Editor’s Note: Pictured, filmmaker Paolo Sorrentino, and, from left to right, actor Filippo Scotti, who plays Fabietto Schisa, a character based on the filmmaker, and joined by Toni Servile and Teresa Saponangelo, who plays Saverio and Maria Schisa, his parents, in a film scene; a host of actors and actreses portray eccentric family who gather to watch a soccer game in the film and Luisa Ranieri as Patrizia, Fabietto’s deranged aunt. “The Hand of God” won the Gran Premio of the jury at the film festival in Venice, 2021, and has been chosen by Italy’s film academy to represent Italy at the Oscars in 2022. The film is currently available for viewing on Netflix.
HOW ITALIAN DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
An All-Italian Experience is Provided by “Like Italians Do”
- Classes, Events and Tours
- Learn the Italian language, culture and history one engaging class after the other; top it all off with incredible trips to Italy
- Sardinia and Sicily are regions of special focus
Italy’s comforting food, beautiful culture and warm-hearted people have made entire communities in every corner of the earth fall in love with ‘the boot.’ She is the most exciting country in the Mediterranean Basin.
You need not be Italian to appreciate the country’s beautiful culture, energetic language and delectable cuisine. In fact, Italian clubs and culture programs from around the country offer everyone, of all ages and backgrounds, the opportunity to live and feel as Italian as they want — a great way for sharing your passion for Italy with like-minded people!
Here’s all you need to know about Like Italians Do, the all-Italian experience you were looking for.
It all started during a ‘Serata Italiana.’
Italian-born Alessandro Concas, Sr., started Serata Italiana or Italian Evening decades ago in Florida to share his love and passion, with his community, for everything Italian. He later launched the same program in Los Angeles with fellow Italian and new partner, Natalie Blancardi. Their project soon became a cultural hub and Italian language center where people could dig deeper into Italian culture to learn the country’s language, famous gestures, music, films and food.
The next step for the successful program has now seen the light, by means of a special partnership with Maria Catja Caradonna, the equally committed and passionate founder of the program ‘Like Italians Do,’ an all-Italian experience, complete with its very own Live cooking show! This is the ultimate destination for Italy lovers, where devotees can shop for authentic Italian ingredients, savor the country’s cuisine in delightful events and travel to Italy to experience the good Mediterranean life only like locals do.
If you’ve always wanted to know more about Italy, its produce, cuisine and beautiful culture, sign up at www.LikeItaliansdo.com to be part of the fastest-growing Italian-loving community in the country! Now, if you want to share with your loved ones a fully immersive experience, travel with Alex and Maria Catja to Italy to take the road less traveled! There’s no better way of exploring a country than with local guides.
Sign up for the yearly Italy Dream Vacation!
The only thing better than spending an evening enjoying Italian food and talking about the country’s culture is experiencing it under the shade of a lemon orchard in one of Sicily’s picturesque towns or on a balcony with the most awe-inspiring views of the Sardinian coast in the background. (please see promo video)
Traveling to Italy on your own can be challenging. First, there’s the language barrier, and, then there’s avoiding the many tourist traps that prevent you from experiencing the real side of Italy. Here’s where experienced guides like Alex and the team behind Like Italians Do come in. Starting with a Summer trip on July 2022, a select group of Italy enthusiasts will live their dream vacation exploring Sicily and Sardinia, including a stay at the prestigious Colonna Resort, at an unbeatable price; and you can be one of them! Here’s what you can expect.
Enjoy Astounding Italian Food at the Locals’ Favorite Spots
There’s much to see and do in Italy’s largest islands, and we’ll get there in a second, but what we all want to experience in the Mediterranean country is its food! Let’s say it out loud, although you’ll find an Italian restaurant or pizzeria in every city in the world; there’s nothing like Italian food in Italy.
Let’s start with the delectable antipasti, from delicious arancini to seafood specialties designed to get the conversation started. Every meal in Italy’s islands is a memorable occasion! Then there’s the pasta, and you haven’t tried the Italian specialty until you order it from an authentic trattoria! There’s more than pizza and pasta in Italy. “Porceddu” is a Sardinian specialty for an authentic gourmand experience. And, how about the comforting Sicilian desserts? Don’t forget the cannoli! Everyone who visits Italy wants to come back — for the food alone!
Discover Italy’s Art and Architecture
There’s no greater joy than admiring a Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael or Caravaggio in one of Italy’s many museums, cathedrals and galleries. And don’t even get us started on the marvels displayed in the ancient city of Palermo! Art and Italy are one and the same, and although Italian masterpieces travel the world, it’s hard to imagine visiting Italy and not experiencing them where they were created. You’ll soon discover Italy is a great way of getting artistically inspired.
And talking about art, Italy is heaven for history and architecture buffs. From medieval castles to grand palaces and from the Teatro Massimo to the mighty Cathedral of Syracuse. There’s something exciting to see in every town in Sicily and Sardinia, if you know where to look.
Walk Sicily’s Valley of the Temples and hike Mount Etna. Ride Sardinia’s white coast and enjoy authentic Agriturismo. There’s something in Italy for everyone!
Be Part of Italy’s Colorful Culture
Italy’s culture is more than fine art, beautiful, pebbled streets and impressive constructions; culture is in every corner!
If you were looking for an opportunity to practice your Italian, you’ll be able to do so in the country’s markets and plazas. The best way to learn or perfect Italian is by talking with the locals, reading the street signs, and ordering your food from a genuine Italian menu.
If you ever wanted to walk the verdant rows of vines in Italy’s most famous vineyards and explore the dim-lit cellars where your favorite wine awaits to be opened, wineries in Italy are always happy to receive visitors. There’s more. If you thought you knew Italian music, theater and opera, wait until you experience it where it was born. Culture is everywhere!
We’re All Italian in Our Hearts
If you’ve ever rolled your eyes back in satisfaction with a slice of pizza, sung “La donna è mobile” in the shower, stopped to admire an Italian supercar or popped open a bottle of Chianti, congratulations! You’re already Italian!
Now let’s share our love for the Italian culture and join Like Italians Do. And while you’re at it, book your seat in the most emotional holiday of your life. Italy is waiting for you, and you know Italian people are known for their charming nature and patience, so join the Italy-loving community today! www.LikeItaliansDo.com!
UNITED WE STAND
Historic Gathering of Italian American Organizations Convene in Washington, D.C. to Counter The Continuous Assaults Against Columbus; and Other Controversies
- Judge Basil M. Russo Leads an Unprecedented Effort to Unify the Italian American Community to Preserve Our Heritage in an Era of Political Correct Hostility and Misinformation
- “We need to insist that Italian Americans be recognized as a distinct and important community within our country.”
By Truby Chiaviello
Kneeling Left: Charles Marsala, President of the American Italian Federation of the Southeast; Kneeling Right: George Bochetto, Bochetto/Lentz Law Firm. Sitting Row Left to right: Berardo Paradiso, President of the Italian American Committee on Education; Anthony Ficarri, National Commandere for the Italian American War Veterans of the United States; Cav. Dr. Gilda Rorro, NJ Italian Heritage Commission; Marianna Gatto, Executive Director for the Italian American Museum of Los Angeles; Basil M. Russo, President of the Italian Sons and Daughters of America and the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations; Rosemary De Luca, Secretary for the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations; Gina Biancardi, President of the Italian Cultural Foundation at Casa Belvedere; Dr. Frank N. DeFrank, Immediate Past National President for UNICO National; Dr. Daniel L. Stabile, National President for the National Council for the Promotion of the Italian Language in American Schools, Inc. and Professor Santi Buscemi, Italian American Legal Defense Fund, Inc. 2nd Row Standing Left to Right: Robert DiBiase, Chair of the New Jersey Italian Heritage Commission; Gabriele Delmonaco, President for A Chance In Life (Boys’ & Girls’ Towns of Italy); Andre DiMino, Communications Director for Italian American One Voice Coalition; Dr. Joseph Scelsa, President of the Italian American Museum; Pietro Segalini, Senior Vice President for the National Council of Columbia Associations; Richard A. DiLiberto, Jr., Chairman of the Delaware Commission on Italian Heritage and Culture; Joseph Sciame, President of the Sons of Italy Foundation; Kathleen Strozza, Trustee for the UNICO Foundation; Patricia Santangelo, President, Italian Heritage and Culture Committee of the Bronx and Westchester; Joseph Rosalina, Vice President for the Italian Sons and Daughters of America; Mary Ann Re, DC Liaison and Ron Onesti, President for the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans Back Row Left to Right: Patrick O’Boyle, American Delegation of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George; John Viola, National Columbus Education Foundation; Dom Amara, Chair for the Italian American Alliance; Truby Chiaviello, Publisher for PRIMO Magazine; Thomas Damigella, Italian American Alliance; Francis M. Donnarumma, President for the National Italian American Bar Association; Robert Ferrito, President for OSDIA Commission for Social Justice; James Rosapepe, Vice Chairman for the Italian American Democratic Leadership Council and Frank Maselli, Chair of the American Italian Renaissance Foundation. Not pictured: Stephanie Longo, Associate Producer for the Italian American Podcast
Italian Americans go on offense.
That’s one key message conveyed in an unprecedented meeting on December 4th, at the Omni Shoreham Hotel, in Washington, D.C., to unify Italian American organizations throughout the United States, under the vigorous leadership of Judge Basil M. Russo, president of the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations (COPOMIAO).
“When I was elected to serve as president of the COPOMIAO last year, I established two goals for myself,” said Judge Russo. “The first goal was to create a spirit of national unity within the Italian American community so that we could have a meaningful voice in influencing America’s collective culture.”
Judge Russo knows well the workings of law and politics, two key areas of importance for fairer treatment of Italian Americans in a host of current controversies, most notably the adversarial effort among schools and municipalities to eliminate Columbus Day and Columbus statues. Many years of service for state courts in Ohio came after an active tenure in Cleveland politics for Judge Russo. He was elected majority leader of the Cleveland City Council and once ran for mayor of that city. He has devoted himself to the Italian American community when he retired as the managing partner of Russo, Rosalina & Co, LPA, a law firm he helped found. As president of the Italian Sons and Daughters of America, since 2014, he established partnerships with the National Italian American Foundation and other organizations for programs to help engage and inspire Italian Americans of different ages and subsets. Now, as president of the COPOMIAO, comes his most significant effort: To unify the Italian American community to overcome daunting challenges.
“For decades our community sat silent while other ethnic and racial groups achieved their goals,” said Judge Russo. “To correct this situation, we have held three historic National Italian American Summit Meetings this year which have finally created a strong bond among all of major organizations.”
In the age of the Internet, social media and smart phone technology, political controversies have become interconnected for a response that’s international, even global. The time has come for greater unity, not just between Italian Americans, but between Italian Americans and Italians.
“The second goal I set for myself was to establish a meaningful relationship between the Italian American community and Italy,” said Judge Russo. “With each passing generation, Italian Americans and the land of their ancestors’ birth, have drifted farther and farther apart. If we are sincere about preserving our heritage for future generations, we need to work with Italy to promote mutual programs that create a stronger bond between Italy and the U. S. We also need to work to perpetuate the Italian language, as well as our Italian American traditions and customs. The ambassador’s reception was an important first step in doing so.”
The night before the December 4th meeting, Italian American leaders were invited by Italy’s ambassador, Mariangela Zappia, to convene at her official residence, the beautiful Villa Firenze. Stronger ties with the Italian government were called for in speeches by her and Judge Russo. The necessity for Italian and Italian American leaders to work together to preserve our beloved Italian heritage was specifically proclaimed.
A closer relationship with Italy will be one of many key attributes, along with a unified front of Italian American organization, to counter and overcome the hostilities in the years ahead.
BOSTON BETRAYAL
Councilor Lydia Edwards Sold Out Her Italian Constituency for Political Correctness
- Italian American, Boston Native, Tom Damigella Pens Stinging Letter in Response
“We need to divorce Columbus from the celebration of Italian heritage. Period,” wrote Lydia Edwards
“What right do you have to tell us that we should stop recognizing this heroic figure in history…,” wrote Tom Damigella
By Truby Chiaviello
No Italian should vote for Lydia Edwards in Massachusetts….
…Not unless she reaches out to Italian Americans to better understand why Columbus is a hero, not a villain.
…Not unless she helps bring back Columbus Day in Boston.
…Not unless she restores the Columbus statue that was disgustingly beheaded by vandals.
Miss Edwards betrayed her Italian American constituency when she supported interim Mayor Kim Janey’s spiteful cancelation of Columbus Day on a day of celebration by the Italian American community there.
Miss Edwards currently represents, in city council, the First District, a seat previously held by Salvatore LaMattina, where Italian Americans have called home for many years East Boston, the North End and Charlestown. Miss Edwards now seeks a different political prize. She is hoping to get elected in 2022 to fill the open seat left by state senator, Joseph Boncore. She may have some serious difficulty doing so since no Italian American should vote for Miss Edwards until she meets with local Italian American about the unjust claims against Columbus.
As of today, it seems very doubtful Miss Edwards will make the effort to better understand the needs of Italian Americans. Instead, it looks as though she has abandoned them at the sacrificial altar of political correctness and the cancel culture.
Here is what Miss Edwards wrote on her Facebook page on October 7, 2021:
“Let me be very clear:
1. As a city and as a country, we need an Indigenous People’s Day. It’s a day to acknowledge and address the historic, systemic and ongoing harms towards Indigenous people. More importantly, it’s a day to empower people and celebrate Indigenous leaders and heroes. It is also opportunity for learning, healing and truth.
2. We need to divorce Columbus from the celebration of Italian heritage. Period.
3. Unilateral decision making is wrong. The people of Boston deserve meaningful engagement because we represent them.
I heard your calls and read your messages and listened to every piece of feedback and criticism, and it's with gratitude that I share this message today. I will keep listening and I always strive to do better.”
Comments on Facebook in response to Miss Edwards’ post were a mix of support, anger, befuddlement and the bizarre, i.e., one gentleman, apparently of German ethnicity, compared the Genoese explorer and New World discover to Hitler.
Italian American and proud Bostonian, Tom Damigella, wrote a letter to condemn the councilor’s cancellation of Columbus. Addressed to Miss Edwards, his missive appeared in the Italian newspaper there, the Post Gazette. What follows is Mr. Damigella’s preamble to the Italian American Alliance Board followed by his letter, dated November 4, 2021:
Dear Italian American Alliance Board,
As you know we have announced our strong protest against former Mayor Janey’s Executive order which eliminated Columbus Day in Boston with our Columbus Day ceremony.
In the meantime, the City Councilor of the North End, East Boston and Charlestown also officially supported her decision to eliminate Columbus Day and she said " It's time the Italian Community DIVORCE itself from Columbus."
Imagine in the past, a city councilor of the North End and East Boston saying that!
In my opinion she deserved to be called out on her hostile decision towards Italian American's legacy in this city.
Therefore, I wrote a personal letter to the editor of the Post Gazette and it was published today. I also believe my letter will help to educate the reader on the truth regarding Columbus and why we defend him.
It is attached to this email.
.
Sincerely,
Tom Damigella
PS. I also posted it to her (Miss Edwards) Facebook page, under why she supported the Mayor's decision. Her post and my comment was taken down 2 days later.
Dear Lydia Edwards,
I was very pleased to see that your initial disapproval to Mayor Janey's Executive order to cancel Columbus Day in Boston. However, I was truly disappointed the next day when I saw you back track and explained that you were in agreement with her decision.
I don't understand how you could agree with her when I have watched you march in the past Columbus Parades and also sponsor the ad book. You understood then how important this holiday is to many of the residents that you represent in the North end and East Boston. It is a 100 year tradition! Also, what was really inappropriate is when you made the statement that "it is time that the Italian American community divorce themselves from Columbus." What right do you have to tell us that we should stop recognizing this heroic figure in history who has also been a symbol of pride in our communities and who has been slandered and smeared with lies and untruths towards the natives of the Bahamas. It is clear to me that you have not even taken the time to educate yourself as to why we defend him or investigate how many historians have debunked the popular urban myths about Columbus so-called atrocities that incriminated him in Howard Zinn's book, “The people's History of the United States,” from 30 years ago.
These are lies that have been perpetuated unfortunately for political reasons. He (Columbus) has become the scapegoat for those who are determined to paint western civilization’s role in history as oppressors from a time in history 600 years ago when the world was a more uncivilized place. What you should have done was reserve your opinion and take the time to discuss this issue with us and then understand that the Mayor did not have to unjustly hurt the Italian American community by taking Columbus away in order to recognize the Native Americans of Boston. Do you know that there is already a designated legal holiday of August 9 for Indigenous Peoples’ Day and also the day after Thanksgiving has been assigned federally as Indigenous Peoples’ Day?? And that the entire month of November is also federally recognized as Indigenous Peoples’ Month? Recognizing both groups’ holidays was the simple solution and it's time that the local Native American people realize that they are perpetuating lies and untruths towards Columbus and that we would support them to have their own days of recognition, but not at our expense. We would not do that to them. There are several Italian American organizations that have campaigned in support of protecting and preserving our Italian Heritage and it’s rightful connection to Columbus and the holiday by educating and debunking the false charges against Columbus by introducing people to true historians like Mary Grabar and Carol Delaney and Raphael Ortiz that prove Columbus was personally innocent of the inhuman actions they accuse him of performing. I understand that these organizations have reached out to you but you have not made yourself available to discuss this issue. I suggest that you do.
Sincerely,
Tom Damigella
Editor’s Note: Pictured is a statue of Christopher Columbus, in Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park in North End Boston, decapitated in 2020, and, since, has been removed from the pedestal. Tom Damigella is the son of Italian immigrants who started one of the first Tupperware distributorships in the United States. He is a graduate of Boston University who worked for a time in social services before heading his family’s business. Lydia Edwards, pictured, has a web site at https://www.boston.gov/departments/city-council/lydia-edwards.
ITALIAN AMERICAN LEADERS FORGE A STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP WITH ITALY’S AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED STATES
A Historic Meeting Convenes at the Villa Firenze, The Ambassador’s Official Residence in Washington
- Part of an Extended Weekend of Membership Activities for the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations - “How do we keep this flag, two flags, the American flag, of course, and the Italian flag…how do we keep this link alive,” said The Honorable Mariangela Zappia, Ambassador of the Italian Republic to the United States of America
- “This landmark meeting is the culmination of a yearlong effort, which has united a once-fragmented Italian American community around common goals that include the preservation of our history, heritage, institutions and businesses,” said The Honorable Basil M. Russo, president of the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organization
A delegation of Italian American leaders met with Mariangela Zappia, Italy’s first female ambassador to the United States, to cement a partnership designed to strengthen cultural relations, foster new trade and bolster advocacy on issues of mutual concern.
The much-anticipated meeting in Washington, D.C. was organized by Ambassador Zappia and The Honorable Basil M. Russo, current president of The Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations (COPOMIAO).
“This landmark meeting is the culmination of a yearlong effort, which has united a once-fragmented Italian American community around common goals that include the preservation of our history, heritage, institutions and businesses,” Judge Russo said. “Hon. Mariangela Zappia has represented Italy at NATO and the UN, and now she stands with Italian America to promote our initiatives and policies — and COPOMIAO, in turn, is here to do the same for Italy.”
“The Embassy, and Italian institutions on both sides of the Atlantic, greatly appreciate all that you do, each day, to promote our language, culture, and traditions — in short, our heritage — in this exceptional country,” noted Ambassador Zappia, in welcoming Judge Russo and the COPOMIAO delegation. “The entire Italian diplomatic network in the U.S. is proud to work with you, side-by-side, to continue enhancing and promoting our beautiful Italy…Italian identity is strong and apparent in all aspects of daily life in this wonderful country: from food to art, culture to music, architecture to politics.”
The meeting was held in the evening of Friday, December 3rd, inside the ambassador’s official residence, the Villa Firenze, in Northwest Washington. Speeches made by Ambassador Zappia and Judge Russo preceded a buffet dinner for the delegation.
Leaders of various advocacy and philanthropic organizations attended the gathering to forge ties between Italy’s ambassador, the Italian embassy staff and the Italian America community. Proponents of different Italian American causes had the chance to meet together to network and exchange ideas.
The struggle to preserve our Italian American legacy continues.
As 2021 comes to a close, Italian Americans look back on what was the second of two consecutive years of assaults and accusations against Christopher Columbus. Statues depicting Columbus, not to mention monuments dedicated to the Genoese explorer, some modest in scope and size, were removed from parks and public land. From cities and towns to colleges and elementary schools, efforts went almost unabated to either remove Columbus Day, or replace with Indigenous Peoples' Day.
Italian Americans have come together to fight back. Over the past 18 months, lawsuits were filed in Philadelphia, West Orange, New Jersey, Chicago and elsewhere to claim civil rights violations when local officials decided to erase most, if not all, depictions and celebrations of Columbus. Many advocacy groups, most notably the Italian American One Voice Coalition, gathered throughout the year in public forums at school boards and city council meetings to speak up to successfully retain official recognition of Columbus Day and to stop the holiday’s deletion in school calendars.
In forging closer ties with Italy, through Ambassador Zappia and embassy staff, Italian Americans may have an ally to provide important resources to help change the current political correct narrative in America against Columbus and other historical figures.
The evening gathering at the Villa Firenze was part of a two-day event to include a meeting of members for the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations. Inside the famously elegant Omni Shoreham Hotel, beside Rock Creek Park, in Northwest Washington, leaders, who represented groups, both local and national, convened on Saturday, December 4th.
Judge Russo presided over a meeting to begin at 10:00 a.m. with a round table introduction of participants. Each attendee was asked to give a brief speech on what made him or her interested in getting involved to preserve their Italian American heritage. Many spoke of being inspired by a parent or close relative to retain and promote their Italian legacy.
Those in attendance were noted for achievements in law, medicine, business and academia. When time came to speak, however, many of them were unable to hold back tears. They emotionally recalled how a parent or grandparent, who emigrated from Italy, poor and dispossessed, beamed with pride to see their son or granddaughter graduate with a medical degree, pass a bar exam or earn a doctorate.
The meeting’s purpose was to change the legal status of the organization to allow for more advocacy on the part of the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations. As Italian American media companies were invited to join, PRIMO Magazine was one of several, including Fra Noi and the Italian American Podcast, to officially become their newest members.
The year ahead will, no doubt, present more challenges and conflicts for Italian Americans. Many are called to rise and defend our collective legacy. Under the leadership of Judge Russo, members of The Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations will move forward with continued vigor and persistence to rightly defend our place in America.
Editor’s Note: Pictured: Ambassador Mariangela Zappia and Judge Basil M. Russo, inside the Villa Firenze with members of the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations, a picture of the Italian ambassador’s official residence, Villa Firenze, in Northwest Washington, D.C., and the Omni Shoreham Hotel, near Rock Creek Park, where a national meeting was convened for the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations. To read the latest news and updates of the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations, please log on to their web site, https://copomiao.org/
TO RUSSIA WITH LOVE
An Italian American Playwright Shares His Experience To Get a Play Produced in Russia
- Opportunities Arise in a System More Rigid Than The United States
- “My dealings with the Russian Federation began months ago when I started sending communications to President Putin”
By Michael Corriere
If you’re an American playwright who is interested in having your play produced in Russia, then a working knowledge of the Russian Theatre Union and the Russian Federation is a pre-requisite. You must never forget that everything in Russia is political and their entire system revolves around their president, Vladimir Putin.
Dealing from a playwright’s perspective, the Russians do adhere to the mandates laid down by the Berne Convention. The Russian Federation entered the Berne Convention, in force, in 1995, as administered by the World Intellectual Property Organization, a specialized agency of the United Nations.
Each member of the Berne Convention is required to have laws to protect the “moral rights” of a copyrighted work. Such rules allow an author to control how his work is presented in public. The Berne Convention compels recognition of authorship so that a specific work is not attributed to someone else. These moral rights are often referred to as “rights of integrity” and “rights of paternity.” How each country’s laws give effect to the protection of moral rights varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.
In the United States, federal copyright law does not expressly protect an author’s moral rights. In fact, the Copyright Act of 1976 specifically prohibits reliance on the Berne Convention (of which moral rights is a huge part) in deciding international copyright matters. Instead, the United States courts are asked to rely on contract law, defamation, invasion of privacy and unfair competition.
While the Russians do adhere to the principles of the Berne Convention, there will always be the question of “enforcement,” should the need arise. American playwrights can also enjoy further protection of their work under Article 1259 of the Russian Civil Code that protects, among other things: Literary works, dramatic and musical works, screenplays, musical compositions with or without lyrics. These works do not require registration or any other formalities. An author of a copyrighted work, however, may voluntarily register with a specialized depository or with a notary public.
Once you have an understanding of what your rights are, the next step is to get acquainted with the Russian Theatre Union (RTU). The RTU will play an important role in just how far your play will go in Russia (I will explain later in this article how I managed to get my play into the RTU’s catalogue!).
The Theatre Union of the Russian Federation (STD) dates back to 1877, though, under a different name. Currently headquartered in Moscow, the organization consists of 75 branches for a total membership of 25,000. The goal of the STD is to promote and develop the performing arts in remote Russian regions. The STD acts as a mediator to settle disputes between theaters and state or municipalities.
Almost every theater company in Russia receives funding from three sources: The Russian Federation, The Russian Ministry of Culture and The Russian Theatre Union…without which they would not exist! It’s no wonder then that every artistic director must be extremely careful not to be involved in any production that the State considers to be “offensive and demeaning” or in violation of the law!
President Putin made his feelings known about the “creative process” when he addressed the opening of the fifth annual St. Petersburg International Cultural Forum on December 2, 2016: “I spoke about my position on interfering in the creative process, and I want to reiterate that the freedom to create should be inviolable. However, all freedoms have their alternate side, namely, responsibility. We know it very well. This, actually, is acknowledged by all renowned philosophies. Artists, ‘the rulers of our hearts,’ have a special responsibility in everything they do. On the other hand, any disruptive behavior, or attempts to sabotage a play or exhibition are absolutely intolerable and should be punished in accordance with the law. And we will do so.”
While President Putin expressed his support for the arts, the Russian Federation came down hard on theater companies deemed “over the red line.” Teatr.Doc is a radical theater company that the Russian Federation threatened, harassed and shut down numerous times. They are a documentary theater company based on authentic texts, interviews and the fate of real people. Yet, somehow they survive with a very loyal following willing to risk the wrath of the authorities.
Teatr.Doc has been described as Russia’s most daring theater company. They began in 2002 by a group of writers who couldn’t find a theater willing to stage their documentary-style plays. They focused mainly on social issues until 2010, when they became more critical of the government. Teatr. Doc really pushed the limits when they produced a play titled “BerlusPutin,” a farce adapted from a play by Italian satirist, Dario Fo, called the ”Two Headed Anomaly.” In Doc’s version, Silvio Berlusconi’s brain is transplanted into the head of Vladimir Putin with disastrous results. The play revolves around the relationship between Putin and his former wife, Lyudmila. In one scene, Putin suggests they have sex after her exile to a monastery. She yells “You can’t rape me, I’m not Russian!”
Just how much can Teatr.doc get away with? With Vladimir Medinsky, Russia’s hardline Minister of Culture, not to mention, also, the strong influence of the Orthodox Church…who knows!
My dealings with the Russian Federation began months ago when I started sending communications to President Putin. This was in reference to my powerful “cold war” drama, “For England…For Love.” I was interested to work with one of Moscow’s theater companies to produce this play. After months of waiting, I finally received a communication from the Foreign Relations Department of the Theatre Union of the Russian Federation. They informed me that my play was accepted for inclusion in their catalogue to be made available to all the theater companies in Russia! This was made possible because of communications I sent to President Putin which were redirected to the Minister of Culture. A major accomplishment!
Since then, I have established an account with the Russian Federation to frequently contact them. Currently, I am involved in trying to find a theater company who will, not only produce my play, but provide sponsorship for me to travel to Moscow to assist in production.
Four items must be obtained in order to travel to Russia. First, you need a passport; second, a visa; then, you will need a migrant card (part goes to immigration and part stays with your passport) and, most importantly, you need a sponsor. Without a sponsor you can’t get into Russia! A sponsor can be a theater company who has taken an option on your play or a film festival where your film will be screened. When you think about it…not a bad system for keeping track of people coming into their country!
A major problem for American playwrights is to get a decent translation of their work in Russian. Both languages are diametrically opposed to each other. I am now trying to obtain permission to allow American playwrights to submit their plays in English for inclusion in the Russian catalogue. Perhaps, they can set aside part of their catalogue for plays written in English. There are theater companies in Russia that are run by artistic directors who speak and understand English. I am personally dealing with one now! But, so far, they have been unwilling to compromise. So, the best action to take, should your play be selected, is to hire a good translator, “on set,” to make sure the actors have a clear “understanding” of what you have written and how you want the scene played.
Remember, everything in Russia is political! When you first make contact with Russians, you begin to realize you are dealing with a government bogged down in “red tape” and suspicion. If you are an American playwright who wants to have a conversation with a Russian theater company, be prepared to be cross-examined. The current political climate does not help matters, either. Is there hope for change? Will there be a return to “glasnost”? Don’t hold your breath!
I have made other contacts in Moscow. One individual happens to be a translator, although she has never really worked on a play. She supplied me with “people information” regarding the theater. Maria is a wonderful person who is a bit conservative on matters pertaining to Russian politics.
We can make certain observations of the theater under President Putin and the Russian Federation:
• Putin is in favor of the government providing financial support to Russian theatre companies and the arts by providing funds through the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Culture and the Russian Theatre Union.
• Putin supports the Berne Convention and, therefore, the “moral right” of all playwrights.
• Putin sets limits as to what is “acceptable” for theatre companies to produce. Plays that demean the Russian government or people are against the law.
• The Russian Federation is the “enforcer” when it comes to carrying out the will of President Putin. Those theatre companies that “violate” the law when producing plays to demean the government or the Russian people will find themselves dealing with the various government police agencies, local or otherwise.
• The Russian Federation is also part of the financial arm to make sums of money available to theatre companies to produce plays that bring “glory” to the country and to President Vladimir Putin.
So, in conclusion, if you’re an American playwright, and you want to know what possible financial rewards might be, should your play be fortunate enough to get picked up for a future option from a Russian theatre company, just like in the United States, you will have to negotiate.
And if you’re thinking about having your play translated into Russian, be prepared to pay big bucks. The Russians are under the impression that the streets in America are paved with gold!
Good luck!
Editor’s Note: Pictured is the author and a poster of his play to be made in Russia about the Cold War, “For England…For Love!” Mr. Corriere wrote, directed and produced a critically acclaimed documentary about the Roswell crash titled, “Alien Connection.” He can be reached at alienwriter_7@yahoo.com.
Covid Chronicles
COVID-19 SETBACK IN ITALY
Cases Rise to Push Some Regions from White to Yellow Zones
- New 2G Pass Is Proffered to Further Penalize the Non-Vaccinated
- Austria Will Be First to Mandate Vaccines in Europe
- The Author Celebrates Thanksgiving in Florence
By Deirdre Pirro
Here, as we come to the end of Weeks 51 and 52, now in late November, the Covid 19 situation in Italy is slowly but surely worsening with two regions about to pass from the White to the Yellow zone, with the accompanying restrictions. The first region is Friuli Venezia Giulia where hospital recoveries in intensive care have reached almost the threshold limit of 15 percent, or the equivalent of about 280 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. The Autonomous Province of Bolzano reports intensive care patients at nine percent and those in general hospital care at 14 percent; again, just under the 15 percent threshold. At this rate, it is more than likely that these regions will change color by Christmas. Two other regions that could fall into the Yellow Zone are Marche and Calabria.
The Draghi government is working on a new Green Pass Decree (also known as the Super Green Pass). Governors are calling for more stringent measures against the so-called no-vaxxers in Yellow and Red regions. They want to impose a new 2G model for those who have been vaccinated or certified as cured of coronavirus. Such measures might exclude a person from restaurants, bars, cinemas and theaters. However, if he passes a swab test, he might have permission to work outside his home. A decision is expected this month when the cabinet meets again.
Assemblies and demonstrations of unmasked no-vaxxers are often violent in nature and continue in Italy and other countries throughout Europe. The non-vaxxers are widely blamed for the onset of the fourth wave of the pandemic where Germany and many Easter European countries have been especially hit hard. For instance, Austria is about to enter its fourth lockdown phase. They will be the first European country to make Covid-19 vaccinations mandatory, beginning in February 2022. Exemptions in Austria will be for those unable to receive a vaccine based on medical grounds. Fines and a prison sentence await those who refuse to comply.
Here, in Florence, until December 19th, piazza Santa Croce will be a buzz of activity. The largest Christmas market or Weihnachtsmarkt is back in town. Based on a 12th century German tradition, the open-air stalls sell goods ranging from food to Christmas decorations to original jewelry to winter craft goods such as hats, scarves and jackets, not to mention artisan-made goods such as candles and ceramics. Locals and tourists alike love to savor the bratwurst and pretzels with sauerkraut and beer. The Hungarian Kürtőskalács, also known as the chimney cake, is especially delicious, with toppings of cinnamon or chocolate. A cup of mulled wine keeps the cold at bay while you purchase a plate full of Dutch crepes, waffles or Austrian pastries. It's a great day or evening out and a wonderful way to start your Christmas shopping.
On November 18th, the American International League of Florence (AILO) held its annual Thanksgiving lunch at the Ugolino Golf Club in Florence. AILO is a nonprofit, charity association with a wide international membership. The group was founded in 1975 as part of the Italian registry of Italian Voluntary Organizations. Members, mainly from the United States, live or have lived in Tuscany. Their honorary president is the United States Consul General in Florence. English is the language for all meetings, events and publications. The important mission of AILO is to contribute to the community through social assistance projects such as fund-raising events for charities within the city and province of Florence. The Thanksgiving celebration was fun, especially after so many months of being unable to meet together. We enjoyed the classic dishes such as pumpkin soup, roast turkey, chestnut stuffing, a variety of vegetables and pecan pie, as well as Tuscan red and white wines. I hope your Thanksgiving was just as enjoyable with your family and friends.
Stay healthy and safe... Deirdre
THE RISE (AND FALL?) OF ITALIAN FOOD
The Latest Webinar by Gruppo Italiano Ponders the Future of Italian Cuisine
“We have to make Italian food part of emerging trends.”
By Truby Chiaviello
Arguably, no group is more active in promoting Italian cuisine than Gruppo Italiano. Based in New York, the non-profit organization has, since 2017, provided seminars, cooking classes and panel discussions to foster a love of Italian food in the United States. Hence, it was a surprise to many that their latest webinar, on October 18, was titled, “The Rise (and Fall?) of the Italian Cuisine.”
The scheduled meeting via zoom link for 3:00 p.m. was available to members of the press to observe the conversation and, at times, lively debate regarding the topic. This session was part of Gruppo Italiano’s occasional series of panel discussions, under the umbrella title, Italian Table Talks. Over the past two years, a number of interesting topics have been discussed in this format ranging from Italian wines to the latest trends in Italian culinary education.
For the occasion of October 18, guest speakers included, from Italy, Commissioner Antonio Laspina, of the Italian Trade Commission to the United States, from the United States, Marc Murphy, TV celebrity chef and restaurateur, Stefano Masanti, founder of the Michelin star restaurant, Il Cantinone and, from Mexico, Roberto Santibanez, a restaurateur and culinary consultant. The webinar was moderated by John Mariani, journalist and author of the book, “How Italian Food Conquered the World.”
As in all Italian Table Talks’ sessions, the president of Gruppo Italiano, managing partner of the restaurant concern, Il Gattopardo Group in Manhattan, Gianfranco Sorrentino was his usual flamboyant and good-natured self. He began the event as host with an infectiously upbeat manner to contrast the sobering results of a recent survey conducted by the National Restaurant Association on the type of cuisine most preferred in the United States. “Italian food has dropped to third place in what Americans want to eat,” Mr. Sorrentino announced. “First is Chinese, second is Mexican.” He shared information from the U.S. Census to convey how the population of Italian Americans, at 16 million, was projected to decline while the number of Asian Americans had climbed to 12.5 million and Hispanics to 60 million. Italian food was a victim of its own success, claimed Mr. Sorrentino. Some restaurants have sought to copy, but not master, the cuisine for quality standards to suffer. The one bright spot for Italian food, said Mr. Sorrentino, was the rise in popularity of mozzarella cheese in, of all places, France. Never mind Comte, Camembert or Roquefort, among the restaurants, cafes and bistros of Paris and Marseilles, mozzarella is today the top cheese sought by patrons.
Because of a time difference with Italy, Commissioner Laspina spoke before the moderator’s introduction. From behind his office desk, the finely dressed expert expressed caution in the reliability of statistics. Surveys and questionnaires may show a glimpse of market trends but not a complete picture of Italian food. He espoused the need “to re-position Italian food in the way of creativity. We have to make Italian food part of emerging trends.” He wants Italian food to “focus on health and wellness. What is good for you. The appeal of Italian food is in the use of organic ingredients and simple, viable recipes.” He rejected any hint of decline for his country’s cuisine. “Italian food is growing in prestige,” he said. “Consider how, today, five star hotels include Italian restaurants more than they do French. That was unheard of 30 years ago.”
Joe Mariani took over moderation duties to offer his assessment. He echoed Mr. Laspina’s reluctance to rely on the latest industry reports or statistics. He considered the source of information. “Remember, the National Restaurant Association is made up of mostly franchises and fast food restaurants, not often conducive to Italian food,” he said. “Many are takeouts, rather than full-scale restaurants.” Mr. Mariani claimed that Italian food is, today, an intrinsic part of the American diet. “Invariably, everyone, especially those who are not Italian, are using Italian ingredients and Italian recipes. Tiramisu, pesto, pizza, pasta, extra virgin olive oil, truffles - all came from Italy and are today found on menus in all kinds of American restaurants.” He claimed the latest Italian innovation to win over American diners is is cacio e pepe, a simple pasta dish of cheese and pepper.
Mark Murphy was asked to share his thoughts on the state of Italian cuisine. A chef who has appeared on the Food Network and other media venues, he was especially optimistic about the future. “Italian food is so much superior to foods from other countries because of the designation origins system to ensure authenticity,” he said. As more people become health conscious, Italian food will continue to remain popular. “Italian food is staying where it belongs…on my plate,” quipped Mr. Murphy.
Stefano Masanti was asked about ways to promote Italian food. He said the regional and provincial diversity of the country is often overlooked. “Chefs are ambassadors,” said Mr. Masanti. “We have to educate diners about the diversity of Italian culture. Food prepared in Lake Como can be dramatically different than what is prepared in Naples. We have to introduce foods from different parts of Italy.”
Roberto Santibenz, a key mover in the hospitality industry of Mexico City, doubted the findings of the National Restaurant Association. “I have spent a good part of my life promoting Mexican food,” he said, “and I can tell you, without a doubt, that Mexican food is not as popular as Italian food.” As more Italian Americans relocate in different parts of the United States, they will bring with them their family cuisine to further spread Italian food.
As the session came to an end, Mr. Mariani gave one final thought about the future of Italian food. When lifestyle is tied to cuisine, Italian food usually benefits. During the high fashion period of the 1980s, he said, it was Italian food that was celebrated among trendsetters.
Editor’s Note: Above photograph, from left to right, clockwise, depicts Antonio Laspina, Stefano Masanti, John Mariani, Gianfranco Sorrentino, Roberto Santibanez and Marc Murphy. For more information on Gruppo Italiano, please log on to their web site at www.gruppo-italiano.com
You Do Not Support Us…
ITALIAN AMERICAN LEADERS OUTRAGED AT PRESIDENT BIDEN’S PROCLAMATION OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES’ DAY
A Meeting with the President is Demanded by Italian American Leaders
- The President Proclaimed Indigenous Peoples Day on Columbus Day
- “By effectively ‘canceling’ Columbus Day, you have shown that you, like so many other Americans, do not truly understand our story…”
By Truby Chiaviello
Basil M. Russo, president of the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations (COPOMIAO) has formally requested a meeting with President Joe Biden to discuss the ongoing dispute over the legacy of Christopher Columbus in America.
In a three page letter written on October 10, Judge Russo expressed the outrage shared by many over the proclamation of Indigenous Peoples’ Day by President Biden on October 8, Columbus Day.
“In your remarks on Friday, you became the first President to issue a proclamation for Indigenous Peoples’ Day on the same day as Columbus Day, and in doing so you have reaffirmed to the entire Italian American community that you do not support us, nor do you value the contributions and sacrifices of our community to this nation’s history,” wrote Judge Russo.
The outpouring of anger and disappointment was immediate after The White House made public President Biden’s remarks for Columbus Day.
Many in the Italian American community were enthusiastic about the history making election of Joe Biden, as his wife Dr. Jill Biden, maiden name Jill Tracy Jacobs, the grand daughter of an Italian immigrant, was to be the first First Lady of Italian ethnicity.
The dispute over Columbus encompasses in many towns and cities in the United States to renaming the federal holiday to Indigenous Peoples’ Day, not to mention the tearing down of statues and monuments depicting the great explorer, of whom is credited the discovery of the New World. This was the first Columbus Day of Biden’s term; as such, the president issued a proclamation on the worthiness of Indigenous Peoples’ Day, leaving one to interpret his inclination to cancel or replace Columbus Day.
Judge Russo issued his letter to be delivered to the White House two days after Columbus Day. Copies were delivered to the leaders in the Italian American community, including OSDIA, Commission for Social Justice, Italian Welfare League, Sons of Italy Foundation, Association of Italian American Educators, Italian American Museum, Joint Civic Committee of Italian Educators, the Italian American Legal and Defense Fund, La Festa Italiana, Filitalia International, American Italian Federation of the Southeast and the American Italian Renaissance Foundation.
As of this article, no response has been made by The White House and no meeting has been scheduled with president.
The full text of Judge Russo’s letter follows:
October 10, 2021
The Honorable Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. President,
On behalf of the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations (COPOMIAO), we would like to convey the supreme disappointment of our organizations, as well as our own personal disappointment, at the hurtful, disparaging, and insensitive proclamation that you issued on October 8, 2021. In your remarks on Friday, you became the first President to issue a proclamation for Indigenous Peoples’ Day on the same day as Columbus Day, and in doing so you have reaffirmed to the entire Italian American community that you do not support us, nor do you value the contributions and sacrifices of our community to this nation’s history. These sacrifices and contributions have long been recognized by former Presidents with the celebration of Columbus Day as a federal holiday, and your actions yesterday have marginalized those achievements and alienated our entire community.
By effectively “canceling” Columbus Day, you have shown that you, like so many other Americans, do not truly understand our story, which began with the lynching of eleven Italian immigrants in 1891 by a mob of over five thousand people in New Orleans. Many do not know that this was the largest mass lynching in American history, and that these atrocities toward Italians continued with over forty additional lynchings over the course of thirty years. At the time this took place, the New York Times, the most widely read newspaper of the day, applauded the lynchings, and later President Roosevelt stated that the killing of these immigrants was “a rather good thing”. This hostility toward Italian immigrants created an atmosphere of aggression and antagonism directed at our community that lasted for decades. It was because of these brutal atrocities that President Harrison proclaimed a national Columbus Day the following year to honor and thank Italians and Italian Americans for their contributions to the United States. You, sir, have undone over a century of good will and effectively stated that our contributions hold no meaning for you personally, or for our great country, despite the fact our First Lady is of Italian American heritage.
The Italian American community has long been a proponent of an Indigenous Peoples’ Day to mark the achievements of Native Americans to our nation. However, we believe these achievements should be acknowledged in addition to, not in lieu of, the achievements of Christopher Columbus, and that Indigenous Peoples’ Day should be rightfully honored as its own distinct and separate holiday. The advocates for the removal and diminishing of Columbus Day base their argument on three false narratives that have been incorrectly and unjustly spread by those seeking to besmirch and vilify the great explorer.
The false narrative begins, most strongly, with the issue of slavery. Columbus is wrongly portrayed as the man who introduced slavery to the New World. Nothing could be further from the truth. Columbus never owned a slave, and, in fact, the slave trade had already existed and thrived long before his arrival, with the Native Americans possessing thousands of Indigenous slaves, and continued long after Columbus’s death. It is not widely known that the slave trade from Africa did not begin until one hundred years after the death of Columbus, nor is it acknowledged that many Native American tribes owned African slaves. It is also seldom reported that Columbus is the man who pleaded with Queen Isabella to allow for the baptism of the native people to protect them from becoming slaves, because under the laws of the day a baptized person could not be enslaved.
Secondly, those seeking to cancel Columbus state that he was aggressive and brutal toward the native population. The truth is that Columbus was a great friend to the Taino Indians and had a good and mutually respectful relationship with their chief. Columbus and his men protected the Taino people from the ruthless and vicious attacks they had long endured by the neighboring cannibalistic Carib tribe who sought to massacre and enslave them. Columbus adopted a Taino Indian boy as his own son, and to this day, Columbus’ achievements and contributions are celebrated by the descendants of the Taino people throughout Puerto Rico.
The third narrative, one which has long since been debunked, is that Columbus was responsible for genocide in the new world. This negative portrayal insinuates that Columbus and his men intended to murder and slaughter all of the native population they encountered. When examined rationally, it is clear that this is a preposterous falsehood. The main motivation of Columbus’s journey was not to plunder, but to evangelize the world and bring the Christian faith to all that he encountered. Columbus also sought to develop strategic trade partnerships in these new lands, not to indiscriminately massacre the population. The truth is that it was the inadvertent spread of disease, not the sword, that unfortunately killed vast numbers of the native population. The global COVID pandemic we are facing today is a prime example of how easy it is for a virus to spread over a vast population, and how devastating its effects can be.
Speaking on behalf of over fifty of the largest and most influential Italian American membership organizations, that represent the vast majority of the nearly sixteen million Italian Americans in this country, six percent of the total U.S. population, COPOMIAO strongly condemns your proclamation and acknowledges that you obviously do not wish to establish a meaningful relationship with the Italian American community. Our organization has shown its support for you personally, as well as for the First Lady, who has twice been invited to speak at our National Italian American Summit Meetings and has declined on both occasions. Your abandonment of the Italian American community has been noted by the majority of our members, and your dismissal of Columbus and his achievements signals your blatant disregard for our contributions and our worth as an ethnic minority group.
Every ethnic group in this country has made meaningful contributions to our society and should be recognized for those accomplishments in a productive and mutually respectful way. Just as we have vocally supported the celebration of an Indigenous Peoples’ Day, we demand that the achievements and accomplishments of Italian
Americans continue to be honored and celebrated as they most justly deserve to be. The history of the Italian American community is deeply woven into the very fabric of our nation, and our contributions to the advancement of the national culture is of equal value to every other ethnic group that comprises the United States of America. Columbus Day is the only clearly recognized national acknowledgement of the history and sacrifices of Italian Americans, and by taking that away from us, and promoting another ethnic group in our place, you are alienating our entire community and sowing the seeds of further division rather than being the unifying force that you have declared yourself to be.
It is regretful and disheartening that you believe neither the Italian American community nor the Indigenous Peoples’ community deserve their own separate and distinct holidays. You can begin correcting this situation by issuing an apology for your recent hurtful and disrespectful remarks, as well as issuing a new proclamation designating Indigenous Peoples Day on any day other than Columbus Day. Just as we do not wish to diminish the sacrifices and achievements of Native Americans, we ask for the same respect and acknowledgement for our own sacrifices and achievements. There is no reason for you, or any American, to support the minimization and dismissal of our cultural achievements. In order to strengthen the bond amongst the many ethnic groups that comprise our country, something that is so desperately needed at this time, we should be acknowledging and celebrating all of our respective achievements. By favoring and celebrating one ethnic group at the expense of another, your proclamation is counterproductive, disappointing, and divisive.
Only you can correct and repair the damage you have inflicted upon the relationship between the Executive branch of our government and the Italian American community. We respectfully request a meeting with you to discuss our concerns and make a genuine effort to find a mutually agreeable pathway forward that honors our community and preserves our history.
Sincerely,
Basil M. Russo, President
Italian Sons and Daughters of America
Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations
Editor’s Note: The Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations have a web site, www.copomiao.org
HISTORY OF ITALIAN AMERICAN DISCRIMINATION AT THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK (CUNY)
Third of a Three Part Article
1991-2021
- Dr. Joseph V. Scelsa, Director of The John D. Calandra Italian-American Institute Takes CUNY to Court
- Many Cases Settled in Arbitration; Others Lost in Federal Court
- Current Status Show Signs of Little Progress
By Santi Buscemi
In calls for meetings by the City University of New York (CUNY) to decide moving the John D. Calandra Institute from Manhattan to Staten Island, one key participant was never notified: Dr. Joseph V. Scelsa, director of the John D. Calandra Italian-American Institute.
A number of New York state legislators contacted Dr. Scelsa about his absence at university meetings. His reaction was of shock and dismay. He had never been informed by the university that any such meetings were scheduled. This led state senator Nicholas Spano to write to the CUNY trustees about his anger over the way the Calandra Institute and Dr. Sclesa were being treated. To him and others, it was clear that Chancellor Anne Reynolds’ office was intent on removing Dr. Scelsa and destroying the institute. Dr. Scelsa received support from the Italian American Legal Defense and Higher Education Fund (IALDHEF). He recruited his friend, Philip Foglia, former assistant district attorney for the Bronx and Queens, who was then in private practice, to file an injunction against the university.
On September 9, 1992, in the federal courthouse on Foley Square, the opposing parties presented their cases before Hon. Constance Baker Motley. After three weeks of testimony, Judge Baker Motley found CUNY guilty of discrimination and issued an injunction against the university. “CUNY is seeking to curtail the independence of the Institute,” she wrote, “and put Dr. Scelsa on a short leash, one where he lacks room to bite his master, CUNY.” She also wrote that, “it is clear that the question of discrimination involved related not only to Dr. Scelsa but to Italian-Americans as a group.” As to the future of the Calandra Institute, Judge Baker Motley ruled that it must stay in Manhattan, which was “central to its function. CUNY has known since the latter half of the 1970’s,” she continued, “that Italian-Americans are underrepresented in both faculty and non-faculty. The only rational way to explain this disparity is discrimination.”
In 1993, with the assistance of Governor Mario Cuomo’s office, the U.S. Department of Labor’s complaint was resolved. Italian American faculty and staff who complained of discrimination at CUNY were allowed to go to arbitration; of the 40 who chose to do so, all were successful. In addition, it was decided that the Calandra Institute would stay in Manhattan, becoming a research institution with state funds budgeted for that purpose. Affirmative Action status was extended to Italian Americans and a distinguished professor of Italian studies was hired at CUNY. Finally, the university agreed to create a panel to regularly monitor and report the progress of Italian Americans at the university. When CUNY had not fulfilled its commitment as outlined above, the IALDHEF filed and won a second suit in the New York Supreme Court in 1999.
Dr. Scelsa took a leave of absence in 1998 as director of the Calandra Institute to begin work on establishing the Italian-American Museum. Three years later, the museum became a reality and a great success. Located on the grounds of the old Banca Stabile building at the intersection of Mulberry and Grand Streets in the heart of New York’s Little Italy, the museum is currently experiencing a major renovation and expansion and will re-open in 2022.
Unfortunately, despite several legal and political victories, it seems little progress has been made in granting Italian Americans the justice they deserve at CUNY. In reports compiled by the John D. Calandra Italian-American Institute, evidence is presented to show that Italian Americans at CUNY have lost ground. For example, at the senior colleges, the percentage of Italian American full-time classified staff dropped from 8.69 percent in 1978 to 8.07 percent in 1993 to 3.31 percent in 2020. This contrasts markedly with gains made by other Affirmative Action groups, which saw a rise from 31.02 percent in 1978 to 55.79 percent in 1993 to 72.35 percent in 2020. Similar statistics were reported for part-time classified staff. It is important to note that the information for these studies came directly from CUNY’s own Office of Compliance and Diversity.
When Affirmative Action for Italian Americans at CUNY was first established, the Italian American student population was 25 percent. It is now 8 percent.
In 2006, Dr. Vincenzo Milione, the administrator assigned to oversee the affirmative action program at the John D. Calandra Institute met with Italian American state legislators to show how an Italian American Affirmative Action program could be implemented in the same way as other Affirmative Action programs for other minorities. Dr. Milione had filed suit against the university to claim he was demoted over a report on Italian American discrimination. His case was dismissed as was his appeal in federal court. In 2007, Maria Fosco, former director of administration and community relations at the Calandra institute, filed suit in federal court to claim she was reassigned to a different position after she informed the public about under-representation of Italian Americans at CUNY. She too lost her case and appeal in federal court. In that same year, Jeanne Coyne filed suit in federal court to claim discrimination after she was passed over for a full-time faculty position at the College of Staten Island. She was an adjunct professor there for many years and assisted Dr. Milione in his efforts.
Although an expert panel to review the status of Italian Americans at CUNY was established in 1992, an analysis for its review was not completed until 2007 and the next five-year review was not conducted until 2014.
In an article titled, “The 80th Street Mafia,” Dr. Joseph V. Sclesa explained his drive to seek justice for Italian Americans at CUNY: “My strong conviction for justice is derived from my heritage and from those Italians who believed in justice for all. Was it not the Italian Cesare Beccaria who, with his short thesis ‘On Crimes and Punishment’ in 1764, humanized the courts of Europe in their administration of the law and who is credited with having ended torture and laid down the philosophy and framework for the Fifth Amendment to our Constitution, which guarantees ‘equal protection’ under law for all citizens?’”
Author’s Note:
In 1974, I was appointed Chairman of the Department of English at Middlesex College in Edison, New Jersey, a post I held for twenty-seven years. My responsibilities included hiring and supervising faculty as well as making recommendations for promotion and tenure. When I called my father to tell him the good news and to explain the nature of my job, he broke into tears. Then he said: Non ti scordare gl’italiani (Do not forget them). I have not and will not ever forget them, nor will I ever tire of honoring their parents and grandparents, who came to this country, as mine did, to make a better life for their children.
Santi Buscemi is Professor Emeritus at Middlesex College in Edison, NJ. He is a translator of Italian and Sicilian literature, primarily the works of Luigi Capuana.
Days of Halloween
CASTLE BALSORANO
The Abruzzi Castle is a Pilgrimage Site for Fans of Bad Italian Horror Films
- The setting was supposed to be an eerie Scottish manor. Yet, when the castle appeared, audiences shouted “Balsorano!”
By Reem Nourallah
You don’t have to travel to Italy to see ghosts at Castle Balsorano.
Instead, you can view the many poltergeists of the Italian fortress on television; or perhaps on YouTube or by way of video streaming.
Castle Balsorano was constructed in the 15th century as a gift from the king of France to the Piccolomini warrior clan who fought for him. Originally from Siena, the Piccolomini, all but dominated for centuries the L’Aquila province of Abruzzo. Their noble status ended in the 19th century while their castle lived on to be named after the nearby village.
Castle Balsorano was the reliable setting for many Italian horror and exploitation films of the 1960s and 1970s. If a film was supposed to be set inside a dark and foreboding Hungarian castle, then it was Castle Balsorano, in Italy, to host actors and film crews. If Frankenstein was to be reanimated, Castle Balsorano got the call. If a psychotic recluse sought to torture uninhibited youth, first stop was Balsorano.
By some counts, twenty-two films were shot in and around Castle Balsorano. Do we recommend you watch them? Remember, this is Italy. If you think films with titles such as “The Devil’s Wedding Night,” “Bloody Pit of Horror” and “Seven Golden Women Against Two” are of the same quality churned out by Hollywood, think again. Italian filmmakers loved Gothic, but on the cheap. It was more sex than fright that producers sought to give audiences.
Castle Balsorano was the setting for some of Italy’s worst films.
“Terror in the Crypt” comes to mind. The film was made in 1964 on a shoestring budget. What attracted producers was not only the Gothic environs; but that Castle Balsorano was large enough for cast and crew to sleep there and they could save money on hotel accommodations.
Balsorano was no secret to Italians. “The Seventh Grave” was shown in theaters in 1965. The setting was supposed to be an eerie Scottish manor. Yet, when the castle appeared, audiences shouted “Balsorano!” The film was one of the worst from Italy. The director, Garibaldi Serra Caracciolo, had no experience. He did not follow the 180 degree rule of filmmaking. Scenes were jumbled together after the script girl made several errors and the film was released without scene continuity.
Rumor had it that Balsorano hosted wild parties and orgies. Truth be known, time inside the castle was anything but glamorous or tantalizing. The fortification lacked central heating or air conditioning. If a film was made in winter, then cast and crew worked in frigid conditions. The opposite was in summertime when large bricks soaked up the Italian sun to turn the castle into an oven. Filming was done quickly. Scripts were unfinished. The writers had to conceive plots and characters while the cameras rolled. A week was all it took to get a film made in Balsorano.
Strange, that considering its long line of horror and exploitation films made there, no owner has taken advantage of Balsorano’s celluloid notoriety. The castle has been up for sale for some years but no one wants to buy her. Horror fans go out of their way to see the famous locale. Yet, they are greeted by a locked entrance to an obscure park. The castle is now closed to visitors.
The joy of Italian horror was its Gothic celebration. The cobwebs, the shadows, the somber stonework. No matter how bad was the film, Castle Balsorano never let down fans. She was then, and now, a haunting yet beautiful hidden treasure of Italy’s medieval past and filmmaking infamy.
Editor’s Note: You can learn more about Italian horror films throughout the decades in PRIMO’s “Italian Horror Cinema: The Most Influential Horror Films from Italy” at http://www.onlineprimo.com/books.html
Covid Chronicles
GREEN PASS ITALY
By Deirdre Pirro
It’s now official. By ministerial decrees, the Draghi government has passed new measures to reintroduce, what they hope will remain, normality into the workplace.
As of October 15, 2021, those employed in public administration will no longer work remotely but must return to their offices with anti-Covid 19 precautions underway. In fact, as of the same date, all of Italy's workers, both private and public sectors, will be required to have the Green Pass vaccine passport to enter their places of employment. If they do not have such a pass, they no longer face suspension without pay from day one as the original decree stated. Instead, they may be fined as much as 1,500 euros if they fail to comply with the obligation. They cannot, however, be fired for not having the Green Pass. This is the first such mandatory regulation regarding workers to be passed by any European country. It will remain in force until the end of the year. For many, this has been an un-welcomed and controversial decision to lead to angry demonstrations, especially by “non-vaxers,” in several cities.
Further extensions to the obligatory use of the Green Pass are also likely; for example, for those who want to attend a Roman Catholic Mass. Apparently, the government and Vatican authorities are in talks about this. The requirement might be extended to all denominations. Beginning on October 1st, it will already be necessary to have a Green Pass if you want to visit the Vatican City.
Since September 20th, over a thousand people have already been given a third dose of vaccine. They all belong to categories which the Italian Ministry of Heath describes as immuno-suppressed such as transplantees, oncology patients and those with chronic kidney ailments. Although 41 million people have already been vaccinated in Italy, another million have not yet received even their first vaccine shot. The government hopes that the new regulations in place from mid-October will help remedy this situation.
Pediatricians have also expressed concern that there is an increasing number of cases of Covid among children from birth to one year of age. They say, although the situation is not yet serious, it deserves close monitoring.
U.S. Treasury Secretary, Janet Yellen, nominated Prime Minister Mario Draghi for TIME's 100 Most Influential People of 2021. Draghi is the only Italian on this year's list. Yellen served as chairwoman of the Federal Reserve while Draghi served as president of the European Central Bank. She said, "Mario is guiding his nation through the pandemic with a deft hand, championing a swift vaccination campaign and relief measures to help Italian businesses and workers. Backed by a large allotment of E.U. funds, he has set in motion many necessary - and politically difficult - policies and investments to green the Italian economy, reduce inequity and advance digitalization. And with Italy leading this year’s G-20, Mario is bringing together the world’s major economies to end the pandemic, promote an inclusive global recovery and tackle pressing global issues like climate change."
Here in Florence, the restoration of Michelangelo's Pietà dell’Opera del Duomo known as the Bandini Pietà was completed. The long and painstaking restoration which began in November 2019 was financed by the US-based non-profit organization the Friends of Florence association. The statue’s four figures, including the elderly Nicodemus who is believed to present the likeness of Michelangelo’s own face, were carved from a single marble block over two metres (6-1/2 feet) high and 2,700 kilograms (5,952 pounds). The restoration involved removing the build-up of dust on the statue to reveal its original color and fine details. A raised platform, in place for public viewing of the restoration, will remain in place until March 30, 2022, to show the restored Pietà up close. It will be a unique opportunity to see one of Michelangelo's most poignant works.
I am now home in Florence but the estate matters regarding my late husband in Nice are still up in the air whilst the French bureaucracy grinds through all the paperwork, taxation calculations and only the heavens know whatever else. They say patience is a virtue but, by now after five months of struggling with this, mine has worn very thin.
Stay healthy and safe... Deirdre
Editor’s Note: Deirdre writes articles for PRIMO’s print editions and is our official translator. Pictured: Michelangelo's Bandini Pietà.
CONTINUED CONGRESSIONAL SUPPORT OF COLUMBUS DAY IS SOUGHT BY ITALIAN AMERICANS
The Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations Submitted Letters to Each Member of Congress Calling for Their Continued Support of Columbus Day as a Federal Holiday
- Letters Mailed to All Democrats, Republicans and Members of the Italian American Congressional Caucus on September 27
By Truby Chiaviello
In an effort to preserve Columbus Day as a federal holiday, the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations (COPOMIAO) submitted three sets of letters to members of Congress. The body text was different for Democrats, Republicans and members of the Italian American Congressional Caucus. The letters were mailed on September 27th seeking continued support for Columbus Day as a federal holiday. What follows are text copies of each sets of letters sent to Democrats, Republicans and members of the Italian American Congressional Caucus.
(To Democrat Members of Congress)
The Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations (COPOMIAO) is seeking your support to preserve Columbus Day’s deserved status as a federal holiday, as it has been since 1971. Columbus Day has enjoyed the support of the Democrat Party dating back to the holiday’s establishment, and even prior to it. Top Democrats, such as President Biden, former President Obama, and Speaker Pelosi are vocal in their support of Columbus Day and its deep seated meaning to Americans across the country. This is especially so with Italian Americans. Below are but a few examples of this staunch Democratic support:
“Taking down, toppling the Christopher Columbus statue or the George Washington statue, I think that is something that the government has an opportunity and a responsibility to protect from happening.” – President Biden
“Today, we also honor the ties between the United States and Italy: America is a land discovered by an Italian, named for an Italian, and built by millions of Italian Americans.” – Speaker Pelosi
“The spirit of exploration that Columbus embodied was sustained by all who would follow him westward, driving a desire to continue expanding our understanding of the world.” – President Obama
Like many other ethnic groups celebrated in America, Italian Americans take pride in their storied past in building our great country up ever higher. Upon arrival in America, a vast majority of Italian immigrants were deeply impoverished, could not speak English, and were persecuted regardless of geographical location. However, even as Italian Americans were being lynched in the streets of New Orleans in 1891, the Italian American community was hard at work helping to build our greatest cities and making invaluable contributions to American culture. Through generations of strife, blood, sweat, and tears, the Italian American Community advanced itself to be in the position that it is today.
At the heart of remembering the struggles and achievements of the Italian American Community is Columbus Day. It is a day which unites all Italian Americans, despite any differences in location, political ideology or generation. Columbus Day is inextricably linked to the pride and history of Italian Americans. COPOMIAO, along with numerous Democrat officials, wishes to protect the federal holiday that is Columbus Day, and thus honor the sacrifices and achievements of the Italian American Community, as well as the discovery of the “New World” where our country was founded.
In recent years, there has been a growing movement to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples’ Day. COPOMIAO absolutely believes Indigenous Peoples should have a day of celebration, but it should not be at the expense of the Italian American Community. America is an inclusive country, and we should not partake in cultural addition by cultural subtraction. There are hundreds of days Congress could declare as Indigenous Peoples’ Day that do not fall on Columbus Day. There simply is no need, nor any reason, for replacing Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples’ Day. There is plenty of room in America for both communities, and both certainly should be celebrated.
COPOMIAO and your fellow Democrats ask that you support Columbus Day, and that you do not seek to remove or replace it as a federal holiday. Thank you for your time and consideration on this important issue.
(To Republican Members of Congress)
On behalf of the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations (COPOMIAO), we would like to thank you for your support in maintaining Columbus Day as a national holiday and the preservation of Columbus statues across the country. Although COPOMIAO was formed by major Italian American organizations, we believe the preservation of the Columbus legacy is not solely of importance to Italian Americans, but to all Americans. Defending the legacy of Columbus is analogous to defending our great country’s heritage and the true version of history that must be preserved for future generations. Regretfully, there are those today who seek to rewrite or cancel history, and besmirch the reputation of our country’s founders, for their own personal or political motives.
As President Trump stated in 2020,“Sadly, in recent years, radical activists have sought to undermine Christopher Columbus’ legacy. These extremists seek to replace discussion of his vast contributions with talk of failings, his discoveries with atrocities, and his achievements with transgressions. We must teach future generations about our storied heritage, starting with the protection of monuments to our intrepid heroes like Columbus.”
In August 2020, the Republican National Committee passed the Resolution to Conserve History and Combat Prejudice - Christopher Columbus in Charlotte, North Carolina. We ask that you reaffirm your support for this resolution and stand with us in defending our heritage, our history, and our monuments.
In the early 20th century, Italians, and other oppressed immigrant groups, undertook the perilous journey to America to seek a better life for their families. The hardships they endured mirrored the difficulties Columbus and his crew faced on their arduous expedition. It was Columbus who served as their champion and gave them hope. For Americans of Italian descent, Columbus Day serves as an opportunity to celebrate our ancestors and the struggles they overcame to assimilate into American society. It is unjust to take away the symbol of their very identity and the contributions they made to our nation.
Since 1937, Columbus Day has been a federally recognized holiday that celebrates a world-changing vision. Although it is generally understood that Christopher Columbus was not the first person to step foot on American soil, it is indisputable that his voyage directly shaped the formation of our country. It was Columbus who delivered a new land of opportunity to the oppressed masses of Europe. His arrival marks the time in history when Europeans began to make world-changing global contributions, such as those in art, law, government, and economics that have become the basic foundations of this great nation. At a time when we, as a country, find ourselves so divided, it is the celebration of these great achievements that can unite us through one shared vision of a hopeful future.
Instead of relegating these incredible accomplishments to forgotten history, join us in celebrating and preserving them. We call on all members of Congress to publicly pledge to keep Columbus Day a national holiday. We wish that you would open this issue for bipartisan discussion as it pertains not only to Italian Americans, but also to Native Americans. We are in full support of recognizing Indigenous People’s Day, but not as a replacement for Columbus Day. With only 12 observed federal holidays, there are 353 other possible days to recognize the contributions and achievements of Native Americans.
We wish to state again that while we fully support the observance of Indigenous People’s Day, it is unjust to take away Italian Americans’ day of celebrating their heritage and significant contributions to America. We believe in diversity and tolerance by addition, not by subtraction. We hope that you will exhibit the same courage and resolve that Columbus did when he set out on his journey in 1492, and urge you to recognize the contributions of Native Americans on any day other than Columbus Day. Thank you for your continued support.
(To Members of the Italian American Congressional Caucus)
The Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations (COPOMIAO) is seeking your continued support to preserve Columbus Day’s deserved status as a federal holiday, as it has been since 1971. As a member of the Italian American Congressional Caucus, you know the importance of Columbus Day to the Italian American Community. Columbus Day is a powerful recognition of the achievements and contributions Italian Americans have made since the founding of our great country, and indeed prior to its founding when Christopher Columbus connected the eastern hemisphere with the western.
In recent years, many groups have misguidedly sought to disparage the legacy of Columbus and Columbus Day by pushing false history. These groups have called Christopher Columbus such things as a “murderer”, a “slaver”, a “genocidal maniac”, and numerous other insidious titles. Not one of these claims are true. Not only do the primary sources blatantly dispute these malicious attacks on Columbus, but so do a myriad of renowned historical scholars. Below are but a few.
“When he encountered the natives, he wanted them to be saved as well, and he kept asking [Queen] Isabella to send more priests to teach and baptize the natives so they, too, would be saved.” - Carol Delaney, Ph.D., professor emerita at Stanford University
“These kinds of judgements, which I believe, again, are wild over-generalizations, are being made with great passion and almost total ignorance of the history of the early explorations.” - Robert Royal, Ph.D., former professor at Brown University
We must protect Columbus Day and all that it represents to not just the Italian American Community, but to the whole of America. Columbus’s connecting of east and west set the course for the founding of America. His explorations undoubtedly paved the way for innumerable societal advancements and progressions that made our entire world a better place. The “canceling” of Columbus Day, indeed, would be the cancelation of both American history as well as world history.
As a member of the Italian American Congressional Caucus, it is your obligation to support and defend the interests of the Italian American Community. Columbus Day, in large part, represents the Italian American Community’s monumental contribution to the building of our nation, and is near and dear to the heart of the Italian American Community. Regardless of geographical location, party affiliation, or generational differences, Italian Americans are united in preserving Columbus Day.
For a member of the Italian American Congressional Caucus to not defend Columbus Day would be nothing short of an outright betrayal of the Italian American Community.
Seeing as you are a member of the Italian American Congressional Caucus, we expect you to support our efforts in preserving Columbus Day, as well as the heritage and legacy of Italian Americans. We are requesting from you a written pledge of support in defending Columbus Day as a federal holiday. Furthermore, if we can be of any assistance in your important work to preserve Columbus Day as a federal holiday, please do not hesitate to reach out to us.
Editor’s Note: To learn more about the defense of Columbus by the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations, please log on to their web site at https://copomiao.org/history/
HISTORY OF ITALIAN AMERICAN DISCRIMINATION AT THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK (CUNY)
Second of a Three Part Article
1977-1991
- Italian American Employment at CUNY Dwindles in the Wake of Affirmative Action Status
- The Founding of The John D. Calandra Italian-American Institute
- The Founding of the Italian-American Legal Defense and Higher Education Fund
- Retaliation by CUNY Begins Against Dr. Joseph V. Scelsa and the Calandra Institute
By Santi Buscemi
For many talented and well-qualified Italian American professors, CUNY Chancellor Robert Kibbee’s decision to extend to them Affirmative Action status in 1976 came too late.
New York City’s budgetary problems prompted CUNY to retrench many of its faculty; a move to severely impact Italian Americans and to make their underrepresentation even worse. At the Borough of Manhattan Community College, for example, 36 percent of the Italian American faculty were retrenched. Italian American representation for the entire university system fell from 4.3 percent to 2.6 percent.
In December, 1977 and January, 1978, Senator John D. Calandra, head of the Italian American caucus in the New York State Senate, held a hearing at CUNY. He published a report titled, “A History of Italian-American Discrimination at CUNY.” He found no progress regarding the status of Italian Americans at CUNY. He recommended, among other measures, the establishment of an Italian American institute to guide the university on Italian American affairs, cultural and international services.
What came to be known as “The Calandra Report” had as one of its stated objectives, “to provide counselors sensitive to the needs of Italian students in each borough….” Funds for the institute’s creation were included in the New York State budget of 1979 and 1980, Eighteen new counselor positions were devised to provide services to the Italian American community. It was not until 1984 when the institute was incorporated into CUNY. A year after Senator Calandra passed away in 1986, the institute was renamed, in his honor, as the John D. Calandra Italian-American Institute.
Two studies issued by the institute in 1982 concluded that guidance services for Italian American students “were meager.” They also “found that CUNY special programs such as SEEK and College Discovery [aimed at helping students who are new to the college experience and need financial assistance] gave little attention to Italian American undergraduate students.” They found that the number of assistantships and scholarships for Italian American graduate students, “was disproportionately low…” The studies recommended a specialized counseling program for Italian Americans as originally supported, in a separate study, by Dr. Joseph V. Scelsa. They complained that “counselors were hired as Higher Education Officers rather than as counseling faculty with academic rank and the possibility of tenure.”
In 1986, on the tenth anniversary of the Kibbee directive, Chancellor Joseph S. Murphy reaffirmed CUNY’s Affirmative Action status for Italian Americans. A year later, Professor Richard Gambino, a Calandra Institute Faculty Fellow, completed a report titled, “Italian-American Studies and Italian-Americans at the City University of New York: Report and Recommendations.” He declared that, despite Affirmative Action status for Italian Americans at CUNY, their representation in the faculty and administration had not improved. In 1978, Italian Americans were five percent of the faculty; by 1985, that figure had not changed.
A committee of Italian American leaders met with Chancellor Murphy in 1988 to discuss the status of Italian Americans at CUNY. In attendance were William Fugazy, president of the Coalition of Italian-American Organizations, City Council Majority Leader Peter Vallone, State Senator Guy Vallella, Assemblyman Eric Vialicino and Dr. Scelsa, Director of the Calandra Institute. They discussed the creation of an Italian Studies program to include the appointment of a distinguished professor. They then brought up the findings by Professor Gambino to show no increase of Italian Americans were among CUNY faculty and administration after Affirmative Action status. In fact, the number of Italian Americans employed at the university had decreased. Their dismay extended to how CUNY could only count one Italian American president among its 23 colleges over its 140 year history. Because of a lack of progress and the unlikelihood of a political solution, the group formed the Italian American Legal Defense and Higher Education Fund (IALDHEF) on July 22, 1988.
During later meetings between legislators and Chancellor Murphy’s representatives, CUNY agreed to find space for the institute, to appoint a distinguished professor of Italian American studies and to join with legislators to form the Advisory Committee on Urban Public Higher Education. They offered advice on the needs of Italian American students and faculty. At the committee’s first meeting, Judge Vincent Massaro, the group’s chairman, requested CUNY’s Affirmative Action plans for all of its 21 colleges as filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. By September 1991, only nine of the 21 reports were submitted, none of which addressed the concerns of Italian Americans. Chairman Massaro asked Dr. Scelsa to serve on the committee, and at its next meeting, the group created three sub-committees: 1) Affirmative Action, 2) Italian-American Studies, and 3) the Calandra Italian-American Institute. Dr. Vincenzo Milione was appointed assistant director of research at Calandra to serve as a resource for the Affirmative Action sub-committee. His group made the following recommendations:
• During the summer of 1991, the Chancellor’s office “conduct a utilization analysis to determine the level of participation of Italian-Americans in all CUNY faculty and staff positions, at every level and in all categories”;
• CUNY establish a “Ph.D. in Italian, which incorporates an Italian-American literature component”; and
• The status of the Calandra Institute be elevated so as to reflect its “academic as well as its administrative…scope and function,” as well as the fact that “it provides services to the entire university community.”
The committee’s report stated that the “purpose of the Institute is to promote higher education among Italian-Americans, a major ethnic group in the United States and the single largest European ancestral group in New York State, in New York City and at CUNY.” They recommended the director of the institute be appointed to the faculty of CUNY, “with the appropriate administrative title of Full University Dean.”
Referencing these recommendations, the IALDHEF presented its case to the vice-chancellor, but this individual never responded. The group then filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Labor, charging CUNY with discrimination against Italian Americans. Since there was no response from the university, the Department of Labor issued 22 class action complaints, one for each of CUNY’s campuses.
What was to come next was a time of retaliation by CUNY. In 1992, the university targeted Dr. Scelsa for removal at the Calandra Institute to relocated the institute from Manhattan to Staten Island to diminish its importance.
Editor’s Note: The next article will focus on how Dr. Joseph V. Scelsa and his supporters took CUNY to court. The author currently serves as vice-president of the Italian-American Legal Defense and Higher Education Fund. Pictured is the late state Senator John D. Calandra who spearheaded greater representation of Italian Americans at CUNY. Several of the 21 colleges of CUNY are pictured, including John Jay, specializing in criminal justice in Manhattan, Brooklyn College off Flatbush Avenue and CUNY School of Medicine in Harlem.
THE NEW YORK TIMES REFUSES ADVERTISEMENT DEFENDING COLUMBUS
Ad Was Placed by The Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations to Run on September 27
- The Washington Post and Wall Street Journal Both Ran The Columbus Ad; but Not The New York Times
- The New York Times Ad Acceptability Team Refused The Ad Based on Columbus’ Alleged Mistreatment of Native Americans; The Times Even Denied a Connection Between Columbus Day and the Lynching of 11 Italian Americans in New Orleans in 1891 - History of Bias Against Italian Americans in The New York Times, Says Judge Basil M. Russo
By Truby Chiaviello
Judge Basil M. Russo, president of the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations has denounced the decision by The New York Times to suppress his organization’s advertisement defending the legacy of Christopher Columbus.
The ad was scheduled to run in The New York Times on September 27, in tandem with the same ad in the Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post. Both the Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post accepted the ad for publication but not The New York Times.
According to Judge Russo, The New York Times Ad Acceptability Team opted to censor his organization over allegations Columbus had mistreated Native Americans. The newspaper also refuted the historical motivation behind the establishment of Columbus Day as a response to the lynching of 11 Italian Americans in New Orleans in 1891.
“Many Italian Americans believe that The New York Times has a lengthy history of insensitivity toward our community,” said Judge Russo. “This began with an editorial applauding the 1891 lynching of 11 Italian immigrants and continues to this day with the Times’ unwillingness to allow our community the opportunity to defend our history and heritage.”
The reference by Judge Russo is the March 15, 1891 edition of The New York Times with its front page headline: “Chief Hennessy Avenged; Eleven of His Italian Assassins Lynched by a Mob. An Uprising of Indignant Citizens in New Orleans - The Prison Doors Forced and The Italian Murderers Shot Down.”
The headline alludes to the murder of New Orleans’ police chief, David Hennessy, on October 15, 1890. A year later, nine suspects, all of whom were Italians, were brought to trial with six found not guilty and the other three dismissed for purposes of mistrial. Vigilante squads then formed in New Orleans to roam the city streets in a show of anti-Italian bigotry. They killed some of the Italians who were acquitted in the murder of Chief Hennessy, but, also, several other Italians who were neither accused nor suspected of wrongdoing.
The New York Times has yet to apologize for the headline in reference to the murdered Italian immigrants, unlike New Orleans Mayor, LaToya Cantrell, who in April, 2019, announced a proclamation of apology saying, “What happened to those 11 Italians, it was wrong, and the city owes them and their descendants a formal apology.”
As Judge Russo explains, the purpose of his group’s September 27th advertisement was to dispel claims against Columbus by those who seek to tear down statues of the explorer and eliminate his holiday.
Key accusations made against Columbus were refuted in the ad.
One sub-headline declared that statues of Columbus are not rooted in racism, but, rather, rooted against racism. “Few know that 11 Italians were lynched in New Orleans in 1891 while thousands cheered…To fight oppression, Italian Americans promoted Columbus Day. Claims that the holiday and statues symbolize racism are patently false.”
The ad offers facts about Columbus to oppose assertions he was a slave owner and a culprit of genocide. “Columbus never owned slaves,” declares the ad, “…he never ordered the mass killing of Indigenous Peoples.”
In large part, the ad is a call for unity to move forward in the country. “Let’s chart a new course together,” proclaims a sub-headline. “Celebrate All Americans! Let’s rebuild Columbus’s legacy…honor all those…from Indigenous Peoples to the newest arrivals…”
Judge Russo and members of the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations are on record to ask that all Americans of all races and ethnicities “examine the current discussions surrounding Christopher Columbus, especially misinformation that has been promoted in recent years due to such works as Howard Zinn’s ‘A People’s History of the United States.’”
Editor’s Note: To learn more about the defense of Columbus by the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations, please log on to their web site at https://copomiao.org/history/
HISTORY OF ITALIAN AMERICAN DISCRIMINATION AT CUNY
First of a Three Part Article
1960-1976
Affirmative Action Granted to Italian Americans at CUNY After Years of Struggle for Equal Status
By Santi Buscemi, Vice-President, Italian-American Legal Defense and Higher Education Fund
The history of Italian-American faculty and administration at the City University of New York (CUNY) spans more than a half century of struggle to obtain equitable treatment regarding hiring, tenure, and promotion. Despite several important legal decisions, including the granting of affirmative action status to Italian Americans at the university, as well as victories in landmark civil rights court cases, little progress has been made in increasing representation of this group in CUNY’s professional ranks. In short, the university continues to discriminate against Italian Americans.
By the 1960s, the children and grandchildren of Italians, who had immigrated to the New York area during the massive wave of immigration between the 1880s and the 1920s, had started entering the professions, including college teaching in considerable numbers. The overwhelming majority of these new professionals were the descendants of “contadini,” landless peasants of the south of Italy, who had worked on the estates of the “latifundi,” or propertied class, who maintained a stranglehold on the economy of the “Mezzogiorno.” Well after the Risorgimento and deep into the 20th century, little had changed despite the incorporation of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies into a united Italy under the House of Savoy, a process begun in 1860 with Garibaldi and his Thousand and completed with the annexation of Rome in 1870.
The New York metropolitan area was home to the largest Italian American community in the United States. As members of this group obtained greater and greater education, it was only natural that many of those interested in college teaching sought employment at CUNY, one of the fastest growing centers for higher learning in the nation. During the 1950s and 1960s, the vast majority of these scholars entered the profession as instructors and assistant professors. At first, there was no formal bond among these young professors, and they met together only socially, if at all. When it became clear, however, that the university was denying promotion and tenure to Italian Americans, they formed the Association of Italian-American Faculty at the City University of New York (later referenced as the “Italian-American Faculty Association”), to combat discrimination at the university. Led by Dr. Richard Bossone, its goal was to gain Affirmative Action status for Italian Americans at CUNY.
In 1971, they met with representatives of the school chancellor but, failing to receive any significant response, they filed a Writ of Mandamus designed to force CUNY to obtain statistical information on the recruitment, hiring and promotion of Italian Americans at the university. According to Dr. Joseph V. Scelsa, “information provided over the next 12 months overwhelmingly confirmed earlier suspicions of discrimination.”
That same year, Dr. Joseph Valletutti, executive director of Americans of Italian Descent, Inc, writing in an article published in The Challenge, formally charged CUNY with de facto discrimination against Italians. Dr. Valletutti reported that, as of 1970, only two of the 21 members of the Board of Higher Education were Italian Americans, a serious underrepresentation, since one in five New Yorkers were of Italian descent. The article indicated there were no Italian Americans on the chancellor’s staff; none of CUNY’s many deans were Italian American; less than six percent of the university’s faculty were members of this group.
One of the most egregious cases of discrimination involved Dr. Joseph Lombardo of Queens College, whose appeal for redress spanned six years (1965-1971). After the New York State Human Rights Division ruled in his favor, the university agreed to grant him his well-earned full professorship, retroactively to 1965, with a cash settlement. Dr. Lombardo’s struggle is important, for the stalling tactics CUNY used against him characterize the actions it would use against other Italian Americans who attempted to assert their rights.
In the fall of 1972, Dr. Richard Bossone led the Italian-American Faculty Association in an effort to support the promotion of several Italian American professors and to add an Italian American to the Board of Trustees, recommending a candidate from Staten Island to fill a vacancy. Unfortunately, this request was ignored by Mayor Lindsay, who chose a non Italian American.
In the fall of 1973, the New York State Assembly held a hearing chaired by Assemblymen Antonio Olivieri and Anthony De Falco, that found CUNY deficient in allocating resources for Italian American students while student groups representing other ethnicities were funded as a matter of course. Indeed, Italian Americans were even excluded from the SEEK program, which provides financial and academic support for talented students.
In 1974 and 1976, the Italian-American Faculty Association compiled two key reports that, according to Dr. Frank Elmi, indicated significant “underrepresentation of Italian-American faculty and administration as well as neglect of Italian-American students.” The reports also showed that, “…despite the fact that Italian Americans constitute 25 percent of the population of New York City and despite the progressively increasing number of Italian Americans earning doctoral degrees, the representation of Italian Americans at the City University of New York was at a low 5 percent…”
The problem of equal treatment of Italian American students also surfaced in these reports. The first of these identified a clear and urgent need for improved counseling: “…Italian-American students constitute a large if not the largest proportion of failures in CUNY despite the fact that their parents are paying through their tax dollars for the support of [academic, extracurricular, and counseling] programs.” A 1975 CUNY study, by Profs. Fucillo and Krase, pointed to the same problem as it relates to Brooklyn College. It provided empirical information as “to the alienation and neglect of Italian-American students at Brooklyn College,” and it “proposed special outreach programs, as well as extra-curricular and curricular programs, to alleviate the alienation of Italian-American students…”
Italian American students at CUNY had already begun to complain about insufficient counseling and inequitable distribution of student fees, and they appealed to state officials for redress. As a result of both faculty and student pressure, Chancellor Robert J. Kibbee addressed these issues in a statement to all CUNY presidents. Kibbee indicated that the number of Italian Americans entering the university was increasing from all sections of the city, and he asked the presidents to consider ways in serve this population better: “…it behooves all of us—faculty, administrators, and staff—to recognize, understand, and respect the traditions, customs, and beliefs of this large and important component of our academic community.”
“Italian Americans: The Neglected Minority in the City University,” released in May 1976, called for affirmative action status to be extended to Italian Americans. In December of that year, Chancellor Kibbee wrote to the CUNY Council of Presidents, creating that status: “It is my belief that the present situation requires the University to take positive action to assure that qualified persons of Italian American ancestry are identified so that they can be considered fairly along with other candidates for positions that might become available at the University. I am equally concerned that the processes of the University are such that Italian-Americans receive fair consideration in the processes that lead to promotion and tenure within the University. To this end, I am designating Italian-Americans as an Affirmative Action category for this University…. I also have instructed the Affirmative Action office to include Italian-Americans in the data collected for Affirmative Action purposes.”
Editor’s Note: The next article will focus on the lack of enforcement for Affirmative Action programs for Italian Americans at CUNY. Next to the university logo is Robert Kibbee, chancellor of the university that bestowed affirmative status to Italians.
In Pittsburgh…
ITALIAN AMERICANS OFFER TO HELP NATIVE AMERICANS ERECT A STATUE OF THEIR OWN IN RETURN FOR KEEPING COLUMBUS IN SCHENLEY PARK
- In Response to a Mediation Request by Judge Jack McVay
“…such a resolution will show proper respect to the heritages of both the Italian American community and the Native American community…”
Two cities in Pennsylvania represent the front lines of the ongoing culture war in America with assaults by elected officials against the legacy of Columbus. In Philadelphia, Mayor Jim Kenney has spent considerable time and effort trying to tear down the statue of Columbus at Marconi Plaza. He officially reproached the celebration of the Columbus Day federal holiday in an executive order he made earlier this year. Attorney George Bochetto and Jude Basil M. Russo have filed a federal lawsuit in Philadelphia on behalf of the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations, Philadelphia Councilmember Mark F. Squilla and The 1492 Society to reverse Mayor Kenney’s executive order, which changed the Oct. 11 Columbus Day holiday to Indigenous Peoples Day.
At the other end of Pennsylvania is Pittsburgh, home to a proud legacy of Italian Americans whose ancestors went there to find the American Dream for work in the city’s factories and nearby coal mines. Here, Mayor Bill Peduto and the Pittsburgh Art Commission voted to remove a towering Columbus monument in that city’s Schenley Park.
As has happened in Philadelphia, the resources of the Italian American community have come to forge a formidable defense of Columbus and our Italian American heritage in Pittsburgh.
Attorney George Bochetto and Judge Basil M. Russo, on behalf of Italian Sons and Daughters of America, are suing the city of Pittsburgh over the pending removal of the Columbus Monument there. As it stands now, each side has entered into a mediation process in an attempt to reach a settlement. The judge in the case, Judge Jack McVay, said, “It is my belief that through conciliation, Pittsburgh will lead the nation on this issue of statue removal vis a vis history and evolving community historical understanding.”
In the Italian Sons and Daughters of America v. City of Pittsburgh, et al. the Italian American plaintiff’s have made a proposed resolution.
According to Mr. Bochetto, “To date the defendant’s proposed course of action is to simply remove the statue of Christopher Columbus from Schenley Park to appease some historical revisionists. This is an unimaginative and confrontational resolution that has no educational component. It places the City of Pittsburgh at the end of a long line of other municipalities that have already succumbed to this approach as a way to avoid the threat of potential violence in their communities.”
Judge Russo and the Italian Sons and Daughters of America have chosen “to advocate a resolution that promotes mutual respect among the parties, as opposed to pitting one group’s interests against another group’s interests, as well as educating the public as to the true historical facts relating to the controversy surrounding Christopher Columbus.”
The Plaintiffs submitted the following proposal as a resolution to the pending lawsuit:
“The statue of Christopher Columbus shall remain in Schenley Park to continue to honor the sacrifices and contributions the Italian immigrant community, and all immigrants, have made to the City of Pittsburgh.”
“The Plaintiff, at its expense, will construct a viewing area adjacent to the statue where an educational documentary, Christopher Columbus: “Courage and Conviction,” will be available for public viewing. The Native American community will place a statue of a hero of its selection on the adjacent grounds of the park. The Plaintiff will assist the Native American community in its fundraising efforts to construct the statue.”
“The Native American community shall be invited to use the facility that the Plaintiff constructs to exhibit an educational documentary of the individual it so selects to honor.”
Mr. Bochetto and Judge Russo “believe such a resolution will show proper respect to the heritages of both the Italian American community and the Native American community, and further serve to educate the public as to the lives and contributions of each community’s respective hero.”
Editor’s Note: To learn more about George Bochetto and his legal work, please log on to www.bochettoandlentz.com. To learn more about Judge Russo and the ongoing activities by the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations, please log on to www.copomiao.org. Pictured is the Columbus Monument in Schenley Park, in Pittsburgh, Judge Basil M. Russo, current president of the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations and the Italian Sons and Daughters of America and George Bochetto, lead attorney representing a number of Italian American organizations to preserve Columbus’ legacy in Pittsburgh.
Another Columbus Victory in Philadelphia
COLUMBUS MONUMENT TO BE FULLY RESTORED TO PUBLIC VIEW AT PENN’S LANDING
- A Settlement Was Reached to Show the Monument in All Its Glory
“America 500 and DRWC sat down together and resolved this dispute in a civil manner. I commend DRWC’s professionalism and steadfast commitment to the people of Philadelphia.”
In June 2020, during the height of civil unrest over police brutality, Delaware River Waterfront Corporation (DRWC) workers at Penn’s Landing in Philadelphia boarded up the bottom of the Christopher Columbus monument concealing the navigator’s name.
The DRWC, which maintains the monument, said at the time that the 106-foot historical obelisk did not align with their “mission to create and maintain a safe and welcome space for all.”
More than a year later, the “chalkboards” plastered across the base will be removed now that the DRWC and the America 500 Anniversary Corporation — the organization responsible for the construction of the monument — have reached a settlement over the matter.
The announcement came weeks after a judge slammed and overturned Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney’s unlawful order to cover and remove the Columbus statue at Marconi Plaza in South Philadelphia.
George Bochetto, a prominent Philadelphia attorney who led both lawsuits against the DRWC and the city of Philadelphia, released this statement on Tuesday:
“America 500 and DRWC sat down together and resolved this dispute in a civil manner. I commend DRWC’s professionalism and steadfast commitment to the people of Philadelphia.”
Bochetto also represents the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organization and Italian Sons and Daughter of American, both of which are led by Basile M. Russo.
Bochetto and Russo filed a federal lawsuit in Philadelphia on behalf of the Conference of Presidents, Philadelphia Councilmember Mark F. Squilla and The 1492 Society earlier this year in order to reverse Mayor Kenney’s executive order, which changed the October 11 Columbus Day holiday to Indigenous Peoples Day.
If a judge sides with the federal Pro-Columbus lawsuit, it could usher in a powerful legal precedent that would shield the Columbus holiday and statues across the country.
Bochetto and Russo, on behalf of Italian Sons and Daughters of America, are also suing the city of Pittsburgh after Mayor Bill Peduto and the Pittsburgh Art Commission voted to remove a towering Columbus monument in the city. As it stands, each side has entered into a mediation process in an attempt to reach a settlement.
Editor’s Note: Pictured is the Columbus monument at Penn’s Landing, Basil M. Russo, current president of the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations and the Italian Sons and Daughters of America and George Bochetto, lead attorney representing a number of Italian American organizations to preserve Columbus’ legacy in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. To learn more about George Bochetto and his legal work, please log on to www.bochettoandlentz.com. To learn more about Judge Russo and the ongoing activities by the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations, please log on to www.copomiao.org.
Covid Chronicles
ITALY SEEKS TO RETURN TO NORMAL
- School Begins
- Illegal Migration at Crisis Levels
- Author Struggles with Estate Law in Nice, France
By Deirdre Pirro
Here, as we come to the end of Weeks 44 and 45, one of the major issues facing Italy, like in many other European countries, is the return to schools and universities of thousands of students. Most previous coronavirus protocols like masks for children over the age of six, staggered entry times, temperature checks and social distancing will remain in force as all efforts are being made to prevent students facing more long periods of distance learning this coming school year. So far students are not required to carry a Covid Certificate Green Health Pass to enter the classroom which, in any case, did not apply to children aged under 12. School and university staff will, however, be required to have a green pass to work on the premises.
Over the summer, there has, in fact, been rising tension over Italy's Green Pass which was first introduced in June this year. There have been a number of protests throughout the country staged by “no green passers” as well as otherS who go by the name of “no vaxers.” Although they are often the same people, it would be a mistake to necessarily lump them together.
Further new rules were added to those already in force relating to the green pass and travel. On September 1st, the pass was required to travel on long-distance, intercity and high-speed trains, as well as domestic flights, long-distance buses and interregional ferries, although it is not obligatory for local public transport networks or regional trains. Tighter measures are expected to be put in place by the end of September. This could mean that the green pass may have to be shown on city buses and metro trains and trams. Because the aim of all these measures is to protect us from this deadly virus continuing to spread, then all I can say is bring them on.
The Draghi government has announced that it is on track to have 80% of the Italian population vaccinated by September 24th. Not a bad record.
Recently, the leader of the center-right Lega political party, Matteo Salvini has launched a series of stinging attacks against the Interior Minister, Luciana Lamorgese, over the government's handling of illegal immigration, mainly by unvaccinated migrant-boat people arriving from North Africa. From January and July 2021, some 25,000 migrants arrived in Italy by sea. The month of June saw the highest number of arrivals. During 2020, the number of migrants who landed in Italy peaked at 7.1 thousand people in July. Salvini has also warned that his support for the coalition Draghi government was at risk because of this latest wave of illegal migrants, often assisted by foreign NGO ships offloading their human cargo to be picked up at sea in Italian territory.
In mid-August, the Interior Minister, Luciana Lamorgese, had also been widely criticized for her inability to stop a huge, unauthorized, week-long rave party staged by hundreds of young people from across Europe taking place on a privately owned country site between Lazio and Tuscany near the town of Valentano. Apart from mountains of garbage, it left in its wake at least three people with alcohol-induced comas and one 25-year-old man drowned in a nearby lake. Talk about closing the barn door after the horse has bolted. If I were the minister, I would not be feeling too secure in my institutional role at the moment.
As of September 6th, Italy's wins in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics has brought them into ninth place in the medals' table with 69 medals, including 14 golds, 29 silvers and 26 bronzes. It's
Italy's best performance ever at these games.
In Florence, on 17th and 18th September, G20's agriculture ministers from Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, France, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the UK and the US will meet in Florence at the historic Accademia dei Georgofili founded in 1753. People, planet and prosperity are the three interrelated pillars of action the ministers will debate which, hopefully, will find some viable and durable solutions.
As the photos will show you I was on the French Riviera in the beautiful seaside town on Nice. Much as I would like to say I am on vacation, that is not the case, although I do try my best to enjoy the sun and the sea along the Promenade des Anglais as much as I can. Some of you may know that my husband, Pietro, died at the end of April this year which means I am now embroiled in French bureaucracy, and there is heaps of it. This is because my son, Piero, and I have to comply with the legal requirements of paying death duties and settling the issues of inheritance on an apartment we own here. Foolishly, I thought Italian bureaucracy was complicated enough, but this is a nightmare, especially for foreign non-residents like us. More to come, if I every manage to get it sorted out.
Stay healthy and safe... Deirdre
Editor’s Note: Deirdre writes articles for PRIMO’s print editions and is our official translator. Pictured were taken by the author in Nice, France.
Op-Ed
FIGHT THE FEAR
Is Italy Becoming More Repressive Under Coronavirus than Under Mussolini?
“During Mussolini’s reign, Italians had no choice. They had to follow the rules, or else they were arrested or shot. With coronavirus, however, it is fear, not the government, commanding them.”
By Joanne Fisher
It all started with, “Just two weeks to flatten the curve.” Yet, here we are, 17 months later and counting.
After constant lockdowns in Italy, not to mention scores of protests, draconian measures and local bylaws, we have come to a point where the government and their media and academic allies can only vilify the “non-vaxxers” and “nonbelievers”.
What is Italy turning into? Is Fascism coming back? Are Italians just letting their government do whatever it wants?
If you think the United States is divided, then take a good look at Italy. I know many Italians who are filled with fear (many are my family members). But on the other side of the coin, I know many who are not and who live their lives the best that they can.
During Mussolini’s reign, Italians had no choice. They had to follow the rules or else they were either arrested or shot. With coronavirus, however, it is fear, not the government, commanding them. Some Italians are literally choosing not to go outside without a mask. They still live in fear of infection, even after getting the vaccine. Yes, COVID-19 has killed over 129,000 people in Italy, but this number is over a 17-month span with the last count taken at the end of August. Why is the recovery rate of 99.95% not pushed in the same way that the number of “cases” are pushed? The answer is simple. It’s to give the impression that if you contract COVID-19, it’s a death sentence. Hence, these fearful sheep are now joyously swallowing whatever pill the government is giving them, and, in the process, are giving up their liberty. I’m sure the Partigiani are rolling in their graves.
As our Lord and Savior said many times, “have no fear for I am with you.” Hope is not lost. On the contrary, it is growing—and in large numbers. People are beginning to see the light. There is a group of doctors and nurses, lawyers, judges and police officials who, together, are fighting to save the civil liberties of Italians. These heroes are literally at war with the draconian government and they are winning small battles. They’ve won cases against forcing masks on students in school. One head of the “Polizia di Stato” is battling the vaccine mandate for their agents. And the protests continue every weekend in hundreds of Italian cities.
What of the GreenPass?
Unfortunately, the Italian government has passed the mandatory GreenPass for a person to enter museums or other large venues (concerts, soccer games, etc.). However, there is fierce pushback by millions of small business owners, truck drivers and even police officials who are not willing to enforce these laws as they are considered to be anti-constitutional and discriminatory.
How is this affecting travel?
The rules are that Americans, Japanese and Canadians are required to complete a “Passenger Locator Form” and have a valid GreenPass from the home country. Or, you must have a negative result on a Rapid Molecular or Antigenic Test performed in the 48 hours prior to entering Italy. This is presented in digital format in the preferred languages of Italian, English, Spanish and French.
Bottom line: you can travel to Italy. Just be aware of certain restrictions for entering museums, stadiums and other public buildings. Oh, and don’t forget masks are still mandatory indoors for almost all places.
Ending on a positive note: The war against these draconian measures is far from over. So have patience and keep the faith.
Editor’s Note: Joanne Fisher is a Canadian-Italian-American author who is renowned for her steamy romances, historical fictions and murder-mysteries. She loves writing Christmas novellas, giving them an Italian flair. She has penned two nonfiction travel guides, titled Traveling Boomers, along with the corresponding website TheTravelingBoomers.com. She has participated in various Space Coast Writers’ Guild anthologies, and has even written one of her own, Baker’s Dozen Anthology, which is free on Kindle Unlimited. She is the president of the Space Coast Writers’ Guild and lives in Central Florida with her husband Dan and two Dachshunds, Wally and Madison. Her web site is https://joannesbooks.com/
Primo Interview
AUTHOR CHLOE JON PAUL DISCUSSES HER BOOK “ENTERING THE AGE OF ELEGANCE”
"As human beings, we must definitely be aware of how our physical health is connected to our mental, emotional, and spiritual health."
Chloe Jon Paul conceives a better and more accurate way of to growing older with the title of her fascinating new book, “Entering the Age of Elegance.” PRIMO spoke with the author about her new book and insight on human longevity.
Please tell us your family background in regards to Italy? You devote this book to your grandmothers. Please comment.
My mother's family came from Abruzzo and my father's family came from Sicily. My husband was from Rome. I met him while on vacation. I even lived in Rome! My grandmother Teresa was my inspiration for so much! She had a difficult life but managed to help so many people! She taught me how to care for unfortunate and how to live my Catholic faith.
What led you to write "Entering the Age of Elegance"?
What led me to write this book was that so many women are afraid of aging and go to great lengths and spend a lot of money trying to look young.
As you know, Italy is famous for longevity; as in some places, such as Sardinia, people live productive lives in their 100s. What, in your opinion are Italians doing right in living longer more fuller lives?
I'm not certain as to what Italians are doing in living longer, more fuller lives except that they don't buy into what so many companies produce and advertise as ideal for a youthful appearance.
A consistent theme in your book is how our physical health is tied to one's mental, emotional and spiritual health. Why is that? Please comment.
As human beings, we must definitely be aware of how our physical health is connected to our mental, emotional, and spiritual health. A wise Indian guru once said that man is a house with 4 rooms: the physical, spiritual, mental, and emotional. The problem is that he spends his time in only one of those rooms each day whereas he should be visiting all four. I visit all 4 EVERYDAY!
What do you see in the future in the United States. What do we need to do here to change the culture for us to live longer and more productively?
The future of this nation is in great jeopardy! What we need to do can be explained in the Bible! I'm concerned that this book cannot be published again. I tried contacting the publisher but never received an answer.
Editor’s note: You can read more about Chloe Jon Paul and purchase her new book, “Entering the Age of Elegance” at https://www.chloejonpaul.net/
Letter to the Editor
PRIMO READER ONCE RECEIVED A LETTER FROM
PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT ADMONISHING
HER FOR SPEAKING ITALIAN
Dear Editor:
I read your latest edition of PRIMO Magazine and I am looking forward to receiving another by mail. Thank you for printing my story and army photograph of my late husband George titled ----- "Storming Omaha Beach on D-Day."
Also, on PRIMO's YouTube channel, I was so happy to see and listen to the Italian Carabinieri band play at the Lincoln Memorial. My father was drafted in WWI in Italy at age 16 and was put into the Carabinieri Unit (Military Police). After the war, he was discharged as an Army Carabinieri Carabinieri but was given the job as a Civilian Carabinieri for the country of Italy and always carried a rifle strapped to his shoulder. When my daughter Gina was 14 years old, I took her to Italy and we spent the whole summer living with many relatives!!! We went to the Carabinieri office in Rome and they found in their files my father's history and his photo in uniform. His passport, which Gina still has, says that his occupation was Carabinieri.
And yes, I agree with your article that we Italians were mistreated by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt during World War II. He hated the Italians and said hateful things about us. I was only 9 years old and someone in my neighborhood heard me speaking Italian to my Nonna in a butcher shop and reported me to Roosevelt. In those days, all the stores had a sign in their windows that said --- Speak Only English Language In This Shop, By Command Of President Roosevelt. I received a nasty letter from Roosevelt!!! He said that I should only speak English and no other language. I don't have that letter now because my father flushed it down the toilet!!!!
I am now 89 years old, healthy of mind and body, but I haven't forgotten those days of World War II !!!
I firmly believe that I deserve an apology from the Country in which I was born --- America. I agree with you that America should apologize to all Italian Americans for discrimination!!!!! And if Roosevelt was still alive today I would have some news for him-----I don't speak ONLY English but I now speak, read, and write several languages!!!!
I look forward to reading the hard copy of PRIMO Magazine.
And thanks again!!!
I am now 89 years old, healthy of mind and body, but I haven't forgotten those days of World War II !!!
I firmly believe that I deserve an apology from the Country in which I was born --- America. I agree with you that America should apologize to all Italian Americans for discrimination!!!!! And if Roosevelt was still alive today I would have some news for him-----I don't speak ONLY English but I now speak, read, and write several languages!!!!
I look forward to reading the next edition of PRIMO Magazine.
And thanks again!!!
Lola Gianelli
Ladera, California
A NEW BROCHURE AND POP-UP DISPLAY TO HELP DEFEND COLUMBUS
Now Available are Pamphlets and Signs for Italian Americans to Set the Record Straight on Columbus
- Produced by the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations
- “The brochures are totally free to all organizations, lodges and clubs,” says Judge Russo
By Truby Chiaviello
Columbus Day is almost two months away and the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations has produced two unique products to help Italian Americans defend the legacy of Christopher Columbus.
Basil Russo, former federal judge and Cleveland city council leader, now serves as president of the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations. He sent out sample copies recently of a brochure and pop-up display for Italian American organizations and clubs to use this Columbus Day and beyond.
“Once again, we head into uncertain waters as the lead-up to Columbus Day will spark a new round of discussion and conjecture on the holiday and its significance to the Italian American culture,” says Judge Russo. “In response, we’ve produced and printed a Columbus brochure featuring cogent arguments and salient research that tells the story of our ancestors’ unbroken connection to the historic navigator.”
The well-crafted brochure comes dressed in bright purple and red with the headline, “Why Columbus Matters.” The inside panels contain bulleted points to establish Columbus a worthy hero of history. Maligned attacks against Columbus, as exclaimed in “A People’s History of the United States” by Howard Zinn, are effectively countered. Zinn’s book was distributed to American elementary and high schools over the last 40 years in a concerted effort by him and others affiliated with communism and social Maxism. Their goal was to destroy Columbus and other figures of American history. The fruition of such false propaganda has led us to the present day where various governments at the state and local levels, not to mention school boards, universities and teachers’ unions, have all but condemned Columbus and seek to eliminate all vestiges of his legacy here in America.
The brochure tackles a host of controversial issues. One headline reads: “Columbus Condemned Slavery.” Bulleted claims follow to set the record straight such as “Columbus was against slavery,” “He never bought, sold or owned slaves,” etc…
More information is included in the brochure to help members of Italian American clubs and organizations defend Columbus.
“The brochures are totally free to all organizations, lodges and clubs,” says Judge Russo.
To order copies of the brochure titled “Why Columbus Matters,” please email your request to the main office of the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations at it.am.presidents@gmail.com.
Please include the following information:
Your organization’s full name
Mailing address (street, city, zip code)
Quantity (200 max)
Judge Russo also announced the availability of a seven foot pop-up display to feature a dramatic illustration of Columbus. The headline reads: “Christopher Columbus - Seek the Facts” and offers information to defend Columbus and counter the maligned myths and false accusations from his detractors.
“We’re offering a seven-foot Columbus pop-up display for those who are interested in prominently featuring the explorer during Italian American Heritage Month,” says Judge Russo.
The pop-ups are $200/piece. To order the large display, please include your organization’s name and mailing address and email to: it.am.presidents@gmail.com.
Judge Russo expressed optimism in the fight to preserve the legacy of Columbus. “The good news is our side (i.e., our history) is gaining momentum thanks in large part to (Italian Americans) inspiring activism and commitment to our legal efforts. We can work together and continue to correct the skewed narrative surrounding Columbus.”
Editor’s Note: To order your Columbus brochures and pop-up display, please email it.am.presidents@gmail.com. The web site for the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations is COPOMIAO.org
THE FIGHT FOR COLUMBUS
- A Round-up of Recent Events to Preserve the Legacy of Columbus in America
- From Philadelphia to San Francisco, Italian Americans are Fighting Hard for Our Heritage
By Robert Petrone, Esq.
Be it changing the name of a holiday from Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day or tearing down monuments and public sculpture of the great Genoese explorer, Italian Americans have been called to defend our heritage all over the United States. Here is a collection of recent court rulings, public meetings and debates on the fight to preserve the legacy of Columbus in America.
In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Judge Paula Patrick of the Court of Common Pleas has ordered the City of Philadelphia and its Italophobic mayor James Kenney to stand down and leave Philly's Christopher Columbus statue where it stands, finding the City guilty of an "abuse of discretion and clearly arbitrary action"; characterizing the City's arguments as "devoid of any legal foundation" and finding it "baffling...how the City of Philadelphia wants to remove the Statue without any legal basis."
You can hear first-hand, from attorney George Bochetto, Esquire, champion of truth and justice, and bane of Marxist Columbus-detractors everywhere, the details of this resounding victory here, on the latest episode of "Christopher Columbus University" at https://video.ibm.com/channel/minitape
You can also support Philadelphia's President and Founder of the Drexel University Italian Pride organization, Mario De Lorenzo, in his fight to convince Drexel to restore Christopher Columbus Day to its school calendar by signing his petition at http://chng.it/nVmFvvjv68.
In Westborough, Massachusetts, the Italian American Alliance asks all allies to email that town's Select Board at selectboard@town.westborough.ma.us to politely but firmly demand they desist from renaming Christopher Columbus Day to the incorrectly named "Indigenous People's Day," but rather designate another date, such as August 9th, the date the United Nations has designated as "International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples," to honor the tribal peoples of the Americas.
In New York, New York, The Epoch Times has released a new film, America Rewritten, a documentary on "how history is being falsified." In it, Dr. Mary Grabar, Resident Fellow of the Alexander Hamilton Institute for the Study of Western Civilization, reveals how the late Marxist propagandist Howard Zinn dishonestly presented America's history, and discusses her book “Debunking Howard Zinn: Exposing the Fake History that Turned a Generation Against America,” available wherever books are sold.
In Boston, Massachusetts, a collection of approximately a dozen Italian American organizations have collectively sent a letter to Massachusetts Italian American Legislative Caucus member Senator Salvatore DiDomenico demanding help from that caucus in combatting the anti-Italian-American terrorism in Boston. The letter, poetically reminiscent of Thomas Jefferson's Declaration of Independence, calls for the "reject[ion of] bigotry in all its forms because it is inherently wrong and because it divides us as a people, an American people." The letter is the perfect template for similar grass-roots letters to Italian American legislative caucuses in any state.
In Chicago, Illinois, the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans filed a lawsuit against the Chicago Park District seeking the return of the Arrigo Park Columbus statue to its rightful place and organized a rally to support the legal effort regarding that and Chicago's other two Columbus statues. JCCIA President Ron Onesti said, "We are not asking for damages, an explanation or even an apology. We simply want the statues back where they belong..."
In San Francisco, California, the city's Columbus statue, designed and sculpted in 1957 by Vittorio di Colbertaldo and set upon a pedastal gifted by the City of Genoa on a marble ring donated by the Marini Family has been unceremoniously shoved into storage after vandals defaced the statue with red paint. The city is keeping the storage location a secret as well as the fate of the statue. Years ago, San Francisco eliminated Columbus's name from that city's 150-year-old parade.
In Oberlin, Ohio, President Basil M. Russo of the Order of the Italian Sons and Daughters of Italy in America, backed by over 60 supporters, gave a rousing speech to Oberlin's City Council, successfully persuading that body to hold off on replacing Columbus Day with "Indigenous People's Day." President Russo explained to City Council that Italian immigrants began celebrating Columbus Day in the 1800s "in an effort to deal with the prejudices they were confronted with and in an effort to establish a sense of dignity and self-worth" and decried City Council's "inherent unfairness of promoting one group's rights and interests by trampling upon the rights and interests of another group."
Editor’s Note: For more information on these news stories, please listen to the most recent episodes of "Christopher Columbus University" by attorney Robert Petrone on Radio Voice Italia at the following archived link: https://video.ibm.com/channel/minitape
ITALIANS WIN BIG IN PHILADELPHIA
Trial Judge in Philadelphia Overrules Removal of Columbus Statue
- The statue will remain in Marconi Plaza
- “It is baffling to this Court as to how the City of Philadelphia wants to remove the Statue without any legal basis,” wrote Judge Paula Patrick.
By Truby Chiaviello
Score a major victory for Italian Americans in Philadelphia and, for that matter, Italian Americans all over the United States. The Columbus statue at Marconi Plaza, as sculpted by Emanuele Caroni, is to be kept where it is and where it has been in Philadelphia since 1876. Mayor Jim Kenney’s effort to take down the statue has failed. So ordered Judge Paula Patrick of the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania, Civil Trial Division.
For awhile it looked grim for the Italian Americans of South Philadelphia as Mayor Kenny was hellbent to remove Italian Ravazzoni marble statue of the founder of the New World. Never mind that Christopher Columbus remains a beloved figure for many Americans, Kenney wanted the 22 foot sculpture gone.
Kenny left it up to his handpicked members of the Philadelphia Historical Commission to ensure Columbus’ legacy was all but discarded in the City of Brotherly Love. The mission of the historical commission is to uphold a measure of integrity and objectivity. However, this is the age of political correctness. The era of the cancel culture. The times of Howard Zinn. There was no way these so-called learned men and women were going to keep an extraordinary rendition of Columbus in public view. All Italian Americans knew that the fate of the great Genoese was sealed when Kenney referred the matter to the historic commission last year.
And so it was. The Philadelphia Historical Commission submitted their decision, as rendered on July 24, 2020, to the Philadelphia Board of License and Inspection Review for the removal of the edifice. Columbus was unceremoniously boarded up to await the crane.
Italians are a stubborn bunch. Like the centurions of more than a thousand years ago, they don’t panic in battle. They stay in the fight to find a way to overcome.
Italians of South Philly came together. George Bochetto and his legal team dug into the law to take Mayor Kenny and his commissions to court. They appealed the decision and filed and were granted an injunction to keep the statue where located until the case was finalized.
Appellants were Friends of Marconi Plaza, Msgrs. Richard Cedrone, Joseph Q. Mirarchi and their man in the arena, Mr. Bochetto.
To read the seven page decision as issued by Judge Patrick on August 17 is to see fairness and common sense in action. Mr. Bochetto made his case as might a champion boxer. He knocked out every preposterous claim by the opposition.
“It is baffling to this Court as to how the City of Philadelphia wants to remove the Statue without any legal basis,” wrote Judge Patrick. “The City’s entire argument and case is devoid of any legal foundation.”
If Mr. Bochetto can be compared to a boxer, then let the historic commissioners be compared to dart throwers. They threw at the judge every conceivable reason to remove Columbus but never could hit a bullseye.
One by one their arguments were dismissed by Judge Patrick.
The historic commission claimed the Italians had no standing. The removal of a statue depicting an explorer from Genoa who founded the New World, in a place named for another famous Italian, was in no way connected to Italians.
Not true, said Judge Patrick.
“Appellants have been active caretakers of Marconi Plaza for the past 10 years coordinating the park’s upkeep, beautification and modernization,” she wrote. “Appellants have a substantial, direct and immediate interest in the outcome of litigation…because removal of the Christopher Columbus Statue will impact the nature of the park.”
Many involved in preserving the statue complained about the lack of serious investigation and deliberation by the historic commission. Indeed, as Mr. Bochetto argued, the commission wrongly relied on their staff members to decide on the fragility of the statue and its possibility of getting damaged while removed. Judge Patrick ruled an error in law was committed when the historic commission considered only the opinion of staff members. “To the contrary,” wrote Judge Patrick, “those staff members were not independent experts with experience in analyzing historic marble sculpture and transportation.”
A lack of definitive reports coupled with a lack of proper time to allow for a public hearing were key reasons why Judge Patrick ruled against the historic commission. She also ruled against the claim by the city that civil unrest was ongoing enough to threaten the statue and that its removal was “necessary in the public interest.” The judge agreed with Mr. Bochetto and appellants that the protests and demonstrations against the Columbus statue were isolated events, made after the tragic death of George Floyd on May 25, 2020. There was no evidence of consistent civil unrest to threaten the statue.
A victory in Philadelphia is to garner confidence and enthusiasm for many more battles still to come. Mr. Bochetto currently leads a legal team in a federal lawsuit to prevent the City of Philadelphia and its mayor, Jim Kenney, from abolishing Columbus Day and replacing it with Indigenous Peoples Day. Such an act would constitute discrimination against Italian Americans under the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.
“A win in the federal suit will have earthshaking effect around the country,” declares Judge Basil Russo, president of the Council of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations. His organization is a party in the federal lawsuit.
Editor’s Note: Marconi Plaza is located in Philadelphia at 2800 South Broad Street. To learn more about George Bochetto and his legal work, please log on to www.bochettoandlentz.com. To learn more about ongoing activities by the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations, pleas log on to www.copomiao.org
RICHARD TRUMKA PASSES
First Italian American to Serve as President of the AFL-CIO
- A Vital Voice for American Labor and, Especially, American Coal Miners
By Truby Chiaviello
We mourn the loss of Richard Trumka, who passed away, at 72, from an apparent heart attack on August 5th.
Mr. Trumka was a tireless advocate for workers throughout the United States. He was featured in PRIMO in 2009 after he made history to become the first Italian American president of the AFL-CIO, America’s largest union with some 12.5 million members.
In an in-depth interview with PRIMO, Mr. Trumka discussed his background to focus on his Italian maternal side, maiden name Bertugli. He had a close relationship with his grandfather, Attilio, an immigrant from Italy. Mr. Trumka credited his grandfather with inspiring him to pursue a law degree to defend the rights of workers. It was a porch side setting that sought ways to help the miners in Greene County. “Who are the people that can help the most?” his grandfather asked. “Politicians,” replied Mr. Trumka. “Think harder,” said Grandfather Attilio. An epiphany arose when the young Mr. Trumka answered, “Lawyers.”
The November/December 2009 edition of PRIMO featured a six page biography of Mr. Trumka to follow a tribute to Italian American coal miners. Readers submitted photographs, names and write-ups of their ancestors who worked in the coal mines of Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia. A creative layout captured the unique history of Italian Americans who delved into the sides of mountains to extract this vital resource.
Mr. Trumka had been a coal miner, alongside his father, Frank, near Nemacolin, Pennsylvania, where he was born and raised. In 1974, he graduated with a law degree from Villanova University to soon work on the legal staff for the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA). Eight years later, he became president of the UMWA at a time of serious transition in American labor.
Mines are located in remote regions far away from the national spotlight where striking workers battled policemen and company security. Internal struggles within the union sometimes resulted in serious clashes.
The UMWA remained a formidable force for mine workers in the United States. At 33, Mr. Trumka was elected to the union presidency just before a serious drop in membership was to occur. The UMWA had almost 200,000 members in the 1940s; only for a reduction to 80,000 members today. Strip mining coupled with a host of technological innovations lessened the need for workers. Meanwhile, the environmental movement of climate change considered coal mining akin to an evil exercise where the closing of mines were advocated in many states.
For Mr. Trumka, the labor movement of miners was central to the broad struggle of collective bargaining and workers’ rights in the United States. Inside the headquarters of the AFL-CIO at 850 16th Street, N.W., in Washington, D.C., Mr. Trumka placed on his office desk a name plate with the logo of the National Recovery Act. The object was a reminder of the law as initiated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and passed by Congress in 1933 to give greater protection to labor unions. The impetus for legislation were the fights and fatalities of striking miners throughout Appalachia. Rural poverty was especially extreme in the mountain villages and migrant camps near large coal mines. An increase in union membership there meant an increase in salaries for workers nationwide and an increase in health and retirement benefits.
Strikes were not a thing of the past while Mr. Trumka was UMWA president. He led a nine-month walkout against the Pittston Coal Company in 1989 after that company reneged on contributions to the union’s 39-year-old health and retirement fund. Four years later, another strike occurred against Peabody Coal.
Mr. Trumka went from president of the United Mine Workers to become treasurer-secretary of the AFL-CIO in 1995. After president John Sweeney retired, Mr. Trumka was elected to that post in 2009.
As the U.S. economy expanded for larger numbers in the workforce, union membership remained static. The labor movement became a victim of its own success after more and more companies followed the unions’ hard won model to offer health and retirement benefits to non-union workers. Laws at the federal and state levels tended to constrain union recruitment in manufacturing while the U.S. economy expanded into different service sectors. Many employees making minimum wage were legally defined as professional or managerial and not allowed a right to seek collective bargaining. The political pendulum turned conservative for executive and legislative branches to be less sympathetic to the needs of labor. Add to that challenge a Democratic Party that became more attuned to corporate America for more contributions from company CEOs than unions.
Nevertheless, the AFL-CIO remained active under Mr. Trumka. The union was involved in various strikes and walkouts in different regions of the United States. A focus at the national level sought health care reform and new measures for worker safety. Like his predecessor, millions were spent to support Democrats at the Congressional level for a more progressive agenda. Mr. Trumka made history in 2008 when he endorsed Barak Obama’s candidacy for president at a speech he made at the annual convention of the AFL-CIO.
Mr. Trumka was instrumental in lobbying new measures to support workers in recent renegotiated trade treaties between Mexico and Canada under President Trump. He spoke out against closing the Keystone Pipeline and supported extending new protections to illegal immigrants.
Mr. Trumka was most fond of his Italian background and knew well the history of Italian Americans in the country’s labor movement. As the first Italian American president of the AFL-CIO, he forever represents a serious move forward for our ethnicity as a key historical figure to better the rights and benefits for all Americans.
Our condolences are extended to his family and friends. May he rest in peace.
WE ARE WITH THE CUBAN PEOPLE
Italian Americans Need to Support The Cuban People in their Fight for Freedom Against Communist Tyranny
“We need to embrace parts of our history and heritage to form alliances with other groups, especially Cubans and Cuban Americans.”
By Dr. Christopher Binetti
Cubans and Cuban Americans are demanding freedom from the authoritarian regime of the Communists. By showing solidarity with them, Italians and Italian Americans will form an important alliance that could be helpful in our peaceful struggle for freedom. More importantly, no one knows what Cubans and Cuban Americans face more than Italians and Italian Americans.
If you have read any of my articles, you will know that I still believe that Italy is in the throes of a dictatorship. I am going to Italy soon (hopefully) to see if I am right about this. However, Italy’s dictatorship is benevolent compared to the authoritarian regime of Communist Cuba. Cuba is a brutal, oppressive system, regardless of its claimed ideals. Some people dislike Cuba because it is Communist, while others refuse to criticize a Socialist or Communist country. However, its claimed ideals are irrelevant. Only the brutal reality of the regime matters.
Cuban Americans have minority status. We do not. As you know from my prior writings, I do not believe this to be fair. However, petty differences must be set aside when lives are at stake. Cubans and Cuban Americans are our Latin and Mediterranean brothers and sisters with little difference between us. We have both a moral duty to them as fellow Latins and Mediterraneans and our vocal support for them will help us politically later.
Meanwhile, Cuba’s regime has the support of the same people who hate America. American democracy is more reviled by the elite media than is the oppressive Cuban regime. These are the same people who engage in Italian American stereotypes. These are the same people who support mob movies. These are the same people who deny us affirmative action. The ones who support the Cuban regime hate us. Why shouldn’t we support the Cuban people and Cuban Americans, when we all have common enemies?
There is no counter-argument. Remaining isolated is why Colombo is reviled by the mainstream media. Refusing to align with our fellow Latins is why we are underrepresented in the universities and government bureaucracies. By not embracing our Latin heritage and our bonds with fellow Mediterranean communities, including all Latino/Hispanic communities, is why we are the most hated ethnic group in America. We need to embrace parts of our history and heritage to form alliances with other groups, especially Cubans and Cuban Americans.
The political benefits of such an alliance are merely a bonus. Doing the right thing is the most important part of why we must support the Cuban people and Cuban Americans against Communist tyranny. Italy struggles with the same dictatorial disease, now, and in the past, and we would be hypocrites to not condemn the much worse Cuban regime while condemning what has befallen Italy recently.
In addition, Cuba pioneered religion-control measures that would make the second-class citizen status of Catholics in New Jersey and other American states look like equality. To condemn, rightly, how Catholics are persecuted in New Jersey and other states and not condemn the much, much worse similar policies in Cuba would be wrong.
While every reason points to the need for Italians to fervently and vocally support the Cuban people and Cuban Americans, we should not do so out of anti-leftist feelings. I am a leftist, a liberal and a believer in many of the ideals shared by the Cuban regime. Communism is a great idea, but an oppressive and terrible reality. As a leftist, I dislike the idea of opposing the Cuban regime simply because it is leftist. Are we going to allow right-wing dictatorships get a pass for the same acts?
We should use what I call the principle of political absolute value. This means that we condemn a regime by its behavior, not its ideology. We should not be hypocrites in allowing some behavior to slide based on our own preferred ideology. Many leftists give Cuba a break while rightists give Hungary and Poland breaks for similarly bad behavior. We need to hold illiberal democracies and dictatorships to the same standards regardless of their claimed or actual ideology.
In sum, we Italians and Italian Americans need to support Cuban Americans and the Cuban people against the Cuban regime. Both political and moral reasons lead us to the same conclusion. When everyone stands against both we and Cubans, only by aligning together can both of our ethnicities survive.
Editor’s Note: Dr. Christopher Binetti is a political scientist and the president of the Italian American Movement, a 501c3 non-profit organization in New Jersey that advocates for the civil rights of Italian Americans and the recognition and reclassification of Italian Americans as minorities.
Primo Review
DANCE THE FRIGHT AWAY
“Suspiria,” The Classic Italian Horror Film from 1977 is Remade for Today’s Viewers
The New “Reinvented” Version Is Now Available on Amazon Prime
By Truby Chiaviello
Horror remains the pre-eminent genre for contemporary filmmakers to remake what was done 44 years ago. Never mind if a film attained “classic” or “masterpiece” status, today’s young and hungry directors, producers and writers are convinced they can do better. The past is sought to be redirected in the present (no pun intended). They are no longer to be called remakes, by the way, but, rather, reinventions or, better yet, re-imaginings. Many horror films have been remade in recent years: From “Halloween” to “Nightmare on Elm Street” to “The Omen” and soon to come, “The Exorcist.”
For awhile there, it seemed “Suspiria” might miss the resurrection bandwagon. Since 2007, various filmmakers and their backers announced the remake to come. However, cameras remain stilled without a set date for production and release. Many fans thought the Dario Argento classic from 1977 was too far ahead in the realm of cinematic artistry for an accurate recapture. Yet, the name recognition and classic status among horror aficionados gave “Suspiria” a bankable incentive for a remake.
Twelve years ago, Director Luca Guadagnino purchased the rights from the film’s original screenwriters Dario Argento and his ex-wife Daria Nicolodi, who passed away in 2020. With a new script written by David Kajganich, “Suspiria” was resuscitated. The remade version was finally completed in 2018 and is now available for viewing on Amazon Prime.
One can see the difference between the original by Argento and its current facsimile by Guadagnino in the first few minutes of both films. In 1977, “Suspiria” opened with a memorable high-tech score by the Italian progressive rock band, Goblins. We see a woman running from an fairytale-like inspired building through a rainy forest. She makes her way to town for sanctuary inside a friend’s apartment. The street, the forest and apartment are alit in technicolor hues of red, green and purple. While changing out of her wet clothes, she peers out a window, thinking she was followed. Suddenly, a beastly arm breaks through the glass to grab her by the neck and murder her in grisly fashion. In contrast, the 2018 version opens with a young woman who walks to the home office of a psychologist. She bypasses political demonstrators who are chased by police. Inside a grayly room, she is incoherent and mumbles about her fears, only to befuddle the elderly expert and leave in a panic.
Such are the differences between the two films: “Suspiria,” the original, was mesmerizing, exciting and scary. “Suspiria,” the remake, is ambiguous, tedious and fright-less.
When “Suspiria” was first released in 1977, Dario Argento was, by then, proclaimed as Italy’s answer to Alfred Hitchcock. His suspense orientation was most pronounced in the murder thrill genre known as Giallo. “Suspiria” was to be Argento’s first foray into supernatural horror. The film’s title comes from a set of essays and poems written by Thomas De Quincey in 1845, titled “Suspiria de Profundis.” Most famous for his memoir, “Confessions of an English Opium-Eater,” the British writer and poet experimented with narcotics for stream of consciousness. Argento was inspired by the work to develop an ambitious trilogy of horror films under the heading, “The Three Mothers,” beginning with films, “Suspiria,” in 1977, followed by “Inferno,” in 1980, and “Mother of Tears,” in 2007.
“Suspiria” was declared a masterstroke of filmmaking in 1977 when cinematographer Luciano Tovoli shot the film in technicolor. This was to be the last film made with a specific color process that once gave life to such classics as “The Wizard of Oz,” “The Searchers” and “Fantasia.” Deep contrasts of red and blue hues created a haunting and tense atmosphere in “Suspiria.” Argento’s cold and deliberate pacing heightened the surreal mystique of the film. He had written the screenplay with Daria Nicolodi, an actress to whom he was married from 1974 to 1985. In the first few minutes of the film, viewers knew they were in for a pioneering event in horror.
Fast forward to 2018 when Guadagnino sought to rebrand the 1977 classic. His intentions were to remake a film worthy of its predecessor. Guadagnino is a skilled director whose film, “I Am Love,” in 2009, won rave reviews by critics. In “Suspiria,” however, his dilemma was to choose whether to make a carbon copy of the original or seek an entirely new direction. Either way, the new film was to be compared to what was done 44 years ago. Since the original is considered a cinematic showpiece, any remake is at an inherent disadvantage. Indeed, Guadagnino made the decision at pre-production to escape the technicolor wonder that was “Suspiria.” Hence, the 2018 version conveys an uninspiring off-yellow color scheme to contain settings of rundown interiors for a pace that is slow and esoteric.
Both “Suspiria” films are set in the mid-1970s. Yet, the original took place in Munich, the capital of Bavaria, noted for its opulence and traditional German culture. In the 2018 version, we are transported, instead, to Berlin to see a ravaged former capital overwhelmed by domestic terrorists and communist agitators. The original was spooky and haunting. The remake is drab and dreary.
“Suspiria” tells the story of a young American woman who moves to Germany to attend classes at a dance academy. The school turns out to be a coven of witches. The new student is soon enmeshed in a conspiracy of sorcery and murder. Dakota Johnson plays the lead role in the new rendition with Tilda Swinton as the top dance instructor and witch. Speaking about Swinton, the British actress undertakes two other roles in the film; one of which is the old professor. The move does little for the production and to some extent detracts from the story since it was obvious to some eyes that Swinton was playing the male role, albeit camouflaged in extensive makeup. The 1977 version starred as the protagonist, Jessica Harper, who makes a brief appearance in the remake. Joan Bennett and Alida Valli appeared in the original film as the dance instructor witches. Valli was especially impressive for her transition from an exotic beauty, who once starred in Hitchcock’s, “The Paradine Case,” to the stiff and stern German taskmaster in “Suspiria.”
A key difference between both films is length. The newer version is much too long. The original “Suspiria” is just 1-1/2 hours while the remake is 2-1/2 hours. The identity of the coven is kept secret in the 1977 version until near the end. In the remake, we discover the place is owned and operated by conjurers at the outset. Members of the coven are not sinister but rather impish and haughty. In fact, there are no scares in the remake. The film seems more concerned with political activism. More scenes depict riots, demonstrations and pickets than real frights. Horror was always apolitical. Fears were derived in the most intimate of settings for a confrontation with dangerous demons. To try and connect the phantasmic to a political premise is to ruin the genre.
Some films should be remade. Others should not. “Suspiria” is one of the great masterpieces of horror. To try and reexamine or reimagine this extraordinary work is to offer filmgoers bronze in lieu of gold.
Editor’s Note: Compare and contrast still photographs of the remade version of “Suspiria” with its original precedent. Tilda Swinton stars in the latest rendering while Jessica Harper was the American protagonist in the original. Two victims in the films portray a serious difference in color schemes with the new stinted interpretation versus the dreamlike conception of the original. Publicity photographs of both directors show strikingly different poses for Luca Guadagnino and Dario Argento. The remade version of “Suspiria” is currently available for viewing on Amazon Prime
THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY…BY DANTE
Why All Roman Catholics Should Read “The Divine Comedy”
The Mother of God is both spiritually and tangibly present in Dante’s epic poem
By Cecilia DiLoreto Sarcone
Dante Alighieri, the Italian poet, writer, literary theorist, moral philosopher and political thinker is best known for his monumental epic poem “La Commedia,” later named, “La Divina Commedia,” or as we know it, today, “The Divine Comedy.” The author and protagonist of this poem was born in Florence; at the time, a republic, the exact date of his birth unknown, although he is generally believed to have been born in 1265 and to have died in 1321.
Dante is known as the father of Modern Italian. Yet, much of his work had been written in Latin, the language of writers and thinkers of his day. When the time came to write his greatest epic, he chose the Florentine dialect in an attempt to reach a wider audience. Dante set a precedent by using the local vernacular of Florence to ultimately become Italy’s national language.
“The Divine Comedy” made an indelible impression on both literature and theology. Dante’s epic poem is composed of three tiers of the Christian afterlife, or, as many know them, three Canticles: Hell (Inferno), Purgatory (Purgatorio) and Heaven (Paradiso). The Christian vision of mankind’s eternal fate begins with the poet in Hell, then Purgatory and finishes inevitably in Heaven. The tale begins with an introductory canto followed by 33 other cantos in each Canticle.
Although the Blessed Virgin Mary needs no introduction to Roman Catholics, the question remains as to why is she such an important figure in Dante’s epic poem. His devotion to her is apparent from the start. She is everywhere in the poem. In fact, she is the reason for Dante’s journey. The poet makes his descent into Hell on March 25th, a most significant date in Roman Catholicism. This day is the Feast of the Annunciation, the beginning of “The Incarnation of Christ in Mary.” March 25th was also Good Friday in the year 1300 to bring together two central mysteries: The Incarnation and The Redemption. Dante enters “Hell” on the same date that Christ did for the salvation of the world.
Dante’s mentor, Virgil (Virgilio), claims that Mary was “The One” who originally took pity on Dante and willed his journey through the three realms. Her name is never mentioned in Hell, as that would be inappropriate. She is, however, referred to as “The Gentle Lady” who weeps for the distress of the author and poet. …... “There is a Gentle Lady up in Heaven, who grieves so……”
Dante’s faith leads him to walk in Purgatory in the way of the Mother of God. Mary appears in almost every chapter through the second realm of the afterlife as the exemplar of virtue (la virtù). Her name is directly stated by the souls who are undergoing “Purification.” They offer her her example of what it means to be “virtuous.” Dante knows the Catholic faith teaches that “atonement” is necessary for “salvation.” The mention of the Virgin Mary is quite appropriate for she is the one who can aid the absolution of sins for all souls in Purgatory.
“Mary, Human Perfection, the Divine Mother of Christ, the Bride of the Holy Spirit, and a mother to us all.” This is how Dante presents her in “The Divine Comedy.” He is a pilgrim led by Mary to God.
The Blessed Virgin Mary is representative for Dante of the seven virtues: humility, charity, meekness, zeal, poverty, temperance and chastity. These virtues, of course, counter the seven deadly sins of pride, envy, wrath, sloth, avarice, gluttony and lust. Dante relies on the New Testament to call attention to the appropriate virtue in the Blessed Virgin. His presentation of Mary comes according to the following biblical texts: Luke 1:38 (humility), John 2:1-11(mercy), Luke 2:41-46 (meekness), Luke 1:39 (zeal), Luke 2:7 (poverty), John 2:1-11 (temperance) and Luke 1:34 (chastity)
When you arrive in Paradise, the reader will feel the presence of Mary in the form of luminescence, colors and music. In fact, the Virgin Mary is ineffable to Dante. This place is much too beautiful for the poet to speak and there is so much Dante has to share with us. In Canto XXI, St. Bernard appears to say: “The Queen of Heaven, for whom I am all Aflame with love, will grant us every grace: I am her faithful Bernard.” He seeks Mary’s intercession on behalf of Dante.
In my opinion, the most beautiful part of Paradise is Canto XXXIII, the last and final of “The Divine Comedy.” A prayer by Saint Bernard reads: “Virgin Mother, daughter of your Son, more humble and sublime than any creature, fixed goal decreed from all eternity, you are the one who gave to human nature so much nobility that its Creator did not disdain His being made its creature.”
Unlike Roman Catholics, people of other Christian denominations may question Mary’s role in the plan of salvation. What need is there for a mediator, but Christ himself? Devotion to Mary is seen by some Christians as diversion for the soul in its journey to God. But in this great poem, Dante has softened this suspicion, enabling Mary as a key character to quell all disbelief.
Thanks to Mary’s intercession, Dante is given a glimpse of the Trinity, of the “love that moves the sun and the other stars” and returns to recount his journey.
“The Divine Comedy” includes themes that have been studied and paraphrased by theologians, historians, philosophers, numerologists, Greek and Latin experts. It has since been the inspiration for the world’s greatest works in literature, art and music.
Dante’s profound words convey a theme of powerful praise for the purity and humility of Our Blessed Virgin to allow all readers to enjoy this epic poem.
Editor’s Note: Cecilia DiLoreto Sarcone, holds a BA with Honors, Italian Language and an MA, Italian Language from Central Connecticut State University (CCSU) and is an Adjunct Lecturer of Italian at CCSU, Marist College and Rockland County Community College (SUNY).
THE FIGHT TO PRESERVE COLUMBUS GOES INTERNATIONAL
- Italian Americans are Fighting Back with Key Victories to Boast
- However, Challenges Remain on Many Fronts
By Robert Petrone, Esq.
The fight to protect the legacy of Christopher Columbus has now become a worldwide war. Here are the latest developments:
1. In Italy, the Italian Parliament has passed a motion pledging to support Italian American activists in the United States seeking to preserve Christopher Columbus's holiday, statues, monuments and other namesakes. Parliamentarians Fuscia Nissoli and Federico Mollicone proposed the motion, which the Chamber of Deputies passed. The United States mainstream media has failed to report on the resolution.
2. In Randolph NJ, the Italian American OneVoice Coalition (IAOVC) successfully convinced the Randolph School Board to vote 8 to 1 to reverse it's earlier decision to not only eliminate Christopher Columbus's name from the school calendar, but to eliminate all holiday names! Thanks to the IAOVC's pressure, all holiday names, including "Christopher Columbus Day" are back on the school calendar.
3. In Syracuse NY, the Columbus Monument Corporation has filed suit against the city and its mayor to protect the Columbus Statue in Syracuse's downtown Columbus Circle, arguing that the statue sits within a preservation district protected by "various state, local and federal preservation laws." CMC Secretary Robert Gardino asks for support, which you can provide by emailing Mayor Ben Wash at http://www.syrgov.net/home.aspx to register your objection to Syracuse's plan to remove the statue. To learn more about the Columbus Monument Corporation of Syracuse, please log on to their web site at http://www.columbusmonumentsyracuse.com.
4. In Waterbury CT, vandal Brandon Ambrose, caught on video beheading the Christopher Columbus statue outside City Hall was arrested by authorities after attempting to sell the nose of the statue online. He plead guilty and was ordered by the court to pay the city $8,800.00 to restore the statue. The residents of Waterbury have voted to keep the now-restored statue in its rightful place outside City Hall.
5. In Chicago IL, African-Americans are vociferously objecting to renaming Christopher Columbus Day to "Indigenous People's Day" on the grounds that the tribal peoples of the Americas enslaved many Africans. Cook County Commissioner Stanley Moore said the tribal peoples must "acknowledge their role in the rich history of Black slaves."
6. In Chula Vista CA, residents voted to permanently remove the Christopher Columbus statue in order to replace it with a new monument "honoring diversity and indigenous peoples," equating "[t]he Columbus statue and monuments" with "White supremacy."
7. In Newark NJ, the city has replaced their Christopher Columbus statue with a statue of Harriet Tubman. Mayor Ras Baraka claims the replacement is "poetic" because "Harriet Tubman actually stepped foot here in this property," and "Christopher Columbus did not."
8. In Wilmington DE, the city removed its Christopher Columbus statue in 2020 because city officials saw "social media threats against it." Wilmington is also removing the statue to Declaration of Independence signer Caesar Rodney, whose family members were also Italian immigrants. Rodney is known for riding through the night on July 1, 1776, from Delaware to Philadelphia to cast the deciding vote to declare the United State's independence from Great Britain.
Editor’s Note: Pictured is a portrait Caesar Rodney and his statue in Wilmington that was removed by the city. The writer of the article, Mr. Petrone, is an attorney based in Philadelphia and serves as the south Philadelphia chapter president for Filitalia International. He provides expanded reports in his Christopher Columbus University segments at Radio Voice Italia, https://video.ibm.com/channel/minitape
The Women of Ancient Italy
AN INTERVIEW WITH SANDRA C. HURT
The Author of “Priestess of Pompeii” Explains What Life Was Really Like in Antiquity
- The novel covers all aspects of the ancient world, from pagan worship to political intrigue
In “Priestess of Pompeii,” Sandra C. Hurt conceived a trilogy to take readers on an amazing journey through ancient Pompeii and Rome. Her main character is Rufilla, a girl adopted by the rich and powerful Isticidii family. We read a firsthand account of antiquity when men and women coped with Rome’s transition, from Republic to Empire. PRIMO met with the author to discuss her book and her thoughts on Italy’s ancient past.
What attracted you to write about ancient Pompeii?
In the early 1990s, I attended a lecture on women in art that would change my life. The woman who captured my heart was immortalized in a fresco housed in the Villa of the Mysteries in Pompeii, circa first century BCE. I still can't get this real-life woman out of my mind. Her name is Rufilla Istacidia, but this was perfect for a historical novel because little is known about her.
"Priestess of Pompeii - The Initiate's Journey" contains an extraordinary amount of information about Italian antiquity. Please give us some insight into what lengths you went to research this period to convey such incredible details.
My research took me first to Italy and then several years studying the Classics at Indiana University to learn and fall in love with the history of ancient Romans and Greeks. More trips back to Italy and then several to Greece, including Crete, have given me opportunities to experience first-hand the cities and excavation sites that gave a richness to telling her story. Meeting and learning from American archaeologists, art historians, the academics and people of Italy and Greece, both ancient and modern, enriched my experiences. I continue to attend lectures given by learned women and men who have continued to share their wisdom and insights into the ancient world.
What were some surprises you found in your research? What were those "wow" moment(s) when you came across a unique fact(s) about ancient Pompeii and Rome that you hadn't expected?
Pompeii has a recorded history with finds from excavations of artifacts and, in some cases, houses built over earlier ancient houses. The earliest finds, so far, are back to 600 BCE, but with the fact that there were established farming communities as far back as 2000 BCE, I can't help but wonder what will be unearthed next. The rich farmland around Pompeii, which developed due to the eruptions of Vesuvius, seems to have given generations of people a reason to repopulate and restore Pompeii even after each eruption.
"Priestess of Pompeii," revolves around key female characters. We tend to think of the past as a time of oppression for women; but as you detail in your book, women had considerable power, influence and independence in ancient Pompeii. Please comment.
Italian women in the first century BCE did not have the right to vote. But same as today, women have always had conversations within their women's groups, with their husbands, male friends and lovers. The histories were all written by men, thus "his-story." But recent scholarship has given us insights into how women, especially Roman women, were taken seriously. Livia, Augustus' wife, is a good example, although modern writers such as Robert Graves', I, Claudius have often given her a less than flattering look.
Remember, even Greek women, who were much more repressed, were given voice through the playwright Aristophanes when he wrote the play Lysistrata, a bawdy, anti-war comedy. In it, women of the warring cities are persuaded by a strong Athenian woman by the name of Lysistrata to withhold sexual privileges from their husbands and lovers to force the men to negotiate peace. The play was first staged in 411 BCE – 21 years into the Peloponnesian War. Ironically, all the roles were played by men.
As the title of your book signifies, the pagan beliefs of ancient Rome come into serious play. What was it like to live a life where gods and goddesses held sway?
This is strictly my opinion, but from my research, it seems that early on, the Roman religion was animistic and later developed its own gods and goddesses. Due to a large Greek population in areas around Pompeii, Romans adopted many of the Greek gods but kept their Roman names. They took their religion seriously, giving homage to all the gods and goddesses. But they also had their favorites. Rituals were essential and were performed for specific deities. For example, Venus was the patron goddess of Pompeii.
There were street altars and often an altar in the kitchens. In many homes, there was a sacred room, lararium, devoted to honoring specific deities as well as the spirits of their families' ancestors. Many began their day with a prayer and request for the day, not unlike many of us today.
"Priestess of Pompeii - The Initiate's Journey" is Book One. Can you give us a preview of Book Two?
Nothing is known about the real-life Rufilla Istacidia, except that she was a priestess. However, modern-day archaeologists think that she may have owned the Villa of the Mysteries, so Book Two will be about the fictional development of the Dionysian rituals and the making of the famous frescoes that fill the ritual room in the Villa of the Mysteries, located just outside the town of Pompeii. Rufilla's character will evolve and flourish as she matures, facing difficult circumstances but finally taking her place as Priestess of Pompeii.
A third book will complete the series and will bring the story into the modern era.
Editor’s Note: PRIMO reviewed “Priestess of Pompeii” to acclaim a story as brought to life through extraordinary research and insight by the author. You can read more about Sandra C. Hurt and purchase her novel at her web site: https://sandrahurtauthor.com/
HOW I MET JOSEPH STEFANO, SCREENWRITER OF “PSYCHO”
- A Supplemental Recollection to an Article in PRIMO’s Current Edition Titled, “Alfred Hitchcock’s 'Italians'”
- “I had known of some of his scripts and there was one that had been made into a film that was a particular favorite of mine.”
By John Primerano
In 1993, I worked in the film, “Two Bits,” playing a husband and father who attends a wedding with his wife and daughter. Joseph Stefano had written the screenplay based on his early life in South Philly. As the PRIMO article mentions, Mr. Stefano wrote the screenplay for Alfred Hitchcock’s film “Psycho,” based on Robert Bloch's novel of the same title.
“Two Bits” starred Al Pacino and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio. It told the story of how Mr. Stefano grew up in Philadelphia, went into the service during World War II and, when discharged, was in New York, where he was married. He was listening to a jukebox one night and thought he could write lyrics as good as a song that had been played multiple times. He went on to become a lyricist and then a writer for film and television.
One day, I saw Mr. Stefano watching the action from a corner, away from the set, while we were shooting in South Philly. I had known of some of his scripts and there was one that had been made into a film that was a particular favorite of mine. I was not in the scene and decided to cross the street to speak with him. I said hello and introduced myself.
"You wrote one of my favorite films,” I said. He gave me a quiet, yet cordial, hello. I could see, after mentioning the phrase, "one of my favorite films,” he was expecting, and steeling himself, for one more person to say, "Psycho.” I then finished the sentence by saying, “The Black Orchid,” which had starred Sophia Loren and Anthony Quinn. If you have seen the movie, you know it's about a widowed Italian woman whose husband was murdered by a small-time gangster. She then meets an Italian widower. The two get together despite the woman's sorrow and the possessive jealousy of the man’s daughter.
When I mentioned the title, Mr. Stefano's eyes pleasantly lit up in surprise and, I noticed, with satisfaction. We talked about the movie and he told me, with what I noticed was a bit of pride, that Sophia Loren had told him, that “The Black Orchid” was one of her personal favorites of the many films she made.
We didn't have much time to talk, as I had to get back to the set, and I never crossed paths with him again. However, it's an experience I remember well, mostly because I believe Mr. Stefano was truly surprised by the film I mentioned. He epitomized for me the man who feels he can do something, like songwriting and screenwriting, without much background or education in those areas; but he stays at it to become a success through determination.
Editor’s Note: Pictured is a poster of “The Black Orchid,” screenwriter Joseph Stefano and Italian poster for “Psycho.” Mr. Primerano is a professional singer, musician and songwriter who performs regularly in venues throughout Philadelphia and New Jersey. Please visit his web site at http://www.johnprimerano.com/
Op-ed
IS AMERICA BETTER OFF THAN ITALY?
- Italy is Ruled by a Dictator, Says the Author. America is not.
- True Federalism Exists in America, Albeit Beside a Powerful Oligarchy
By Dr. Christopher Binetti
Italy is ruled by a dictator. If you have read my previous article, you know that I believe this. My detractors have not actually supplied any facts to contradict my assessment. Mario Draghi is going to be in power until 2023, by all appearances. An unelected man gets to stay in power for another two years thanks to the support of the European Union, which is trying to colonize Italy. What does that sound like to you? It sounds like dictatorship to me.
Is the United States better off?
The United States is run by a broad oligarchy - a ruling class that seeks to erase the voices of non-constituents. Academia, media, sports, the entertainment industry, many state and local politicians and many national political elites belong to the broad oligarchical class that seeks to rule America. Do not make the mistake of believing this coalition to be liberal-progressivism; it is illiberal at its core. Real liberals do not cancel people. A monopolistic newspaper in New Jersey has me blacklisted, in part, for supporting Italian American civil rights.
Democracy is endangered outright at the national level and essentially over in New Jersey and other “progressive” states. However, in the oligarchical lands of America, there is still more freedom here than in Italy, where a national dictatorship prevails. Because Italy is a unitary state, where all real power is held by the central government, not the regions, there is no counterbalance to the current prime minister’s power.
The United States is federal. Power resides at federal and state levels. State leaders can check the federal government and vice-versa, as it should be. However, in a unitary state, the central government has all the power. If a region of Italy tries to go its own way, it cannot win.
In contrast, states in America have rights. This is true no matter who rules the nation. Ultimately, the United States is a union of states. When states become ruled by an oligarchy, like in New Jersey, the regional bureaucracy and oligarchical elected politicians cannot rule with impunity unless supported by national elites. It is not easy to run both national and state levels with a single oligarchical coalition.
That said, the Democrats, my party, are trying to turn the nation into a unitary oligarchy, which would set the stage for a dictatorship, right or left-wing in the future. The electoral laws that Democrats want to impose on states will bring us closer to a unitary state, as it is in Italy.
Despite our challenges, the United States is much better off than Italy. Both countries are ruled by leftist coalitions of a sort, but the coalition in Italy has no real power because they are beholden to Draghi and his allies in the European Union. Biden is no dictator and relies on many other groups and individuals for power. We may be a questionable democracy and certainly not a liberal democracy, but we are far from a dictatorship thanks to checks and balances, federalism and the independence of the judiciary.
Editor’s Note: The views, all or in part, as expressed by the author may not be shared by PRIMO. Dr. Binetti’s email address is cbinetti@terpmail.umd.edu. He currently heads the Italian American Movement.
Op-Ed
A MOVE TO RESTRICT FREEDOM IN ITALY
- Italy’s Proposed “Zan’s Law” Seeks to Curb Freedom of Speech, Press and Religion
- Is America Next?
By Cameron Cutrone
Summer’s always a time for love. And Italians know a thing or two about that. However, love in the current age has been a little less Romantic, and increasingly more politically charged.
Recently Italy’s lower house passed “Zan’s Law,” penned by activist and politician Alessandro Zan. It seeks to curb “homophobia” on it’s face, but as other politicians like Matteo Salvini and even the Catholic Church have pointed out, it could limit freedom of speech, press, assembly, and even personal conscience if applied as broadly as it’s proponents would have it. Keep in mind, we’re talking about speech some may deem offensive, not a global pandemic. So this has many Italians saying “basta!” Enough already.
Anyone who cares about the sacred freedoms listed above has to look at this law carefully, as this type of legislation is bound to reach America’s shores soon enough.
For years, the LGBT movement has focused on increasing freedom, a laudable goal if the whole point is to be a part of society, rather than a marginal subculture. But recently it has taken a turn, not towards more freedom for themselves, but LESS freedom for individuals who voice an objection, be it private, public, religious, or secular.
Moreover, as the readers have undoubtedly noticed, multinationals and Fortune 500 companies are 100% into celebrating “Pride Month.” They have an enormous influence in molding public opinion. That is a clear sign of not only acceptance, but even approaches the territory of advocacy. It is that exact point that needs addressing.
Those behind Zan’s Law, and undoubtedly their counterparts on this side of the Atlantic, don’t distinguish very well between the concept of tolerance (simply accepting LGBT people as members of society, worthy of the same rights) and advocacy (active allies in a social movement).
They are two different concepts. One should not view a person as a criminal or hater for simply tolerating their existence, but refusing to “celebrate” their sexual preference. Too often, the words “hate speech” are confused with someone who, even modestly in their individual capacity, disagrees with LGBT activists or their tactics.
This legislation has a chance of being made law in Italy, and is most definitely on the horizon in the United States. It must be handled by affirming the rights of individuals and organizations to voice their opinions, and exercise their conscience. Corporate America has made it’s stance clear. So why not let individuals and churches have their opinions too? This works for everyone. Western values like these have taken us (including people of an LGBT lifestyle) very far, both in Italy and the USA. Let’s not give up on those values so easily out of fear. We can’t criminalize people who profess their belief in marriage being between a man and a woman, or that women’s sports should be exclusively for people with X chromosomes. Let us be reminded that respecting diversity has nothing to do criminalizing those with different points of view.
Editor: The writer is a proud Italian American from Texas. The views expressed may not be shared by PRIMO
ITALIANS GO ON OFFENSE
- Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations Holds Second Summit in Unified Effort
- The Italian Parliament Enacts Legislation to Defend Columbus in America
- Judge Basil M. Russo and Family and Their Efforts to Help Italian Americans
The first meeting has led to a second.
Italian Americans are moving on all fronts in a broad counterattack to preserve our historical legacy. Unity is the call word. All Italian American civic, cultural and charitable organizations are consolidated into a phalanx-like move behind Judge Basil M. Russo, president of the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations.
On June 12, participants representing Italian American organizations throughout the United States held a virtual meeting to push forward a new agenda for Italian Americans. With considerable zeal and focus is the call to defend Christopher Columbus, to right historical wrongs in the teaching of Italian American history in public schools, to report and analyze the charitable works of Italian Americans and to encourage frontline public and legal advocates in their fight to help Italian Americans at odds with municipal and state government actions.
Basil M. Russo, former federal judge and majority leader of the Cleveland City Council, began the meeting with a clarion call for unity. “As Italian Americans, we finally come to understand that if we want to preserve our culture, that if we want to preserve our heritage, and if we want to preserve our values, we need to join hands, we need to stand up together and we need to speak with a loud forceful unified voice,” he said. For too long, Italian Americans have played defense to preserve their legacy in the face of protests, demonstrations and even riots among activists representing other special interests who sought to change the narrative in schools and media at the cost of Italian American heritage. Judge Russo wants Italian Americans to go on offense. “We have to prepare an Italian American national agenda and effectively articulate it; to gather the information to do that, our various committees are working hard to find answers to very difficult questions.”
The teaching of history in public schools is of vital concern. Periods of persecution are brought to light for students to understand how various ethnic groups were mistreated in America. Yet, a period of discrimination and ethnocentrism directed at Italian immigrants and their descendants seems strangely understated, or, in most cases, outright omitted, from history text books and instruction. Congressman Tom Suozzi seeks parity for Italian Americans with special emphasis on amends for past mistreatment. He seeks to offer legislation that will establish a curriculum for Italian American history in public schools.
“Two significant pieces of legislation are to be introduced in the U.S. Congress,” Suozzi said. “The first is to address the shameful enemy alien designation imposed by our government against Italian Americans in World War II. We all know about the internment of Japanese Americans, but little is said about Italian Americans.”
Suozzi has crafted the first bill for the U.S. government to offer an apology for the mistreatment of Italian residents during the war while the second bill authorizes the secretary of education to provide grants to establish educational programs detailing the history of Italian Americans in World War II.
“The tragic irony is that so many Italian Americans were serving in war in Europe and Southeast Asia while 600,000 of their parents and relatives were being treated as if they were criminals,” Suozzi says. “When my father passed away, he was a navigator on a B-24, he was only two of the first generation Italian Americans in Congress, I looked in his yearbook and when he was 18, he was asked ‘what was your goal in life?’ he replied, ‘my goal is to be a real American.’ This gives you an idea about how Italian Americans were mistreated. My father was one of many Italian Americans who felt displaced in America.”
How to reconnect to Italian American youth was discussed by John Viola, former president of the National Italian American Foundation and host of the Italian American podcast, and Stephanie Longo, a producer of that program and a renowned historian who has written several books, most notably “The Italians of Lackawanna County.”
They were followed by the public policy committee as presided over by Aileen Riotto Sirey, a founder of the National Italian American Organization for Women and William Cerruti, executive director of the Italian Cultural Society, based in Sacramento, California. As Ms. Sirey reminded the audience, Italians were the largest and, in many ways, most oppressed to immigrate to the United States. She recalled the assessment by Booker T. Washington who claimed, after his visit to Sicily, that Italian peasants had it worse than freed slaves of the American South. Mr. Cerrutti followed this with another sobering fact, that Italians were the second most lynched group, after African Americans, in the United States.
The committee seeks to set up a civil rights and legal rights action group to further the cause of justice and equality for Italian Americans.
Dr. Joseph Scelsa, founder of the Italian American Museum in New York, leads the museum and cultural institution committee. After 40 years involvement in the Italian American community, he says this is the first where all groups are unified. “It is very important that we establish our own committees, our own groups and our own institutions,” he said. “We have to control our own institutions. So that our word gets out our own way rather than other people telling it for us in their way. That’s why we need these institutions because the school systems don’t do the job. The only way to change our school systems is to have cultural institutions such as this.”
Charitable activities committee is currently co-chaired by Dr. Frank De Frank, current president of UNICO National and Joseph Sciame, vice president for community relations for Saint John’s University. They have crafted a survey to be sent nationwide to better record and analyze the charitable contributions made by Italian Americans. “In this day and age, data is power, data is strength,” Dr. De Frank says. “We want to document how charitable has been the Italian American community.” Mr. Sciame followed this by saying, “The need for unity is best espoused with data. I think we are going to come up with a figure of our level of generosity; not only in scholarship support but also in charitable support.”
Two front line participants spoke about efforts to defend the legacy of Columbus in New Jersey and Illinois, respectively.
The first was Andre Dimino, spokesperson for the Italian American One Voice Coalition. He reported the latest from Randolph, New Jersey, where the board of education there, voted to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous People’s Day. In a follow up meeting where the decision was met with strong resistance by Italian Americans, the board then voted to eliminate all holidays for the school year calendar. In place of holiday names will be only the words: “Day Off.”
Near the end of the meeting was the latest from Chicago, where Ron Onesti, president and CEO of Onesti Entertainment, is active in the Italian American community there. He reported that the city made an assessment of all 500 public statues and monuments to claim 41 as identified “problematic.” Yet, only 3 were taken down: the statues of Christopher Columbus. Underway is a law suit that claims, in part, the city had no right to tear down the statues last year, since the artwork was given with a condition that only the statue’s donors could authorize removal. He went on to say, “We are not backing down. We are meeting one-on-one with Chicago community leaders. We want to be broad based and inclusive of all groups. What happened to Columbus today can happen to Martin Luther King tomorrow.” He plans a mass rally in July as organized by the Heal Chicago Coalition to counter the cancel culture that seems to predominate Chicago, not to mention other cities in the country.
ITALY LENDS HER SUPPORT TO THE CAUSE OF COLUMBUS
- Italian Parliament Has Voted to Defend Columbus Day, Statues in the U.S.
History was made on June 16 when members of Italy’s parliament in Rome overwhelmingly approved a motion in defense of Christopher Columbus. The motion was presented by Hon. Fucsia Fitzgerald Nissoli and Hon. Federico Mollicone, who are distinguished members of the Italian Parliament’s Chamber of Deputies.
Discussions on the motion began in October 2020 and its’ passage represents a landmark victory for Italians and Italian Americans.
The motion’s stated purpose is outlined below:
The Italian Chamber of Deputies commits the Government
1) to take action, on the political and diplomatic level, so that the Italian cultural heritage in the USA and the symbolic figure of that heritage embodied by Christopher Columbus may be safeguarded;
2) to use all the communication tools available to the Government, to grant the enhancement, both at the level of bilateral Italy-U.S. relations and at the multilateral level, of the real historical role of Christopher Columbus, an explorer moved by the noble sentiments of discovery, at the basis of the evolution of society and of the whole of humanity.”
The Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations, led by Basil M. Russo, fully endorses this first-ever motion by the Italian Parliament, which, up until now, was unengaged in the fight for Columbus in the United States. The organization extended its unwavering gratitude to Hon. Nissoli and Hon. Mollicone, and to Umberto Mucci — the Founder and CEO of We the Italians, a web site, online magazine and newsletter that reports on Italian American issues.
In July, Mucci will organize a press conference live from the press room of the Italian Parliament in Rome, where Hon. Nissoli and Hon. Mollicone, as well as Basil M. Russo, will comment on the outcome of the vote.
THE RUSSO FAMILY
- Judge Basil M. Russo, Wife Patricia and Children are Committed to Preserving Our Italian American Heritage
Basil M. Russo serves as president of the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations. He and his family continue their efforts to help preserve the legacy of Italian Americans in the United States.
Basil M. Russo is the family patriarch who, as president of the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations, has accomplished the following:
· Initiated the largest gathering of Italian American leaders in history with the first National Italian American Summit Meeting held Feb. 20, 2021, with 354 organizations in attendance. Its mission: to create a spirit of national unity among Italian Americans to better preserve our history and heritage.
· Built Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations into the national voice for all Italian Americans by uniting 48 major Italian American organizations from throughout the country.
As President of the Italian Sons and Daughters of America
· Created an Italian American website and social media platforms that engage more than 3 million readers and followers annually.
· Grew ISDA’s Fraternal Association member assets from $62 million to $225 million, making ISDA among the most financially-funded, not-for-profit Italian American organizations in the U.S.
Patricia E. Russo is the family matriarch who does the following in support of Italian Americans:
· Serves as Executive Editor of La Nostra Voce, ISDA’s national Italian American newspaper.
· A Founder and Board Member of the Italian American Museum of Cleveland.
Judge and Mrs. Russo are proud parents of sons, Anthony and Joe, who, together, have achieved greatly in Hollywood:
· Internationally acclaimed directors, writers and producers who hold the distinction of having directed the highest grossing film in history, "Avengers: Endgame."
· Founded the Russo Brothers Italian American Film Forum, which awards multiple grants to filmmakers each year who create movies that explore the IA experience in a positive way for the benefit of present and future generations.
Judge and Mrs. Russo are proud parents of daughters Gabriella Rosalina and Angela Russo-Otstot, who have distinguished themselves in the legal and cinematic professions:
· Gabriella, an attorney, worked with her father to create the Ohio ISDA Community Foundation, Inc. which provides grants for many Italian American groups and causes dedicated to preserving our heritage.
· Angela, President of Creative at AGBO Studios in Hollywood, serves as chairwoman of the Russo Brothers Italian American Film Forum grant selection committee.
Editor’s Note: Pictured is Judge Russo, Congressman Suozzi and Joseph Scelsa, founder and current president of the Italian American Museum in New York, file photo of the Italian parliament, second photograph of Judge Russo and a group photograph of the Russo family. You too can get involved in helping to preserve our Italian American heritage in the United States by visiting the web site for the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations at www.copomiao.org.
Covid Chronicles
ITALY MAY SOON BE FREE OF ANTI-COVID RESTRICTIONS
- George Clooney Returns to Lake Como
- Italy Mourns the Death of Carla Fracci
- Modern Art Comes to Florence
By Deirdre Pirro
Here in Italy, as we come to the end of Weeks 37, the regions Sardinia, Friuli-Venezia-Giulia and Molise are now classified as “White,” with a minimum of anti-Covid restrictions. Infections and deaths from the virus continue to decrease. This is thanks to the positive results produced by the restrictions in force up until now, to the growing numbers of the population being vaccinated, and to the arrival of warmer weather. The rumor going around is that all of Italy may soon be “White” as summer approaches. Keeping our fingers crossed.
Good news comes from the Research Center of the Confindustria, the main association representing manufacturing and service companies in Italy. With coronavirus restrictions slowly easing up, it has predicted there will be a small increase in Italy's GDP in the second quarter of this year and a stronger one in the third quarter, up to plus 4 percent. Industrial production should increase while tourism and the cultural industry undergoes a notable revival, especially during the summer season. Confindustria noted that between January and April 2021, 130 thousand new jobs were created.
On May 31st, after five years, the Court of Assizes of Taranto delivered its decision in the first instance of a case nicknamed the "Sold-out Environment Case.” It was against the prior owners and CEO of the Ilva steelworks, once the largest steel producer in Europe. They and the former governor of the Puglia Region were found guilty of causing serious health risks through the production of carcinogenic dioxins and mineral particles for more than half a century. This caused a surge in cancer in the adjacent city of Taranto. The case involved 44 individual defendants and three companies in the proceedings. Appeals are sure to follow.
The Italian theatrical world is in mourning after the death of the 84-year-old classical ballerina Carla Fracci on May 27, after a long battle with cancer. Born near Milan, the daughter of a tram driver and a factory worker, Fracci rose to international fame and acclaim. Many people filed past her coffin in the foyer of the Scala Opera house before her funeral and burial two days later.
Over the weekend of May 29th and 30th, the Italian media was in a flurry. It was reported that George Cloney and his family, after two years of absence, have returned to their villa on Lake Como to spend their usual summer vacation there. This has been interpreted as a sign that Italy is leaving behind the bad times for the tourist industry to be in full swing again, with visitors returning here from all over the world. Thank you, George.
In fact, here, in Florence, we are seeing tourists returning to our streets. Although they are mainly British, French and German, some North and South Americans are also reappearing, owing to the Covid-free flights. Museums and exhibitions are also open, an important one of which concentrates on modern American art between 1961-2001. At the Palazzo Strozzi are featured more than 80 works by 55 artists, including Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Mark Rothko and many more. The works are here in Florence thanks to a collaboration with the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis to span the development of American art from the outset of the Vietnam War until the 9/11 attack.
Here, at home, my geraniums on the terrace are in full bloom and my spring cleaning has begun. June and September are probably the most beautiful months here and it's a shame to miss a single second; so I've decided I won't.
Stay healthy and safe... Deirdre
CAPTAIN PIETRO PIRRO
The Author Recounts Her Husband’s Life at Sea
Captain Pirro Passed Away on April 28, 2021
By Deirdre Pirro
Pietro was born in Portici, near Naples, on August 8, 1929. His father, also Pietro Pirro, a retired carabiniere officer, was born in 1857 in Barletta, Puglia and died in Portici in 1935 when Pietro, an only child, was still very young. His mother, Assunta Goglia, was born in Vallo della Lucania in 1900, died in Portici 1984. Because her father, Gennaro had been nominated superintendent of the Royal Prison in Portici in the early 1920s, he was assigned lodging for him and his family in the magnificent Palazzo Reale (Royal Palace) of Portici. This palace was originally a hunting estate for the Bourbon kings of Naples built in 1738 which, today, is the home of Portici's Botanical Gardens and is located just a few meters from the Roman ruins of Herculaneum.
After Pietro was born, he lived with his mother, his grandmother until her death, his mother's maiden sister and her bachelor brother in the palace. He went to school in Portici and remembered the terrible hardship they suffered because of hunger and the Allied bombings during World War II. One of his aunts worked at the central post office in Naples. She was hit by flying glass from an explosion to severe her femoral vein. She bled to death.
This is when Pietro's love of languages began (he would end up speaking 5 fluently). After the Allies arrived, some Scottish troops were billeted in Portici to teach him his first work in English: “barrage balloon.”
Pietro studied at the Naval Academy in Naples and then at the Naval Academy in Livorno. He qualified as a Master of Ocean Going Vessels on June 25th, 1948. His first jobs as a cadet officer were on banana boats sailing to South America. These were very long trips at sea with no air conditioning to extremely hot places. He was only 19 years old.
In the early 1950s, he won a permanent position with the historic Lloyd Triestino Navigation Company, a state-owned company headquartered in Trieste. He was a navigator with them until he retired in 1988. Lloyd Triestino sailed all over the world except to North and South America. With time, he moved up the officer ranks to sail on traditional cargo ships, passenger liners, container ships and huge Roll On Roll Off vessels. He circumnavigated the world 23 times during his long career.
In 1956, when Abdel Nasser closed the Suez Canal, Pietro was on a cargo ship off the coast of Mogadishu. Unable to return to Italy, he remained on board for six months. Towards the end of this period, he contracted malaria and was taken to the British Hospital in Aden where he remained for another four months.
In 1971, he was promoted to “Comandante,” the youngest “Comandante” the company have ever had. His specific role at that time (1971-72) was to follow the building of the “Lloydiana”, the first container ship in the fleet. Unfortunately, due to a tragedy in his family, he was unable to captain it on its maiden voyage. Instead on a beautiful, sunny Sunday morning in January 1973, I boarded the “Galileo,” an ocean liner at Port Melbourne, Australia. Pietro was the captain. My older brother was my chaperon and we had 14 suitcases and a sea trunk between us. We were about to spend four months sailing around the world with 22 European and African countries before returning to Australia. I met Pietro at the Captain's Cocktail Party and I think I immediately fell in love with this amazing man even though he was over 25 years older than me. He had such charisma and an air of authority,
By December 27th that same year, I had gone around the world and had immediately flown back to Italy again the day after the ship docked back in Sydney because he had left a plane ticket there for me. I again returned to Australia and worked a semester as an assistant law professor at Melbourne University. Again, another flight to Italy in November and a cruise to South Africa and India on my now fiancé's ship. We married during the trip to Cape Town, South Africa and, on our return to Italy, we settled in Florence. Our only son, Piero, was born in March 1975. Over the coming years, Piero and I often travelled on board with Pietro.
After Pietro retired, he often said that he didn't miss the ships all that much but he missed the sea terribly. It was in his blood.
Pietro died peacefully, 91 years old, at home on April 28, 2021.
Editor’s: Deirdre is the writer of the insightful Covid Chronicles and writes articles for PRIMO’s print editions and is our official translator. Our heartfelt condolences are extended to her and son Piero. May Captain Pirro rest in peace.
Op-Ed
GOD BLESS AMERICA AND VIVA L’ITALIA
A Comparison of Two Countries
- The Author Has Lived in Both Italy and America
- Now an American Citizen, She is the Daughter of Italian Immigrants, Originally to Canada
“Do not be fooled by the beauty, culture, and history of Italy. Visiting is one thing but living there is a completely different animal.”
By Joanne Fisher
I must make a premise. I am going to discuss these two countries before COVID hit, simply because these two countries had quite noticeable differences before this pandemic.
Here we are: 2019. Italy is the garden of the world, and when I tell people that I lived there for many years, they swoon and comment: “Wow, you’re so lucky!” or “Why are you in the USA?” or “Why did you leave?”
These are simple questions with not-so-simple answers.
Do not be fooled by the beauty, culture, and history of Italy. Visiting is one thing but living there is a completely different animal.
Additionally, do not be fooled by the United States, either. We (I say we, because I am now an American citizen) have our issues and lots of them—however, certain aspects of life differentiate both countries in different ways.
Let’s begin with my favorite subject, food. Italians idolize food. They spend a good part of their day talking about food and wine, about which they are very selective and discriminating, almost snobbish. Surprisingly enough, Italians do not eat a lot. But when they do, it must be cooked right, aged right and most importantly, priced right. Italians are very closed-minded about their food. They do not like foods from other countries. Italians prefer Italian cuisine over any other—and to be more on point, Italians love their mamma’s cooking. Unfortunately, today, many young Italian women do not cook because, alas, their moms never taught them. And similarly in United States, many Italian men are learning how to cook.
Americans love food and love to eat a lot of it, causing an enormous amount of people to suffer obesity and its derivative consequences: diabetes, heart disease, high cholesterol and so forth. However, we Americans not only adore Italian food—it’s possibly our favorite—but we enjoy foods from many other countries from around the world. I believe that food is a main reason that the United States is called a “melting pot.” One of the common misconceptions that I find particularly amusing is Americans’ reliance on recipes. It’s very common for me to just throw something together, such as my biscotti, or a lasagna, and have someone say, “Can I get that recipe?” Of course, I then have to patiently explain that there is no recipe, that I just threw a bunch of things together. I must say that this answer impresses my American friends, although I suspect that sometimes they don’t believe me.
Fashionista? Well, you should live in Italy, for sure! Not even in New York will you find the everyday Maria and Giuseppe dressed like they just walked off the catwalk. Even if they buy their clothes and shoes at the “mercato,” their fashion sense is impeccable, to say the least. Americans try exceptionally hard, but sorry, there is no comparison here.
How many times have you heard “use your inside voice”? Americans are extremely careful to speak softly while they are dining, even in a fast food restaurant. When my children and I first moved to Florida, my son and daughter had conversations at a higher tone than my husband’s children. One time, my stepson asked Leonardo, “Why are you always yelling?” Leo’s response was, “I’m not yelling, I’m Italian.” In Italy, an inside voice does not exist. In fact, when Italians gather in a restaurant or trattoria, they are heard in the neighboring stores, apartments and even by the “Vigile Urbano” down the street who may even decide to join in on the conversation if it interests him.
Does Italy have immigrants? Oh yes, they do but the majority are illegal, and they come to Italy expecting the Italian government to cater to their every need. Of course, it does. The Italian government has forcefully taken small hotels from their rightful owners so that migrants can live there. The owners get peanuts. Italians, in turn, are very prejudiced towards these migrants. One episode that truly enraged me was when Balotelli (a Ghanaian soccer player who was adopted by a couple from Brescia) walked onto the soccer field and the fans made monkey sounds and indigenous dance-like moves. When I saw that, as an American, I was horrified. I realized that, even though we hear on a daily basis that Americans are racist, we really are not. America truly is the Land of Opportunity—always has been, and hopefully, always will be. Of course, Balotelli’s team was penalized for such behavior, but the damage was done. He proudly gave the “one-finger salute” to the crowd, shrugged his shoulders, and made his parents proud. He is a bit of a hothead, but can he play soccer!
Speaking of sugar-coating: In general, Americans have become very polite over the years and would never think of offending anyone in any way, shape, or form. Italians, as stated above, don’t care if they offend you. They will tell you to your face that you’re fat, thin, tall, short, pretty, or—well, not-so-pretty. Perhaps, the younger generations have learned to think before they speak, but the older crowd will tell it to your face. One thing that really made my head turn in the 1980s when we moved to Italy, was the help wanted pages. Job listings typically specified that an applicant had to be attractive, good legs, pleasant voice and so on. Civil rights and anti-discrimination laws in the States would not allow for that!
Like the United States, Italy has two paces of lifestyles: northern and southern. And like the United States, the northerners are fast-paced and the southerners are very laid back, not worrying about anything. (In the United States, that has been diluted somewhat, with the mobility of Americans—something else that differentiates the two countries.) Personally, I experienced quite a shock when I moved from Canada (the Toronto area is very much like New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, etc.) to Florida. I used to get genuinely irritated when we needed to be somewhere, and my native Floridian hubby wasn’t anywhere near being ready. To this day, I am compulsively punctual, and hubby is still that last one out the door. I used to complain a lot, but now I simply give him “the look.” He gets the message right now!
Families are quite different in Italy. Even though the man is the titular “Head of the House,” the reality is that women have always run the show—and still do! After the war, only men went to work, and women stayed home to cook, clean and raise the children. In America, it was quite similar. But as times change and the world becomes smaller, both countries are evolving when it comes to the family nucleus. One big difference between our two countries is that Americans tend to “kick out” their kids immediately after high school, whereas Italian children live with their parents until they move out on their own or they get married. When we visited Italy in 2018, my cousin, who is almost 50, was still living at home with his parents. My husband was quite surprised by this. The major reason for this is housing. It is very expensive to rent an apartment on your own. Most landlords won’t even consider leasing you an apartment that could be occupied by a family or future family, instead of a single person who may leave after a while, causing the landlord to search for new tenants. Plus, he can charge more for a family than a single person.
Which brings me to space.
In America, we have a saying “go big or go home.” We have big cars, big houses, big everything. Not so in Italy; because there is no space. The cars are tiny, the apartments are tiny, the courtyards are tiny, the malls are small (where they exist), and their city halls are small. The only large buildings are churches and museums. This is because museums are simply former palaces where the uber-rich, blue-blooded nobility formerly resided. When Italians visit America, they marvel at how much land we possess, how huge our skyscrapers are, how enormous our malls are, how much wide-open spaces we have and how large our tiniest apartments are. To Italians, owning a home is like winning a lottery, whereas to us, it’s part of the American Dream, attainable by anyone who works hard to better themselves.
Want to open a small business? If you live in Italy, don’t even think about it. The amount of bureaucracy involved in opening a small restaurant or a shoe store or a barber shop is beyond imaginable. Any Italian who has a small business most probably inherited it from relatives who passed it down from one generation to the next. Starting a business from scratch is costly and time-consuming, and the documentation is tremendous. In America, you can simply rent a space, get some financing, pay for an occupational license, and voilà! You have your very own small business! Now, I understand that in many states, it’s not quite that simple; however, for the most part it is. And if you think the IRS is difficult to deal with, you haven’t dealt with la Finanza, the Italian Financial Police. That government entity is one of the most powerful in Italy. They handle all tax fraud, business and personal, contraband, building codes, you name it. I know because I’ve heard many detailed stories from my cousin who was a colonel and worked in that law enforcement agency for forty years.
I would like to end on a romantic note. Italian culture has romance in the air, always. Italian music, cinema, books and attitudes about relationships are very romantic and exalted. Courting a woman is still a big thing in Italy and a man will do anything to prove his love to his beloved. Americans love courting, also, but tend to be more practical. Having lived in both countries, I have noticed the difference. But you can see the difference simply by watching a classic Italian movie and a classic American one. “Ah! L’amore!” as they say in Italy.
Bottom line, I personally feel that the United States is still a beacon of hope, opportunity and individualism. These are the main reasons people from all walks of life desire to come here. Even Italians. Some of them simply fly in and end up staying. Some float in on rickety boats and rafts. Some come in through our southern border and some through our northern border. I’ll bet you didn’t know that, right? For over 200 years, people have risked life and limb to immigrate to America, because it is the land of the free and home of the brave. No matter how bad we think America gets, it still is the highest-ranked destination for immigrants.
Editor’s Note: Joanne Fisher is a Canadian-Italian-American author who is renowned for her steamy romances, historical fictions and murder-mysteries. She loves writing Christmas novellas, giving them an Italian flair. She has penned two nonfiction travel guides, titled Traveling Boomers, along with the corresponding website TheTravelingBoomers.com. She has participated in various Space Coast Writers’ Guild anthologies, and has even written one of her own, Baker’s Dozen Anthology, which is free on Kindle Unlimited. She is the president of the Space Coast Writers’ Guild and lives in Central Florida with her husband Dan and two Dachshunds, Wally and Madison.
READING “I VICERE”
In a Time of Pandemic, The Best Way to Learn Italian is to Read the Best of Italian Literature
- How does “I Vicere” compare to another classic novel, also set in Sicily, “Il Gattopardo”?
- “Now after 24 sessions with the book covering 60 pages; all of it written in Italian, I am beginning to understand the dynamics and the characters, but I am still struggling with the vocabulary.”
By Susan Collina Jayne
For students of Italian who are missing their sessions with tutors and teachers, I recommend reading an Italian classic, “I Vicere” (The Viceroys) 1894. Written by Federico De Roberto, the novel follows the saga of Sicilian nobility in the Risorgimento. I originally started reading the novel in 2017 but gave up after a few pages. More desperate this year, I began again. The grammar is fairly simple by Italian standards, but the vocabulary is archaic and the subjects far from modern experience; nevertheless, the book is still compelling. The story opens in the 1850s at the Francalanza Catania Palace with news of the unexpected death of Princes Teresa Uzeda ne’ Risa. There follows the arrival and non-arrival of her seven children; with their wives, one husband, in-laws, various lavapatti (hanger-ons), servants, neighbors, clergymen, etc. In one early scene, there are more than a dozen people in the Sala Galla. Most modern dictionaries may define lavapatti as dishwashers; human or machine. De Roberto’s are definitely human, but they clean their patron’s plates at the table. The term must have been considered vulgar because at the princess’ elaborate funeral (with a glass coffin, yet) someone is reproved for using it in church.
Now after 24 sessions with the book covering 60 pages; all of it written in Italian, I am beginning to understand the dynamics and the characters, but I am still struggling with the vocabulary. De Roberto gives few physical descriptions of the people; relying, instead on dialogue to define them. In the beginning, the servants and by-passers in the courtyard give us some gossip; the whole family hated each other and the mother especially hated her eldest son, Prince Giacomo XIV. Will he be bypassed in favor of the third son, Raymond, Count of Lumera? The rule demanding that the oldest son gets everything (primogeniture) can be by-passed because Teresa’s husband (Consalvo VII), a descendant of Spanish Viceroys, was so impoverished that he married a country woman of minor nobility 10 years his senior for her large dowery. Her father’s condition for the match was to allow her to manage the family’s financial affairs. So the fortune she builds up, as opposed to the title, is hers to command. She ruled with an iron hand. The whole family accepted her domination except for her brother-in-law, Don Balsco. He hounded her unmercifully from the beginning and said she had less “class” than the impoverished nobles who became lavapatti.
Prince Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa’s more famous novel on the subject “Il Gattopardo” (The Leopard), 1958, is often compared to “I Vicere,” but Lampedusa (1896-1957), told his wife that the earlier book tells the story from the point of view of the servant’s hall. That might have been a dig at De Roberto’s middle class origins and lack of personal knowledge of the nobility. The characters in Lampedusa’s novel are, in many cases, based on historical figures in the author’s family. De Roberto, the son of a Neapolitan colonel, had been a successful critic and literary journalist in Milan and Florence for decades before returning to Catania to live with his aging mother. Thus, his grammar is more modern and not as elaborately poetic as is Lampedusa’s, who was much younger but lived a relatively reclusive and scholarly life after World War I. He had been wounded, taken prisoner, escaped, recaptured and escaped again, only to develop pneumonia. Lampedusa might have chosen a quiet life to avoid the Fascists who took over after the war.
The books also differ in setting. One is in Palermo and the other is set in Eastern Sicily; which was for centuries part of the Magna Greco, dominated by Mount Etna and the Mafia. Another difference is that Prince Fabrizia is the Leopard. He dominates the book as did Scarlett O’Hara in “Gone With The Wind.” In “I Vicere,” it is the late Princess Teresa who sets in motion the conflicts to determine the family’s reactions to Garibaldi’s invasion and all that follows.
Another difference between the two books is the role of the Church. The dominance of the church in Sicily was greater than elsewhere in Italy, partly because the Norman kings (1072 until about 1300 AD) gave the church a third of the land on the island, probably most of it confiscated from the Arabs whom Roger I (Ruggero I) drove out. From the point of view of the family members in the two novels, however, the role of the Church differed greatly.
In “The Leopard,” Prince Fabrizio had a mild-mannered Jesuit as his family priest, but, also, to assist in his astronomical research, even though Jesuits were technically thrown out of Southern Italy because of their role in the 1848 revolt against the ruling Spanish Bourbon. However, none of Prince Fabrizio’s children joined the clergy. At the end of the novel, but not the film, 50 years after Garibaldi’s arrival, the prince’s three spinster daughters develop a mania for religious relics, many of them fake.
Princess Teresa had sent one son and one daughter into convents to spare the family’s resources. At that time, wealthy families had to pay to place their offspring in some orders, but the amount was relatively modest compared to providing a dowery for a noble daughter or supporting son. This practice is described in two very sad chapters of Manzoni’s “I promessi sposi” (1827) set in the 1700s when the young Lombardi Princess Gertrude is forced by her father to take the veil.
At the time of Princess Teresa’s death, her cloistered son and daughter seem to have accepted their religious life with grace, but for decades her brother-in-law, Benedictine monk Don Blasco, has been raging at his loss of freedom and fortune. When the princess dies, the family does not send a messenger to the monastery to tell him the news but to the home of the woman with whom he passes the time of day. At the long awaited reading of the princess’ will, he raises cane and tries to get it overturned, even though it would not have a dried fig’s effect on him.
I still miss many subtitles, but I can now understand most of what is going on in the Uzeda family in the 1860s if not what’s going on here and now. With my slow pace and the 700 pages of the novel, De Roberto might be my tutor until next election.
Editor’s Note: Susan Collina Jayne has written several articles for PRIMO. She lives in New Orleans
750 A.D.ANTE
A Birthday Poem for the Great Dante Alighieri
2021 marks the 700th year of his passing on September 14, 1321
By Gerardo Perrotta
Happy birthday dear Dante
forever grande
your cantos still resonate
loud and clear from your florentine cradle.
Every age has considered your wise seeds
and still we find ourselves in darkened spaces
reveling in the profane
struggling with the divine;
while glimmers of hope
pull us skyward, there
where Cristoforetti sowed
your wisdom anew
in the vast ocean of your infinite stars.
Buon compleanno caro Dante
sempre grande
i tuoi canti risuonano ancora
forte e chiaro dalla tua fiorentina culla.
Ogni era ha considerato la tua semenza
ma ci troviamo tuttora in luoghi oscuri
dilettantoci nel profano
lottando col divino;
Mentre barlumi di speranza
ci tirano verso il cielo, la`
dove la Cristoforetti ha seminato
la tua sapienza di nuovo
nel vasto oceano delle tue infinite stelle.
Editor’s Note: Mr. Perrotta is originally from Paola, Calabria. He is retired from the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.
Op-Ed
VENICE IS DYING
Mass Tourism and Climate Change Perils the City of Water
The Author Argues for a Worldwide Effort to Monitor and Save Venice Many cities of cultural and historical importance are also under severe existential threats. Of these, Venice is the poster child.
By Silvio Laccetti, Ph.D.
Spring is a time for renewal and rebuilding, a time to focus on all things natural, a time to reflect on planet earth's environmental problems. We consider climate changes, the polar regions and the Brazilian rain forest. However, we rarely consider in the same light the built-up environments. Many cities of cultural and historical importance are also under severe existential threats. Of these, Venice is the poster child.
Venice is dying. This kaleidoscopic collection of past, present and future may not long survive as an urban center. Arguably, Venice is the most unique city in the world, renowned for beauty, building technology, arts and culture, history, entertainment and tourism. Paradoxically this living Carnival may close down for good, a victim of ecological nightmares and economic paradoxes.
In 2018, the Swiss government-supervised World Economic Forum addressed these types of problems in the Davos Convention to outline measures for preservation of historical and cultural centers. My namesake foundation became involved in a subsequent effort to familiarize world youth of a tentative action plan to safeguard Venice. The fruits of this occurred very recently with a first-of-its kind trans-oceanic zoom conference connecting Italian high school students to their peers in the United States.
The main threat facing historic cultural centers is over-tourism. For me and my foundation, the most reprehensible situation was the passage and dockage of great ocean liners (Le Grandi Navi) in the canals and lagoons of Venice. The damage they do to building foundations, the pollution they cause in various ways, the collisions with historic wharfs or other vessels portray a horrifying picture all too evident from the most cursory internet search. These behemoth ships range up to 220,000 tons, 1100 feet in length (almost 4 football fields!) and 200 feet in height. In canal waters, their sight is both surreal and horrific.
Fortunately, on March 25th, the Italian government issued a decree banning the monster ships from Venetian waters!
This is a temporary measure. A brand new port should be built at a location balancing safety with convenience for tourism.
Beyond banning ships, authorities must consider what over-tourism is doing to the life and lifestyles in Venice. In 2019 (pre-pandemic), over 30 million visitors besieged Venice. That's more people than visit high ranking Disneyworld or Atlantic City, and about the same number as visitors to Niagara Falls, the most visited natural attraction in the United States. Venetians can hardly maneuver in the area around St. Mark's Square when big liners discharge 5,000 passengers at a time. Since these travelers eat and sleep aboard-ship, they contribute almost nothing to the economy of the city, so most businesses in the tourist areas have closed, to be replaced by souvenir shops!
Tourists who don't spend onshore is a problem plaguing many historic cities from Barcelona to Bruges and from Dubrovnik to Key West.
The urban economy of Venice has been decimated. The population of this historic center city has declined from 95,000 in the 1980's to just 55,000 today. Many locals can't afford to live in the city, as a significant (and growing) portion of housing has been converted to bed and breakfast/Airbnbs charging high rents for limited stays. Except in the tourist sector, jobs are scarce. Unhappily, tourism is what drives the remainder of the Venetian economy. Is Venice destined to become a Museum City, otherwise lacking in vitality? What is to be done?
Perhaps the solution lies in the employment of engineering, science and artificial intelligence.The new Mose system, a series of dam panels that deploy when high seas are forecast, will, hopefully, end Venice's perpetual flooding. The main university, Ca' Foscari, in the heart of the historic city, is rapidly developing new research programs to tackle problems of sustainability and resilience for coastal cities. One such initiative, The Bridges project, is ongoing in the United States, in cooperation with University of Virginia, in the Norfolk seacoast area.
Artificial intelligence offers the best key to regulation and control of tourist flow. For example, drone monitoring will bring efficient crowd control to the main squares. Artificial intelligence can create staggered sailing schedules before ships even depart from home ports worldwide to ease congestion. Finally, with a new port, tourists can be directed to mainland centers when Venice is "overcrowded.”
So. Will we see death in Venice? There are various groups and agencies working to protect the city. But until Venice joins the polar regions and the rain forests in popular imagination as a main ecological flashpoint, this serene city cannot be saved.
Editor’s Note: Pictured is one of many massive cruise ships that visited Venice, to drop off more than a million tourists each year to flood the piazza. Increasingly, Venetians gather to demonstrate against hordes of tourists. The author is a retired university professor of history from Fairview, New Jersey. His eponymous foundation seeks to raise awareness of the special eco-cultural problems facing Venice. For more information, or to participate in a local initiative, contact zferreira@gmail.com
Covid Chronicles
ITALY STRUGGLES WITH STUBBORN CORONAVIRUS
Health System Copes with Rise in Intensive Care Patients
By Deirdre Pirro
Here in Italy, we come to the end of Week 32, and according to data from Agenas (the National Agency for Regional Health Services), Covid patients admitted to hospital have exceeded the 40 percent alert threshold increasing pressure on the health system. As of March 22nd, those in intensive care are about 38 percent above the alert threshold. This means the latest restrictions will stay in place until after Easter and movement between the regions will be prohibited except in exceptional circumstances. The color system used for the regions - Red, "Reinforced" Orange, Orange, Yellow and White - will also remain in force until April 6th and may be extended until the beginning of May.
On March 15th, the health minister suspended the use of the Astra Zeneca vaccine as a precautionary measure following the death of several people in different parts of the country soon after being vaccinated. In all, 11 European countries did the same. An investigation by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) found that the vaccine is safe, effective and that the benefits outweigh the risks. It also excluded any relationship between it and thrombosis. On this basis, on March 20th, Italy reinstated administration of the vaccine.
On March 18th, Prime Minister Mario Draghi was in Bergamo to commemorate the first National Day of Covid Victims. The city has become the symbol of the tragic death rate during the first wave of the pandemic.
On March 20th, Draghi gave his first press conference in which he announced the details of the 32 billion euro Support Fund to help families and businesses in Italy try and get back on their feet. These include emergency relief funds; the refinancing of the Citizens' Income for those in need; the cancellation of taxation bills up to 5,000 euro between the years 2000 and 2010 for people whose income is less than 30,000 euro a year. Help will also be given to Covid hospitals, schools, universities, municipalities, freelance professionals and seasonal workers in ski resorts. For some types of companies, the prohibition on dismissing their employees will be extended until October 31, 2021. Of course, some critics have expressed their dissatisfaction, saying it is too little and too late. In my view, it's a start and I believe a bird in the hand is always better than two in the bush.
On March 22nd, the noted German weekly, Der Spiegel, pointed the finger at the Conte I government saying that Italy had reacted too late and incorrectly to the pandemic. It claimed the country was overwhelmed, partly because there were no emergency or obsolete plans. Based on the judicial complaints of over 500 people who lost loved ones, the weekly alleges that former Prime Minister Conte and the health minister hid their mistakes, covering up the real number of deaths. That health minister is still on the job after served in both Conte's cabinets and now in Draghi's. Makes you wonder, doesn't it?
Chaos has reigned in Lombardia, one of the regions hardest hit by Covid in the country which, in some places, had the vaccine but almost no one turned up to be vaccinated. This appears to be due to the ineptitude of Aria, the regional agency responsible for managing the vaccination campaign. It seems those eligible to be vaccinated never received their convocation. The governor of the region, Attilio Fontana, who set up Aria, has now fired three of its principal executives (whom he previously hired) and has now brought in Guido Bertolaso, the ex-head of Italy's civil defense, as a consultant. Talk about mayhem.
On March 25th and 26th, Mario Draghi attended his first Council of Europe meeting as Italy's prime minister. U.S. President Joe Biden was also there in a video conference with the other 27 heads of European countries to work towards a global solution to the Covid crisis.
Here, in Tuscany, from the beginning of March, local doctors are now able to administer the vaccine. Pharmacists may soon be able to do so because the government aims to boost vaccinations to 500,000 per day throughout the peninsula.
In Florence, March 25th was the beginning of the New Year from the time of the city's Republic. As such, it is still celebrated on that day with special ceremonies in the cathedrals of Florence, Pisa, and Siena because it celebrates the Annunciation. This year, it coincided with the annual DanteDi (Dante Day); for the 700th anniversary of the date on which the Supreme Poet began writing his masterpiece. To mark the occasion, the City of Florence and the Uffizi Galleries had a giant fir tree sculpture by the Piedmontese artist, Giuseppe Penone installed in piazza della Signoria. The restored (and still empty) cenotaph dedicated to Dante was also unveiled in the Basilica of Santa Croce.
A black-and-white, photographic, 28 meters high by 33 meters wide installation, the work of the French contemporary artist JR, now decorates the Renaissance facade of the Palazzo Strozzi Museum. It gives the illusion of being inside some of the spaces such as the library in the Palazzo. Its idea is to make the viewer reflect on the accessibility to cultural centers during the pandemic and it is of strong impact. The title is " Ferita" (Wound).
At home, I am still waiting for vaccination because the over 80's age group and those with pathologies are currently being vaccinated. But, its annoying, having to wait as new categories are continually being added to the list of those who have now become eligible to get vaccinated despite their age or physical condition. These comprise teachers, prison guards, judges, court officials and others. Frustration is the only word for it.
Stay healthy and safe... Deirdre
Editor’s Note: Deirdre Pirro is a writer and translator for PRIMO. Pictured is the new artwork, titled “Ferita” by the French artist JR; a frontal view of Basilica di Santo Spirito in Florence and the National Library of Florence.
CANALE DI MONTERANO
Italy’s Ghost Town
History, nature and mystery come together in the Lazio region
North of Rome is Canale di Monterano; hidden in a vast natural reserve, but if you manage to find it, you will definitely have something to write home about. PRIMO Magazine went for a visit.
Text and photos: Jesper Storgaard Jensen
The narrow road that leads from the small village of Monterano towards Canale di Monterano is quite bumpy. At times, you are thrown from one side of your car to the other. Here and there you’ll see signs announcing that you are now approaching Canale di Monterano, and eventually you’ll reach the parking lot. This is where your real journey will begin – a journey which will be a mixture of loneliness, fantasy, history and mystery. No wonder this place is called “Lazio’s fascinating ghost town.”
You are only some 50 kilometers (31 miles) north of Rome. Yet, this limited distance is enough to project you into what seems to be a distant era. In fact, as you walk along a narrow sandy road, the first historic testimony that pops up is an aqueduct from the 15th century. It’s hiding in the green vegetation; as though nature was trying to cover the remaining traces of history. Most of these trees are holm oaks, hornbeams and elderberries.
The history of Monterano goes way back to the Etruscans, and even to the bronze age, with antique objects found here from that era. The Etruscan name for this area was Manthuris, taken from Latin Mantus (who was the god of the beyond world), which later became Manurianum and finally Monterano. The name “canale” (channel) derives from a small river, the Lenta, which divided the area into two parts.
Here, you’ll find yourself 378 meters (1,248 feet) above sea level. If you let your eyes take a panoramic tour you’ll be overwhelmed by all the green of this natural reserve called Riserva Naturale di Monterano, which covers an area of about 1,085 hectares (2,681 acres).
Rise and fall
From the 4th century, the Romans had full control of the area due to the fact that the Via Clodia road was running from Rome to Saturnia, just three kilometers (1.9 miles) from Monterano. For that reason, Monterano became the center of the so-called Forum Clodii, a Roman prefecture that had a central role for the inhabitants in the area.
Foreign enemies from northern Europe tried several times to conquer the area. This made many of the inhabitants leave and move to, what later became, the modern town of Monterano, where they built new defense walls.
In 1300, old Monterano repopulated to achieve its maximum splendor. It was in this period that the majestic aqueduct was built. This blooming development was due to Emilio Bonaventura Altieri, who, in 1670, was elected Pope, at the age of 80, under the name of Pope Clement X.
Pope Clement X did not have any male heirs, so a male member of the important noble family Paluzzi Albertoni was “appointed” to take the Altieri surname of the Altieri. In this way Paluzzi Albertoni became Gaspare Paluzzi Albertoni with the title as Duke of Monterano. And under his guidance many new projects saw the light of day.
Duke Gaspare commissioned the famous sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini, who built several famous fountains in the center of Rome, to oversee several ambitious works in the Monterano area. Bernini built the Church and the cloister of San Bonaventura and the facade of the ducal palace with the splendid lion fountain, which has become one of the artistic symbols of Canale di Monterano. Frequently you’ll see people gather beneath it and point upwards.
Later on, when Pope Clement X died in 1676, Canale di Monterano went under the rule of the Papal States of the Roman Republic. By the late 18th century – the Altieri-family lost interest in the Monterano area. That was when the decline started. A malaria outbreak forced many of the inhabitants to flee the village. Later on, according to history books, a disagreement between Monterano and the nearby village, Tolfa, about the usage of wheat, was used by local French troops to attack and plunder Monterano. That was the coup de grace. The French burnt down many buildings, which explains the state of the abandoned ghost town as you see it today. The last to stay behind were two priests from the San Bonaventura convent.
Sun burned and wind swept
You actually approach Canale di Monterano with a feeling of awe. History lingers in the air as the whole area is embraced in a somewhat mysterious atmosphere of loneliness and abandonment.
San Bonaventura church, which was erected between 1677 and 1679, due to a commission of the Altieri-family, is today a ruin. Look around, tread carefully, see the clouds floating by as you gaze through the hole in the church’s rooftop. Don’t touch the walls, as they might fall down. Close your eyes and concentrate on the feeling of history that surrounds you.
There have been some discussions about the octagonal fountain in front of the church. Someone claims it is attributable to Gian Lorenzo Bernini, but there seems to be some doubt about the historic foundation of this claim.
Not far from there, on a small hilltop, you’ll reach the former Fortezza Monteranese – a defense fortress – transformed into the duke’s palace. On one of its walls, on the Piazza Lunga, you’ll spot the famous Fontana del Leone, the Lion Fountain, built by Bernini. Without any doubt this whole area is a small jewel of history and architecture. The local authorities have left this area to its own destiny. The wooden signs leading visitors towards the antique constructions are falling apart. The whole area is embraced by eternal decay: Burnt by the sun in summer and windswept in winter. Day after day. Year after year.
Backdrop for many films
When you visit the area you’ll surely notice a striking atmosphere of something slightly mysterious. This, of course, has been noticed by many, also from the film world. In fact, over time, some 20 different film productions have partly or fully been shot among the old ruins. Some of these are “Guardie e ladri” (Guards and thieves) from 1951, by Mario Monicelli. Ben-Hur from 1959 by William Wyler. The famous Italian movie “Il Marchese del Grillo”, from 1981, by Mario Monicelli, but also several modern Italian films such as “Puoi baciare lo sposo” (You may kiss the groom) by Alessandro Genovesi, from 2018 and the Netflix series “Luna near” (Black moon) from 2020.
A yearly attraction to take place in August in the modern part of Monterano is the Palio delle Contrade, a horserace, like the one in Siena, just in a much smaller format. Here, young competitors from six different neighborhoods will compete running along the streets of the modern part of Monterano to conquer the Gonfalone, a prestigious banner showing the town’s coat of arms. This event is a great attraction among the locals and should definitely be seen if you happen to be in the area on the date it takes place.
CATHOLIC MARTYRS
The Vatican Announces The Names of Those Killed in Service to the Faith
- Twenty in 2020
- Two were Italian
By Rami Chiaviello
Roman Catholics around the world were reminded of the inherent danger to priests, deacons and church laity on the March 24th Feast Day of Saint Oscar Romero.
To mark the passing of Saint Romero, martyred in 1980, the Vatican announced the names of 20 individuals who were murdered while in their service to God in 2020. From South Africa to Venezuela, they are to be remembered for their valiant sacrifice in spreading the faith.
A model for contemporary martyrdom remains Oscar Romero, archbishop of San Salvador, who, in 1980, was assassinated while saying Mass at a chapel outside the Hospital de la Divina Providencia in San Salvador. Romero was known for his outspoken activism against violent right-wing, left-wing and corrupt, entrenched government forces in El Salvador. His support for human rights in Central America won him international acclaim. In 1993, the Vatican declared the anniversary of his death a Day of Prayer and Fasting in Memory of Missionary Martyrs.
Two Italian priests are among last year’s list of martyrs.
Father Roberto Malgesini and Father Leonardo Grasso were both murdered in Italy. Their deaths reflect a growing trend of anti-Catholic violence throughout the world.
Father Malgesini, 51, served in the archdiocese of Como. He was known for his work among Italy’s homeless and migrant residents. On September 15th, Malgesini was scheduled to attend a breakfast event for the homeless, but was found stabbed to death inside his rectory at Lake Como. Within days, the Italian carabinieri arrested a suspect, a 53-year-old Tunisian migrant with a history of mental illness who had been counseled by Father Malgesini.
Father Grasso, 78, served the Italian province of Catania as the director of a drug rehabilitation center in Riposto. Grasso spoke about his days prior to becoming a priest in a television interview he did in 2014. He admitted to being a bon vivant and ladies man while selling real-estate in Italy. At the age of 50 and after the tragic death of his parents, he entered the priesthood to eventually serve in the Order of Ministers of the Infirm. Police claim Father Grasso was killed prior to a fire that destroyed his facility on December 4th. Investigators arrested a guest at the facility whom they claim set the blaze for purposes of covering up the murder.
Both priests served the call of Christ with great humility and selflessness. They were remembered by their colleagues as hardworking, passionate and empathetic members of the Roman Catholic Church. Theirs and the deaths of other missionaries were addressed by Pope Francis as selfless acts of martyrdom. He called upon all to pray for those “who work with people in need and rejected by society.”
Editor’s Note: Pictured is Father Malgesini saying Mass and Father Grasso beside a shrine to the Madonna. You can learn more about today’s Catholic missionaries by logging on to http://www.fides.org/en
ITALIAN AMERICANS UNITE TO DEFEND COLUMBUS
VICTORY IN CONNECTICUT
Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations Convene to Save Columbus’ Legacy in the United States
- Connecticut Opts to Keep Columbus Day
By Robert Petrone, Esq.
The Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations (CoPoMIAO) received some good news at their meeting of subcommittee chairpersons on Saturday morning, March 21, 2021: Frank Lorenzo of Connecticut announced that Connecticut Bill #6652 to eliminate Christopher Columbus Day in Connecticut died in committee. Thus, the defenders of Christopher Columbus' legacy have won their first victory in a battle for Western culture, marking an important turning point in this battle of the culture war.
Mr. Lorenzo noted that the efforts of the now-unified Italian American organizations across the United States played a major role in this defeat of the bill. Judge Basil Russo, President of the CoPoMIAO, noted that these results have come after only a single month of unification of Italian American organizations to demonstrate what this alliance can accomplish.
The meeting, moderated by Judge Russo and Robert Ferrito, president of the Commission for Social Justice at the Order of the Sons and Daughters of Italy in America, hosted 50 representatives from 50 Italian American organizations from across the nation. Rafael Ortiz, learned Taino-American author who has written three books on Christopher Columbus, attended the meeting. International Christopher Columbus activist Angelo Sinisi of Italy, moderator of the "Hands off Christopher Columbus" Facebook group, which includes as active subscribers prominent politicians from Italy, informed that some of Italy's politicians have pledged their help to fight to preserve Christopher Columbus's legacy in the United States. The Speaker of the House of Liguria offered his assistance. The mayor of Genoa wrote a letter to the mayor of Columbus, Ohio (to which the Columbus, Ohio mayor did not respond) exhorting him to send the torn-down statue of Christopher Columbus to Genoa, if Ohio did not want it, so that it could be erected with honor in Genoa's main square.
Saturday's meeting mainly served to identify and introduce to each other the chairs and co-chairs of the six subcommittees established at the first, historic, CoPoMIAO meeting in March:
1. Subcommittee to Save Columbus Day as a National Holiday: Robert Petrone and William Cerutti
2. Subcommittee to Save Columbus Day and Statues at the State, Local and School-Board Level: Angelo Vivolo and John Fratta
3. Subcommittee to Design a "Celebrate Columbus" Brochure: Dr. Dona De Sanctis
4. Subcommittee to Distribute the Knights of Columbus's "About Christopher Columbus" Documentary (https://www.kofc.org/en/news-room/columbus/index.html): Charles Marsala
5. Subcommittee to Retrieve & Display Confiscated Columbus Statues: Angelo Vivolo and John Fratta (this subcommittee was folded into the second subcommittee)
6. Subcommittee to Coordinate Efforts of Italian Anti-Defamation Groups: Andre DiMino
Judge Russo and Mr. Ferrito charged the subcommittee chairpersons with convening a meeting of their subcommittees within the next two weeks to formulate ideas, plans and agenda to be discussed at the next Conference of Presidents, tentatively scheduled for April.
Editor’s Note: Pictured is the statue of Christopher Columbus in Columbus, Ohio, that was removed by order of the city on July 1, 2020. Hands Off Christopher Columbus Facebook page is accessed at https://www.facebook.com/groups/314042049720599
PRIMO Review
ITALIAN AMERICANS SHINE IN “ZACK SNYDER’S JUSTICE LEAGUE”
- Today’s Vision Was Conceived by Camine Infantino in the Silver Age of Comics
- Joe Manganiello as Deathstroke
- Chris Terrio pens the screenplay
By Rami Chiaviello
Now showing on HBO Max, “Zack Snyder’s Justice League” is a once-in-a-generation film to be noted as perhaps the greatest comeback in cinematic history. It’s a film that will be remembered, not only for its quality, but, for the story behind its rise, fall and redemption.
Central to the film is Batman and Superman, key heroes in the comic book universe. They and others were given a serious renovation in the 1950s by Carmine Infantino. What we see today is based primarily on the the Silver Age of comics as pioneered by him and others, most notably Julius Schwartz. A comic book artist from New York, Infantino focused his talents to convey a darker, grittier tone for Batman with new color schemes and sketch work. He is given worthy tribute in the film’s end credits.
“Justice League” was a renaming of the “Justice Society of America” by DC Comics in 1960. Heroes came together to fight villains when artists were recruited to redraw and colorize the comic such as Joe Giella and Frank Giacoia.
The recent film version of “Justice League” had its creative start when Zack Snyder was hired by Warner Bros to direct “Man of Steel.” A Superman film released in 2013 was to the new seed planted by DC Comics to rival Marvel and its reign as box office king.
“Man of Steel” outperformed expectations and Warner Bros. tasked Snyder to write and develop the film’s sequel, “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.” Superman appeared opposite Batman (played by Ben Affleck) Wonder Woman (played by Gal Gadot) and Lex Luthor (played by Jesse Eisenberg) to kick-off an array of films to compete with Marvel.
“Batman v Superman” did not do as well as Warner Bros. had hoped. Released in 2016, the film was criticized for its bloated plot, poor structure and dark tone. Although not a flop, it underperformed for Warner Bros at near $850 million but much less than the $1 billion expected.
Snyder and company planned a trilogy of Justice League films beginning with “Batman v Superman.” The introduction of legacy characters such as Cyborg, The Flash, Aquaman and Green Lantern contrasted with the villainous forces of Apokalips. Fans were most excited to see a continuation of the “Knightmare Sequence.” Bruce Wayne’s vision of the world dominated by Superman and the forces of Darkseid will lead Batman and other DC characters towards a desolate future. This sequence was one of many to entice fans for Justice League films yet to come.
Warner Bros., regrettably, had no faith in Zack Snyder after “Batman v Superman.” The studio began to reign in the director. “Justice League” was written by Chris Terrio, a screenplay author who won an Oscar for his work in the 2012 film “Argo.” Executives were present on set to order script rewrites. A clash between artist and committee resulted in Snyder leaving the project after suffering a terrible tragedy when his daughter died in early 2017. Warner Bros. hired “Avengers” director Joss Whedon to reshoot and reassemble the film. Meanwhile, deleted scenes of Snyder’s initial cut began to show up online. The film to be released, however, was not at all what fans were promised.
In November of 2017, “Justice League” premiered as a critical and commercial failure. It remains one of the worst comic book films ever made. The film was a tonal mess, filled with awful dialogue, awful color grading, awful visual effects; jarringly obvious rewrites and reshoots. The film jumped from scenes by Zack Snyder to those by Joss Whedon. Near the beginning, Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) recruits Barry Allen (The Flash, played by Ezra Miller). The scene, as directed by Snyder, contains the Flash in full action after an intriguing back and forth sequence between he and Bruce Wayne. Then the scene devolves, as directed by Whedon, into an awful monologue by The Flash who proclaims his hatred for brunch. Yes, brunch. A gag that regrettably comes back as the film's post-credit scene.
Fans, such as myself, left the theater, baffled. How could a man with such unique visual style give us characters and dialogue this pathetic? Soon, speculation arose all over the internet as to Snyder’s original vision. The campaign - #ReleaseTheSnyderCut - took off after the director confirmed he possessed a cut of the film, true to his original vision. For three years, the social media campaign grew. A petition with over 180,000 signatures demanded Warner Bros. release Snyder’s version. Banners were flown over the Warner Bros. lot and San Diego Comic Con. Fans pooled together to purchase a billboard in Times Square, demanding the release of the original cut. Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Jason Mamoa (who plays Aquaman), Ray Fisher (who plays Cyborg) and Ezra Miller gave their support for releasing the Snyder version. This eventually got the attention of Warner Bros., and, in 2020, it was announced that “Zack Snyder’s Justice League” was to be shown on HBO Max on March 18, 2021.
“Zack Snyder’s Justice League” is in no way just a simple “director’s cut”; but rather, it’s a restoration of a unique vision tainted by so many people. At a whopping four hour run-time, the film contains nearly two hours of unseen footage, restored color grading and sound design; a new original score from Junkie XL and a complete expulsion of all reshoots and rewrites by Joss Whedon. The film is incredible! It’s an ambitious and creative work to far exceed the 2017 film. The returning characters (Batman, Wonder Woman and Superman) get plenty more to do and the new characters (Cyborg, Flash and Acquaman) get well-needed character motivation and development.
Many heroes and villains were added to tease the audience. Joe Manganiello makes a brief but intriguing appearance as the villain Deathstroke. His is one of the more memorable characters in the Batman franchise. Deathstroke first appeared in 1980 as an elite military commando turned mercenary. He attained superhuman powers after a secret government agency gave him a drug to expand his physical and mental capacity. He is, no doubt, a character, as perfectly portrayed by Manganiello, most worthy of a future feature film.
“Zach Snyder’s Justice League” benefits from a better narrative for scenes and characters to breathe more drama and tension into the story. The film contains a sustained and cohesive style, a temporal tone and scope, something severely missing in the 2017 version.
“Zack Snyder’s Justice League” is vindication for a director embattled with personal and professional tragedy. It’s a masterclass of faith in bold and creative filmmaking to be eventually rewarded. Fans are to be commended for three years fighting for this film to see the light of day. I have every intention of re-watching “Zack Snyder’s Justice League” many times in the coming months and I recommend this film to all, comic book fans or not.
Editor’s Note: Pictured is the poster for “Zack Snyder’s Justice League,” Joe Manganiello as Deathstroke, a villain in the film, Carmine Infantino, who pioneered the Silver Age of Comics and Chris Terrio, screenwriter of the film.
SUPER-MARIO
Mario Draghi Becomes Italy’s New Prime Minister
- Appointed by the President and Approved by the Parliament
- Not elected by the people Draghi definitely has an enviable reputation – both in Italy as well as abroad - which means, that right now he is actually able to put the phrase "Italy's most popular man" on his business card.
By Jesper Storgaard Jensen
Say the name Mario Draghi to 10 different Italians on the street, and the majority of them will roll their eyes and make a movement with their hand as a sign of recognition.
Draghi definitely has an enviable reputation – both in Italy as well as abroad - which means, that right now he is actually able to put the phrase "Italy's most popular man" on his business card. Lately everyone - politicians, journalists, newspapers, people from TV, the man on the street, my local newsstand owner and many, many more - has stepped on each other's toes to praise someone who almost from one day to the next has become the absolute protagonist on Italy's political scene. Or to paraphrase a Facebook post written by writer Christian Raimo: "Now we only need the support of Tuscany's United Girl Scouts, and all the major groups in society will have expressed their support for Mario Draghi.”
The government crisis, that has now placed Draghi in Italy's most important political chair, began shortly before Christmas, when then-Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced his intention to have a so-called expert group administer and distribute the huge sums which will allegedly float to Italy from the EU support fund later in year. The amount of 209 billion euro - where the 81 billion euro is not to be repaid to the EU - is the largest amount of aid any European country will be awarded in connection with the pandemic.
This decision did not please Matteo Renzi, leader of the small center party Italia Viva. He felt that Conte had gathered too much power around his own persona. Renzi subsequently withdrew Italia Viva’s support to the government. Thus, the Conte government became a minority in the Senate the prime minister was forced to resign, and the government crisis was a reality.
About 10 days later, Draghi entered the scene. That was the moment when the Italian newspapers and magazines stepped into a certain Draghi-worthship-mood. Rarely have so many acclaimed portrait articles been published in such a short time.
But who is really Mario Draghi?
He was born in 1947 into a wealthy Roman family. At the age of 15, he lost both his parents at short intervals, and he is quoted saying: "As a young man I let my hair grow, but not too much, since I had no one to rebel against".
In Rome, he attended a special high school for Jesuits, reportedly one of the best in the city. A number of his fellow students from the same high school today hold high positions in Italian society. Today, everyone says that Draghi was the best in the class. A mathematical genius. Later, he graduated in economics at Rome's La Sapienza-University. Subsequently, he went to the United States to take a Master's degree in economics at MIT, one of the most prestigious in the world.
The Savior has come
Draghi began his career as a senior official. He is part of the ministry team that draws up the economic strategies that have since contributed to Italy joining the Euro-system, despite the fact that the country, at that time, had a government debt that went far beyond the 60 percent limit, the maximum level as stated in the Maastricht Treaty.
While the ordinary Italian and the Italian press can hardly get their arms down - almost as if it were il salvatore in persona, the Savior Himself, who had found his way down to the Italian part of Mother Earth - the same jubilant optimism cannot be traced to the foreign media, which has a habit of distancing themselves from the Italy's own – often quite emotional – press. Shortly after it became clear that Draghi would gain access to Italy's softest political armchair, the prestigious Italian weekly magazine Internazionale brought several critical comments, published by various European media, about Draghi's persona and past occupations. Especially, as vice president of the private U.S. investment bank Goldman Sachs. American journalist Matt Taibbi described Draghi as "a giant vampire squid wrapping its arms around humanity's face to relentlessly place its bloody funnel where money can be sucked" - allegedly, according to the Spanish daily El Pais, "should have helped Greece falsify its accounts with the EU". El Pais further writes that "Draghi has never really stated what he was doing during that period at Goldman Sachs.” Translated, the question is: was Draghi involved or was he aware of the accounting fraud that Greece, with the assistance of Goldman Sachs, had put into practice? The newspaper further writes that Draghi later, during Greece's economic crisis, pressed the country, in such a hard way, that it faltered on the brink of state bankruptcy. Yanis Varoufakis, the then Greek finance minister, has described Draghi as "a tragic despot.”
It was also Varoufakis who recently commented on Draghi to the English newspaper Daily Express: "Mario Draghi is the perfect Italian Prime Minister if Italy who intends to pursue a policy that will please Brussels and Berlin, and if one wants to pretend that the great financial support from the EU will actually save Italy. In fact, in the past we have seen that the countries that receive this financial support usually end up being even more indebted than they were before.”
The German Die Tageszeitung also expresses pessimistic tones: "Draghi has given the Lega (far right wing in Italy which is now part of the Draghi government, ed.) the opportunity to change its image in Europe and thus get out of the corner of shame where the party has been so far.” Well, it's actually hard not to agree with the newspaper.
The Argentine daily La Nacion states, in a rather concise manner, that "Draghi is just another technocrat who has been appointed prime minister of Italy.” Here, too, one cannot disagree with the newspaper. Draghi's appointment underlines, once again, the deep crisis of Italy's political system: Every time the glowing political chestnuts have to be ripped out of the fire, politicians must take a step back to make room for a well-known and esteemed technocrat. We have seen this several times in the past and now we see it again.
What ever it takes
After Draghi’s time at Goldman Sachs, he then returned to Italy’s public sector once again, this time to become Governor of Italy’s National Bank. Later, in the period from 2011 until 2019, he contested the prestigious position of head of the European Central Bank. It was with this title - during an economic conference in 2012 in London - that he pronounced the famous words "whatever it takes", to emphasize that he, as head of the European Central Bank, would do "everything in his power" to shield the euro from the speculation that took place on the financial markets during that period. Just a shame that the other half of Draghi's legendary phrase - "... and believe me, that will be enough" - has been somewhat forgotten. For it actually turned out that "what ever it takes" was performed with such strength and pathos, and that it was apparently such an understated institutional demonstration of power, that no one would doubt that Draghi was deadly serious. He emerged as a man with a goal and with the means to achieve it. And so it was. The euro was saved, thanks to the support of Draghi and the ECB. Thus, Draghi was later nicknamed "the savior of the euro,” which he could add to his other two nicknames, "God's own banker" and the more popular "Super-Mario.”
"What ever it takes" has almost become a kind of mantra in Italy. You almost sense that, now in Italy, there is a nascent "what ever it takes-ism". It is so pervasive that you can even buy "Draghi T-shirts" on the social media with the caption "What ever it takes” written on them.
However, if you think that the story about Draghi is only about money and exchange rates on the financial markets that go up and down, then you are wrong. At least according to Draghi himself, who has repeatedly described himself as "a liberal socialist" - in other words, a person whose heart apparently beats both for the man in the street and for the financial markets.
Lately, the Italian press has written thoroughly about Mario Draghi. La Repubblica has even tracked down the local newsstand owner in the small Umbrian town, Città della Pieve, where Draghi usually lives with his wife. The owner of the newspaper kiosk said that, "Draghi gets seven newspapers every morning, five Italian plus the Financial Times and Die Zeit.” In addition, Draghi is an eager golfer and he is reportedly passionate about playing chess online.
Now Draghi has taken a seat on Italy’s highest political throne, thanks to unusual large parliamentary support. In fact, practically the entire parliament is backing him, with the exception of the right-wing party The Italian Brothers, which has described the new government as "an indecent scrape up.” Also the well-known journalist Andrea Scanzi is negative: “I wish Draghi all the best of luck with the his new government. But with a government where everyone is on board - all the old enemies who have been screaming at each other for years - there is only one way to describe that such a government: It is the biggest parliamentary scam Italy has seen in the past decades.”
Other observers, on the other hand, have pointed out that it is necessary to stand together across political ideas and ideologies, and despite old hostilities, when an external enemy - the coronavirus - threatens.
Well, truth be told, Draghi’s government seems actually rather motley. Party leaders who have been enemies for years now sit shoulder by shoulder. Berlusconi has also gained a place. It’s therefore obvious that Berlusconi's enemies mock Draghi and call the government the Berlusconi 5-government. Meanwhile, everyone is talking about money. Renzi says: “When we receive 209 billion. euros from the EU, it’s an advantage to have Draghi.” Salvini says: “When we have to distribute 209 billion. euros, it is better to sit at the table than to stand outside and look in through the window.” And there is a clear feeling that the majority of the parties, that have now taken a seat in Draghi's government, have thought about the well-known saying "follow the money", which is used when the police's economic department has to find the perpetrators behind an economic undead.
The birth of the new government has caused major problems in the Five star movement (M5S). The movement is in the middle of a huge identity crisis and is right now in a considerable slide - what in Italian is called "dale stele alle stalle", from the stars to the stables. Several members of the Five Star Movement voted against the Draghi government despite being part of it. Now, it’s only matter of time, before the movement breaks up into two halves. The M5S got 32 percent of the votes in the elections in March 2018. If there were elections tomorrow they would get just approximately 15 percent. They came to power by criticizing the old political class, those with too many privileges. But the Five Star Movement has now, for the past two years, embraced power in an almost psychotic way. Political issues and ideologies have been replaced by a kind of click-democracy that has been dictated by the gut feelings of social media. Opinions and political ideals have been exchanged with about the same frequency as Italian men change their socks, i.e. at least once a day. What is white on Monday quickly turns black on Tuesday, in the M5S. The Five Star Movement has betrayed its own "ideals" (if they ever had any), its own principles, and millions of voters no longer trust them. Over the years, the Five Star Movement has thundered "never in a government with Berlusconi", "never with Salvini again", "never with Renzi", and now the M5S is so comfortably placed with all these three controversial names in the new "colorful" Draghi government. When the historians of the future will one day write about Italy's political life during this period, their accounts of the Five Star Movement will certainly be read in the section entitled "Political Jokes and Laughs.” I would not be surprised if the Five Star Movement would no longer be on Italy's political map in some three-four years from now.
A hot spring
So what now? Draghi has invited almost everybody into his government, and only after a few days it seems that the price to be paid for such broad support could be pretty high. The right-wing parties Lega and Forza Italia have, from the very start, begun to complain about new possible closures. They advocate - of course - that society should be reopened as soon as possible, despite the fact that all figures now show that the more contagious English variant of the virus will account for at least half of all new cases of coronavirus-infection in Italy from the beginning of March.
In both chambers, Super-Mario has been received by standing ovations as he presented his government’s program. The upcoming months will present huge challenges. The government decree, adopted in 2020, which has made it illegal to dismiss people during the pandemic, expires on March 31. If not extended, it is predicted that hundreds of thousands of workers will soon lose their jobs. The newspaper Corriere della Sera reports that about 675,000 jobs have already been lost during the pandemic. In other words, the social catastrophe is lurking. Italy has not been in such a catastrophic economic situation since World War II. In 2020 the Italian national debt increased from 133% of GDP to 159%. The Italian vaccine campaign is moving rapidly on. The concept is: it cannot go fast enough. That, the vaccine campaign, will be another major challenge for Draghi's government.
There is no doubt: Draghi will soon be facing a very hot Italian spring.
Editor’s Note: Jesper Storgaard Jensen is a frequent writer for PRIMO Magazine. You can visit his web site at http://www.mysecretrome.eu/
A Legacy of Liberty and Exploration
COLUMBUS: A HERO
Columbus’ Fourth Journey Further Discovers New Land in Central and South America
The Spanish King and Queen Apologize for the Slander Directed at Him by the Hidalgo Conquistador
Robert Petrone, Esq.
With great gratitude to the readers who have persisted throughout the long and complicated history of the settlement of the West Indies to this, the final installment of the 1492 Project, I commend you. You have done what the cultural majoritarians (such as the splenetic "Mr. Coarse" I mentioned in my first article) had hoped you would not: you have examined the content recounted in the primary sources in great detail; learned the intricate story of the West Indies; and seen the falsehood of the broad-brushed, bumper-sticker-ready, meme-driven, revisionist, conflated version of events pushed by the cultural majoritarians, Marxists, race-baiters, hate-mongers, and other detractors of the man who was, in fact, the first civil rights activist of the Americas, Christopher Columbus.
And the hate-mongering cultural majoritarians and their ilk have themselves noticed. You may have observed that since the publication of this serial exposé, the anti-Western polemicists have dialed back their vitriolic rhetoric. No longer have they been claiming that Columbus was an evildoer; rather, they have noticeably backpedalled, claiming merely that his statues and memorials should be razed because he is "a symbol of oppression." But now you, dear reader, know the truth.
You have seen -- and the cultural majoritarians can no longer deny -- that the primary sources unequivocally establish that Christopher Columbus succeeded in a nigh-impossible trans-Atlantic voyage that no one thought possible with nary a nautical instrument at his disposal; provided Jews with crew positions that allowed them to flee the Spanish Inquisition; brought to light to the rest of the world the existence of the Americas; established peaceful first contact with the islanders (both the friendly and otherwise); freed Taino slaves from cannibalistic Carib captors in the first Underground Railroad of the Americas; brought Christianity to the willing; created the first permanent European settlements in the Americas; forged lifelong friendships with Taino chieftains; protected the islanders from enslavement by the hidalgos (low, landed nobles) who wanted to enforce Spain's feudal encomienda system on them; defeated all the slander levied against him by the resentful hidalgos in a court of law; defeated multiple rebellions by the hidalgos using arbitration rather than armaments; brought a Pax Columbiana to the West Indies in which "things were calm, the land was rich and everyone lived in peace"; unseated the villainous Viceroy Bobadilla who unleashed a reign of terror on the West Indies; and successfully lobbied for the first civil rights legislation of the Americas ensuring that "all the Indians of Hispaniola were to be left free, not subject to servitude, unmolested and unharmed and allowed to live like free vassals under law just like any other vassal in the Kingdom of Castile." And Admiral Columbus still had one voyage to the Indies left before his story ended. That story is the subject of this article.
Although Christopher Columbus was no villain -- much less the racist, rapist, maimer, murderer and genocidal maniac that the anti-Western cultural majoritarians would like you to believe he is -- Viceroy Francisco de Bobadilla, knight of the Reconquista, was all of those things. Fortunately, Christopher Columbus ensured that Bobadilla's reign of terror was short-lived. Unfortunately, once he secured Bobadilla's removal from office, Columbus no longer wished to return to the governorship over the "dissolute [hidalgos,] full of vice and malice," so the crown appointed Nicolás Ovando, another military knight, like Bobadilla, to replace Bobadilla (Bartolomé de las Casas, Historia de las Indias, Books I, II & III, passim; Digest of Columbus's Log Book and collective epistles of Christopher Columbus, passim; Hernando Colón, The Life of the Admiral, passim).
Ovando was no better than Bobadilla. In many ways, he was even worse. This time, Christopher Columbus had ensured that legislation was in place to protect the Tainos and other tribal islanders from harm, but Ovando largely ignored the legislation, in defiance of both divine and Spanish law. While Christopher Columbus was far away in Castile, Ovando availed himself of the lack of supervision and accountability that Columbus's presence had always ensured. Like Bobadilla, Ovando took the opportunity to murder and enslave the tribal islanders, including their chieftains and their families, but to a greater degree and for a longer period of time than Bobadilla had (Bartolomé de las Casas, Historia de las Indias, Books II & III, passim; Digest of Columbus's Log Book and collective epistles of Christopher Columbus, passim; Hernando Colón, The Life of the Admiral, passim).
Columbus seethed in Spain over Ovando's misdeeds, not the least of which included ignoring of the civil rights legislation for which he had so persistently fought and the atrocities Ovando continued to inflict upon the tribes. Chomping at the proverbial bit to return to the West Indies, Admiral Columbus negotiated yet another contract with the Crown of Spain for his Fourth Voyage. In the wake of Christopher Columbus's hard-earned success in lobbying for the legislation protecting the tribal islanders, the Crown was well aware of his attachment to them, and his feelings about Ovando's oppressive reign. Ovando, however, had at least satisfied the plaints of the recalcitrant hidalgos (by giving them free rein to exploit the islanders) and that was one headache of which the Crown was glad to relieve themselves (Bartolomé de las Casas, Historia de las Indias, Books II & III, passim; Digest of Columbus's Log Book and collective epistles of Christopher Columbus, passim; Letter of the Crown of Spain, dated March 14, 1502; Hernando Colón, The Life of the Admiral, passim).
On March 14, 1502, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella personally wrote Christopher Columbus a letter of apology for the treatment he sustained at the hands of Bobadilla urged him to press on with another Caribbean expedition. They knew the idealistic Admiral Columbus once again would want to free any slaves he found in the Caribbean, as he did on his Second Voyage, and bring them back to Spain for Baptism (because Baptized people could not be enslaved in Catholic Europe), but they knew his doing so would stir up Ovando and the hidalgos again. They commanded Admiral Columbus to bring none of the hidalgos' slaves, or those of any Portuguese slavers, back to Spain for liberation. In fact, the Crown gave Columbus explicit instructions to avoid Ovando altogether -- not even to land on the island of Hispaniola, the seat of Ovando's court. Rather, they instructed the Admiral to sail in further exploration of the Caribbean only. The monarchs wanted no more trouble in the West Indies (Bartolomé de las Casas, Historia de las Indias, Book II, Chapter 4; Letter of the Crown of Spain, dated March 14, 1502; Hernando Colón, The Life of the Admiral, Chapter 87).
But Christopher Columbus was destined to protect the tribes of the Caribbean, and a higher monarch saw to it that he had one last chance to manifest that destiny. Columbus set sail to the West Indies for the last time on March 14, 1502, with a flotilla of only four ships -- a drastic departure from the seventeen the Crown provided him on his Second Voyage -- crewed by a total of only 150 men, including his thirteen-year-old son Hernando (who would grow to be an historian and biographer), Christopher's brother Bartolomeo (who was resistant to taking the voyage) and the less-than-loyal Captain Francisco de Porras (as a favor to Porras's brother-in-law, Royal Treasurer Alonso de Morales).
Despite harsh vernal winds and storms in the Caribbean, Admiral Columbus explored extensively, begrudgingly obeying the Crown's mandate to stay away from Ovando's court in Hispaniola. He made first landfall in Cariay (now the Mosquito Coast of Nicaragua). The islanders received him warmly, regaling him with stories of fields of gold in nearby in Veragua (now Veraguas, Paraguay), and escorting him to their chieftain. The chieftain, perhaps in an act genuinely-intended, if misplaced, generosity, perhaps with evil intent, sent to the Admiral's cabin "two magnificently attired girls, the elder of whom could not have been more than eleven [years old] and the other seven." They "had magic powders concealed about them" -- narcotics -- and attempted to drug and seduce the Admiral with behavior "so shameless that they might have been whores." Columbus was immediately horrified and sent them away. So as not to offend them -- as Columbus understood that the tribal islanders had vastly different mores than the Europeans, he "ordered that they should be given some of [the ship's] trinkets and send them back to land immediately” (Christopher Columbus's Letter to the Sovereigns of Spain, dated July 7, 1503).
Christopher Columbus was no debaucher. After his first wife, Filipa Moniz Perestrelo, died giving birth to their first (and, for her, only) son Diego, the widowed Columbus began canvassing Europe, with his young son in tow, looking for a patron to fund his First Voyage, eventually winning over the Crown of Spain. In the nearly eight years he spent in that country pitching his expedition to the monarchs, he met a noblewoman of the Castilian Court, Beatriz Enríquez de Arana. Though he never married Beatriz -- she was a noble and he was not -- she did bear him a son, Hernando, who had accompanied the Admiral on the Fourth Voyage. Columbus, a devout Catholic, strove to practice -- and demanded his sailors strive to practice -- the three "counsels of perfection" of Christianity: obedience, poverty and chastity (though the roughneck sailors were far less adherent than he). He obeyed the moral code of the Bible, he sought not riches (in fact, he died devastatingly in debt to the Crown for failing to mine enough gold to slake the insatiable greed of the monarchs), and he remained faithful to the mother of his new child. While many Spanish settlers contracted syphilis (among many other diseases the Europeans had never encountered) from the islander women who, unfettered by European mores, willingly engaged in coitus indiscriminately, Columbus did not contract any sexually-transmitted diseases. This encounter in Cariay demonstrates why, and demonstrates his upstanding moral character.
Admiral Columbus made the second landfall of his Fourth Voyage in Ciguare (now Guatemala), home of ancient Mayan cities. There, as always, he established peaceful first contact and trade with the tribal occupants (Christopher Columbus's Letter to the Sovereigns of Spain, dated July 7, 1503).
Admiral Columbus made his third landfall on the Epiphany, January 6, 1503, in Veragua (Veraguas, Panama). There, the Admiral encountered diverse tribes, two of which were tribes of cannibals who frequently attacked other tribes. As always, the Admiral established peaceful first contact with the quibian (chieftain) of one of these warlike tribes, though the quibian proved somewhat mercurial. The quibian's son acted belligerently and even threatened to kill the leader of the landing party, Captain Diego Mendez. Nevertheless, Mendez, a trusted emissary of the insightful Columbus, won over the young warrior, "and [they] ate and drank in love and camaraderie and remained friends" thereafter. Nevertheless, the quibian launched a "thousand warriors" unprovoked against the flotilla at the Yebra River (now the Belén River), as Captain Mendez described it, to "burn our ships and kill us all." Admiral Columbus did not act rashly -- and never aggressively -- "but discussed with [Mendez] how [to] make certain of these people's intentions." The quibianmade them known: in Columbus's absence -- the Admiral was always a pacifying influence -- the quibian sent four hundred warriors to attack the landing party unprovoked, and Mendez and his men fought defensively only, ending the conflict after only seven to ten fatalities on each side. Admiral Columbus "was quite delighted to hear" that the matter was resolved with such celerity and relatively little loss of life. Despite the unprovoked attack by the quibian, Admiral Columbus wrote a letter to the Crown in July of that year counseling the monarchs against the "seiz[ure]" or "plunder" of the Veraguan tribe that attacked him, but rather urged "fair dealings" with the Veraguans. Once again, Christopher Columbus demonstrated his love of the tribal islanders, going as far as to turn the proverbial cheek to even their unprovoked hostilities (Id.; Testament of Diego Mendez, dated June 6, 1536).
Christopher Columbus's persistent tenderness and altruism toward even the most hostile of islander tribes stemmed not only from his unwavering devotion to the divine mandates of Catholicism. He also had a much more terrene motivation: he had hoped the Spanish settlements he established "would be an example to others" from Spain and other nations who might follow. He lamented that Bobadilla and Ovando had perverted his vision into such "a bad example, detrimental to both trade and justice in the world" (Christopher Columbus's Letter to the Sovereigns of Spain, dated July 7, 1503).
By April 1503, the ships of the flotilla were so worm-ridden and unseaworthy, Admiral Columbus had to retire two of them, halving his flotilla. By May, he had restrained himself enough, and finally set sail for Hispaniola to confront Viceroy Nicolás de Ovando in his own court. Just as in the previous year, the springtime Caribbean tides again tossed his remaining ships for over a month, stripping them of rigging and framework and filling their holds with seawater. The Admiral decided on a desperate and dangerous tack that would require a great display seamanship, and he rose to the occasion: with the tides and the winds against him, in late June of 1503, Admiral Columbus "safely grounded" the two ships on the nearest island, Jamaica. Once again, without exception, he established peaceful and friendly first contact with the islanders. Three tribes on that island fed and traded with his crew, though eventually the food ran short and the Admiral and his crew began to starve (Id., Bartolomé de las Casas, Historia de las Indias, Book II, Chapters 30 ff.; Testament of Diego Mendez, dated June 6, 1536).
To make matters worse, Columbus refused to let his sailors leave their ships for fear they would molest the women of the island. He kept personal watch over his men. Starving for food and fornication, the concupiscent Captain Francisco de Porras led not one but two mutinies, attempting to kidnap and enslave several islanders in the process. Admiral Columbus and those crewman still loyal to him -- including the valorous Captain Mendez -- defeated the mutineers, arrested them and put an end to their plot. Once again Christopher Columbus demonstrated his wise leadership at great cost and hardship to himself. Admiral Columbus later admitted "he had never expected to leave Jamaica alive." Once again, Christopher Columbus had suffered personally, to near death, to protect the islanders of the Caribbean (Letter of Christopher Columbus, July 7, 1503; Testament of Diego Mendez, dated June 6, 1536) (Bartolomé de las Casas, Historia de las Indias, Book II, Chapters 30 ff.; Testament of Diego Mendez, dated June 6, 1536).
Captain Mendez then volunteered to take a death-defying canoe journey to Hispaniola to inform Viceroy Ovando of the shipwreck of the flotilla in Jamaica. Mendez's adventures on this trip are worthy of their own chapter in this series, but beyond the scope of this one. Suffice it to say, that after great peril, including an unprovoked attack by tribal sea raiders and starvation from depletion of provisions, Captain Mendez ultimately arrived alive in Hispaniola and gained an audience with the Viceroy. Undoubtedly fearful that Admiral Columbus would unseat him for his treachery as the Admiral had done to former-Viceroy Bobadilla, Ovando let more than a year pass in delay, keeping the Admiral languishing and starving on Jamaica, plainly in the hopes he would perish there. While he waited, Admiral Columbus penned a letter to the Crown calling for them to "punish" Ovando for his many misdeeds, adding persuasively, "It would be a most virtuous deed and a famous example if you were to do this, and would leave to Spain a glorious memory of your Highnesses as grateful and just princes" (Bartolomé de las Casas, Historia de las Indias, Book II, Chapters 30 ff.; Letter of Christopher Columbus, July 7, 1503; Testament of Diego Mendez, dated June 6, 1536).
Though Viceroy Ovando "kept [Captain Mendez] with him for seven months" while he waged a murderous war against the tribes of Jaragua (the westernmost chiefdoms of Hispaniola), Mendez spread the word to the locals and the clergy of Admiral Columbus's plight. The priests exerted their spiritual influence to overcome the Viceroy's nefarious political machinations. Ovando "finally relented only because people were talking in Santo Domingo and missionaries there were beginning to reprehend in in their sermons" (Bartolomé de las Casas, Historia de las Indias, Book II, Chapter 36; Letter of Christopher Columbus, July 7, 1503; Testament of Diego Mendez, dated June 6, 1536).
Help finally arrived on June 27, 1504. Ships from Hispaniola shuttled Columbus, his crew and the arrested mutineers not to Santo Domingo, the seat of the Viceroy's court, but to "the small island we call Beata, not far from Hispaniola." The trip was perilous. "Unfavorable winds and currents made the navigation arduous." The murderous Ovando was not above selecting the least favorable time of year for sailing to reduce the chances that Admiral Columbus would arrive alive. But Ovando's constant skulduggeries were no match for Christopher Columbus. Once in Beata, Admiral Columbus waited for the strength of the currents to subside and personally sailed to Hispaniola against the mandate of the Crown and their Viceroy (Bartolomé de las Casas, Historia de las Indias, Book II, Chapter 36; Testament of Diego Mendez, dated June 6, 1536).
Christopher Columbus confronted Nicolás Ovando in the Viceroy's own court with a long list of grievances, not the least of which involved Ovando's continued mistreatment of the tribal peoples in the face of the civil rights legislation for which Columbus had successfully petitioned the Crown. Ovando put on a show of welcoming the Admiral with "a false smile and a pretense of friendship" but gave him no quarter. Ovando "released Porras," the mutineer and "tried to punish those who had been responsible for his imprisonment" -- to wit, Admiral Columbus and his still-loyal crewmen. Ovando and his hidalgo minions mocked Christopher Columbus behind his back, pretending not to understand his speech due to his Genoan accent. Columbus accomplished little in this, his last sojourn to Hispaniola, but headed back to Spain with a civil rights mission (Bartolomé de las Casas, Historia de las Indias, Chapter 36; Letter of Christopher Columbus, July 7, 1503; Testament of Diego Mendez, dated June 6, 1536).
Christopher Columbus was less than two years away from death when he departed Hispaniola for the last time on September 12, 1504. In his own words to the Crown, "I came to serve at the age of twenty-eight and today I have not a hair on my head that is not gray. My body is sick and wasted." He spent most of his last return voyage to Spain "confined to his bed by gout." However, even in his winter years, he proved himself an indomitable sailor. The ship hit "a most violent storm" a third of the way across the Atlantic, stripping its rigging and breaking the mast into four pieces. Despite the pain of his gout, he jerry-rigged a sail "with material from the forecastles undone for that purpose. Later, another storm broke the mizzenmast." In the words of historian and Protector of the Indians Bartolomé de las Casas, "indeed it seemed the Fates were against the Admiral, pursuing him relentlessly throughout his life with hardship and affliction. He navigated this way another 700 leagues until God willed he reach the port [of Spain] whence he went to Seville to rest a few days" (Letter of Christopher Columbus, July 7, 1503; Bartolomé de las Casas, Historia de las Indias, Chapter 36).
In Seville, Admiral Columbus learned to his great grief that Queen Isabella, his most ardent supporter, had died that same month. As he had returned to his benefactors, she had returned to her Maker. The widowed King Ferdinand, always jealous of Columbus, paid little attention to the Genoan mariner thereafter. But Columbus spent the last two years of his life persistently reporting to the King in epistolary memoranda the many misdeeds of Ovando, including reports of the Viceroy's constant murder and other mistreatment of the tribal peoples of the Caribbean (Bartolomé de las Casas, Historia de las Indias, Book II, Chapter 37; Hernando Colon, The Life of the Admiral, Chapter 108).
Columbus condemned the Spanish slavers who subverted his own efforts to aid the tribal peoples of the Caribbean. He explained to the King that he gave passage to the islanders from Hispaniola to Castile "for the purpose of instructing them in our Faith, our customs, crafts and trades, after which [Columbus] intended to reclaim them and return them to their lands so they could instruct others." He complained that the Spaniards, instead, "sold" the people into servitude. "[B]ut either [King Ferdinand] did not believe [Columbus] or had other important things to attend to; the fact is that he paid no attention" (Bartolomé de las Casas, Historia de las Indias, Book II, Chapters 37 ff.).
Though, to his dying day, Christopher Columbus hounded the King with these epistles, he did not live to see the eventual unseating of Ovando. De las Casas writes that "the Admiral's gout grew worse from the vigors of winter, aggravated by the mental state of desolation" at the insouciant King's disregard. Ferdinand's abdication of his throne to his son-in-law Philip I of Burgundy did little to sooth Columbus's soul; though King Philip proved less dismissive than his predecessor, Philip survived Columbus by only four months. De las Casas writes, "I believe that had the Admiral and King Philip lived longer, justice would have been done." Christopher Columbus made his final voyage in 1506, not to the Caribbean, but to his celestial resting place among the stars that had guided his navigation in life. De las Casas reported of the Admiral, "He devotedly received the holy sacraments, for he was a good Christian, and died in Valladolid, on the day of the Ascension, the twentieth of May, 1506, pronouncing his last words: 'Into Thy hands, oh God, I commend my soul,'" the final words, too, of the crucified Christ. Though King Philip gave Christopher Columbus a hero's burial in the Cathedral of Seville, de las Casas noted that the Admiral "died dispossessed of the status and fame he had won at the cost of incredible pain, dispossessed ignominiously and unjustly imprisoned without due process, judged by people seemingly acting as if they lacked reason, as if they were mad, stupid and absurd and worse than barbaric brutes" (Bartolomé de las Casas, Historia de las Indias, Book II, Chapter 38; Hernando Colon, The Life of the Admiral, Chapter 108). It seems, quite evidently, that history repeats itself today.
Yet terrestrial death did not terminate Christopher Columbus's civil activism. In his will, he bequeathed his estate to his sons and brothers on the stipulation "that his heir increase the value of his estate and use the income thereof to serve the King and for the propagation of the Christian religion, setting aside ten percent of it as charity for the poor" (Bartolomé de las Casas, Historia de las Indias, Book II, Chapter 38).
More importantly, Christopher Columbus's lifetime of civil rights activism inspired one young man, who grew up in the Spanish settlements of Hispaniola under Governor Columbus's benevolent administration and would later take the vows of a Dominican friar, assume the official mantle of "Protector of the Indians" conferred to him by the Church and Crown, and eventually pen the decades-long history of the settlement of the Caribbean in his three-volume Historia de las Indias: Friar Bartolomé de las Casas. Pope Julius II sent Dominican friars to establish churches in the West Indies; they, like Columbus, spoke out against the encomienda system and the enslavement and oppression of the tribal peoples. Unlike Governor Columbus, however, who held and used his gubernatorial authority to protect the tribal peoples and restrain the conquistadors and settlers, the Dominican friars held no authority, save spiritual, over the settlers. The friars availed themselves of what influence they possessed by preaching sermons at Mass condemning the hidalgosfor oppressing and enslaving the tribal peoples (Bartolomé de las Casas, Historia de las Indias, Book III, Chapters 1-4).
Friar Bartolomé de las Casas took his role as "Protector of the Indians" seriously. Even as the conquistador Hernán Cortés began what de las Casas's Historiadescribed as a "violent" and "tyrannical" conquest of Mexico, the Friar followed in the footsteps of Christopher Columbus. De las Casas persistently petitioned King Ferdinand to fund the creation of a religious brotherhood funded by the royal treasury to enforce the civil rights legislation for which Christopher Columbus had successfully lobbied. As the King had done with Columbus's petitions for the civil rights legislation, he granted de las Casas's petition as well (Id., Chapters 114, 130, 138 and 217).
Friar Bartolomé de las Casas and his band of mendicant brothers traveled the settlements of the New World, ministering to the aggrieved tribal peoples, preaching sermons to the hidalgos of the evils of slavery, and enforcing the civil rights legislation Christopher Columbus had secured. As with Christopher Columbus, de las Casas's civil rights efforts earned him the enmity of the hidalgos. However, in time, de las Casas succeeded in putting an end to the enslavement of the tribal peoples of the New World (the Portuguese would not start the African slave trade until 1516), to Ovando's war against the tribes, and to the Viceroy's reign of terror. When peace finally fell once again between the settlers and the tribal peoples, the survivors intermarried and the Latino race was born. Modern Latinos would not exist if not for Christopher Columbus's civil rights activism, continued, after his death, by Bartolomé de las Casas. De las Casas wrote of his own deeds, "This was one of the most outstanding events that occurred in Spain: that a poor clergyman with no estate and no outside help other than God's, persecuted and hated by everybody (the Spanish in the Indies spoke of him as one who was bent on destroying them and Castile), should come to have such influence on a King...and to be the cause of so many measures discussed throughout this History" (Id., Book III, passim; Chapter 138, parenthetical in original).
De las Casas's description of his own success, surely by no coincidence, paralleled his portrayal of the greatest hero of the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries: Christopher Columbus, the low-born and humble Genoan sailor who was hated by the Spanish hidalgos for actively opposing their encomienda system and for restraining their greed, sloth and mistreatment of the tribal peoples of the West Indies during his nearly eight-year term as governor there. Though Christopher Columbus had been dead more than a decade by the time of the events closing the final volume of de las Casas's Historia de las Indias, the narrative echoed Christopher Columbus's legend and legacy as the Biblical David versus Goliath; the low-born, self-made defender of the downtrodden; and the first civil rights activist of the Western Hemisphere and the New World.
De las Casas’s accounts demonstrate indisputably the reason why the Crown of Spain gave Christopher Columbus a majestic burial and monument in the Cathedral of Seville; the Founding Fathers of the United States named the nation’s capital after him; American Presidents William Henry Harrison and Franklin Delano Roosevelt instituted Columbus Day holidays celebrated annually to this day; and one hundred forty-four places in the United States have been named after Christopher Columbus, including cities, counties, towns, bodies of water, and schools. That reason is this: despite the "Big Lie" of the cultural majoritarians, the primary historical sources show that by his deeds, his motives and his efforts – realized and unrealized – Christopher Columbus was unmistakably, far and away, and by any standards, the single greatest hero of human rights of the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries.
Editor’s Note: The author Robert Petrone, a practicing attorney and Italian American activist and leader in Philadelphia. He can be reached by email at robertpetrone@yahoo.com.
PRIMO Review
“SANPA: SINS OF THE SAVIOR”
A New Netflix Docuseries Explores the Controversial Life and Legacy of Vincenzo Muccioli
Rehab Center San Patrignano is Examined
How Far Should a Person Go to Save Lives?
By Truby Chiaviello
The new Netflix documentary series, “SanPa: Sins of the Savior,” is a riveting, watchable expose on the controversial life and legacy of Vincenzo Muccioli. The founder of the innovative drug rehabilitation center, San Patrignano, conveys an important story for our time, as shown on Netflix in five episodes, each about an hour in length.
Muccioli is practically unknown here in the United States. Yet, before he died in 1995, he was one of Italy’s most popular figures. He was famous for helping addicts overcome their dependence on illegal drugs. Muccioli was a large man with movie star looks. He came with a full head of hair, broad mustache and tailored clothing. He was a frequent guest on Italian news programs when the topic arose of drug crimes and addiction.
The first episode in the documentary revisited 1975 when heroin flooded the streets of Italian cities. Young addicts, sick and homeless, crowded Italy’s back alleys, abandoned buildings and public parks. The country was overwhelmed by a plague of drug abuse. In 1980, there were some 60,000 Italians who claimed addiction to heroin.
Italy was in need of a redeemer; someone who sought a way forward. Enter Muccioli. A wayward figure, he was not unlike a character in Federico Fellini’s “I Vitelloni.” Just like the filmmaker, Muccioli also came from Rimini. He dropped out of high school and philandered his way for much of his young adulthood. He settled down only after marriage when his father-in-law gave him San Patrignano, a 50 acre farm in the countryside of Emilia-Romagna.
A farmer, perhaps, Muccioli and his wife Antoinetta embraced an alternative lifestyle. They and their friends dabbled in seances and other spiritual exercises. Muccioli was inclined to take in societal outcasts to work his farm in return for shelter and food. He soon gave refuge to young addicts under the condition they gave up drugs and alcohol. In 1978, his farm became Italy’s most famous drug rehab center.
The documentary “SanPa” was conceived by Gianluca Neri, an Italian journalist and filmmaker who was but a boy when Muccioli structured San Patrignano. Neri has won praise by many media critics in Italy for introducing Muccioli to an American audience via Netflix. His detractors, however, are found among those who manage San Patrignano today, still a popular and well-respected center for drug addicts. They claim the series is salacious and biased; a wrongful portrayal of Muccioli as tyrannical and criminally inclined.
Directed by Cosima Spender, “SanPa” moves along at a fast, steady pace. Commentary is given by Muccioli’s son Andrea, who took on management duties after his father died and recovered addicts who were once guests at San Patrignano. Some credit Muccioli with saving their lives while others condemn him for alleged abuses. The series uses dubbing, rather than sub titles. There is just too much commentary and dialogue for viewers to fully comprehend by reading lines on a screen.
As the film recounts, Muccioli’s heroic status came under serious scrutiny after an investigation of San Patrignano by journalists and law enforcement. Some addicts complained that they were not allowed to leave the rehab center until Muccioli was convinced of their recovery. Difficult patients were pictured chained to stakes and poles inside chicken coops and empty kennels. Those who left without permission were tracked down and returned to the farm by force. Muccioli and staff were arrested and charged with kidnapping. He was found guilty at the initial trial but later exonerated at appeal.
San Patrignano expanded in size and scope when Gian Marco Moretti, whose family owned Italy’s largest oil refinery, granted large sums to the center. Parents of addicts praised the founder’s methods. Stars of Italian film and television were shown extolling Muccioli when their young adult sons and daughters enrolled in San Patrignano to overcome heroin addiction.
Muccioli achieved cult-like status by the late 1980s. He was seen in an array of public relation photographs and videos leading hundreds of young recovering addicts in the countryside. San Patrignano became one of the most profitable farms in Italy thanks to free labor provided by young addicts. Muccioli soon leveraged into textiles and other services. He made a fortune as one of the best horse breeders in all of Europe.
Muccioli, now running a massive operation, divided the farm into working groups. Draconian methods were employed with a disdain for the latest innovations in treatment and care. In lieu of methadone for an addict’s gradual recovery, Muccioli opted for herbs and natural supplements. He opened a hospital on the premises to cater to guests’ physical needs. No psychologists or therapists were hired while he increasingly took a get-tough approach with addicts. Complaints were made of beatings and torture on the farm. Two patients committed suicide on the premises while a third was found murdered outside of Naples. The investigation by police discovered that a staff member and some patients had beaten the recovering addict to death in San Patrignano. The body was transferred by car to Campania and dumped at road side. Muccioli new of the killing after occurrence but kept silent, he claimed, for fear of hurting the fragile psychological condition of those involved.
Muccioli was charged with manslaughter and accessory after the fact. The trial galvanized Italy with parents, dressed in fur coats and fine apparel, demonstrating for his acquittal. His fate rested with an Italian judiciary that could go in one direction at the trial phase but another on appeal.
“SanGa” is an extraordinary documentary to be watched and remembered. The question arises as to how far should a man go, and, for that matter, society, in saving human lives. When care and treatment descends into abuse and torment, should an entire operation be shut down?
The crisis of drugs and drug addiction remains with us today. San Patrignano continues as a drug rehabilitation center with a success rate of more than 70 percent. Some 60,000 people have come through their doors since its founding. Many Italians have become productive citizens after breaking their addictions to heroin, cocaine and, today, opioid thanks to San Patrignano.
Editor’s Note: “SanPa: Sins of the Savior” can be viewed on Netflix. To learn more about San Patrignano and what they find disagreeable with he documentary, please visit their web site at https://www.sanpatrignano.org/en/
THE LARGEST GATHERING OF ITALIAN AMERICAN LEADERS CONVENES
A Nationwide Virtual Meeting Seeks to Preserve Italian American Heritage in Face of Continuous Assaults
- Some 350 Italian American Organizations Represented
- New Web Site Established
“The meeting is to ensure mutual support among all of us and preserve our Italian American heritage.”
By Truby Chiaviello
The largest gathering of Italian American leaders convened on February 20th in a broad based effort to push back against the ongoing assaults of Italian American culture and heritage. The Summit Meeting of Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations garnered some 350 participants representing Italian American organizations, both large and small, in all 50 states.
The gathering was done virtually by Zoom link. What began at 12 p.m. was presided over by Basil M. Russo, current president of the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations. A former judge and former majority leader of the Cleveland City Council, Mr. Russo currently serves as the national president of Italian Sons & Daughters of America, an executive committee member of the National Italian American Foundation, president of the Justinian Forum Italian American Bar Association and vice president of the National Columbus Education Foundation.
Mr. Russo began the summit on an optimistic note when he said the gathering “had far exceeded expectations in those in attendance. We have every state represented. Italian American organizations are everywhere, as far away as Hawaii and in states such as Alabama and Idaho.”
Mr. Russo conveyed a theme of unity. “The meeting is to ensure mutual support among all of us and preserve our Italian American heritage,” he said. “The more supportive we are of each other, the more likely we are of success.”
The previous summer was a harrowing one for Italian Americans as they witnessed one city after another that tore down statues of Christopher Columbus after votes of city councils, orders of mayors and attacks by mobs. The days and weeks that followed the tragic death of George Floyd by police officers in Minneapolis were of riots with Columbus as scapegoat; seen by anarchists and vandals as a historical figure of oppression, rather than one of heroism and the discoverer of the New World.
Italian Americans are in need of a concerted effort to change the current political and social dynamics that either seeks to destroy or grossly diminish our culture and heritage in the United States.
Mr. Russo was a principal figure in organizing the summit with the hope of a new constructive era in Italian American activism. He announced three main agenda items: (1) How to unify all the Italian American organizations across the country; (2) How to reconnect the younger generations with their Italian American identity and (3) How to address the eradication of Columbus holidays and monuments.
Central to the cause is a new web site, as introduced by Mr. Russo, www.ItalianAmericaOnline.com; where Italian American leaders can log on and volunteer.
Representing Unico National was its current president, Frank DeFrank, M.D. After he was introduced by Mr. Russo, Dr. DeFrank spoke about recruiting Italian American leaders to lend their time and expertise in the following working groups: (a) Reconnect Our Youth, (b) Save Columbus, (c) Italian Language, (d) Charitable Activities, (e) Italian Museum and Cultural Institution and (f) Public Policy. The web site - www.italianamericaonline.com - contains a page for a person to enter his name, contact information and mark which working group(s) he will support through volunteer action.
“We have not been as well organized as other ethnic groups,” admitted Dr. DeFrank. “We have been left behind while others move ahead. If you want to move quickly, go alone. However, if you want to go far, go together.”
John M. Viola, the youngest president of the National Italian American Foundation from 2012 to 2018 and today a host of the Italian American Podcast, https://italianamericanpodcast.com, spoke on the topic of inspiring young Italian Americans to connect to their Italian heritage. “It is a myth,” he said, “that the youth are not interested.” He reminded the audience of a chat room alongside the meeting’s visual display where he noted comments made by young people in attendance. Nevertheless, he said, “We need to communicate where they are (on social media and internet venues). We have to come to them, not the opposite.”
The main topic is the ongoing effort to save Columbus Day from further replacement with Indigenous People’s Day, as recently done in Philadelphia by way of Mayor Jim Kenney’s executive order. Attorney George Bochetto, of Bochetto & Lentz, P.C., spoke about his success in Philadelphia when he stopped the removal of the Columbus statue in Marconi Plaza by Kenney. He briefed attendees as to his current efforts to reverse the mayor’s order to eliminate Columbus Day as a recognized holiday in the city. From intense legal research, Bochetto believes the move by Kenney violates the constitutional and civil rights of Italian Americans. He is confident of success in further litigation and welcomed moral and tangible support from attendees.
Another speaker was Angelo Vivolo, chairman of the Columbus Citizens Foundation, based in New York that, that, among other activities, organizes the city’s annual Columbus Day Parade. He spoke of the need for Italian Americans to stand together and counter the revisionism of history that depicts Columbus as either genocidal maniac, slave trader or both. “Columbus never owned slaves,” said Vivola. “Genocide is the intentional killing of a specific race of people. That’s not what happened to the natives of North and South America. It was a pandemic that killed them, not Columbus.”
Vivola shared the trailer of a new documentary produced by the Knights of Columbus titled “Courage and Conviction: The True Story of Christopher Columbus.”
Linda R. Carlozzi, an attorney and shareholder in the New York office of Jackson Lewis PC, is a former board member and current member of the National Organization of Italian American Women. She reminded the audience that Italian American women were pioneers in breaking the glass ceiling in politics. “Over 35 years ago,” she said, “Geraldine Ferraro ran as the first women vice president…and now Kamala Harris serves as vice president.” Ferraro was one of the founders of the National Organization of Italian American Women.
The summit began at 12 p.m. and was completed in a little over an hour. It was Tom Suozzi, Congressional Representative of the 3rd District of New York that captured the spirit of the meeting. A mainstay of politics and government in and around Nassau County, especially his hometown of Glen Cove, and the borough of Queens, he has served in Congress since 2016. His father, Joseph, emigrated from the province of Potenza in Italy’s Basilicata region, served in World War II and, after graduating from Harvard Law School, was elected the youngest judge in New York’s history. Suozzi shared his father’s wisdom in context to the summit and current efforts to preserve Italian American heritage in challenging times. It is an age-old Italian phrase spoken at weddings and rites of passage. “There is no rose without thorns,” Suozzi said. “And we have had our share of thorns this past year.”
Editor’s Note: Pictured is Basil M. Russo, John M. Viola, George Bochetto, Linda R. Carlozzi and Congressman Tom Suozzi. To learn more about the continuing effort to preserve our Italian American heritage and culture, log on to www.ItalianAmericaOnline.com
YOGI BERRA CATCHES A STAMP
Another Honor Awarded to the Great Yankee Catcher
- “It ain’t over till it’s over…” It’s a forever stamp!
By Gerardo Perrotta
There are many Italian Americans who played baseball with distinction. This year Yogi Berra will join Joe DiMaggio and Roy Campanella, among the elites of this group, to be honored on a postage stamp.
The United States Postal Service recently announced to issue a stamp (date to be determined) honoring Yogi Berra. This presents the latest occasion to affirm and celebrate with pride the history of another notable Italian American.
Lorenzo Pietro (Larry Peter) “Yogi” Berra, the son of Italian immigrant parents, was born in 1925 in the Italian neighborhood of St. Louis called The Hill. His parents Pietro and Paolina (née Longoni) Berra, both were from Malvaglio, Italy, a village near Milan. He grew up on the hill speaking the Milanese dialect and playing baseball with friends, including Joe Caragiola and Bobby Hofman, who christened him “Yogi” for his likeness to a yoga teacher when he sat to wait his turn at bat.
With an eighth grade education, he began working to help the family while finding time to play baseball. World War II interrupted his baseball playing. He joined the Navy and served as a gunner’s mate on a rocket boat during the D-Day invasion of France, making him a WWII veteran, and a member of the greatest generation. He earned a Purple Heart, received a medal from France, and, in 2009, received the Lone Sailor Award from the U.S. Navy for the skills he learned in the Navy to further his career.
Home from the war, he entered the “House that Ruth Built” in a Toscanini-like presence (short in height, tall in stature) and took command of the diamond with discipline and fidelity to the team. At home plate with gloved hand, squatting at the tip of the diamond, he orchestrated the game’s strategy by guiding the pitcher and players with authority and keen attention to detail; and at bat, he used the wood as the baton to swat pitches everywhere and create a crescendo of cheers as he accumulated accolades and records.
Berra’s unique style, a diamond in the rough, made him one of the most admired catchers. Post catching, he managed the Yankees, the Mets and the Astros with similar flair and success. He gave the sport his all garnering impressive records throughout his long and distinguished career. The sport, the fans and the nation, in turn, rewarded him with a string of well-known awards that are in the record books, including his induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972 and MLB All-Century Team in 1999.
An endearing characteristic of Yogi Berra is his unique wording artistry which garnered the attention of the listener; while on the surface, the quip may have appeared funny, it provided a vocabulary that many use today to make their points clear with some levity. Let’s be honest, how many times have we ourselves used “it’s deja` vue all over again”?
The stamp presents Yogi Berra as a catcher in the classic Yankee pinstripe uniform with his gap toothed smile, the glove close to his chest. The illustration suggests the simultaneous release of a ball and an aphorism. Yes, Yogi Berra was a Yankee baseball player; he was also an Italian American whose story expresses eloquently the dream of all immigrant parents who labor and sacrifice for the betterment of their children. His parents made the sacrifice and Yogi’s memorable performance on and off the field fulfilled nobly their dream. A lesson still valid today.
He passed away in 2015. His memories are not only etched in baseball history but also carefully preserved at the Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center in Montclair State University in New Jersey. So hopefully we can catch this stamp before spring training and remember, it ain’t over…it’s forever.
Editor’s Note: Gerardo Perrotta writes and gives presentations on Italian Themes on American Postage Stamps. He has written a book, “Phila-Italy Americana, American Themes on United States Postage Stamps.” Xlibris Publisher.
Covid Chronicles
CONTE OUT, DRAGHI IN
By Deirdre Pirro
Here, as we come to the end of Week 28, and the inevitable has happened. The prime minister, Giuseppe Conte, having governed as an adjunct of the 5 Star Movement in his first government, was a coalition partner with the right-populist party, the Lega. In the Conte II government, the Lega was ditched for the left Democratic Party. Now, after 16 months, with this latter coalition in its death throes, Conte tried to rustle up enough moderate center parliamentarians to save the day and form the Conte III government. His attempt failed and he resigned on 26th January 2021.
The President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, called on the President of the Chamber of Deputies, Roberto Fico, to hold talks with the various political parties to see whether he could form a government, perhaps still with Conte in the role of prime minister. He too failed. At this point, using the pandemic as an excuse for not calling new elections (even though Germany, Holland, and Portugal will soon go to the urns), Mattarella called for a broad-based government inclusive of the interests in parliament and society. To accomplish this, he officially invited Mario Draghi, an economist, banker, and former head of the European Central Bank to do so on February 3, 2021. Draghi's reputation in Europe is solid; as he is credited with saving the euro which was in deep financial water in 2012. This earned him the title of “Super Mario”. This kind of praise may not, however, be auspicious; as Italians have a habit of bringing down their heroes, namely, as they say, “dalle stelle alle stalle” (from the stars to the stables).
On accepting the challenge, Draghi affirmed he had four main objectives: to defeat the pandemic; to vaccinate the population; to solve the every-day problems of citizens, and to relaunch the economy. It's ironic that the last “technical” government, headed by life senator Mario Monti met 10 years ago, was “austerity” whereby his unpopular job was to get us to tighten our belts. This time, instead, Draghi will have a fortune to spend on renovating the country. But this may still be a problem because the government, if and when he forms it, will have to present the European Union with a credible Recovery Plan if we are ever to see the 200 plus billions it has promised.
This time instead of merely listening to what the political parties wanted, Draghi began indicating what he had in mind which included the reform of the public, justice, and fiscal administrations, accelerating the vaccination regime throughout the country, and extending the school year to enable students to compensate for days lost thanks to Covid. All good but no matter what, his task will be monumental and all we can do is to wish him all the very best.
Meanwhile, Conte has announced he will not seek a ministerial position in the new Draghi government and he will not run for the post of Mayor of Rome. Perhaps he has his sights on something better? Could it be the top job when President Mattarella's mandate expires?
Here in Florence, the center of the city has turned back the clock to the 1970s as the third HBP-RAI Fiction television series directed by Daniele Luchetti based on Elena Ferrante's book, “My Brilliant Friend” is being filmed. Scenes have already been shot in piazza della Signoria and others will be shot in piazza della Signoria, piazza Santa Croce, piazza Santissima Annunziata, and other historic private locations. Filming will continue later in September both in Florence, and Versilia.
Other news is that, on January 20th, 2021, Florence tested its first battery-run, environmentally friendly tram. As the number of these trams increases, it means that eventually the electrified poles required for the present system can be removed making the system more sustainable, especially in a historic city.
At home, we are still awaiting vaccination, even Pietro, my husband who is in one of the primary categories to be protected, the over 80s age group. Newspapers report that this category started being vaccinated in Lazio on 8th February but we still have no news. Hopefully, for you all, the vaccination campaign is moving faster in America than here.
Stay healthy and safe... Deirdre
Editor’s Note: Deirdre Pirro writes for PRIMO and provides new and original translations of excerpted works from English to Italian. Photographs taken of Florence, window shopping. She has written two books, now on sale through PRIMO. The first is “Italian Sketches - The Faces of Modern Italy,” a book about the most influential Italians in the arts, science and statecraft this past century. The second is “Politica e Prosa” a new book of translations in collaboration with PRIMO’s publisher and editor Truby Chiaviello. If interested, please log on to our Books Page here.
TWO LETTERS TO MAYOR KENNEY CAPTURE THE OUTRAGE OF ITALIAN AMERICANS AT THE CANCELLATION OF COLUMBUS DAY IN PHILADELPHIA
"Your action perpetuates the polarization problem in our country."
"I write this as not only an American of Italian heritage, but as an AMERICAN born and bred in Philadelphia..."
Mayor Kenney:
It is reprehensible that you resorted to using an executive order to eliminate Columbus Day in Philadelphia. Numerous scholars, who are far more knowledgeable than you about the life of Christopher Columbus, have debunked the many false negative narratives about him. Your action perpetuates the polarization problem in our country. One root cause of this problem is that people adhere to the practice of labeling someone, and then loving or hating that label.
Trump supporters, fueled by inaccurate beliefs, attempted to impose their will on others by storming the Capitol last month. You took the same kind of action by signing an executive order.
The practice of labeling must be replaced with understanding. That concept requires a comprehensive gathering of information, interpretation, discernment, assessment, inference, appreciation, and valuation.
I urge you in the interest of justice to pause, reflect, and then rescind your executive order. Instead of labeling, pursue understanding and the highest truth through public hearings, deliberation, and debate.
Carlino Giampolo
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
********************
Mr. Mayor:
I am writing to protest the actions that you, and you alone, have taken in eliminating the Philadelphia holiday honoring Christopher Columbus, the founder of what was known as The New World, and what has been known for decades as "COLUMBUS DAY".
I could say, "How dare you!" in dismayed alarm but any knowledgeable person, whether a citizen of this city or not, knows why your actions have occurred. You are part of the so-called "progressive" (read Socialist here) Democrat movement, better known as THE CANCEL CULTURE, that is gaining momentum in changing, for its own purposes, our country's history and destroying this nation.
Many Italian-born, and Italian-Americans, look to Christopher Columbus with pride, with October becoming Italian-American heritage Month. I am one of them, but I write this as not only an American of Italian heritage, but as an AMERICAN born and bred in Philadelphia, a city of which I was once proud because of its place in the founding of the United States. You, Mr. Mayor, and I use the term very loosely, have changed that pride into shame. Your newly ordained, Indigenous Peoples Day IN PLACE OF COLUMBUS DAY, plays right into the hands of the people who would tear the very fabric of our nation to shreds. You want an Indigenous People's Day? Fine, no objectives to that here. But make it ANOTHER DAY. Don't sacrifice Columbus Day by saying, "Christopher Columbus is no role model to anyone", as I heard it reported you said on KYW Radio on Sunday morning. Who are you, I would like to know, to tell ANYONE who he/she should choose as a role model? Why haven't I heard you criticize the radicals and looters that caused so much destruction this past summer on Aramingo Avenue, for instance. Police weren't allowed to step in and control the early Christmas shopping binge that occurred. Perhaps those "model citizens" were role models for your political party, ya think?
Speaking of your political party, your sole reason in eliminating Columbus Day is that you're a Democrat who believes he's keeping, or gaining, minority votes, for said party. Your statement, some time back, that "Philadelphia would be proud to be a Sanctuary City" disgusted me then and disgusts me now. Your actions regarding Columbus Day ranks alongside that same disgust.
I didn't vote for you in either election in which you ran, which from this letter must come as no surprise to you and I am glad your time in office will end when this term does. Should you decide to run for another elected office, you will not get my vote for that position as well. But that doesn't matter, it's just a bit of venting on my part. However, your actions about eliminating Columbus Day for "crimes" he has been accused of committing against the "Indigenous Peoples" he found in Central America, which have been proven to be false, DOES matter but fools no one. First of all, whom did he hurt in the Philadelphia area? Columbus was dead before Philadelphia even existed, so to say your "sensitivity" is ludicrous is almost a redundant statement. Are you suddenly feeling an attack of consciousness for the Lenai Lenape or Delaware "Indians"(yes, I wrote the politically incorrect term, Indians instead of Native Americans)? I sincerely doubt it. You're just a Democrat who is jumping on the bandwagon of destroying our history solely for the sake of partisanship. What would you say if Philadelphians, and Americans across the country, banded together to eliminate Saint Patrick's Day? I'm sure you know that's a bigger drinking day than New Year's Eve. Isn't that a danger to driving?
In conclusion, I have but one thing to say: FRANK RIZZO!! WHERE ARE YOU WHEN WE NEED YOU????
Yours in accurate American History,
John Primerano
Editor's Note: The mayor's email address: James.Kenney@phila.gov; phone number: (215) 686-2181; or write him at City Hall, Office 215 Philadelphia, PA 19107.
MAYOR JIM KENNEY STRIKES AGAIN
The Mayor of Philadelphia Signs an Executive Order to Eliminate Columbus Day;
Replaces with Indigenous People's Day
No Public Hearing, No Deliberation, No Debate - No Columbus Day
By Robert Petrone, Esq.
Mayor Jim Kenney of Philadelphia has, without a public hearing on the issue, and by bypassing City Council, resorted to executive power to eliminate the municipal holiday of Christopher Columbus day in Philadelphia, renaming it "Indigenous People's Day" despite that (1) two holidays have already been established honoring the tribal peoples of the Americas, (2) the national holiday of Christopher Columbus Day still exists and (3) Christopher Columbus was the first civil rights activist of the Americas.
I strongly urge all concerned Americans to express their outrage in a letter to Kenney either to his email address: James.Kenney@phila.gov; his phone number: (215) 686-2181; or by writing him at City Hall, Office 215 Philadelphia, PA 19107.
I urged all of you to contact Mayor Kenney to express your outrage regarding his erasure of the municipal holiday of Christopher Columbus Day. Angelo Vivolo, president of the Columbus Heritage Coalition, drafted a version of the letter below, which I have modified and augmented. If you have not yet expressed your outrage to the Mayor's Office already, I urge you to use the below template as a model for your own correspondence:
Dear Mayor Kenney of Philadelphia,
Your arbitrary decision to eliminate Christopher Columbus Day in Philadelphia by executive order outrages the Italian-American community not only in Philadelphia but across Pennsylvania. You have been informed that the slanderous lies against Christopher Columbus that have driven this action are myths that have been debunked by all experts in the field. Nevertheless, you have struck at the soul of Italian-Americans across this country with a blatant act of divisiveness that fuels mistrust in government -- particularly your administration thereof -- and demonstrated that ignorance drives policy in the Kenney Administration.
The Italian American community in Philadelphia, in the great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and across the country, in the interest of our one nation under God and our democratic system, demand that you reconsider your actions and rescind your executive order to eliminate Christopher Columbus Day.
Sincerely,
(Your Signature)
Editor’s Note: The author Robert Petrone is a practicing attorney, Italian American activist and leader in Philadelphia. He can be reached by email at robertpetrone@yahoo.com.
Covid Chronicles
PRIME MINISTER CONTE FALLS
His Coalition Fractures Prior to His Resignatio
By Deirdre Pirro
Here, as we come to the end of Week 27, and the crisis in PM Conte's government has come - or has it? On January 13, 2021, Senator Matteo Renzi, leader of the Italia Viva party, a coalition partner in the Conte II government, announced the resignation of his two Ministers from the Cabinet. He maintained that he is not responsible for the crisis that this provoked in Conte's government but, instead, that the government has been in serious trouble for months. Amongst a series of other lamentations, its failure in managing the pandemic, he argued, is witness to this. On January 18, 2021, this led to the government facing a vote of confidence in the Chamber of Deputies. It managed to win this with 321 votes in favor, 259 against and 27 absentions including those of Italia Viva. This was predictable but the government's problem was that it needed a majority in the Senate as well. In his speeches before both Houses of Parliament, Conte asked for "help" in saving his government when, strangely enough, we thought he was supposed to help us, the nation. He never mentioned Senator Renzi by name but indicated the crisis was Renzi's fault. His aim was to personalize the crisis rather than address the litany of problems in the country which Renzi had highlighted. After the prime minister called on those he called "Constructors" while others term them "Turncoats" to come to his assistance, the senators on January 19, voted 156 in favor of the government and 140 against, with 16 abstentions. This was not an absolute majority which would have been 161 votes in favor. Instead, it was a relative majority, leaving the government in a very weak position tottering on the edge a precipice. As the government will face a crucial vote on the administration of justice in the Senate on January 28, 2021, it is engaged in a fury of horse trading and influence bargaining behind closed doors to prevent its collapse. On January 21st, the centre-right opposition (Forza Italia, Fratelli d'Italia and Lega) informed the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella that it would be "impossible" to work with the current parliament after Conte lost his Senate overall majority after Renzi's defection. While bowing to the president's authority, they called for long-overdue new elections. Unfortunately, this is an unlikely if well overdue alternative.
All we can do is wait and see what happens. Some say the prime minister will resign and then seek to create the Conte III government formed by the same political forces as the Conte II government but with a wider majority opened up to moderate center-right components. Perhaps they are banking on these being renegades from Berlusconi's Forza Italia party. In this scenario, Conte may also be forced to accept Renzi's Italian Viva back into the fold, something he swore he would never do. Should he be defeated then the president may call for a technocratic government with a limited mandate to handle the pandemic and manage the 200 billion euros plus Recovery Fund from the EU. Italy is, like the rest of the European Union, except for Germany which wisely made auxiliary arrangements to buy more doses of vaccine from different sources, is facing delays in the promised delivery of vaccine from both Pfizer and AstraZeneca. The government is likely to take legal action against these companies.
The bottomline for us citizens is that the scheduled timetable for vaccinating the different categories and age groups will have to be rewritten and there is now no telling how long we will have to wait our turn.
Stellantis N.V., the Amsterdam-based multinational automotive manufacturing corporation was listed on the Italian Stock Exchange on January 18 and a day later on the New York Stock Exchange. It is the result of the merger of the French Groupe PSA and Italian-American automaker Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. Stellantis is the corporate brand, while its brand names and logos of its vehicles like Fiat, Chrysler, Dodge, Citroen, and Peugeot will stay the same. Over 400,000 employees spread over 130 countries with manufacturing facilities in 30 countries work for the corporation,
Here in Florence, on 24th January 2021, International Day of Education, the tenor Andrea Bocelli and his family officially inaugurated the new headquarters and the adjoining education laboratory, called the ABF GlobaLAB of the Andrea Bocelli Foundation at the Baroque San Firenze palazzo, the old courthouse complex, just behind Palazzo Vecchio. This comes a decade after the Foundation began its work and Andrea Bocelli told reporters, “For me, ABF represents one of the highlights of my life. I am looking forward to experiencing many special moments with our global community in its new spaces.” Congratulations and best wishes to the Foundation and the great work it does.
At home, although we are a Yellow zone at present, it is the freezing and wet weather rather than Covid that is keeping us indoors. We don't have snow as it rarely snows here but the thermometer is below zero in the mornings and the windows are frosty. In the afternoon, the only thing to do is light the fire and snuggle into my armchair with a hot chocolate and a good book.
Stay healthy and safe... Deirdre
Editor’s Note: Deirdre Pirro writes for PRIMO and provides new and original translations of excerpted works from English to Italian. Photographs taken of Florence, window shopping. She has written two books, now on sale through PRIMO. The first is “Italian Sketches - The Faces of Modern Italy,” a book about the most influential Italians in the arts, science and statecraft this past century. The second is “Politica e Prosa” a new book of translations in collaboration with PRIMO’s publisher and editor Truby Chiaviello. If interested, please log on to our Books Page here.
Op-ed
ITALIANS UNFAIRLY TREATED BY BIDEN’S NEW IMMIGRATION PLAN
Amnesty to Unauthorized Immigrants is Racist and Unconstitutional.
“Italians are almost never unauthorized immigrants and have a much harder time coming here, legal or illegally, than immigrants from Latin America.”
By Christopher Binetti, Ph.D.
Biden did not talk about immigration much during the campaign or during most of the transition. Now that he has a friendly Senate, a friendlier House, and control of the Executive Branch, he is going to make immigration a priority for the first time. His initial plan is not necessarily going to be his final plan, but right now he is offering to give unearned amnesty to the vast majority of over 11 million unauthorized immigrants. He is also talking about giving near-automatic citizenship over eight years to unauthorized immigrants, while not necessarily giving automatic citizenship to legal immigrants who have been in the United States longer than eight years.
Citizenship is supposed to come seven years after permanent legal status, but Biden’s plan would make it five years for unauthorized immigrants, and, yet, longer for legal immigrants. Not only this, but getting legal permanent status (Green Cards) will be made easier for unauthorized immigrants than for legal immigrants.
Italians are adversely affected by President Biden’s plan. They and other ethnic groups have a much harder time coming to this country due to having to cross whole oceans. They are thus are disproportionately affected by an advantage for unauthorized immigrants over their status as legal immigrants. Italians are almost never unauthorized immigrants and have a much harder time coming here, legal or illegally, than immigrants from Latin America.
Biden’s plan does what Democrats have long argued is both racist and unconstitutional: He’s favoring one category of immigrants over another. He disproportionately favors one racial or ethnic category over another. As Democrats, like me, have long argued, disproportionately discriminating on race for political purposes is unconstitutional.
Biden’s new immigration policy leads to voter suppression. Italians have a hard time coming to this country legally and since it is hard to come here illegally across the Atlantic Ocean, we are disproportionately disenfranchised by this proposal. Other ethnic groups, such as Indian Americans, will be likewise disproportionately disenfranchised. In the end, the Democrats, for partisan-political reasons, will be granting preferred status to one ethnic or racial group over another; which in all other situations would have the Democrats outraged as the guardians of anti-racism.
Make no mistake, the Party with which I am associated is doing something to change the voting demographics on purpose: 11 million new citizens will ensure structural advantages in the voting math for a generation to come, if not longer. Already, the inclusion of non-voting unauthorized immigrants is used for apportionment and redistricting creates the unconstitutional situation in which voters in different districts have different voting power due to mal-representation.
The Democrats only care about voter suppression when it affects their constituents. Indian Americans and Italian Americans are not viewed as their constituents, so depriving them of voting power, effectively disenfranchising them, does not seem to bother Democrats.
Nevertheless, the Constitution will possibly have a problem with flooding the voter roles with people of one race, who are not legally entitled to even be here, in order to outvote people who have come to this country legally, who are disproportionately in different ethnic or racial categories than the preferred group.
Civil rights should be for everyone. However, my Party refuses to acknowledge the civil rights of Italian Americans and other ethnic groups. Liberal democracy will continue to crater in this country if your right to vote is based strictly on which party you are likely to support. As a liberal Democrat, I know what happens to Italian Americans in New Jersey due to our perceived “undesirable” status. It is is important to not nationalize this racist policy of ethnic preference in which the politicians literally pick their own voters.
Editor’s Note: Dr. Christopher Binetti is the president of the Italian American Movement, a 501c3 Italian American civil rights organization dedicated to reclassifying Italian Americans as Mediterranean Americans instead of Non-Hispanic White. He is a political scientist, historian, and adjunct professor associated with Middlesex County College. His email is cbinetti@terpmail.umd.edu. The author’s opinion, as expressed in the article, may not reflect the views of PRIMO Magazine.
THE MAN I LONG TO BE
By R.P. Infantino
I could not labor forty years
At work I could not take.
To toil eight hours at a job
For the little I would make.
I could not buy a meager house
And turn it to a castle.
To build, repair, and paint it all
For me would be a hassle.
I could not find a queenly lass
To love and be my wife
And live together happily
To the end of my long life.
I could not raise a family
On the little that I made,
Giving them the things they need
With nothing left to save.
I could not do these kinds of things
It’s not my inner trait.
Yet one excelled in all of these
A man of kingly state.
A man so loved by one and all,
A pillar in the town.
All people praise him without end
His head should wear a crown.
My father is the one I speak
He’s selfless to a T.
The greatest man I’ve ever known,
The man I long to be.
The First Civil Rights Act of the New World
COLUMBUS: A HERO
Robert Petrone, Esq.
Many express surprise at the characterization of Christopher Columbus as the first civil rights activist of the Americas. This may be expected, given the steady diet of falsehoods propagated by Columbus's detractors, the sinister axis of cultural majoritarians who have fulfilled the promise of Marxist crusader Rudolf Dutschke, of a "long march through the institutions" of the West, including academia and, now, state and local government. As a counterpoint to the New York Times' toxic propaganda series, the "1619 Project," this serial exposé, which I call the "1492 Project," seeks to untangle the twisted web of lies being fed to our children in our schools -- now as early as grade school -- and resulting in the razing of statues and other monuments dedicated to Christopher Columbus, the first civil rights activist of the Americas.
The previous article detailed Admiral Columbus's slave-freeing sojourn around the West Indies, the first "Underground Railroad" of the Americas ("Underwater Railroad"?) in which he sailed the Caribbean islands delivering Tainos from bondage from the man-eating Caribs who repeatedly descended upon Taino villages, raping, kidnapping, murdering and eating Tainos. Columbus shuttled to shore those rescued Tainos who wished to remain in the West Indies, and brought back to Spain with him those who wished to be Baptized, rendering them immune to slavery and placing them under the protective aegis of the Spanish Crown and the Catholic Church.
But these efforts constituted only the first half of Columbus's Second Voyage, and the first half of his civil rights activism during it. The previous article also detailed how Governor Columbus quelled no less than three rebellions by the hidalgos (low landed nobles of Spain who wished to enslave the tribal peoples to build their settlements) -- Alonzo de Hojeda, Fray Bernardo Buil and his conspirator Captain Pedro Margarite, and Juan Aguado -- and finally brought peace and prosperity to the West Indies. But before he brought this Pax Columbiana to the land, while still in the throes of these many rebellions, Governor Columbus had written to the Crown, beseeching them to send him someone the hidalgos would respect. On a dark day in history, the Crown sent Francisco de Bobadilla, the true racist, rapist, maimer, murderer, slaver and genocidal maniac that current revisionist-"historians" incorrectly conflate with Christopher Columbus.
In fact, Columbus and Bobadilla were arch-nemeses. As previously detailed, immediately upon landfall, Bobadilla, seduced by the promise of an easy subjugation of the tribal people of the West Indies and an abundance of gold, shackled Columbus and his brothers on sight and sent them back to Spain in the bowels of a prison ship. He then undid all the restrictions on the hidalgos that Governor Columbus had imposed and unleashed a murderous and plunderous reign of terror on the West Indies. Knowing that the truth would soon exonerate Columbus in the Court of the Spanish monarchs, who would undoubtedly unseat the villainous conquistador, Bobadilla exhorted his conspirators to "[t]ake as many advantages as you can since you don’t know how long this will last" (Bartolomé de las Casas, Historia de las Indias, Book II, Chapter 2).
As Bobadilla expected, Columbus's next act of civil rights activism was the undoing of the villainous conquistador. And that is where this latest article resumes, with Christopher Columbus cementing his role in history as the first civil rights activist of the Americas.
With his hands in chains aboard the prison ship, Columbus penned a letter to Doña Juana de Torres, the governess of Prince John of Spain. He wrote that Bobadilla "did everything in his power to harm me" and such damage to Hispaniola that, "Their Highnesses...would be astonished to find that the island is still standing" (Id., Book I, Chapter 181). He listed all of Bobadilla's treachery that he knew about, which was barely the beginning of the hellfire Bobadilla was unleashing in Columbus's absence. He promised that he would see to the unseating of Bobadilla and restore order to the West Indies.
Columbus made good on that promise. Once he returned to Castile, he presented his own case before the Crown, refuting Bobadilla’s slander and revealing Bobadilla’s misdeeds. Based on Columbus's testimony and the evidence he was able to provide, the Crown, now fully seeing the hidalgos' plot for what it was, released Columbus of his shackles and dismissed the false charges against Columbus as calumny. Pursuant to the evidence Columbus had presented regarding Bobadilla's lies and earliest misdeeds, the Crown deposed Bobadilla from the viceroyalty of the West Indies. Though Bobadilla had done a great deal of damage to the tribal peoples and the West Indies in the time it took for Columbus to get back to Spain and conclude the legal proceedings, finally Bobadilla, the terror of the West Indies, was no more. His plot to remove Columbus as an obstacle to the tyranny of the hidalgos was short-lived, and Columbus and the tribal peoples of the West Indies emerged victorious.
But Columbus wanted nothing more to do with governing the hidalgos of the West Indies. He told the Crown, "I wanted to escape from governing these dissolute people...full of vice and malice.” (Letter of Christopher Columbus to Doña Juana de Torres, dated October 1500). Thus, rather than re-seat Columbus in a governorship he no longer wanted, the Crown replaced Bobadilla with a new governor, Nicolás de Ovando, Knight of Alcántara, and Comendador of Lares.
Having learned from the tyranny of Bobadilla, Columbus was skeptical of Ovando. Columbus remained in Spain while the newly-appointed Governor Ovando and the newly-frocked Friar Bartolomé de las Casas -- who would eventually pen this history he was witnessing in real time -- traveled back to the West Indies. Columbus carefully drafted a petition to the Crown that he hoped would protect the tribal peoples from any further depredations by Spanish governors: a petition for the first civil rights legislation of the Americas.
This act by Christopher Columbus marked a milestone not only in the life of this Genoan mariner and not only in the history of the Americas, but in the history of worldwide civil rights. Historian and translator Andrée M. Collard noted that Christopher Columbus ignited what was to be the undoing of the feudal encomienda system, sparking the spread of "the enlightened Spanish legal tradition" first set forth in "the Siete Partidas" (Historia de las Indias, editor's "Introduction"), a seven-part (as the name implies) Castilian statutory code first compiled in the Thirteenth Century during the reign of Alfonso X, establishing a uniform body of normative rules for the kingdom akin to the Magna Carta or the American Bill of Rights. Columbus sought to extend these civil rights protections to the tribal people of the West Indies.
The monarchs read Columbus's petition for the civil rights legislation, and agreed with him. They granted his petition and promulgated the first civil rights legislation of the Americas. This royal decree from King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella included, "a very specific clause" at Columbus's behest: "all the Indians of Hispaniola were to be left free, not subject to servitude, unmolested and unharmed and allowed to live like free vassals under law just like any other vassal in the Kingdom of Castile" (Book II, 83). Whatever treachery the hidalgos might plan this time under Ovando's governorship, Columbus saw to it that the tribal peoples of the West Indies would now have the protection of law as mandated by two kings, the worldly and the heavenly.
And with that crowning deed accomplished, Columbus and the monarchs could now turn to planning Columbus's fourth -- and final -- voyage. Though Ferdinand and Isabella made clear it was to be solely for the purpose of exploration, Columbus would defy his benefactors one last time in the name of civil rights. In the next "1492 Project" article, I will recount Columbus's final confrontation in the West Indies for civil rights, "In the Court of Ovando."
Editor’s Note: The author Robert Petrone, a practicing attorney and Italian American activist and leader in Philadelphia. He can be reached by email at robertpetrone@yahoo.com.
Covid Chronicles
ITALY ON VERGE OF A NEW GOVERNMENT
PRIME Minister Conte’s Coalition Breaks Apart
By Deirdre Pirro
Here, with a wish to you all for a Healthy, Happy, and More Serene New Year than the year that has just left us.
There is a serious crisis in the air hovering over Prime Minister Conte's government. There are rumors about a cabinet reshuffle to give us Mr. Conte's government No. 3 or, perhaps, a replacement of the prime minister with another member of the current government or else a prestigious international figure like the banker, Mario Draghi, or even new elections (to be hoped for but most unlikely).
Senator Matteo Renzi, an ex-mayor of Florence and head of the Italia Viva party, is a coalition partner in Conte's present government is not happy. He has issued an ultimatum to the prime minister in a letter outlining his party's major concerns. These involve programming the projects to be covered by the EU's Recovery Fund. This involves Italy's credibility and capability in managing the considerable amount of money the EU is making available for improving the health system, for implementing green initiatives and for digitizing, in particular, the public administration. Further, Renzi has objected to the slowness in putting into operation the nation-wide vaccination policy; the failure to provide a systematic plan for improving Italy's infrastructure like introducing a better fast railway service especially in the south and the inability to confront and solve the problem of youth unemployment. He added that it was unacceptable that, on January 5th 2021, parents still didn't know whether their children would be able to return to their classrooms when the school holidays finished on January 7th. He has also criticized the prime minister because he refuses to use the customary power for delegating responsibilities regarding the Italian intelligence forces and wants to keep them for himself. Finally, he has lamented that the Extraordinary Commissioner for the Covid Crisis, Domenico Acuri, has been loaded with too many duties, including his recent appointment to resolve the question of ILVA, the troubled steelworks in Taranto.
The problem here is that, up until now, most of the commissioner's work, like the provision of masks and swabs, has been controversial and, some say, a flop. The pundits seem to think this might be another machination of Renzi, who is known as the “Scrap It Man” because, in the past, his campaigns centered on the idea of “scraping” the old and bringing in the new, often him or his. Some time ago, to become secretary of his old party, the Democratic Party, he challenged the then secretary on these grounds and won. After the downfall of the first Conte government coalition between the 5-Star Movement and the center-right coalition, he also spearheaded its replacement with the current center-left parties, of which his party is one. However, the party he founded is believed to have no more than two or three percent consensus, so he is unlikely to want new elections. His aim is much more than likely to gain other ministries, in a cabinet reshuffle.
New revised nationwide lockdown rules from 7th until 15th January 2021, are about to be announced as a third wave of the pandemic is feared. This means further uncertainty for business and restaurant owners, families with school-age children, and workers struggling to do their jobs from home who long to return to their offices.
Here in Florence, the piazzas and streets are usually overflowing with people at New Year because free open-air concerts of all kinds take place. Not in 2020. The city was eerily deserted and silent as assembling was prohibited. Even the midnight fireworks were languid and brief.
Usually, on the 6th January, one of the most picturesque and beloved processions takes place in Florence. To celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany, a cavalcade led by the sumptuously dressed Three Kings, also known as the Three Wise Men, or Magi, winds its way through the historic center. They reenact the Christian tradition in which the Three Magi bring gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the newborn Jesus, following a bright star to the manger where he rests. This local pageant in its present form is a mere 25 years old but revives a cortège celebrating the Festa de’ Magi (Festival of the Three Kings) last held in the 15th century. All the participants wear beautiful replicas of Renaissance costumes and include members of local ethnic communities living in the city. Sadly, this year, coronavirus has managed to cancel even this.
At home, the Befana (the witch with her pointy hat and broomstick) will come to help us celebrate the Epiphany. Although it is a day for children to receive their gifts, toys if they have been good all year and candy “coal” if they have been naughty, it's sometimes fun to pretend you have never grown up. I'm expecting toys – probably kitchen gadgets which I'm crazy about.
Again best wishes for 2021 to you and yours and always remember a glass or two of Italian prosecco.
Stay healthy and safe... Deirdre
Editor’s Note: Deirdre Pirro writes for PRIMO and provides new and original translations of excerpted works from English to Italian. Photographs taken of Florence, window shopping. She has written two books, now on sale through PRIMO. The first is “Italian Sketches - The Faces of Modern Italy,” a book about the most influential Italians in the arts, science and statecraft this past century. The second is “Politica e Prosa” a new book of translations in collaboration with PRIMO’s publisher and editor Truby Chiaviello. If interested, please log on to our Books Page here.
CITY OF FEAR
A Walk Around Capitol Hill
By Truby Chiaviello
Since PRIMO is based in Washington, D.C., we can provide an insider’s view of what is happening in our nation’s capital.
Yesterday, January 9th, my son Rami and I took a walk around the area of the U.S. Capitol and took a set of photographs depicting the enhanced security now underway.
The riots of January 6th saw a group of pro-Trump rally participants enter the U.S. Capitol, to clash with U.S. Capitol police, resulting in the deaths of five people, including U.S. Capitol police officer Brian Sicknic. The assault on the Capitol has now exacerbated, what had already been, after the pandemic and summer riots, a restricted, guarded and fearful nation’s capital.
A 10 foot hight metal grading now surrounds the grounds of the U.S. Capitol, named after Capitoline Hill in Rome, and what many refer to as the “people’s house.” Concrete barricades rest alongside the massive fence in front of the building.
The presence of soldiers from the Washington, D.C. national guard are immediately noticeable with groups on every corner, manning entrance and exit ways. U.S. Capitol police officers are also many in number, well-armed and dressed in windbreakers, sunglasses and black nit hats for the sunny yet cold wintry day.
Across the street from the U.S. Capitol were contrasts in security. The Baroque inspired Jefferson building, part of the Library of Congress, was surrounded, not by a 10 foot metal fence, as is the U.S. Capitol, but, rather modest metal barricades, about four feet in height. National guardsmen and women were at the ready blocking the stairway entrance to the building.
The disparity across from the library at East Capitol Street was the U.S. Supreme Court building. A massive fence, similar to the one surrounding the U.S. Capitol is in place to contain the perimeter of the neoclassical designed building and grounds. Perhaps, the added security measures has to do with a case pending here on allegations of election fraud in Pennsylvania brought by President Trump and members of his campaign team.
The U.S. Capitol covers an area of four acres in the center of Washington, D.C. Consider how First Street crosses the north and south ends of the U.S. Capitol grounds to expose four sections of the city: First Street, N.E., First Street, S.E., First Street N.W. and First Street S.W. At the north and south ends of the building and grounds is Constitution Avenue and Independence Avenue, respectively.
Today, a metal fence surrounds the entire perimeter of the U.S. Capitol. At the corner of Constitution Avenue and First Street, N.E., lies the Russell Senate Office Building. The last months have seen considerable construction and renovation work there. Scaffolds and barricades add to the level of obstructions in place and might be confused by onlooker as part of enhanced security measures.
Several factors are to thank for a sense of foreboding and paranoia that has overtaken the city. The outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic put much of Washington, D.C. in lockdown. Although the nation’s capital has suffered much less than other cities such as Philadelphia and New York in the number of verified infections and deaths caused by the pandemic, the people here have taken the disease very seriously and have complied with a number of draconian measures instituted by Mayor Muriel Bowser.
After the death of criminal suspect George Floyd by police officers in Minneapolis, the city experienced a week of riots and violence that saw hundreds of stores looted, not to mention clashes with police too numerous to count and a number of deaths and injuries. The White House was under siege until gas canisters were ignited to disperse crowds and the national guard was brought in to restore order. Much of the area around the National Mall and downtown Washington were blocked by local police, federal officers and national guardsmen.
Now comes the inauguration of the 46th president in Joe Biden, former vice-president and U.S. senator from Delaware. The ceremonies will commence on January 20th for the exchange of power as directed in the U.S. Constitution. Security measures have always been enhanced for the ceremony and at times today it was difficult to discern which security precautions were normal and which were enhanced because of the January 6th riots.
The U.S. Capitol was famous the world over as a parliamentary forum that was open to the public with extraordinary works of art and priceless decorations inside the building. Now a massive fence separates people from where their congressional representatives and U.S. senators work. Although closed off from the public, the area outside the fenced perimeter was not unlike any other day with many pedestrians, tourists and people riding bicycles and scooters. A makeshift memorial was made for Sicknic, with flowers, words of hope and recent photographs of the slain officer. The display stands beside the pedestal of the memorial to Ulysses S. Grant at First Street, N.W.
The current state of fear and precaution did not happen suddenly but was ongoing, one incident at a time, beginning in 1994 when Frank Eugene Corder stole a Cessna 150 aircraft to crash it on the south lawn of the White House on September 11th, that year. Soon after the incident, on October 29, Francisco Martin Duran unveiled a semi-automatic rifle from China to fire at random at the White House before tackled and subdued by a pedestrian.
Based on these separate assaults, President Clinton ordered the closing of Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House to automobile traffic. What was once a rite of passage for members of families visiting those who lived in Washington to drive by the White House is now a remnant of the past.
Under President Bush, much of the area around the White House and the U.S. Capitol were constricted or closed off after the terror attacks of 9/11 and subsequent Iraq War. This continued under President’s Obama and Trump.
The notion that Washington will regain a sense of freedom and openness, that made this a capital city to be envied the world over, seems unattainable as the country becomes increasingly divisive with fear and foreboding a continuing theme among the caretakers of the country.
Editor’s Note: Pictured is fenced-in U.S. Capitol, fenced in Supreme Court, a makeshift memorial for U.S. Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, National guard soldiers in front of the Rayburn office building and modest barricades in front of the Library of Congress, Jefferson Building.
Covid Chronicles
ITALY RETURNS TO NATIONAL LOCKDOWN
Restriction of Movement for Two Weeks
By Deirdre Pirro
Here, we are at the end of Week 25 and, sadly, Italy is on the top of the list for deaths in Europe, even outstripping the United Kingdom which has just discovered a more virulent strain of the coronavirus. Given the serious nature of the pandemic all over the continent; Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, and Great Britain have reintroduced harsh lockdown restrictions to stem contagion during the holidays. Prime Minister Conte's government contradicted itself and dithered, yet again! This was summed up by the president of the Senate, Elisabetta Casellati, during her traditional exchange of greetings with the parliamentary press at Palazzo Madama on December 18 when she said, "It is incomprehensible that the Italians do not know what they are supposed to do [during the festive season]. Rules, even strict rules, but clear rules, because it is unimaginable that we find ourselves at the last minute faced with not being able to take our greetings to an elderly parent, who is alone and perhaps even ill. Ten months from the beginning of the pandemic, there are too many delays, too much indeterminacy and lack of homogeneity in the reorganization of the health system."
New revised Christmas holiday regulations were passed on December 18th. The main provision is that a nationwide lockdown will be in place from December 24th until January 6th. As of December 21st, we cannot leave our regions except for exceptional circumstances. And so it goes that for at least the following two weeks, we will be hiccuping between being in Yellow, Orange or Red zones. Furthermore, you will probably need to carry this encyclopedia of rules around with you to try and work out what you can and cannot do when and where.
Restaurant owners are livid and in revolt as only a week or so ago they were told they could open on the main days of the Christmas season; their most profitable time of what has been a very difficult year for them. Instead, they have now been shut down. This means many have already paid their suppliers and stocked their larders only to find there will be no one in their restaurants to eat the food. I think Senator Casellati might call this not only “incomprehensible” but downright “unacceptable.”
Trouble is continuing to ferment in the government ranks. Talk is rampant that there could be a Cabinet shuffle or even that a new possible candidate for premier may be the international banker, Mario Draghi. Italia Viva, a coalition partner, is not happy and has issued an ultimatum. It wants satisfaction by January 6, 2021 but about what? Money, of course. After Prime Minister Conte announced that the projects which would benefit from the 200 billion euro that Italy has been promised by the EU's Recovery Fund would be chosen by yet another Task Force of his choice, warning flags went up. Who would these people be? What would they be paid? Where was the necessary transparency? And above all else, what was parliament supposed to do, just sit back and allow yet another abuse of power and attack on democracy to go by without taking action? Apart from that, it's no surprise that all the parties want their slice of this cake.
On December 16, 2020, the miracle of the liquefying of the blood of San Gennaro failed to happen during the third event of the year. This had not occurred since 1980. This news has brought concern and dejection to Naples.
Finally, after 108 days, the 18 fishermen and their boats have returned home to Mazara del Vallo after being sequestered by the militia of General Khalifa Haftar in Libya. One of the fishermen told the press that they were not treated well while in captivity.
Here in Florence, this year, although closed like other museums and art galleries in this period, the famous Uffizi Galleries have presented a novel, pop art and luminous nativity scene that can be seen in its windows from afar throughout the holiday season. Lombard artist Marco Lodola has created colorful back-lit figures featuring Italian musicians as the religious figures: Lucio Dalla appears as Joseph, Gigliola Cinquetti as Mary, while Pavarotti, Rino Gaetano, and Renzo Arbore are shepherds. Even David Bowie, Freddie Mercury and Louis Armstrong are present. The comet, also known as the ‘people’s star,’ is a sea of faces in which, the artist says, "everyone can see their own." It points towards Ponte Vecchio, a bridge which over the centuries has survived floods, plagues, and wars, an inspiration for us all.
Here, at home, because of the restrictions, there will be just the three of us together with Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin singing in the background. The pantry is full and the fridge and freezer are bursting: Fish on Christmas Eve; smoked salmon, chicken (not turkey or goose this year) and lamb, baked vegetables, a small English Christmas pudding and, of course, a panettone on Christmas Day. But, for every penny we spent, the supermarket matched with a percent for products destined for the city's Food Bank so that others less fortunate, either because of the current times or because they are homeless, will have a Merry Christmas too. Best wishes also to you and yours and always remember a glass or two of Italian prosecco.
Stay healthy and safe... Deirdre
Editor’s Note: Deirdre Pirro writes for PRIMO and provides new and original translations of excerpted works from English to Italian. She has written two books, now on sale through PRIMO. The first is “Italian Sketches - The Faces of Modern Italy,” a book about the most influential Italians in the arts, science and statecraft this past century. The second is “Politica e Prosa” a new book of translations in collaboration with PRIMO’s publisher and editor Truby Chiaviello. If interested, please log on to our Books Page here.
PRIMO Exclusive
ROME LOSES ITS SOUL
Previously Rome was for Everybody; Now Many Romans are Leaving The Eternal City In recent years, due to the rise in home prices, the poor public services, as well as the dirt and the noise, many of Rome’s inhabitants have turned their backs on the Eternal City. Before Covid-19, tourists had taken over the center. But with the pandemic, they too have now disappeared.
Text and photos: Jesper Storgaard Jensen
The sidewalk cafe in Rome's Jewish ghetto is sheer idyll. A generous December sun casts its long morning shadows across the ghetto's main street, Via del Portico d'Ottavia. Here and there, people stand and chat undisturbed. It is one of the few areas in the center of Rome without the annoying traffic, and so it has a completely relaxed atmosphere. Yet it is as if something is missing.
“Before covid-19, this area was usually very crowded. But as you can see, there are not many people on the streets these days. If we go back to the 1980s, both Rome's Jewish ghetto and the area around Campo dei Fiori were residential areas, where ordinary Romans lived. It was middle-class and even people from the lower-class, because house prices were low. There were not very many restaurants compared to today. The area, on the other hand, was full of shops selling everyday necessities. There were also many small workshops where people could have all sorts of things repaired, and where the prices were average. In retrospect, it was probably from the early 1990s that the city began to change. For the worse.”
Amedeo Osti Guerrazzi, 53, is a historian and author of, so far, eight books on fascism, persecution of Jews and Rome under German occupation. His essay number nine comes out in January 2021 with the title “Specialists in hate. Reports, arrests and deportations of Italian Jews.” He has lived in the heart of the city, near Torre Argentina, since 1992, and has witnessed how the city center has slowly changed over almost three decades.
“Two of the center's historic bookstores, close to where I live, Rinascita and Croce, have both closed down. And in recent years, a big number of so-called bangla grocery stores have opened. Bangla is Roman slang for shops run by Bangladeshi people. But they do not sell things from Bangladesh. They sell milk, water, fruit and tourist tinsel, such as reproductions of the Pantheon and of Venice's gondolas. Now they are everywhere. In addition, you can count numerous fast food chains and kebab shops, which are probably exclusively aimed at tourists. And then there are also the many bank branches that have opened in the center in recent years. They don’t really constitute a poetic element”.
We just got a good cup of Italian espresso placed in front of us, after which Amedeo continues to recount.
"With the pandemic, it is now obvious to everyone that the center of Rome is in a pretty bad state. But this is not just because of Covid-19. For many years, it has been difficult to live here. House prices have reached an insane level. This skyrocketing started in the 1990s, simply because people had acquired more disposable income and started buying homes in the historic center. This has pushed up house prices significantly. Later, mass tourism started quite slowly, mainly due to the low-cost airlines, which flew thousands of people to the city every day. And in recent years Rome’s historic center is suffering a huge daily invasion of tourists.”
Amedeo's story about the center of Rome shows the considerable difference between “the real Rome” and the Rome that is usually described in lifestyle articles and colorful tourist brochures.
“Prices in the center of Rome are significantly higher than on the outskirts of the city,” says Amedeo. “This also applies to prices on everyday groceries. And then there is the noise. I am consumed by noise here: Street musicians, ambulances, the sirens of police cars as they drive past with politicians. The city is dirty. Chaotic. Public services are generally poor. There are only a few schools here in the center and even fewer crèches, for which there are long waiting lists. Therefore, many families choose to move out of the city, or out into the periphery. And then there is the Bed & Breakfast phenomenon, which probably really started four or five years ago. Since then, these B&Bs, especially Airbnbs, have totally invaded the city. This has clearly changed what one might call the city's anthropological composition.”
B&Bs everywhere
Covid-19 has made it crystal clear that Rome is now in the same situation as several of Italy's most coveted tourist cities. First and foremost, Florence and Venice, but partly also Verona, Naples and Milan. They are all affected by what the Italian press calls "disneyficazione.” This phenomenon describes an area that has been hit by over-tourism and which especially lives and breathes in honor of and by virtue of tourists. At the same time, however, this mass tourism means that the ordinary residents choose to give way and search for new areas to live.
In an article about the B&B-phenomenon in Rome, the web-magazine Huffington Post writes that in 2019, in the triangular area Tratevere-Monti-Colosseum alone, as many as 15,000 Airbnb rental homes were registered. If you count the entire territory of Rome, this figure rises to over 29,000, which is significantly higher compared to other European capitals. The article further states that many Romans prefer to rent out to tourists, rather than having permanent Italian long-term tenants. If the regular tenants do not pay rent, one typically has to go through years of litigation, while the tourists who only stay for a few days rarely create problems.
"Many have left Rome's high prices and chaos to live outside the city. Instead, they have transformed their downtown home into an Airbnb apartment. And virtually no one pays tax on what they earn. But now there are problems. One of my friends is a bank employee. He says that during this period the bank has conversations almost daily with people who cannot pay their loans because the tourists no longer come to Rome due to the pandemic”.
Romans moving away
In recent years, mass tourism has spread like a thick oppressive blanket over Rome’s historic center. In 2018, Italy's statistical office, ISTAT, registered a record number of tourists in the city, a total of 28 million. Over time this has caused an increasing number of Romans to move out of the city. In 1951, about 400,000 people lived in the historic center of Rome. Today, this number is just 80,000, and over the past 15 years, the population of the historic center has fallen by about 1,500 people a year.
Today - with the pandemic and thus a striking absence of tourists - the city center appears almost lifeless. However, not only due to the absence of tourists. Thousands of ministry staff and office workers who previously worked in the city center and who flocked to the streets around lunchtime to eat, now work from home to avoid the risk of infection. Especially in the afternoon, the city streets and piazzas appear depopulated. Often, you can hear the sound of just one pair of heels walking through an empty street. Shops and hotels that have succumbed have put brown paper in the windows, and at the entrance to many shops, the employees stand with a bored expression, waiting for customers. Only 20 percent of the hotels in the city center are reopened after the summer holidays. In some streets, every fourth shop has closed down. It is only when you get outside the historic center, out into the periphery, out into the suburbs, that you can feel life again. Because this is where the Romans actually live.
However, Amedeo Osti Guerrazzi does not share the concern about the city's normally large tourist invasion. Instead, he calls for quality in what Rome offers to the visiting tourists.
“Now, take an attraction like the Colosseum. With more than seven million visitors annually, it is Italy’s, and one of the world's, biggest attractions. But the visitor organization around the Colosseum is really embarrassing. Extremely long queues. Mock gladiators who almost fight to be photographed by tourists for a fee. There is no tourist and visitor center. No organized sale of souvenirs. No website has been created with, e.g., virtual reality, which many other museums now use. And the area around the Colosseum, e.g. Colle Oppio, is mostly of all characterized by decay, beggars and homeless people. Something similar can be seen near many other attractions”.
Over the years, he has often been to Germany to lecture and had the opportunity to make comparisons between Berlin and Rome.
"Berlin is a fascinating city. But if you take an attraction like Checkpoint Charlie, then it's really not much more than a crossroads! Don’t get me wrong ... of course the place is fascinating, because it's about World War II, which I have been dealing with a lot. But if we talk about antiquity and cultural treasures, then Berlin has only a fraction of what Rome offers tourists. But Berlin still has plenty of tourists, because the Germans have been adept at creating a cultural identity around the events of World War II. Far more skilled than Italy. Mussolini's dictatorship lasted from 1930-1943. Thirteen years that have passed into history and which to a certain extent still characterize Italy to this day. Mussolini lived for ten years in Palazzo Venezia in the center of Rome. Why did Rome not create a museum that tells the story of that period? There is plenty of material available of these 13 years. In thousands of film clips, official documents, photos, testimonies, books, and so on.”
Now we are under the influence of Covid-19, with all that entails of health and economic problems. But further ahead lies the future. So the question is whether one can expect Rome and especially the city center to develop in a positive direction.
"If anything is to change in this city, it requires a political class and a future mayor with vision and a clear idea. But first and foremost vision. It's hard to believe. Many of the city's problems have been discussed for years, even decades. Rome's political class is characterised primarily by indifference. There is a lack of both initiative and courage. As far as tourism is concerned, Rome has always rested on its laurels. Most of all, it seems as if no one bothers or dares to take new initiatives, because as they say … 'the tourists come anyway'. We still have the Colosseum and the Vatican and the Vatican Museums, and the restaurants will still continue to offer their cheap tourist menus. What we are missing is a strong political voice saying, ‘We have a lot of interesting places, but we need to make better use of them. We need to organize them so that they become even more interesting to visit'. I'm sorry to say that, but unfortunately I do not think we will see that change.”
Despite the fact that the city's development right now does not seem to be going in the right direction, Amedeo declares that he and his family have no plans to move, neither away from Rome nor from the city center. “We have many friends who live around here, and it is easy to meet. If my wife and I decided to rent our apartment here in the center, we would be able to rent a house outside Rome for the same amount of money. But even with the many problems that the city has, Rome’s historic center is still magnificent. Once you get used to living in the middle of all that beauty and history, it's definitely not easy to move away."
Info on Rome:
Rome has 2.8 million inhabitants. Over the years the city's mass tourism has forced many ordinary Romans out of the city center. In the 1950s, the center of Rome had about 400,000 inhabitants, today just 80,000. The center of Rome has survived due to its many tourists, and with their absence today because of the pandemic, the area now appears both lifeless and abandoned.
Info on Amedeo Osti Guerrazzi:
Born in Rome in 1967. He has a master's degree in history. He is a researcher at the Rome Holocaust center and the author of nine books on Jewish persecution, fascism, World War II and Rome during the German occupation. He is married, the father of two and has lived in the heart of Rome since 1992.
Op-ed
MALREPRESENTATION OF ITALIAN AMERICANS
How Unauthorized Immigration Disenfranchises Italian Americans
By Christopher Binetti, Ph.D.
I am an Italian American civil rights activist. I am the President of a small 501c3 Italian American civil rights non-profit called the Italian American Movement. I also am a Democratic-leaning independent. I am a liberal Democrat more than I am a moderate or conservative. However, time and again, I find that my party, the Democratic Party, harms Italian Americans, intentionally or unintentionally, especially in New Jersey, the center of the Italian American homeland. Nowhere is this more clear than in immigration policy.
New Jersey has a policy of encouraging immigration to New Jersey. This is not a problem in of itself. However, New Jersey does not encourage legal immigration. It especially does not encourage Italian immigration. However, it encourages unauthorized immigration from Latin America.
In New Jersey, you can practice law despite being an unauthorized immigrant. Also, you get in-state tuition and can get a driving license. All of these policies are meant to encourage unauthorized immigrants, who both change the state’s demographics and cannot vote. Perhaps, they will be able to vote one day, but right now, they are treated as non-voting cattle by the Democratic elites.
Whenever demographics change away from Italian Americans, we are expected to give up some of our representation in order to accommodate the new immigrants. However, when our ancestors came to this country, this did not happen. We still are not considered minorities in New Jersey law. As a result, our numbers are already too low and likely to go down as demands for accommodation of new Latino residents, even those who are unauthorized. The State does not count us, but the bringing in of these residents is meant to “counter-balance” us. If we asked to bring in more immigrants from Italy to “counter-balance” unauthorized immigrants, which is perfectly fair, this would be viewed as racist. However, the reverse is considered perfectly acceptable.
The idea is not that unauthorized immigrants are bad but that there is a potential conflict between the civil rights of unauthorized immigrants the civil rights of Italian American. I think that it is problematic that unauthorized immigrants, who cannot vote, have more political power than Italian Americans, who are not allowed to be counted, but account for almost seven percent of American citizens. Standing up for Italian American civil rights is often viewed as racist, because Anglos insist on keeping us as non-Hispanic white in the U.S. Census, even though we are not truly white.
Italian Americans are affected by malrepresentation in New Jersey more than any other group. When unauthorized immigrants are counted for the purposes of representation, this violates the Constitution. In Baker v. Carr, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that each person’s vote count equally. This is called the one-person/one-vote principle. This means that each federal or state legislative district should have the same number of potential voters. Since unauthorized immigrants are not here legally, they are not potential voters until legalized and this they throw off the proper numbers of the districts.
Italian Americans live mainly in districts with low numbers of unauthorized immigrants. Since unauthorized immigrants are not distributed equally, it means that districts can have far less voters and the same amount of representatives. Since Italian Americans tend to be in areas with far less unauthorized residents than in areas where there are less of us, it means that we are disproportionately disenfranchised by including unauthorized immigrants in representation.
Malrepresentation, the lack of alignment between persons represented and their representation is unconstitutional and discriminates disproportionately against Italian Americans. Imagine that malrepresentation disproportionately affected Latinos and African Americans. It would be condemned as racist (which it is) and would be challenged by the ACLU in court. It would then be struck down as unconstitutional. However, since Italian Americans are being disproportionately and systemically discriminated against by malrepresentation, the media does not care.
No one cares about Italian American civil rights other than us and we need to make non-Italians care about our civil rights. In New Jersey, there are few media outlets and one of them, the Star-Ledger, is staunchly anti-Italian. When the media controls the narrative and cannot be sued for racism, it can effectively cut off all Italian American op-eds in parts of the State.
There is only one media company in the State of New Jersey that is friendly to Italian Americans - the Gannett company, which controls The Asbury Park Press and The Record. Since there are many other groups that need attention, we rarely get any coverage in the state, despite the best intentions of the Gannett company.
Italian Americans need to organize and demand that unauthorized immigrants do not count for the purposes of representation in New Jersey or anywhere else. The state legislature needs to only consider persons that can be counted for the purposes of representation under the U.S. Constitution. This includes both federal and state legislative districts. Malrepresentation reduces Italian Americans’ ability to be represented at the federal and state levels, which violates our civil rights under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, state laws, and the Fourteenth Amendment.
Other interest groups laugh at Italian Americans because we are the least litigious group in the State of New Jersey or anywhere in America. Since we never sue to protect our civil rights, we can be safely ignored. Only by threatening to sue, and if need be, actually suing, to overturn malrepresentation in the state’s current and future representation schemes, can Italian Americans finally get taken seriously in New Jerseyan and American politics.
In sum, unauthorized immigrants are perfectly fine people and are not trying to hurt us. However, there are Anglo-white politicians who are trying to dilute our counting power and they are the real threat to Italian American politics.
Editor’s Note: Dr. Christopher Binetti is the president of the Italian American Movement, a 501c3 Italian American civil rights organization dedicated to reclassifying Italian Americans as Mediterranean Americans instead of Non-Hispanic White. He is a political scientist, historian, and adjunct professor associated with Middlesex County College. He can be reached at 732-549-2635 and 732-887-3914 by phone. His email is cbinetti@terpmail.umd.edu. The author’s opinion, as expressed in the article, may not reflect the views of PRIMO Magazine.
COLUMBUS HERITAGE COALITION SEEKS TO STOP REMOVAL OF BROOKLYN COLUMBUS STATUE, CREATED BY EMMA STEBBINS; PIONEER IN WOMAN AND LGBTQ ARTS
By Angelo Vivolo
President, Columbus Heritage Coalition
Columbus Hatred or Truth? Time to Choose.
Pioneering 19th-century gay sculptor Emma Stebbins may well be the latest victim of the irrational frenzy that seeks to wipe away all memory of Christopher Columbus.
Stebbins, described as ‘‘a rising star” by the New York Times, was the first woman to create public artworks for New York City. Now a small group has set their sights on ridding Brooklyn of Stebbins’ acclaimed statue of Columbus, commissioned in 1863, and one of her earliest works.
We know that the Italian explorer’s legacy has been twisted and misrepresented into a biased and hateful view of Hispanic and Latino cultures and of the Spanish, who were the first European settlers in the new world. And we know about the history in America of bias against Italian Americans.
The hatred now extends to the work of a pioneering gay artist.
Where will it stop?
We will not allow Emma Stebbins’ Columbus to be carried off into the night. We will join with all fair-minded groups to support more creation of more statues and the true meaning of fairness and inclusion for all.
It’s time to drop the hate and seek the truth.
Editor’s Note: The Columbus Heritage Coalition works to preserve the legacy of Christopher Columbus in the United States. To learn more about the organization, please log on to www.columbusheritagecoalition.org.
GEORGE BOCHETTO TO RECEIVE HERO AWARD FROM FILITALIA INTERNATIONAL
- Attorney’s Legal Efforts to Preserve Columbus Statue in Philadelphia are Duly Recognized
- “I cannot emphasize enough how heroic Mr. Bochetto's efforts have been,” says Robert Petrone
Filitalia International will be honoring attorney George Bochetto with an award for his efforts to preserve the Columbus statue at Marconi Plaza in Philadelphia. The awards ceremony will take place on December 20, inside the Ballroom at the Phoenix in Upper Chichester, Pennsylvania. The venue can host up to 700 people; with only a maximum of 70 people (10 percent capacity) allowed because of Covid-19 precautions. Everyone else attending, including those in Italy and everywhere in the world, will participate via a simulcast virtual event.
“I cannot emphasize enough how heroic Mr. Bochetto's efforts have been,” says Robert Petrone, an attorney from Philadelphia who has written extensively about Columbus. “Philadelphia attorney George Bochetto has been the moving force behind our legal actions preserving the Philadelphia Columbus statue, and has been doing so pro bono -- at his own expense. His efforts did not go unnoticed outside of the city. The city of Pittsburgh hired him to spearhead the legal fight to preserve their Columbus statue as well.”
Filitalia suggests: "Please reserve your tickets in advance and make sure you plan ahead of time your attendance. At the entrance door we will check your body temperatures and require you to wear a facemask. Call us and send a check, or pay via credit card over the phone, so you will not miss this opportunity to celebrate our people, start the holiday season and reconnect with our mother organization." Please do not hesitate to contact the organization for any questions or concerns at (215) 334-8882 or info@filitaliainternational.com.
Covid Chronicles
PANDEMIC AT CHRISTMASTIME
By Deirdre Pirro
Here in Italy, we are at the end of Week 24 and, on the night between 3rd and 4th December 2020, we came to know how we could pass the festive season. And, yes, no prizes for guessing the information came from Prime Minister Conte's latest “Save Christmas Decree.” The zoning of Italy's regions has changed to ease up on the strictest restrictions as of December 5th and to give economic activities like stores and shops, restaurants and bars some breathing space in what would normally be their busiest period of the year. Only Abruzzo remains in the Red Zone (high coronavirus risk). Instead, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Lombardy, Piedmont, Tuscany, Valle d'Aosta and the Autonomous Province of Bolzano have returned to the Orange Zone (medium-high risk) whereas Emilia Romagna, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Marche, Lazio, Liguria, Molise, Puglia, Sardegna, Sicily, Umbria, Veneto, and the Autonomous Province of Trento are all now in the Yellow Zone (medium risk) with the least restrictions.
The nationwide curfew between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. still applies, except for New Year's Eve when it has been extended to 7 a.m. Finally, shops can open, although malls are still closed on weekends while museums, theaters, cinemas and gyms remain closed. Restaurants, bakeries and bars are still unable to provide table service, but they can continue a takeaway service until 10 p.m. However, restaurants can open with table service on Christmas Day and Boxing Day until 6 p.m.; with a maximum of four people per table, not counting couples who live together. In church, Mass on Christmas Eve will be celebrated at 10 p.m. and not at Midnight, a decision that has been controversial as it is a radical break with tradition. We are allowed to move about within our municipality but only for work, study, health and necessary services. We can carry out urgent work on holiday homes, boats, campers or caravans in other municipalities; for couples who are separated, a parent can visit his/her children who live with the other partner. However, on December 25th, 26th and January 1st, 2021, we are banned from moving outside our municipalities. This has caused an uproar, particularly for people who live in small communities, or elderly people who may live alone or may have no family or friends close by and they cannot be with them. Anyone returning from outside Italy, even from within the European Union, between 21st December 21, 2020 and January 6, 2021 will be quarantined. Ski resorts remain closed until January 6, 2021; which has also caused discontent when countries like Austria and Switzerland have kept their ski resorts open. Cruises are also prohibited between 21st December 21, 2020 and January 6, 2021. Although hotels remain open, they cannot organize New Year's Eve dinners or parties but, from 6 p.m., only room service meals can be served. There will, however, be some relaxation of the rules relating to schools after January 7, 2021. Above all, we are still strongly advised not to have people in our homes unless for work or need or urgency.
All these regulations, prohibitions, bans and their exceptions make for head-swimming reading and often confusion and chaos which leads to their difficult application. Certainly, rules are necessary to protect us from this insidious and deadly virus but, as the opposition objects, perhaps there are too many and they could have been clearer and simpler.
Trouble may be brewing for the government and there is talk it may fall because the 5 Star Movement, contrary to its coalition allies, the Democratic Party and Italia Viva, does not want to take the money offered by the EU's Economic Stability Mechanism to invest in the national health system. Political pundits seem to think, and I have to agree with them, that the majority of the sitting parliamentarians are so glued to their seats and their 15,000 Euros a month salaries that they will stoop to any compromise to stay where they are, particularly after a recent survey found that seven out of every eight of them are unlikely to ever be voted in again!
This week, Naples, in particular, but also much of Italy, was veiled in shock and sadness when news reached the city that the mythical Argentinian footballer, Diego Armando Maradona died on November 25th at just 60 years old. He was a hero in the city as he had played for the SCC Napoli soccer club from 1985 to 1991, leading the team to a string of unprecedented victories including its first win in the championship of 1986-1987; its win in the Coppa Italia; and its win in the 1989 UEFA Cup, and, again, a win in the 1990 Supercoppa. After the wake at the Casa Rosada in Buenos Aires, he was buried alongside his parents. The Mayor of Naples has announced that the town's San Paolo Stadium will change its name to the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.
Here in Florence, the Mayor, Dario Nardella, has pulled out all the stops to try and cheer us up and to celebrate Christmas "with hope" for the future. The Christmas lights decorating the main streets throughout the city are beautiful and from December 8th until the Epiphany, the annual F-Light Festival will be held with video mapping, projections, lights and artistic installations on a "Sight, From the Dark Wood to the Light" theme related to the celebrations of the 700th anniversary of Dante's death in 2021. As a tribute to the city's hospitals, three light beams will be projected into the sky around Christmas time. On December 7th, the lights on two large Christmas trees were switched on in piazza Duomo and by the Palazzo Vecchio. When this happens each year you know the festive season has begun.
Here, at home, taking the lead from the city, we decorated our Christmas tree and put the momentarily empty basket at the foot of it ready to be filled with brightly wrapped presents which are always opened on Christmas morning. The laurel and holly wreath is hanging on the front door ready to welcome Santa when he calls. Next week it will be time to fill the pantry and the fridge but I'll tell you all about it then.
Stay healthy and safe... Deirdre.
Editor’s Note: Photographs taken by the author of the beautiful light display and manger scene in Florence. Another photo is a wax replica of Naples’ soccer star Diego Armando Maradona, who died last month.
The Rest of Fellini’s Best
THE OVERLOOKED FILMS OF FEDERICO FELLINI
Supplemental Coverage of PRIMO’s Second Edition Cover Feature on Italy’s Greatest Filmmaker, Federico Fellini
“Fellini directed a total of 24 films. In the second edition of PRIMO, we list and explain what we consider are his eight best. Now comes an opportunity for us to review his other films - the also-rans - and highlight their pros and cons.”
By Truby Chiaviello
In this current 2nd edition of PRIMO, we feature an extraordinary article on the life and legacy of the great Federico Fellini. Ask any Hollywood filmmaker today whom he thinks is the best director in history, and he is likely to say Fellini.
The Italian film director, not to mention producer and writer, lived from 1920 to 1993. This year marks the centennial of his birth. Celebrations to commemorate the milestone were originally planned in Italy and elsewhere. However, they were canceled due to the current pandemic and are to be rescheduled in 2021.
Fellini was most famous for crafting shots that were considered by many to be works of art. Midway in his career, he mastered the technique of filmmaking and was able to convey the simultaneous moves and interplay of actors and actresses like no director before him. Players entered and exited the camera frame at rapid speed. He utilized a host of camera movements such as tracking, panning, closeups, tilts and zooms. A Fellini film was akin to a trip to a carnival with a caravan of surrealistic images. Yet, the director remained true to his stories and prided himself on making films that were understandable by audiences.
Fellini directed a total of 24 films. In the second edition of PRIMO, we list and explain what we consider are his eight best. Now comes an opportunity for us to review his other films - the also-rans - and highlight their pros and cons.
Not all of Fellini’s films were features. On occasion, he joined other directors to present an anthology of short films centered on specific themes. Near the start of his career, in 1953, he participated in “Love in the City.” The title suggests a romance film, but was, actually, contained episodes by different directors about suicidal characters. Nine years later, Fellini joined directors Vittorio de Sica, Lucchino Visconti and Mario Monicelli for another anthology film; this time about struggles in ethics and morality, in “Boccacio ’70.” In 1968, Fellini went to France to make a horror film titled “Spirits of the Dead.” He joined French New Wave directors Roger Vadim and Louis Malle to interpret the stories of Edgar Allan Poe for the silver screen. It should be noted that Fellini made two documentaries. The first was a strange yet fascinating undertaking commissioned by NBC in 1968 titled “Fellini: A Director’s Notebook.” He then made a documentary titled, “I Clowns,” for RAI television in 1970. That film was edited by Ruggiero Mastroianni, brother of Marcello, the famous actor who starred in Fellini’s “La Dolce Vita” and “8-1/2.”
For this article, we will only focus on films Fellini exclusively directed. We review a career to be categorized into three segments: The films that came before “La Dolce Vita,” released in 1959, the films that followed “8-1/2,” released in 1962 and until “Amarcord” in 1973 and then the remaining films until Fellini’s death, on Halloween day, in 1993.
Before “La Dolce Vita” - 1950 to 1959
“La Dolce Vita” displayed a technical mastery by Fellini only to be outdone by his ultimate masterpiece, “8-1/2.” The films Fellini made in the decade prior were consistent with the usual black and white offerings of the era where cohesive plots came with approachable characters. Fellini’s first film was made in 1950 and titled “Variety Lights.” Although listed as co-director with film star, Alberto Lattuado, much, if not all, of the direction was done by Fellini. This film offered key attributes in plot, setting and characters that were to revisited as signature traits in other Fellini films. The director was fond of carnival side shows, dance troupes and circuses. Such was “Variety Lights,” a film about a group of singers and dancers who move from village to village in Italy, barely able to sustain themselves. A young female fan joins the group only to steal the spotlight with nothing more than her sex appeal. Fellini’s films were peppered with humor and irony. He sought to use camera movements to convey the plight of characters. In one scene, players are invited to dinner at a rich man’s house. The camera pans the table showing the group gorging themselves, a sign of their desperation; all to the discomfort of their host.
Fellini’s second film was in 1952 and titled, “White Sheik.” The story is about a young woman, recently married, who travels with her husband to Rome to join her in-laws for a meeting with the pope. She reviews the latest edition of a soap-opera magazine to feature a film star, modeled after Rudolph Valentino, in the role of the White Sheik. She seeks to find the mysterious actor. Beset by abandonment, her husband tries to hide her disappearance from his family while visiting the Vatican.
Besides films from this era that PRIMO considered to be Fellini’s best, there is one that was especially noteworthy and almost made it on our list. “Il Bidone” was released in 1955 after Fellini made a name for himself as one of Italy’s best directors. He was able to recruit two stars from Hollywood: actor Broderick Crawford, who won an Oscar in 1949 for his performance in “All the King’s Men,” and the forever youthful Richard Basehart, who appeared the year prior in Fellini’s “La Strada.” Both actors portrayed characters who form a gang of crooks to swindle farmers out of their life savings. For this film, Fellini did not engage in techniques such as quick panning shots and rapid close ups. Rather, he presented a plain canvas for an intriguing film about rogue figures who struggle for redemption. In one famous scene, Crawford, dressed as a frocked priest, meets a poor family with an invalid daughter. Reluctantly, he hears the girl’s confession and is overcome with guilt at his deception. The final scene was especially powerful when he meets his end.
“8-1/2” to “Amarcord” - From 1963 to 1973
In 1963, after the release of “8-1/2,” Fellini was celebrated as the world’s best director. The content of his films were combined with a unique style for a descriptive definition in cinema known as “Felliniesque.” With color film now less expensive, he abandoned black and white to convey dreamlike scenes in his remaining films. He even went so far as to take LSD for inspiration.
Fellini made “Juliet and the Spirits” in 1965 to star his wife Giulietta Masina. The film was about a bored housewife who finds solace in the strange home of her eccentric neighbor. Fellini utilized a cadre of camera movements and angles to show scenes drenched in a wide range of colors for a dreamy atmosphere.
Fellini offered more surrealistic films in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Restrictions were lifted in Italy and elsewhere and Fellini, as did other filmmakers, pushed the envelope with more salacious content. His films offered more nudity, graphic sex and violence. “Roma” was a film he made in 1972 that was semi-autobiographical and was to cover his young adulthood in Italy’s capital city. The film was a whirlwind of activity where scenes jumped from the past to the present. In this way, the film might be seen as a time capsule since many shots were done on location in Rome. One scene depicted a motorcycle gang in the dead of night speeding through the Roman forum. The film is most famous because Anna Magnani made a brief appearance. This was to be her last film. She died just months after the release of “Roma.”
After “Amarcord” - From 1974 to 1993
Fellini was nominated 12 times for an Oscar. Four of his films won the Oscar for best foreign film, “La Strada” in the year 1954, “Nights of Cabiria” in 1957, “8-1/2” in 1963 and “Amarcord” in 1973.
His peak years were behind him. His health slowly deteriorated and a new generation of American and Italian filmmakers were soon able to match his technical expertise. Nevertheless, he remained active with seven more films from 1976 to 1990.
His most ambitious production was “Fellini’s Casanova” in 1976. The film recounted the real-life legend of the Venetian noble famous for his love affairs and sexual conquests. Although an extraordinary undertaking, much of it completed inside Teatro Five, the Cinecitta studio made famous by Fellini, the film was greeted with ambivalence by critics. Donald Sutherland was miscast as the lead and Fellini was downright negative about the project when interviewed by journalists. He went so far as to say he hated Casanova, whom he thought was superficial and devoid of intellectual insight, after reading his memoirs. Watching “Fellini’s Casanova” today, however, is to see a film far better than the initial assessment by critics. Although the director takes a darker view of the main character, the lighting, color, and camera techniques, not to mention the incredible Rococo set designs, make this a worthy film by Fellini.
In our list of Fellini’s best, we include one film from this era - “City of Women,” released in 1980. Yet, there are two other films from this time that were quite good, although not on our list. “Orchestra Rehearsal” was a film Fellini made for RAI television in 1978. A little more than an hour in length was a humorous and insightful tale of an orchestra in Rome practicing for a coming performance. What makes the film most unique is how it delves into the psyche and mindset of musicians. We get to know the players of string and brass instruments, woodwinds and percussions. Fellini criticized society for equalizing participants. The relationship between composer and musicians breaks down under the weight of union rules and political interference.
“Ginger and Fred” was released in 1986 and was the last time Fellini collaborated with his two greatest stars, Giulietta Masina, his wife, and Marcello Mastroianni. The film is about a dance duo who copied the moves of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. They are invited to perform on an Italian variety show. Whisked from hotel to studio, amidst a garbage crises, they await go on stage beside a cadre of acrobats, jugglers, impersonators and an assortment of strange acts. The film was a funny and bittersweet take by Fellini on fame and modernity in Italy.
Fellini finished his career with three other films. One, titled “The Ship Sails On,” made in 1983 and prior to “Ginger and Fred” and his last two, “Intervista,” made in 1987, and “Voice of the Moon” in 1990. Fellini’s final film starred Roberto Benigni in the lead role and furthered the comedian’s ascension in Italian cinema.
Although Fellini is rightly considered one of cinema’s best directors ever, he is not as popular among audiences today as he was in his lifetime. A glut of films in the American market has overshadowed his contributions. He is relegated to Turner Classic Movies and other venues that showcase his works and those of other Italian filmmakers from decades ago. Fellini was not just an arthouse auteur. He was a popular filmmaker whose films filled theaters with enthusiastic audiences throughout Italy. His reputation today is mistakenly dependent on a style rooted in a mastery of technique. His films were far more than that. Fellini was first and foremost a story teller. He moved audiences with memorable characters in scenes that were simultaneously tragic, comedic and ironic. Even his technical abilities remain unmatched. True, film directors today are able to copy his tracking and panning shots to capture the chaos of action, often with the help of the latest technology, but they do so without his finesse or personal touch. What Fellini gave us were awesome films. His legacy will live on as younger filmgoers discover his work and celebrate his stories equal to his technical expertise.
Editor’s Note: Pictured are scenes from Fellini’s films, “Il Bidone,” “Juliet and the Spirits,” “Roma,” “Fellini’s Casanova,” “Orchestra Rehearsal” and “Ginger and Fred.” To purchase the current edition on Federico Fellini, please log on to: http://www.onlineprimo.com/back_issues.html
The New World
COLUMBUS: A HERO
A Conquistador Brings Hell to the Indies
The Arrival of Columbus’s Enemy Francisco de Bobadilla
Robert Petrone, Esq.
In the last article, I recounted how Christopher Columbus, the High Admiral and Governor of the West Indies, had freed the Taino slaves; overseen the building of multiple settlements in harmonious coexistence with their tribal neighbors; and defeated the Carib marauders, bringing peace and slowly restoring prosperity to the land. He brought to the West Indies what I call the Pax Columbiana, as his very name suggests: "Columbo," Italian for "dove," the symbol of peace.
This week's article tells the shattering of that fragile peace by the true villain of the West Indies whose deeds have, of late, been falsely attributed by revisionist "historians" to the good Admiral Columbus. The true terror of the West Indies -- the man known to the Jihadist invaders of Europe as their bane and conqueror; to the Spaniards as their war hero of the Reconquista, but to the innocent Tainos of the West Indies as the racist, rapist, maimer, murderer and genocidal maniac -- was none other than Francisco de Bobadilla. To Christopher Columbus, Bobadilla was the mariner-governor's arch-nemesis.
Even as Governor Columbus had finally brokered peace in the West Indies, a letter he had written to the Crown while still in the throes of the insurgencies of the hidalgos (the low, landed Spanish nobles) finally reached Spain. In it, he had requested the Crown send someone to aid him whom the hidalgos would respect. The hidalgos constantly rebelled against Governor Columbus for a multitude of reasons, mostly, however, that he was not of noble birth and was a Genoese, a ”foreigner.” In their words, Columbus ”had no experience of controlling people of quality" -- in other words, high-born noblemen such as themselves (Hernando Colón, Life of the Admiral, Chapter 85). The self-characterization was ironic; many of them were, in fact, low-born criminals pardoned by the Crown in exchange for their agreement to accept a noble title and settle the tropical frontier of the West Indies.
Mainly, however, the tension arose because Governor Columbus refused to allow the entitled hidalgos to enslave the tribal islanders of the West Indies, and forced those same hidalgos to build their own settlements. Betrayed by his own mayor and beleaguered by the hostilities of the conquistadors, Columbus complained to the Crown: "I wanted to escape from governing these dissolute people...full of vice and malice" and "begged Their Highnesses...to send someone at my expense to administer justice.” (Letter of Christopher Columbus to Doña Juana de Torres, dated October 1500).
The Crown answered Columbus's request, unaware that, since receiving the letter, he had actually single-handedly succeeded in suppressing the hidalgo rebellions with sheer diplomacy and without arms. As historian Bartolomé de las Casas, who lived through and personally witnessed these events, wrote in his “Historia de las Indias” (History of the Indies), by now things were calm, the land was rich and everyone lived in peace (Book I, Chapter 181), Columbus's hard-earned Pax Columbiana. It was a dark day in history when on May 21, 1499, the monarchs appointed Comendador Francisco de Bobadilla, reconquistador, knight of the Order of Calatrava.
The King and Queen informed Bobadilla of the mutual letters of complaint written by the hidalgos and Governor Columbus. The monarchs instructed Bobadilla to conduct an independent investigation of the competing claims; make findings of fact; and, if he found that the wrongdoing really did lie with Columbus, to unseat him and take over as Viceroy, a hereditary title that would be passed down through generations. This was all the ambitious reconquistador needed to hear.
The fate of the West Indies made a turn for the worst in late August, 1499, when Comendador Bobadilla set foot on the shore of Hispaniola. He conducted no investigation. He made no findings of fact. All of the primary historical sources agree that his first deed upon landfall was to arrest all three Columbus brothers on sight, shackle them and keep them in the bowels of a prison ship for exile to Spain. Then, he commandeered Governor Columbus's house, personal effects and papers, having "kept most hidden" any documents "which would have cleared" the lies that were to follow (Id., Book I, Chapter 181). Bobadilla "began to draw up a case against" the Columbus brothers, "citing as witnesses the Admiral's enemies" among the recalcitrant and rebellious hidalgos, "publicly favoring and encouraging anyone who came forward to abuse the prisoners" (Colón, Life of the Admiral, Chapter 85).
What followed may seem eerily familiar to the modern reader. "These witnesses were so malevolent and abusive in their declarations that a man would have to be more than blind not to recognize that what they said was prompted by passion, not by truth" (Id.).
Bobadilla took complete control of the settlements. "The day after he arrived he constituted himself governor, appointed officials, performed executive acts and announced gold franchises and the remission of titles...for a period of twenty years, which is a man’s lifetime" (Id.). He did so to ingratiate himself with the hidalgos. He raised "adherents" by "allying himself with the richest and most powerful" of them. "He gave them Indians to work for them" and required, in return, that the hidalgos pay tribute to him, rather than to the Crown. He sold all the known lands and possessions of the Crown in the West Indies by public auction to the hidalgos. Of his "companions,” he only required payment of one-third of the price.
Bobadilla had "no other aim but to enrich himself and gain the affection of the people" while he could. To that end, he "allowed the ill-disposed mob to speak all kinds of libels against [Columbus and his brothers] in public places." They went about "posting abusive notices at the street corners." Bobadilla "showed great delight" at the calumnious exhibitions and "each man did the utmost to rival his neighbor in such displays of effrontery" (Id.).
History, it seems, has repeated itself. As modern, entitled, recalcitrant, revisionist-history mobs in the United States -- and indeed, so-called "educators" of revisionist history in American universities, high schools and grade schools -- have modeled themselves after their lying, 15th Century hidalgo counterparts, they have again wrongly placed Christopher Columbus at the center of their cyclone of slander.
To add insult to injury, even as Christopher Columbus lay shackled and imprisoned in the bowels of the prison ship Bobadilla had commissioned to take him and his brothers back to Spain, Bobadilla gave the ship's master, one Andres Martín, strict instructions to leave the prisoner in chains. Nevertheless, as the ship sailed, Martín offered to free Christopher Columbus of the manacles, a great testament to how affable a person was Columbus. Christopher Columbus refused. He defiantly declared that "only the monarchs could do this," and insisted on principle on remaining shackled until he reached the royal Court (Bartolomé de las Casas, Book I, Chapter 181).
With his hands in chains, Columbus began penning a letter to the Spanish Crown, addressed to his friend, Doña Juana de Torres, the governess of Prince John, for whom his own sons had been made royal pages. He wrote that Bobadilla provoked the settlers, gathered "rebels and other untrustworthy people" and aroused "a quantity of people [who] did not deserve baptismal water before God or the world," including slavers "who go out to look for women [and] girls [selling them] at a premium” on the slave market (Id.); some translations of this passage refer to the enslaved girls as being nine or ten years old, others that there were nine or ten of them currently on sale by the slavers as Columbus was writing his letter of complaint. Columbus was sure to clarify matters once he appeared before the Crown. As Bobadilla’s prisoner, Columbus learned that Bobadilla "did everything in his power to harm me" and such damage to Hispaniola that "Their Highnesses...would be astonished to find that the island is still standing" (Id.).
This was just the tip of the proverbial iceberg; Christopher Columbus truly had no idea of the extent of Bobadilla’s depravity, as the worst of it occurred while the Genoan mariner was being shuttled across the sea back to Europe. Once Bobadilla had removed Christopher Columbus as an obstacle, as the new, self-appointed Viceroy, he unleashed all Hell on the West Indies.
Viceroy Bobadilla undid all the restraints on the Spanish encomienda system that Governor Columbus had effected in his years of reigning in the indolent hidalgos. Bobadilla eliminated the hidalgos’ requirement to pay all but nominal taxes. He imposed forced labor upon the tribal people as miners and cooks so his fellow hidalgos would not have to labor (Id., Book II, Chapter 1). Worse, Bobadilla assigned Indian tribes to [the colonists], thus making [the Spaniards] very happy" (Id.).
Young Bartolomé de las Casas, not yet a friar or historian, but still a settler and observer of Bobadilla's atrocities, witnessed the comendador take control of the Crown's military "force [which] was more than enough...to keep the Indians pacified, had [the hidalgos] treated them differently, but also to subdue and kill them all, which is what [Bobadilla's forces] did." Bobadilla exonerated and decarcerated all the traitorous hidalgos Governor Columbus had imprisoned for sedition and other crimes, most of whom were very violent men. De las Casas wrote, "I saw them a few days later, as if nothing had happened, safe and sound, happy and living as honored members of the community." He further lamented, "You should have seen those hoodlums, exiled from Castile for homicide with crimes yet to be accounted for, served by native kings and their vassals doing the meanest chores. These chiefs had daughters, wives and other close relations whom the Spaniards took for concubines either with their own consent or by force" (Id.). By de las Casas's accounting "three hundred hidalgos lives for several years in a continuous state of sin" after the removal of Columbus as governor, "not counting those other sins they committed daily by oppressing and tyrannizing Indians" under Bobadilla's tyrannical reign (Id.).
In Christopher Columbus's absence, Bobadilla and his hidalgos enslaved, raped and murdered tribal people, sometimes simply on a whim and as cruel jokes. Bobadilla's men called the Tainos "dogs" and plundered their villages. Now, without Governor Columbus to keep the hidalgos in check, "they grew more conceited every day and fell into greater arrogance, presumption and contempt toward these humble people." Without Christopher Columbus's humane governance and the strict discipline that he had imposed on the hidalgos, they became "[s]oulless, blind and godless." They "killed without restraint and perversely abused" the tribal peoples of the West Indies (Id.).
Bobadilla and his mob of hidalgo "grievance squads" engaged in another tactic the modern reader will recognize. In the words of de las Casas, Bobadilla enacted "the first plan of tyrants: to ... continually oppress and cause anguish to the most powerful and to the wisest so that, occupied by their calamities, they lack the time and courage to think of their freedom" and, thus "degenerate[] into cowardice and timidity." De las Casas posited that "if the wisest of the wise, whether Greek or Roman (history books are full of this), often feared and suffered from this adversity, and if many other nations experienced it and philosophers wrote about it, what could we expect from these gentle and unprotected Indians...?" (Id., parenthetical in the original).
With Bobadilla’s usurpation from Christopher Columbus of the governance of the West Indies, the encomienda, as well as Bobadilla’s own personal brand of murderous tyranny, reigned supreme. De las Casas writes of this dark time, "The Spaniards loved and adored [Bobadilla] in exchange for such favors, help and advice, because they knew how much freer they were now than under Columbus" (Id.).
Whereas Christopher Columbus, from the beginning, had always characterized the Tainos to the Crown as "intelligent" and willing and worthy to become Spanish citizens and Christians, with all the rights and privileges attendant thereto, Bobadilla, instead, spread virulent propaganda about the tribal peoples. Bobadilla deceived the monarchs into "believing them to be nonrational animals," who were "incapable" of receiving citizenship or the faith, and perpetuated this lie "throughout the world" for the sole purpose that he might "keep power over them." Of this "evil design of those deceivers and counterfeiters of truth," De las Casas lamented, "may he who persists in it burn for such beastly heresy" (Id.). De las Casas's lament merits repeating today.
Drunk with power and with an insatiable thirst for gold that no amount of Taino blood could slake, Bobadilla knew his reign of terror could not last long. In perhaps the most damning statement of record in this history, he explicitly told the hidalgos, "Take as many advantages as you can since you don’t know how long this will last" (Id.). De las Casas heard the statement with his own young ears. When he wrote of it years later in his official capacity as "Protector of the Indians," he punctuated this grizzly account with the following words: "And let this suffice to account for the state of affairs on this island under Bobadilla's government, after he had sent Admiral Columbus as a prisoner to Castile" (Id.).
Indeed, Bobadilla warned his conspirators to do what they might in what time they had because he knew that his own calumnious writings against Columbus were lies soon to be debunked. He knew that his own deeds as the new Viceroy were nothing short of the most profane wickedness, and that when the Crown heard Christopher Columbus's true accounts, Bobadilla's reign of terror would be terminated.
Indeed, in the letter to Doña Juana, Christopher Columbus had already set forth to set things right, even in chains. He wrote that he relied not only on his faith for assurance and internal strength, but on his confidence in his position and the propriety of his deeds. "Comendador Bobadilla is striving to explain his conduct," he declared in the letter, "but I will easily show him that his scant knowledge, great cowardice and exorbitant greed are the motives that pushed him into it." He added assuredly, "Their Highnesses will know this when they order him to give an account, especially if I am present when he gives it" (Id., Book I, Chapter 181).
Though confident in his rectitude, Christopher Columbus bore no hubris and still wrote with humility about his ability to govern, despite that he had proven himself to be the greatest governor the West Indies had ever seen under Ferdinand and Isabella's rule, if not the greatest governor the West Indies has ever seen. Despite having freed the Taino slaves, built multiple settlements and defeated the Carib marauders, bringing prosperity and a Pax Columbiana to the land, he lamented about the naive trust he had placed in the hidalgos to respect his authority. He admonished that he should not be "judge[d] as if I were a governor in Sicily or of a well-regulated town or city" – where the social fabric is intact and the laws "observed in their entirety." Rather, "I should be judged as a captain who left Spain for the Indies" and found himself unwittingly in "a warlike nation [with] no towns or governments," all the while opposed by villainous hidalgos and conquistadors who imposed upon him "the ingratitude of injuries" (Id.).
These days, Christopher Columbus is judged as neither. The revisionist "historians," the pseudo-academic re-educators and the mindless "grievance squad" mobs that echo their calumny have conflated the evil deeds of Francisco de Bobadilla, the terror of the West Indies, with Christopher Columbus, the first civil rights activist of the Americas and the pious Genoan who would spare no effort to unseat the reconquistador villain and undo his wicked deeds. Next week's "1492 Project" article in Broad + Liberty will recount just that. We will explore how the greatest hero of the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Century vindicated himself, vanquished Bobadilla and ventured forth on his fourth and last voyage to once again champion the denizens of the West Indies.
Editor’s Note: In the next article in PRIMO Magazine's 1492 Project, the author will explain how Christopher Columbus managed to defeat Bobadilla's slander in a court of law, unseat the villainous viceroy and start the long process of setting things right once again in the West Indies.
RADIO LIVING LEGEND, DICK BIONDI
A New Film, to be Released in 2021
By Pamela Enzweiler-Pulice and Joe Farina
Richard Orlando Biondi was born in Endicott, New York, in 1932 to Rose and Michael Biondi, a homemaker and a fireman. Growing up in the Italian neighborhood known as the Nob, he described himself as a kid who was always yakking. A devout Roman Catholic, he intended to enter the priesthood.
Things changed for Dick, when, at eight years old, he spent the summer at his grandparents’ home in Auburn, New York. There, he was discovered at a local radio station. He stood and watched the announcer until, one day, he was invited into the studio to read a commercial. When he returned home his family announced, "We heard you on the radio!" That's when Dick's dream was born.
Dick began his career playing Race or Sepia records, and soon discovered rock and roll. At his early record hops, he introduced Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Bobby Darin, Paul Anka and went on to promote many artists' careers. Dick's dream came true at superstation WLS in Chicago where his rock and roll persona, a.k.a. The Screamer and The Wild I-Tralian made him the #1 DJ in America. It was at WLS in February, 1963 that he introduced the first Beatles record to be heard on the radio in the U.S. and later introduced the Beatles and the Rolling Stones in concert.
A proud Italian American who kept his real name throughout his career, Dick was a role model for the kids who adored him. He was exciting, fun, and goofy, but he also had a serious side. With a heart of gold, Dick never tired of using his voice for good. The annual Dick Biondi Toy Drive, a 36-hour marathon, brought joy and gifts to needy children and is featured in the film.
The Dick Biondi film is the passion project of former fan club president, Pamela Pulice, who met Dick in 1961 and has remained a lifelong friend. Since March 2014, Pam and her team interviewed Biondi, his friends, fans and notables in the broadcast and entertainment industry, including Frankie Valli, Brian Wilson (Beach Boys), Paul Shaffer (Late Night With David Letterman), Tony Orlando, Walt Parazaider (founder of the band Chicago), Jim Peterik (Ides of March and Survivor), Dennis Tufano, Carl Giammarese (The Buckinghams), comedian Tom Dreesen and Ron Onesti of Onesti Entertainment, to name a few. In the competitive, youth-oriented, ever-changing radio and music industries, Dick Biondi has endured to become one of the most influential and best loved radio personalities of the 20th century.
We are excited to share Dick's story with you and invite you to join us in bringing this important Italian American hero's story to the world. Now in post-production, our goal is to complete the film for release in 2021. We thank our wonderful sponsors, Paul Shaffer, Onesti Entertainment, VC Plumbers, Douglas and Lynn Steffen, The Village of Bolingbrook and Mayor Roger C. Claar, Jim Peterik, Hagerty Insurance, Beverly Records, Italian American Executives of Transportation, Jim & Tracey Corollo, Katherine Konopasek, Dennis and Carolyn Terpin, Carol "Chucko" Tenge, Michael Ungerleider and Stephanie Serna, Mike Wolstein and California Aircheck for their generous support. We will be honored if you join us by making a tax-deductible donation or by becoming a sponsor. For more information visit www.dickbiondifilm.com/donate/, contact Director of Communications and Marketing, Joe Farina Joe@dickbiondifilm.com or Producer/Director Pamela Enzweiler-Pulice pam@dickbiondifilm.com.
Covid Chronicles
ITALY, ALMOST AT NATIONAL LOCKDOWN AGAIN
Number of Infected Continues to Rise
- New Curfew Implemented
- Just Like America, Italy Sees Rise of Professional Agitators and Rioters
- 54th Anniversary of Tuscany Flood
By Deirdre Pirro
Here in Italy, we are at the end of Week 22 in a situation that looks as though it may be moving towards full lockdown soon if the curve of contagion does not begin to go down. Prompted by this increasingly dramatic situation, Prime Minister Conte finally went before Parliament to outline the new anti-Covid regulations in the government's latest decree (the fourth in 4 weeks) – and he's surprised that people are confused and frustrated! All of a sudden, he decided he needed the support of Parliament and the Regions because he knows these measures will be very unpopular. It was clear to anyone who could see their hand before their face that he wanted to spread responsibility and cover his back. Trouble is, it's yet again, too little and too late and his popularity dropped from 60 to 40 percent in a matter of days.
On November 4th, the new decree was passed. There is now a nationwide curfew between 10:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. You are only allowed out during these hours for work, health or situations of need and must show an auto-certification document if the police stop you. Museums are closed while shopping malls are shut in weekends.
For the moment, the Italian flag seems to have changed color. It is no longer red, white and green but is now red, orange and yellow. The regions are classified according to this three level color-coded system based on 21 parameters relating to the risk of transmission, the number of active hotspots and available hospital beds. So Italy is divided into Red Zones (high risk), Orange (medium-high risk), and Yellow (medium risk) Zones to which Tuscany initially belonged. At present, Red Zones include Lombardia, Piemonte, Calabria and Valle d'Aosta with their frontiers closed and their businesses are almost on total lockdown; Puglia and Sicily are Orange Zones. However, the latest data from the Ministry of Health is that Abruzzo, Basilicata, Liguria, Umbria, Veneto and Tuscany are now also within the Orange Zones whereas Alto Adige has autonomously decided to become a Red Zone to safeguard its citizens. Being Orange means we are only free to move within our municipality, unless for work, study, health reasons or in situations of need. Bars, pubs, restaurants, ice-cream parlors and bakeries will be closed although takeaways and home deliveries can continue until 10 at night.
Dissent was not slow in coming from regional governors as many, like the governors of Piemonte and Liguria, believe that these restrictions should not have been enforced region-wide but rather, that it would have been more effective to identify and isolate specific hotspots within each regions. The presumption was that this would be economically less devastating for their territories.
Peaceful demonstrations on the streets of many cities continue as the new rules strongly encourage everyone to work from home as much as possible, whether in the public or private sector. Problem is, that's not possible if you are a restaurant owner, a car salesman, a taxi driver, a ballerina or do one of a host of other jobs in which it is impossible to work remotely. Before zoning reared its ugly head, a famous restaurant overlooking Piazzale Michelangelo in Florence staged an interesting peaceful protest by offering a “dinner” at six in the morning, outside curfew hours, and, therefore, legal. The house was full.
Here in Florence, the week began badly. On the night of October 30th, after a week-long barrage of messages on social networks, the city was invaded by unauthorized demonstrators intent on creating mayhem and damage. Police in riot gear were prepared and blocked the main Piazza della Signoria from invasion whilst the most fashionable shops in the vicinity had boarded up their windows with plywood barriers to prevent breakage and looting. Other piazzas and streets in the center of town were not quite so lucky. I cannot ever remember witnessing scenes like this with these hooligans, both male and female, hurling stones, Molotov cocktails, and cherry bombs at police who retaliated with tear gas. Twelve police were slightly injured, four protesters were arrested and twenty two were reported and will appear in court. From their accents, it appears that many of them were not Tuscan but were simply professionals of disorder. Fortunately, the timely intervention of large numbers of law enforcement officers prevented damage to the city's monuments. This shameful episode just goes to show that there are fringes of society like these thugs who are intent on wrecking violence for violence sake and that they could not care less about the thousands of people who are genuinely suffering from the economic and social fallout of Covid-19.
November 4th marked the 54th anniversary of the 1966 flood when, after three days of incessant, heavy rain, the usually peaceful Arno river which meanders through the historic center of Florence burst its banks, spilling water reaching nearly 18 feet high into the city's narrow streets. Celebrations were solemn and restrained comprising a Mass for the 35 victims of the tragedy at the Santa Croce Basilica and a blessing of the river from the Ponte alle Grazie bridge with a laurel wreath from the City cast into the waters.
Here, at home, today felt like we had moved into a time warp, careening backward towards last March again. Once more, I ordered our groceries and green groceries by telephone and they were left outside on the landing. Autumn has not brought good tidings but, this time, at least we know the ropes...
Stay healthy and safe... Deirdre
Editor’s Note: These are pictures of the George Washington monument in the Cascine Park in Florence. It was placed there in 1932 by American citizens resident in Florence to celebrate the 2nd centenary of America's first President. Deirdre Pirro writes for PRIMO and provides new and original translations of excerpted works from English to Italian.
Op-ed
WHY ARE ITALIAN AMERICANS UNDERREPRESENTED IN POLITICAL SCIENCE
Although Political Science was Invented in Italy, Universities, Especially Those in New Jersey, Refuse to Hire Us
“Often, we are told that Italians and other Mediterraneans are not important to History, Political Science or even Political Theory.”
By Christopher Binetti, Ph.D.
Political Science is my field. I have seven years of training in it. I practice it. I teach it. However, most political scientists in America are not Italian or Mediterranean. Anglo-white Protestants are still predominant, despite being a small minority of modern Americans. They like to pretend that Political Science or Political Theory is either an English phenomenon, a Western European phenomenon, or a general “European” phenomenon.
In New Jersey, Political Science is not often taught by Italian Americans. Rutgers refuses to count Italians (I have bugged Rutgers about this several times). Although 20-30 percent of the citizens of New Jersey are Italian, fewer than five percent of Political Scientists at the state’s 4-year colleges and universities are Italian American.
I was challenged by several white Anglo-Protestants at my dissertation defense. I claimed that Political Theory, the heart and soul of Political Science, was predominantly a Mediterranean, especially an Italian, phenomenon. It shocked people. I was worried that I was going to flunk my dissertation defense because I was the first Italian to declare that Political Science was really our field, culturally appropriated by the Northern Europeans and denied to us.
However, the funny thing about novel academic arguments is sometimes people are so shocked by them that they do not shut them down. I defended my dissertation with our ancestors’ fervor and I convinced every one of my five advisors to support my dissertation. Why? It was because the facts were strongly in my favor and it was an interesting proposition.
We Italian Americans are excluded from Political Science in America, especially in New Jersey. Often, we are told that Italians and other Mediterraneans are not important to History, Political Science or even Political Theory.
Machiavelli was a great Political Scientist and Political Theorist. He is far greater than Locke or Hobbes or many other English theorists. He is greater than the Francophone theorists that elites study more. Machiavelli is not the first Political Theorist, however, he is the first modern Political Scientist. His Italianness is routinely ignored, except when he is compared to Mussolini and mafia people.
In Political Theory, only Machiavelli is studied commonly by Anglo-Whites among all of the Italian political theorists, with the exception of some communists. There are plenty of other great Italian Political Theorists who are ignored such as Tommaso d’Aquino, Marsiglio di Padua, Francesco Guicciardini, Dante Alighieri, Cesare Beccaria and Gasparo Contarini. Their contributions are, simply put, whitewashed, culturally-appropriated, and/or ignored.
Even before Italians were distinct from Latin-speaking Romans, there were great Political Scientists and Political Theorists. Cicero is often condemned as not a good theorist by Anglo-White Political Theorists. His uniqueness and greatness as a Latin-Roman and as a proto-Italian are often ignored. This simply is the classical appropriation and condescension of Southern European and Mediterranean greatness by lesser Northern European minds.
The greatest contributions to Political Science belong to the Italians, but not exclusively to us. Our allies amongst the Mediterranean peoples have done great work as well, especially the Greeks. The first Political Scientist was probably Aristotle while the first Political Theorist is Thucydides, a little before Aristotle. Aristotle inspired the Romans greatly and probably did more for us than for his own Greek compatriots.
If you mention Aristotle to modern Political Scientists, they will say good things about him until you start asserting his Mediterraneanness. When he is an example of Mediterranean culture, people start acting weird. Only when we give him up to Northern Europeans and their twisted sense of “whiteness” do they accept him. Why? Because they want to claim him and when we want to justify ourselves through him, they feel threatened.
In truth, Political Science, as a field, is indebted to Mediterranean people. However, we Mediterraneans are kept out of four-year schools and universities’ faculty. The president of Rutgers said plainly that Rutgers will never change its exclusionary policies towards us because we never complain about the treatment, so it must be okay. He is not even from New Jersey. Imagine if he had spoken to a Cuban that way!
In the end, Political Science and Political Theory were both invented by Mediterraneans. Most of the greatest political scientists and political theorists were Mediterraneans, including many Italians and Greeks. However, in New Jersey, which has a very large Mediterranean minority, we are excluded from participation in our own field on the basis of ethnicity and race. This situation is unconstitutional and illegal but no one challenges it.
If I were a political scientist with five articles to my name, a book in the works, a PhD and years of teaching experience, but an Anglo-White or Cuban, I would have a permanent job in New Jersey. But I am an Italian American and I can beg for a job. Political Science and Political Theory are our fields but we are excluded from studying them for pay. It is time for reclassification so that Mediterranean academics can actually take our rightful place in Political Science departments in New Jersey and other states that systemically discriminate against Italians and other Mediterraneans in this field of academia, among others.
Editor’s Note: Dr. Christopher Binetti is a historian, political scientist, and adjunct professor at Middlesex County College. He is the founder and president of the Italian American Movement, an Italian American civil rights organization. He can be reached at cbinetti@terpmail.umd.edu. The author’s opinion, as expressed in the article, may not reflect the views of PRIMO Magazine.
Covid Chronicles
BACK TO MARCH WE GO
Italy Returns to Almost Lockdown Status
By Deirdre Pirro
Here, we are in Week 21 of a now more rigid partial lockdown in Florence with Covid-19 contagion galloping back again, not only in Italy where there are over 25,000 new cases and the death rate is rising but throughout Europe. Germany and France are close to lockdown and the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, has reported the situation in her country to be “dramatic” which sums up the situation throughout many countries in the continent. Instead, on the home front, the magniloquent governor of the Campania Region goes further and describes what is happening in his fiefdom, “as a step away from tragedy.” He has ordered a curfew in the region, closing all commercial businesses, social and recreational activities between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m.; which will be in force until 13th November 2020. It is not a popular measure.
Because of the alarming upsurge in Covid cases and in an attempt to avoid a re-occurrence of what happened last March, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced yet another restrictive decree, the third in two weeks. This time dubbed the “Save Christmas Decree,” it was announced that until November 24th, restaurants, coffee shops, pubs, ice-cream parlors, and bakeries can only operate between 5 a.m. and 6 p.m. Home deliveries and takeaways can stay open until midnight but you are not allowed to eat this food on the street near these businesses. Gyms, pools, spas and wellness centers, cultural, social, and recreational centers are closed as well as ski runs and theme parks, night clubs and discos. You can go to a museum or to church but not to theaters, concert halls or cinemas which are also closed. You can take your children to the park but distance learning for high school students will be increased to 75 percent and 25 percent in person. All those new and expensive desks on wheels will now be virtually bereft of occupants!
The ink on the decree had not yet dried before spontaneous demonstrations began breaking out, first in Milan and then in Naples, Turin and Palermo, before spreading throughout the peninsula. Most were peaceful protests by restaurant, bar owners, employees, retailers, shop keepers, taxi drivers, and tour operators. However, on several occasions, these protests turned into scenes of urban guerrilla warfare with property damage and looting and the police in riot gear. In these latter instances, like in Naples on the night of October 24th, the authorities believe the violence was provoked by professional rabble-rousers from political extremist fringes and elements of the Camorra. That may be so but anger is growing fast, fueled by frustration and fear. There is now a very different climate in the country from that during total lockdown when there was a strong sense of solidarity and people sang together from their balconies. Now things are turning nasty. These categories are exasperated and irate because of the considerable investments they already have made to safeguard their clients by complying with the hundreds of rules and regulations that had been imposed on them. Fear instead comes from the knowledge that they could be facing imminent financial ruin. Imagine, for example, what would happen if you owned a restaurant and have to shut it at 6 p.m. when 85 percent of your customers come to dine in the evening from 8 p.m. onward. Already, in late August, a young restaurateur took his life in his well-known restaurant in Florence because he was worried that he would not be able to pay his bank loans and his staff.
The government is planning a budget maneuver aimed at providing some financial assistance to these people but, given its past record, many believe it will again be too little too late, a little like sprinkling stardust on a sinking ship.
The opposition has harshly criticized the Christmas Decree, complaining that, as usual, its views were ignored and blaming the government for failing to take the necessary steps during the summer months to prepare and equip hospital wards for what virologist predicted would be a second wave of the coronavirus in fall and winter and to recruit more medical staff. They maintain that the public transport system also cried out for significant action to be taken because, at peak hour, trams, trains and buses are packed with people trying to get to work or school on time. This is a surefire font of contagion.
Thanks to the pandemic, Caritas, the Roman Catholic charity, estimates that up to 90,000 middle-class families may soon become the new poor in Italy because they could lose their jobs, their homes could be repossessed if they can't make their mortgage payments, they could see their savings dry up and finish up in the hands of unscrupulous usurers. It is not a good perspective.
Italy’s health minister said that neighbors could "report" anyone who had more than six guests in their homes at a time produced predictable results. People with a grudge against their neighbors have been filing false reports, for instance, in Borgosesia, near Vercelli, and not only there. The town's mayor, tired of the waste of local police resources required to investigate the claims, has taken action against these calumniators who will be charged with filing a false police report and could be fined anything from 10 to 516 euro. They could even face criminal charges.
The families of the 18 fishermen from Mazara del Vallo sequestered by the militia of general Khalifa Haftar off the coast of Bengasi, Libya, on September 11, 2020 have been camped out in front of the parliament building in Rome calling for their immediate safe return home. They have no news of their loved ones and accuse the government of having done too little to secure their release.
Here in Florence, the city council, trying to impede infection, has passed an “anti-loitering” ordinance, prohibiting the assembling, especially aimed at young people, in major piazzas in the city and other typical sites of the “movida” between 7 p.m. and 2 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
The famous “Portrait of Pope Leo X with Cardinals Giulio de' Medici and Luigi de' Rossi,” by Raphael has returned home to Florence after extensive restoration and after an important exhibition in Rome, as part of the celebrations for the 500th anniversary of Raphael's death. It is now on display in the Sala delle Nicchie in the Palatine Gallery at Palazzo Pitti from October 27 to January 31, 2021. In early September 1518, the painting had been commissioned to hang over the main banquet table at the marriage reception of Leo X’s nephew, Lorenzo de 'Medici, Duke of Urbino, to Madeleine de la Tour d’Auvergne.
At home, with the gyms now closed, our son Piero is again exercising out on the terrace, except it's colder than it was during the total lockdown and often rains. His workouts appear to be getting shorter and shorter by the day.
Stay healthy and safe... Deirdre
Editor’s Note: Deirdre Pirro writes for PRIMO and provides new and original translations of excerpted works from English to Italian. She has written two books, now on sale through PRIMO. The first is “Italian Sketches - The Faces of Modern Italy,” a book about the most influential Italians in the arts, science and statecraft this past century. The second is “Politica e Prosa” a new book of translations in collaboration with PRIMO’s publisher and editor Truby Chiaviello. If interested, please log on to our Books Page here.
ARS POLITICA ITALICA
A Poem about Politics
- In English and Italian
By Gerardo Perrotta
Clear in action
dark in reaction
Machiavelli’s pen
in Borgia’s hand
Caravaggio’s brush
In David’s and Judith’s.
Reflections of guts and glory,
dueling singular heads
one lucid and intact
the other lurid and severed.
Chiaro nell’agire
scuro nel reagire
penna di Machiavelli
in mano Borgia,
pennello di Caravaggio
in Davide e Giuditta.
Riflessi di gloria e coraggio,
duellanti teste singolari
una lucida e intatta
l’altra lurida e recisa.
Editor’s Note: Mr. Perrotta is originally from Paola, Calabria. He is retired from the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.
The Second Voyage
COLUMBUS: A HERO
Columbus’s Underground Railroad
Robert Petrone, Esq.
The New York Times has published a series of articles and essays collectively entitled the "1619 Project," promoting the jaundiced perspective that American history was not founded on good, true, immutable principles, but on the evils of slavery, bigotry and oppression, which poisoned every aspect of American society and culture such that all of America's problems -- including, the series posits, traffic patterns -- stem from these historic injustices. The 1619 project posits that American history did not begin in 1776, but with the arrival of the first African slaves in the American colonies in 1619.
I propose that one should go back even further. Perhaps we can call this series of articles on Christopher Columbus the "1492 Project" to demonstrate that Columbus's landfall in the North American Caribbean was really the beginning of the Americas and the establishment of Western Culture in these continents. My "1492 Project" posits that Columbus's peaceful and amicable first contact with over a dozen tribes in the West Indies on his First Voyage, and his freeing of scores of Taino slaves from Carib captors on his Second Voyage (a civil rights activism that continued, as future articles will demonstrate, on both his remaining voyages) established the Americas as a bastion of goodness, from which has sprung the United States, the freest, most-tolerant, most-successful and wealthiest heterogeneous society in the history of the earth.
My "1492 Project" is a counterpoint to the "1619 Project" polemic and is important because getting our history straight is important. Unlike other countries, Americans are not united by skin color, race, ethnicity, language or religion. As President Abraham Lincoln said in his Gettysburg Address, "We are a people conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all Men are created equal." Princeton University Professor and Fellow in American Studies, Allen C. Guelzo, notes that because we are a people united by a principle that is taught to us by our history, we must preserve, rather than spoil or despoil that history. As Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn wrote, in his three-volume book Gulag Archipelago, about his years suffering in a Soviet gulag, "The first step a tyrant takes toward enslaving a people is to steal their history, for in that case, no one has anything from the past with which to compare the present, and any horror can be normalized." To that end, I bring you my next installment in preserving the history of Christopher Columbus, who, in turn, fought tirelessly and to the end against the tyranny of the Spanish hidalgos, and to preserve the peaceful tribal peoples of the West Indies.
My last article for PRIMO Magazine, published on Columbus Day weekend, detailed his first trans-Atlantic voyage; his discovery of the Americas (in the sense of bringing them to light to the rest of the world); and his successful and peaceful first-contact with every single tribe he encountered, including the warlike Caribs, who attacked him on sight but whom he still managed to conciliate. This article resumes with Christopher Columbus's return to Spain with his willing islander passengers and tells the remarkable story of Admiral Columbus's continued efforts as the first civil rights activist of the Americas, including his life-saving "Underground Railroad" -- or perhaps, more aptly, "Underwater Railroad" -- by which he sailed from island to island rescuing many Tainos from their man-eating captors.
While moored off the island of Hispaniola (now Haiti and the Dominican Republic) during his first sojourn in the West Indies, a ship's boy took control of the Santa María's wheel against Admiral Columbus's orders and damaged the flagship so badly on rocks that it was rendered unseaworthy. Columbus also wished to take a cadre of not only willing but eager islanders back to Spain to meet the King and Queen. In order to do so with only the two small, remaining caravels, he left behind 37 sailors to create the first Spanish settlement, Navidad -- "Christmas," named after the day in 1492 that it was founded. He left the settlers with strict orders not to trouble the islanders, and left his discipline officer, Diego de Araña de Córdoba, and the Crown's steward, Pedro Gutiérrez, behind to ensure that they behaved.
He did bring the eager islanders back to meet the Spanish Crown, but first landed at the Canary Island way-station, under the control of Portugal's King John, and then in Lisbon itself. King John welcomed Columbus with "trumpets, fifes and drums and with a grand escort" (Hernando Colón, Life of the Admiral, Chapter 41), having relinquished his grudge against the Genoese sailor for turning his back on Portugal and taking his business to Spain. King John did so not because the king's own treachery had prompted Columbus to cease business with Portugal -- he had delivered Columbus's maps and charts to his own private flotilla and sent them away without Columbus, a deceit Columbus discovered only when the Portuguese flotilla limped back to port crippled by a storm. Rather, King John and his Portuguese subjects -- and indeed all of the world -- saw Admiral Columbus's feat as more than merely a victory for Spain, but a human achievement.
Similarly, upon Admiral Columbus's return to Spain all of Castle "flooded from all directions to see him; the roads swelled with throngs come to welcome him in the towns through which he passed" (Bartolomé de las Casas, Historia de las Indias, Book I, Chapter 78). The monarchs received him with with great anticipation and Admiral Columbus "praised" the Tainos to the King and Queen. He urged the monarchs that the islanders were "ready to receive the faith" (id.). Indeed, the Taino passengers willingly and gratefully received Baptism, rendering them immune from enslavement by any who would seek to apply the repartamiento to the tribal people of the West Indies, that part of the feudal "encomienda" system that entitled medieval Spanish nobles to subject conquered enemies to servitude.
Admiral Columbus rode in a parade with the monarchs through the streets of Castile, sitting in the seat next to the King that had been previously reserved for the young Prince John. Even as they rode, the King and Queen discussed launching the second expedition, and the contract for it was drafted and signed immediately.
Admiral Columbus embarked on his Second Voyage from the port of Cadiz on September 25, 1493, now fitted with a fleet of seventeen ships, manned by sailors and "hidalgos," low, landed nobles. After another stop at the Canary Islands way-station, his fleet completed the remainder of the crossing in less than 20 days, arriving on the first Sunday after All Saints Day.
The Admiral specifically went looking for the islands of the man-eating Caribs, of whom the Tainos constantly complained to Columbus. Dr. Diego Chanca, one of the surgeons of the fleet, wrote in his epistolary account of the Second Voyage, "By the goodness of God, and thanks to the Admiral's skill and knowledge, we had reached them as directly as if we had been following a known and familiar course."
On the first inhabited island, Guadalupe, the landing party found a small Taino boy and a group of Taino women whom the Caribs had kidnapped. In the Carib huts, left unoccupied while the Caribs went marauding, the landing party found "great numbers of human bones and skulls" used as "hanging vessels." Through the Taino translator that had returned to the West Indies with the fleet, the women explained that the Caribs "made war against the neighboring islands" by "raids in their canoes," shooting serrated arrows tipped with poison. Chanca noted that the Caribs "raid the other islands and carry off all the women they can take, especially the young and beautiful, whom they keep as servants and concubines." The Caribs "had carried off so many that in fifty houses we found no males and more than twenty of the captives were girls." Chanca wrote, "These women say they are all treated [by their Carib captors] with a cruelty that seems incredible": the Caribs murdered and ate the Taino men, raped and impregnated the Taino women, castrated and enslaved Taino boys (whom they later ate when they reached adulthood), and ate not only the remaining Taino children they captured but also the infants to whom the raped sex slaves give birth.
The crew found corroborating physical evidence of the cannibalism in the huts of the Caribs. In one hut, "the neck of a man was found cooking in a pot." In another they found "human bones" that "were so gnawed that no flesh was left on them except what was too tough to be eaten" by a human (Letter of Dr. Diego Chanca). In yet another Carib hut on Guadalupe they found "a human arm [that was] cooking in a stewpot" (Hernando Colón, Life of the Admiral, Chapter 63). Indeed, if any doubt remained, the Caribs would themselves go on explicitly to confirm that they were cannibals. Dr. Chanca wrote of the Caribs, "They say that human flesh is so good that there is nothing like it in the world" (Letter of Dr. Diego Chanca).
But before any parleys with the Caribs occurred on this voyage, the Admiral's fleet sailed from island to island, passing one that the Taino women from Guadalupe explained "was uninhabited, because the Caribs had removed the entire population." At every landfall, Admiral Columbus liberated Tainos from the Carib villages, many of which were found empty upon arrival, and many others of which were abandoned by the Caribs upon seeing the landing party approach. Island by island, groups of liberated Taino women and children fled "of their own accord" into the protective aegis of Admiral Christopher Columbus (id.). As the fleet was rescuing women and boys from the Carib island of San Martino, a canoe full of both male and female Carib archers returned, and opened fire on the landing party, wounding many and killing one Basque sailor. Although the penalty for such a murder was death, Columbus spared the lives of the captured Caribs, whom he ensured would have their day in court before the Spanish Crown.
The Admiral continued to sail throughout the archipelago, visiting Boriquen (now Puerto Rico), Hispaniola and hundreds of other islands and islets, recording the flora and fauna of each. Once the fleet safely reached Taino lands that the Caribs had not taken over or emptied, Admiral Columbus "put ashore" those of the liberated Tainos who wished to return home, now well-fed and provisioned with clothes and other gifts (id.). Before long, Admiral Columbus rescued no less than ten women and an unknown quantity of children and adult, male survivors. Long before Harriet Tubman and Levi Coffin helped African-American slaves escape via the "Underground Railroad" of the United States, Christopher Columbus conducted the first North American Underground Railroad in the Caribbean, freeing Taino slaves from their Carib captors.
But Admiral Columbus could not neglect the nearly forty sailors he had left behind on Hispaniola to found the settlement of Navidad. After freeing the Taino slaves, Christopher Columbus made his way in search of the settlement. The Tainos of Hispaniola flooded the beach and wanted to board the Admiral's ships. Admiral Columbus "kindly received" those he could, but was focused on locating his forty men left behind. A cousin of Guacanagarí, the cacique (chieftain) that Admiral Columbus had made fast friends with on the First Voyage, brought the Admiral dire news: the Carib high-king Caonabo and a lesser king, Mayreni, had attacked and burned Navidad and Guacanagarí's village, had wounded Guacanagarí, and had murdered all of the Spanish settlers in cold blood (Hernando Colón, The Life of the Admiral, Chapters 63-64; Letter of Dr. Diego Chanca).
The next morning, Admiral Columbus went to Navidad, and found the observation shelter "burnt, and the village demolished by fire." He visited Guacanagarí and found him convalescing from a painful leg injury inflicted by one of the Caribs' stone weapons. The islanders of Hispaniola were still shaken up by the Carib slaughter. Some of the liberated Tainas who had remained on Columbus's ships now left to join the diminished village at the urging of Guacanagari's cousin. Their tribe would need to rebuild and would need women to do it (id.).
Three months later, Governor Columbus, as he had been titled by the Crown of Spain, began building a new settlement, named Isabela, after the Queen who was so fond of him. He and the crews of his seventeen ships constructed irrigation canals, mills, water wheels and farms with "many vegetables." Taino caciques of many tribes and their womenfolk frequented the settlement bringing yams, "nourishing [and] greatly restor[ing]" the Spaniards, who were grateful for the succor (id.). But just as the Europeans had brought diseases to which the islanders of the West Indies had built no immunity (all of which have since been cured by modern science) so, too, did the settlers succumb to diseases transmitted to them by the Tainos (none of which have been cured by modern science, including syphilis). Also, because the Europeans were not accustomed to the tropical climate, the vegetables they grew rotted more quickly than they anticipated. For all of these reasons, as well as "from hard work and the rigors of the voyage" (id.), the Spaniards fell deathly sick at Isabela.
Though he contracted no known diseases from the Tainos, Governor Columbus too fell sick from the rigors of the voyage, the settlement-building and the differences in climate. Caciques of various Taino tribes sent villagers to help the settlers pan for gold, since they understood that the King and Queen who had sent the settlers required it as currency to make the undertaking possible. But many of the hidalgos plotted "to raise a revolt [and] load themselves with gold" as they were "exasperated" and "discontented" from "the labor of building the town" (Hernando Colón, Life of the Admiral, Chapter 51). Some of the hidalgos came from long lines of blue-blooded nobles, and had never toiled. But because so few hidalgos deigned to depart the comforts of Castile for the tropical frontier of the West Indies, the Crown hatched a hair-brained scheme to make up the difference: it pardoned convicted criminals -- murderers, rapists, thieves and other ne'er-do-wells -- and granted them noble titles if they agreed to help settle the Caribbean. Though the hidalgos -- noble-born and ex-con alike -- wanted to force the Tainos to build the settlement for them, Governor Columbus would not permit the use of the labor of the islanders.
So began the discontent that would forever drive a wedge between the entitled, Spanish hidalgos and their low-born, foreigner governor. "They had been plotting in secret to renounce the Admiral's authority [by] taking the remaining ships to return in them to Castile" (id.). Beginning a tactic that would persist to this day, the fleet's accountant, Bernalde Pisa, instigated the plot by writing libelous falsehoods about Governor Columbus to be delivered to the Crown. Despite this heinous act of mutiny by Pisa, Christopher Columbus nevertheless demonstrated himself to be the "kind" and "good-natured" man of mercy de las Casas described him as in his Historia de las Indias (Book I, Chapter 3); when he discovered Pisa's libelous correspondences, out of deference to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, Governor Columbus "punished [Pisa] only by imprisoning him in the ship, intending to return him to Castile with a list of his crimes" (Hernando Colón, Life of the Admiral, Chapter 51).
Now restored to health, but still distressed about the Carib menace that destroyed the Navidad settlement and threatened the Taino tribes, Columbus left the under-construction Isabela settlement and traveled to Cibao, near the northwest corner of Hispaniola. There, he built a protective fort, Santo Tomás, "with which to keep that country at peace" from Carib marauders and Spanish gold-mongers (id.). In this endeavor, Governor Columbus encountered "many Indian villages," making friends wherever he went (id., Chapter 52). Governor Columbus stationed Captain Pedro Margarit and a few men-at-arms at the completed fort to protect the area from High-king Caonabo's Carib marauders, and returned to Isabela (id., Chapter 53).
In Columbus's absence from Fort Santo Tomás, a tribe of islanders robbed Margarit and his men. Margarit captured the robbers and cut off their ears in retaliation. He then brought them to Isabella, before Governor Columbus, for further punishment, but Columbus was horrified by Margarit's maiming of the islanders. Again, exhibiting the "good judgment" and "unusual insight into human and divine affairs" that de las Casas described of him (Historia de las Indias, Book I, Chapter 3), Governor Columbus used the same clever intrigue on the islanders' chieftain as he often used on the King and Queen of Spain. He told the chieftain that the punishment for the robbers' crime was death, though Governor Columbus had no intention of ever carrying out that threat. When the chieftain heard the pronouncement, he offered a tearful apology for his villagers' misdeeds. Columbus immediately set the robbers free into the custody of their chieftain, and announced to Margarit that the matter was settled (id., Chapter 93).
No sooner had Governor Columbus adeptly resolved the Margarit affair did horsemen arrive from Fort Santo Tomás, informing that islanders had surrounded it and attempted to kill its occupants. In Columbus's absence from the fort and without his pacifying presence, the relationship of the settlers there and the nearby islanders soured terribly. De las Casas makes a point to note, "I would not dare blame the admiral's intentions" for the discord, "for I knew him well, and I know his intentions were good" (id.). Indeed, Governor Columbus shed no blood over the incident. He sent cavaliers to make only a show of their "arms and horses" as to "instill fear" in the tribal warriors responsible for the siege (id.). The tactic successfully scared the warriors off with no fatalities, liberating the besieged Spaniards (Hernando Colón, Life of the Admiral, Chapter 53).
In the Spring, Admiral Columbus explored the coastline of Cuba, making friends with its inhabitants and gifting them glass beads, hawk bells and brass bells, and other offerings. The cacique of the province exhibited great interest in the Catholic Mass the priests conducted, "listen[ing] attentively" and "giv[ing] thanks to God" (id., Chapter 59).
The following month the Admiral arrived at Jamaica. Although the inhabitants attacked on sight, he retreated as a show of peace and good will. Nevertheless, the Jamaican inhabitants attacked again, but the Admiral diffused the conflict with no fatalities. Thereafter, the inhabitants bartered peaceably and one begged to return to Spain with the fleet. Admiral Columbus "ordered that he should be well treated," and obliged the man's request to travel with them. Throughout the entire Second Voyage, whenever the islanders sought to come aboard the ships of the fleet, Admiral Columbus "treated them very courteously" (id., Chapters 54-55).
Meanwhile, Captain Margarit left his post, hijacked one of the seventeen ships, and returned to Castile, leaving Fort Santo Tomás. The islanders, under the command of Chief Guatigana, attacked again the unsupervised fort, murdering ten settlers in cold blood and setting fire to a hospital containing forty patients. Hernando Colón notes that the tribal warriors "would have killed many more if the Admiral had not arrived in time to prevent them" (id., Chapter 61). His men-at-arms caught some of Guatigana's murderous warriors, but again, Governor Columbus exhibited temperance; he did not presume to try, much less punish, the attackers, but rather delivered the prisoners to the Crown to have their day in court.
But again demonstrating that "unusual insight into human...affairs" of which de las Casas wrote, Governor Columbus investigated further into the Santo Tomás massacre. He discovered that the unsupervised settlers had "committ[ed] innumerable outrages for which they were mortally hated by their tribal neighbors." These outrages brought consequences. "All the caciques and kings" of the region were pressed into a war band led by none other than the cannibal High-king himself, Caonabo, scourge of the Caribbean. Caonabo even attempted to press Guacanagarí's tribe into service, but Guacanagarí "remained friendly" to the settlers and refused to ally with the cannibal king (Hernando Colón, Life of the Admiral, Chapter 61). Thus, one of the cacique kings in Caonabo's service murdered one of Guacanagarí's womenfolk on the spot, and Caonabo himself kidnapped another (id.), no doubt to impregnate her and eat her baby as was the Caribs' want.
Guacanagarí implored Columbus to rescue his kidnapped villager. Though outnumbered five-hundred to one, Columbus hatched a plan to merely frighten the war band into retreat with the ruckus of musket shots. It worked, for a time. Hernando Colón noted, the war band "fled like cowards in all directions," but the confrontation was not without its fatalities. Nevertheless, when the men-at-arms returned to the Governor with their prisoners, High-King Caonabo was among them. Caonabo defiantly proclaimed that he had indeed ordered the murder of the forty settlers of Navidad, and boldly announced that he would do the same to the settlers of Isabela. In spite of all of this, Governor Columbus did not harm a hair on the cannibal king's head. Rather, he sent him back to Spain to have his day in court before the Crown (id.).
By his careful suppression of the cannibal rebellion, Columbus proved that his skills in ship command translated well into governance, despite that he had never held any political office in the past. Thereafter, although the settlers still struggled with food scarcity and disease, "the Christians' fortunes became extremely prosperous" and peace reigned supreme. "Indeed, the Indians would carry [Columbus] on their shoulders in the way they carry [men of] letters" for the Pax Columbiana he established, though the humble "Admiral attributed this peace to God's providence" (id.). In gratitude and brotherhood, the Tainos led the settlers to their own copper mines and revealed to the settlers the locations of precious gemstones such as sapphires, ebony and amber; spices such as incense, cinnamon, ginger and red pepper; and gums and woods such as cedar, brazil-wood and evergreen mulberry (id., Chapter 62).
Now that Columbus had freed the Taino slaves, built the multiple settlements and defeated the Carib marauders, bringing peace and slowly restoring prosperity to the land, he decided to return to Spain to give an account of the entire affair. He suspected that Bernalde Pisa was not the only beleaguered, entitled hidalgo writing false complaints about him, and that the absconder, Pedro Margarit, may well have delivered more libelous correspondences to the Crown from the shifty and shiftless hidalgos on the ship he had hijacked.
Admiral Columbus set sail for Spain in two of the remaining sixteen ships of the fleet in March of 1496. After yet another run-in with Carib marauders who attacked him off the coast of Guadalupe, he discovered an island bereft of menfolk, the women of which were skilled archers Columbus described as exceptionally "intelligent" and of great "strength and courage" whom the Caribs descended upon periodically, as the women described, "to lie with them" (id., Chapter 63). Because these women identified as Caribs themselves, the marauders did not eat their babies, but took them to raise as warriors. "As soon as their children are able to stand and walk, they put a bow in their hands and teach them to shoot" (id.). These, and a similar all-female tribe on the nearby island of Martinino, formed the basis for the legends of the Amazonians, named for the Greek war-maidens of legend. The name would later be applied to the entire biome of the rainforests of what is now Brazil and the surrounding nations.
Despite all the conflict Christopher Columbus had endured at the hands of the warmongering Caribs, he released Carib prisoners into the warrior-queen's custody and gave her gifts as a token of good will. The chaste Admiral's charms affected not only the queens and noblewomen of Europe, but this female cacique as well. She "agreed to go to Castile with her daughter" and so "willingly" traveled back to Spain with the fleet (id., Chapter 64).
On April 20, 1496, Admiral Columbus's fleet disembarked for home. On the long journey, the sailors "were so near starvation that some of them wished to imitate the Caribs and eat the Indians they had aboard" or "throw the Indians overboard" to conserve rations, "which they would have done if the Admiral had not taken strict measures to prevent them. For he considered them as their kindred and fellow children of Christ and held that they should be no worse treated than anyone else" (id.). Once again, as his Second Voyage drew to a close, Christopher Columbus proved himself yet again to be the first civil rights activist of the Americas -- not merely of the Tainos, but of the war-mongering, man-eating Caribs as well. That "unusual insight into human and divine affairs" of his led him to see all the islanders of the Caribbean as people and children of God, and he always treated them as such.
His safe return to Europe on June 9, 1496, demonstrated that his unusual insight was not limited only to human and divine affairs. "From that day onward he was held by the seamen to have great and heaven-sent knowledge of the art of navigation" (id.).
In next week's article of my "1492 Project" series, "Christopher Columbus: the Greatest Hero of the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries (as Revealed by the Primary Sources)," the Admiral's Pax Columbiana is shattered by the man whose deeds have, of late, been falsely attributed to the good Admiral Columbus. The true terror of the West Indies arrives: the man known to the Jihadist invaders of Europe as their bane and conqueror; to the Spaniards as their war hero of the Reconquista, but to the innocent Tainos of the West Indies as the racist, rapist, maimer, murderer and genocidal maniac Francisco de Bobadilla! Don't miss it as all Hell is unleashed next week at PRIMO Magazine.
Editor’s Note: Pictured is Paul Kane's "Columbus Discovering America," painted in the 1830s, depicts Indians amidst the trees, greeting the discoverer upon his landing at San Salvador. Courtesy Joslyn Art Museum. The author Robert Petrone, a practicing attorney and Italian American activist and leader in Philadelphia. He can be reached by email at robertpetrone@yahoo.com.
Primo Exclusive
DON MARIO CARMINATI
The Parish Priest of Seriate, Italy, Accepted Coffins of Coronavirus Dead in His Church
“I blamed God and asked him why he had not listened to me?”
By Jesper Storgaard Jensen
“It is normal for a priest to work alongside death. It is inherently part of the job. However, during last spring’s coronavirus crisis, I became involved not only as a priest, but also as an individual. As a human being. I lost members of my immediate family. It was incomprehensible, and to be honest, I still cannot comprehend these devastating losses".
Don Mario Carminati is the parish priest of Seriate, a small provincial town with 25,000 inhabitants, located just five kilometers from Bergamo in northern Italy. But he is also one of those people who makes it clear, that in a certain way, the corona pandemic can be compared to a war. Because this spring’s corona rage is – just like a war - the messenger of two types of narratives. There is the overall and factual history in which we read the many statistics of death, the infected and, luckily also, survivors. Then, if you delve further, you’ll find an infinite number of underlying stories that deal with human destinies, personal tragedies, anxious recoveries and dramatic eyewitness accounts. Don Mario Carminati carries several of those close to his heart.
"When I think back to last March, I remember how it all started quite slowly. At first it was just a flu from China that we had heard about. But then all of a sudden it was here, and then it started to accelerate. The feeling I most clearly remember was anxiety. People were really scared,” says Don Carminati.
The history from the Bergamo area is well-known. Thousands of small to medium-sized businesses operate here. An area where thousands and thousands of people move around every day, like small worker bees to perform their daily tasks. An area that is especially characterized by a rooted and deeply felt work culture, which entails thousands of daily contacts between people. And thus, also, a perfect breeding ground for the spread of coronavirus.
"Suddenly it started to develop quite quickly. Although several areas were turned into red zones (so no one could neither get in nor out, ed), the infection spread rapidly. And the death toll rose. The hospitals did not have space for the numerous coffins of dead corona patients. It was at that moment that I got the idea to open my church to make room for the many coffins,” says Don Carminati.
A message of love
Carminati's idea and gesture really captured the attention of Italy. It was something that was noticed, and to this day many know him as "the priest who opened his church to receive those who died of corona.” But how did he actually come up with this idea?
"A few weeks after the coronavirus had taken hold, the death toll began to rise steadily. Day after day. At one point, Bergamo city and surrounding villages had an average number of 100 deaths a day. Unfortunately, Bergamo's crematorium could not keep up. It is only capable of carrying out 24 daily cremations, so the coffins just kept piling up,” he says.
At one point, the church where Don Carminati presides, la Chiesa di San Giuseppe, received an official request from Bergamo's hospital authorities. They needed help storing the many coffins before cremations were able to take place.
“At that point I thought of the nave itself. Even though the people were dead, we are still talking about people. We are not talking about objects. So my thought was that a place in the heart of the church before the very last journey would be obvious,” he says.
During the period, Don Carminati and several other priests from the parish performed a careful count.
“Seriate had approx. 200 corona deaths over two months, but we also received coffins from the surrounding villages. In the church of San Giuseppe, where I work, we received a total of 260 coffins before they were sent on for cremation. The highest number of chests we had in only one day was 76. Bearing in mind that we only had room for a maximum of 80 coffins, the church was almost completely full. Then the military trucks came and took the coffins away, and then the next day we received new coffins with yet more corona victims,” says Don Carminati.
This went on for much of last March. It was also at this time that Don Carminati received a somewhat unusual phone call from a nurse working at Bergamo's Central Hospital.
“During that time, I often spoke to parishioners who had lost family members and who needed comfort. But that day it was a nurse. She called on behalf of a corona patient, Pio. I knew him, because he often came to church. Through the nurse, he had left a message for me, shortly before his death. I had to call his wife and confirm his love for her. I then called Pio's wife and conveyed his words to her, after which she said: ‘I am comforted to receive that message, and it confirms that what we had together was true love,’” says Don Carminati.
Absurd situations
A couple of times during our conversation, it is clear that Don Carminati is touched as he lets his mind go back to the dramatic events in the spring. He stops talking for a moment and draws breath, then continues. He speaks not only as a priest, but also as a human being. And as a human being who is able to see the absurd in certain situations.
"Due to the risk of infection, family members and relatives of patients with corona could not go to the hospital. And when the infected died, they were often carried away without the family being informed. Therefore, the family had no contact with the patient before death. Often the family was simply told that their family member had passed away and that he or she would subsequently be cremated. These families often called me to hear if the deceased happened to be in my church. The problem was that they could not come to church, due to corona restrictions. So in those cases ....well, it's really a sad story ... in those cases they asked me to take a photo of the deceased's coffin where you could also see the person's name, and then send it to them. It was the last contact they had with their loved ones before the cremation. Even today, many months later, I get sad when I think about all this,” says Don Carminati.
Throughout last spring’s corona rage, the Italian priests were often in the eye of the storm. They were in a vulnerable position and many lost their lives. Today, the number of deceased priests as a result of corona is as high as 121. Hence the question of whether or not Don Carminati himself feared becoming infected?
"To be honest, I've never been anxious. Who knows, maybe because I was not really aware of the danger. In the storm, it is important to remain strong. As a priest, you have to consider yourself as a kind of leader. As one who guides. I also said this to my parish priests: remember that when all this is over, it is important to be able to look yourself in the eye,” he says.
Don Carminati goes on to tell me that he himself has lost people in his immediate family. Even young people. Something he has found so incomprehensible that he has "protested to God".
“One was my sister's son. He died at the age of 34 after having been in intensive care for five months. He was healthy and practiced a lot of sport. It was an incomprehensible death. He was loved by everyone, and at his funeral, 600 people turned up. The other was my cousin's daughter. She had been on an extended photographic tour through South America, where she had apparently been infected. She was 38 years old. It was horrible. I must admit that I have protested to God. I asked him, ‘why have you not listened to me’. It may sound strange that an ordinary priest like myself should protest to God. But Pope Paolo VI also blamed God when Aldo Moro (formerly a prominent Italian politician, ed.) was kidnapped and killed in 1978. So I felt that I had the permission to do the same,” says Don Carminati.
Several months have passed since the dramatic spring with the many deaths and a seven-week-long lockdown, of which the Italians have not yet seriously seen the long-term effects. During that period, many have tried to find a higher meaning with the pandemic. Does this also apply to Don Carminati?
"Some time ago, I participated in a debate where a doctor from Bergamo was also present. He said something that really struck me. Something I have been thinking about: ‘If there is anything that will be worse than the virus itself, it will be if we do not manage to use these experiences constructively. It will be worse, if we do not use this terrible experience to grow socially, humanly but also economically'. I think he is absolutely right about that”, concludes Don Carminati.
Info about Don Mario Carminati:
Don Mario Carminati was born in 1956. In 1980, he completed his training as a Catholic priest and has since served numerous parishes within the Catholic Church, particularly in Lombardy and Piedmont. Since 2005, he has been in charge of Seriate Parish Church, near Bergamo, which is subdivided into five areas, Luce, Comonte, Risveglio, San Giuseppe and Serena.
Editor’s Note: Featured are photographs of Don Mario Carminati, coffins inside La Chiesa di San Giuseppe, and military trucks carting away the dead.
Covid Chronicles
RESTRICTIONS IN PLACE AS CASES RISE
Prime Minister Extends the State of Emergency to January 2021
- Illegal Immigrants Arrive in Large Numbers as Government Takes Softer Approach
- Flood Crisis in Piemonte
- Florence Remains Calm
By Deirdre Pirro
Here, we are in Week 20 of partial lockdown in Florence with Covid-19 contagion throughout Italy accelerating for the 10th successive week but, at a slower rate than other European countries including Spain, France, England, Belgium, and the Czech Republic. Over 7,000 new, mainly asymptomatic cases of contagion a day are reported with 75% of the cases occurring within households. This is usually caused by young people returning home after assembling in piazzas and bars at the weekends without masks (the “movida”) and also after the schools reopened. Although it excluded that another complete lockdown would be put in place for the moment, these statistics gave the government the golden opportunity, on 8th October, to prolong the state of emergency until 31st January 2021. One national newspaper, admittedly sympathetic to the center-right, described this way of governing as “a honey-coated form of dictatorship.” The executive can continue to govern by decree without having to bother to consult or involve parliament. The opposition protested but to no avail and the government continues to pat itself on the back and tell us all what a great job it has done and that Italy has now become the global model on how to combat this invisible enemy. In some respects, this is so but in many, it is not. Just ask the thousands of furloughed workers who have been promised payments from the national redundancy fund since March but are yet to see a penny!
On 8th October, to stem further contagion as much as possible, the Italian government ordered us to wear masks outdoors unless we were in a situation of “continuous isolation” or playing sports. A further 20-page anti-Covid decree was passed on October 13th, which will remain in force for 30 days. Quarantine has been reduced to 10 days. One negative swab test at the end of the quarantine period for positive for asymptomatic cases. For those with symptoms, a person will have to spend at least 10 days in quarantine with one negative swab test at the end of the self-isolation period. Restaurants, pubs, bars and bakeries have to close at midnight and we have to eat sitting at a table from 9 pm onward. Home food delivery and takeaway services are allowed. School trips are prohibited as well as private parties in bars, restaurants and other public places. Amateur sports events are not allowed. There should no more than 30 guests at a wedding or other ceremonies. The most contentious measures in this legislation relate to what has been labeled as "strong recommendations" because they touch on personal privacy. These include wearing a mask at home when we have guests and another is that these guests should not exceed six at a time. When the Minister of Health was asked how this latter measure could be enforced, he let it slip that neighbors could "report" anyone who was not complying with this regulation. This created a furor as it conjured up images of the "spying on one another” culture of the old Eastern European block.
On 6th October, the so-called restrictive Salvini decrees, of the last 5 Star Movement and center-right coalition regarding illegal immigration, were abolished and a new decree on the same subject was passed by the Council of Ministers proposed by Prime Minister Conte and the Minister of the Interior. The government says that international protection must be accorded by protecting immigrants from expulsion or denial of entry when repatriation involves torture or inhumane or degrading treatment. In these cases, special residence permits can be converted into work permits. The previous maxi-fines for NGO's whose boats navigate in Italian territorial waters after “rescuing” immigrants at sea have been lifted. Other measures control drug dealing through the Net and other drug-related provisions. Brawls motivated by racial hatred are also sanctioned.
As expected, news of this new decree spread fast. Over the weekend between the 10th and 11th October, 750 illegal immigrants, mainly from Tunisia, arrived in large fishing boats on the shores of Sicily and Sardinia. The Lega party predicts that these new measures will open the floodgates next spring for illegal entrants and that profit-making NGOs will resume dumping thousands on our doorstep, turning Italy into Europe's largest refugee camp, except, of course, most of them are not legally refugees, but instead they are escaping from poverty.
In early October, there were a series of serious flash floods in the North around the Cuneo area and in Ventimiglia with the city devastated with a loss of life. Instead, there was good news for Venetians. The Mosé system of 78 mobile dams forming a barrier to stop the city being invaded by water during the high tide in winter was activated for the first time, with success, on 3rd October and then again on 15th October. Some problems remain as the barriers rise only if the tide rises more than 130 centimeters. However, Piazza San Marco is one of the lowest points in the city and floods at about 90 centimeters, risking damage to the mosaics on the floor of the Basilica. It is estimated, it will take another two years for the project's engineers to remedy this.
Football fans are in an uproar now that the sport's ruling body has decided that, because the Naples Series A team failed to turn up for a match against Juventus in Turin on 4th October, it would count as a 3-0 defeat for Naples and it would be given a penalty point. The Neapolitan camp argued that, because one of its players had tested positive for the coronavirus, the region's health authority had blocked the transfer. The ruling body was not satisfied and rebutted that there had been no ban on traveling so the game should have been played. An appeal is expected. All this just adds to the woes of the top soccer clubs who have lost 650 million euro so far during the pandemic.
Here in Florence, like nationally, contagion increases but with only a small number of admissions to the hospital. The main city hospital, Careggi, believes that although we need to be careful, it is unlikely there will be another “tsunami” of cases like last March. Concern in the city is high and, in general, people are observing the new masking and assembling rules. However, with an ordinance, the mayor of Florence has restricted numbers to 1,000 people who can enter one of Florence's most popular places for the “movida” on Saturday and Sunday nights, much to the residents' delight and has indicated this ordinance may be extended to other places where too many people are meeting up.
At home, our son Piero who is a psychologist, has had to increase his visiting hours for new patients both in person at his office and online. This is because anxiety and depression due to the virus and uncertainty about the future are mounting. Further stress factors encompass working from home, fear of unemployment, home-schooling of children, and the lack of physical contact with other family members, friends, and colleagues whilst several of his patients have experienced marital difficulties and even instances of domestic violence because of enforced closure together. He is also a volunteer of the National Civil Defenses Service which has recorded a sharp rise in requests for advice and assistance on mental health issues.
Stay healthy and safe... Deirdre.
Editor’s Note: Deirdre Pirro writes for PRIMO and provides new and original translations of excerpted works from English to Italian. She has written two books, now on sale through PRIMO. The first is “Italian Sketches - The Faces of Modern Italy,” a book about the most influential Italians in the arts, science and statecraft this past century. The second is “Politica e Prosa” a new book of translations in collaboration with PRIMO’s publisher and editor Truby Chiaviello. If interested, please log on to our Books Page here.
Land Ho!
COLUMBUS: A HERO
By Robert Petrone, Esq.
"It was an Italian who began the story of immigration to America," wrote the Library of Congress of Christopher Columbus. Since that time, so many have immigrated to this, the freest country ever created on earth, and with the most opportunity than any country, that the United States now boasts the largest immigrant population than any country on earth (United Nations Population Division, Department of Economic and Social Affairs accessed Sept. 10, 2020). Indeed, by the 1980s, more Africans had come to the U.S. voluntarily as immigrants than had ever come as slaves (Sam Roberts, 2005) 'More Africans Enter U.S. Than in Days of Slavery,' New York Times, Feb. 21, 2005 accessed Sept. 10, 2020), proving our nation still to be the land of opportunity and of the free, and the endpoint for all modern-day pilgrims of freedom and opportunity.
None of this would have been possible had the American continents not been revealed to the rest of the world by Christopher Columbus. This is what we mean when we use the shorthand phrase "Columbus discovered America." No one ever said or implied that "discovered America" meant "was the first to set foot on the American continents," not our teachers, not our forebears' teachers and not the original historians who contemporaneously recorded the settlement of the West Indies.
All accounts of Christopher Columbus's October 12, 1492, landfall in the West Indies, including his own, have always acknowledged that the Americas were occupied when he arrived. They had been colonized at least thousands of years prior by Asiatic tribes who had crossed what is now the Bering Straight via ice bridges that had formed during the Ice Age. We refer to these people as "Native Americans," but the semantic gamesmanship Columbus detractors engage in over the word "discover" is equally applicable to the term "Native Americans." The Tainos, Caribs, Canibs, and all the tribes of the Americas, North, Central and South, were not natives, but perhaps the first nations of the Americas and the first colonizers of the American continents. Technically, no human beings were native to the Americas, nor indeed to any continent aside, perhaps, from Africa, which modern science considers to be the point of origin of homo sapiens. Every other continent and the rest of Africa were colonized first by early hominid nomads, then tribes, then empires, then nations. And each group fought with other contemporaneous groups over land. The tribal, Asiatic colonists of the American continents were no exception.
But if one insists on replacing the shorthand statement "Columbus discovered America" with the cumbersome and unnecessary statement "Columbus made landfall in America, long after Asiatic tribes colonized the landmasses and, possibly even after the landfalls of Norsemen, pre-Roman Iberians, Carthaginians and Romans, and brought the existence of the lands and its inhabitants to light to the rest of the world, initiating cultural, economic and political relations between the Old World and the New, and commencing a perpetual exchange of science, technology, law, commerce, art, music, literature and people," then one is simply being overly technical. Everyone knows we mean that when we say, "Columbus discovered America."
Still, the word "discover" is, technically, etymologically correct. The original Fifteenth-Century sources used the Spanish verb "descubrir," meaning to "take off" or "undo" (des-) "the covering of" (cubrir, to cover) something, hence the English translation to dis-cover. That is precisely what Columbus did: uncovered the continents of the Americas for the rest of the world by closing that obfuscating distance, revealing the existence of the Americas and its inhabitants to Europe. Immediately, word spread to Africa, Asia and elsewhere.
No doubt, had Columbus not made landfall in 1492, someone else would have not long after: perhaps the Portuguese, who were making extraordinary nautical progress near the Cape of Africa at that time, where they were kidnapping Africans for slave-trade; or the English, who boasted an impressive, militarized navy under the House of Tudor; or the Moorish Jihadists, who were fleeing Spain after eight hundred years of having occupied Europe and having murdered and enslaved Europeans. Had any of those groups made landfall without Christopher Columbus at the helm, there would have been no check on or resistance to the atrocities these groups would have committed.
The Spanish were just as warlike as the Portuguese, English and Moors, but the Portuguese and English had declined to fund Columbus's expedition, as explained in my previous PRIMO Magazine article. Columbus never bothered to ask the Moorish Jihadists, who likely would have cut off his head or enslaved him simply for being a Christian. Only the Spanish agreed to let him guide this expedition, and, as this article and my subsequent articles will demonstrate, Columbus was, at all times, a pacifying force in this endeavor.
That endeavor commenced on Friday, August 3, 1492, a half-hour before sunrise. Now bearing the title of respect of Don Christopher and the seafaring rank "High Admiral of the Ocean Sea," both of which the Spanish Crown granted him, Columbus boarded his flagship, a carrack or "nao," named La Santa María de la Inmaculada Concepción and nicknamed the Capitana ("Captain's ship") or Gallega ("Galician"). Captain Vicente Yáñez Pinzón boarded a caravel nicknamed the Niña, its formal name being the Santa Clara, and his brother, the treacherous Captain Martin Alonzo Pinzón, boarded another, the Pinta, its formal name being lost to history.
Exactly seven months earlier, almost to the day, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella had begun their Reconquista of Moor-occupied Spain with their now-unified, three-kingdom army. They expelled the Moorish king from Grenada and commenced their Spanish Inquisition against the Jews. Though contract-bound to the service of the King and Queen of Spain, Columbus engaged in a remarkable act of sedition against these two royal, murderous inquisitors; he offered crew positions to Jews fleeing their Inquisition. Columbus had an accomplice on the inside, Luis de San Angel, a Jew who had "converted" and received a position in Ferdinand and Isabella's Court. Columbus's collective crew manifests read like a veritable Schindler's list of lives he had saved. Admiral Columbus began his First Voyage with this, his first deed of civil rights activism, but it would not be his last. He would spend the rest of his life championing the Jews, the tribes of the Americas and the poor, in that order.
Not all of Columbus's crewmen were fugitive Jews. Most, in fact, were "low men." Unless a captain intended to press men into service against their wills, assembling a crew usually involved setting up at a table in a tavern and taking the names of anyone willing to lay down their life for a long and dangerous ocean voyage. Those that took the job were usually covertly running from something: if not religious persecution, then a death sentence or trial for murder, rape, or some other crime; a debtor seeking significant recompense; or an unhappy family life with a difficult spouse or parent. That meant that most crewmen were secretly troubled, difficult men at best, and hardened criminals at worst. Many who had enlisted for Columbus's crew, moreover, were looking to turn a fast profit in China and then return to Spain to live comfortably, or roister away their fortune along with the rest of their short lives. But beggars could not be choosers, and after begging countless dukes and princes for a decade of his life in a "cloak [that] was poor and ragged," Don Christopher, High Admiral of the Ocean Sea, assembled the ships and men the Crown handed him (Gonzalo Fernández de Oviendo y Valdés, General and Natural History of the Indies).
Admiral Columbus was a seasoned sailor, and knew how to deal with an unruly crew of "low men." On the morning he set sail, he attended Confession and received the Eucharist. His fledgling flotilla departed the port town of Palos (now Palos de la Frontera, Huelva, Andalusia, Spain) on a course for the Canary Islands, a way-station before setting out in earnest for the Indies. He led his crew in prayer every half hour and instructed the youngest sailors to take over that duty for the duration of the voyage. He ended each day with the crew in recitation of the "Our Father," the "Hail Mary," the "Apostles' Creed" and the "Hail, Holy Queen." This display of piety was no show. In his cabin, he privately said his Book of Hours, a collection of prayers and psalms for Catholic devotion.
Columbus and his crew would need the prayers. The Portuguese-ruled Canary Islands were dangerous for him: King John II of Portugal held a grudge against the Admiral, despite himself being the agent of treachery against Columbus. Before Spain agreed to fund the expedition, King John promised to do so, but as a ruse; he stole all of Columbus's maps and charts, delivered them to a fleet of his own, and had them leave without Columbus. A devastating storm crippled the clandestine Portuguese fleet, forcing it to return to port and, thus, alerting Columbus to the chicanery. Columbus took back his maps and charts and took his business elsewhere, much to King John's chagrin.
King John was not the only threat to this expedition. The owner of the Pinta, Christobál Quintero, and an accomplice, Gómez Rascón, quickly decided on the third day that they "disliked the voyage," and sabotaged the rudder of the Pinta to render it unseaworthy. The other sailors nevertheless fixed it enough to reach the Canary Islands on the seventh day, where they completed the repairs. But while there, Columbus encountered a crew of Portuguese sailors who warned him that the petulant King John had sent bounty hunters to the Canaries to capture him "for taking his venture to Castile." He wasted no time in departing.
On Thursday, September 6, 1492, Admiral Columbus left the farthest stretches of Christendom for the unknown. Facing a powerful nor'easter on his first day of travel from the Canaries, he proceeded with a sense of divine mission, evident in all his logs, journals and correspondences. He recorded his journey meticulously, though he had on board no nautical instruments -- no record of even an astrolabe -- thanks to the half-a-"trifle" the Crown deigned to spare to fund his voyage.
Columbus was rich in experience, however, with a significant advantage over most sailors of his day -- what Fifteenth-Century historian Gonzalo Fernández de Oviendo y Valdés called, in his General and Natural History of the Indies, a "secret of navigation." Columbus had learned, from the Portuguese he had sailed with in his youth, to navigate by taking the altitudes of the sun vis-à-vis the North Star, allowing him to negotiate "very large stretches of sea" while the sailors of other nations "steered as in the Mediterranean, along the shores ... hugging the coast." He observed Atlantic wind patterns he called "the prevailing Westerlies." He introduced the principal of "compass variation," the variation at any point on the surface of the earth between the direction to magnetic and geodetic "true" north. This nautical genius, whom Bartolomé de las Casas characterized as "the most outstanding sailor in the world, versed like no other in the art of navigation" (Historia de las Indias, Book I, 17), laid down compass courses and estimated direction and distance on timeworn charts using nothing more than his own "dead reckoning"; sheer force of will; and, by his own accounts, "Divine Providence."
Admiral Columbus understandably believed this mission to be guided by Divine Providence because it was full of miracles. First, the majority of the voyage continued over calm seas and under clear skies, save for a single storm and a single, separate encounter with high waves. On the eighth day after departure from Christendom, the flotilla encountered a tern and a tropical bird, neither of which were known to fly more than twenty leagues from land -- about a single day's travel at the flotilla's average speed -- yet they were still twenty-four days from landfall. In the early night of the ninth day from Christendom, they spotted what de las Casas described in his digest of the Admiral's log as "a marvelous streak of fire fall from the sky into the sea four or five leagues away." On the eleventh day, they spotted a crab floating in a morass of seaweed, a sure sign that land was near, yet none was to be found. The crewmen became frightened and depressed. On the twelfth day from Christendom, they spotted a flock of birds, and in the many ensuing days, they saw a host of petrels, doves, frigate-birds, tropic birds, ducks, gulls, turns, river-birds and boobies, none of which were "accustomed to fly more than twenty leagues from land," yet, miraculously, there they were, as if heralds of the impending arrival in the New World, though the three ships were still weeks away from landfall and over four hundred leagues from Christendom. On the fifteenth day, a whale came to greet them in the dead-calm waters. After over two weeks of false hope of imminent landfall, this cetacean chaperone did little to allay the crewmen's growing depression. And the windless waters caused them to fear "that no winds blew in these seas that could carry them back to Spain." Again, as if by Divine Providence, a headwind miraculously appeared, lifting the spirits of the crew.
On the nineteenth day from Christendom, a watchman called out that he had sighted land, but it turned out to be a mirage created by, of all things, a guiding cloud. For twelve more days, the crew suffered, starved and despaired. All these sure signs had still yielded no landfall.
On the thirty-first day since their departure from the Canary Islands, a watchman again claimed to have seen land. So confident was the entire crew that this sighting was no mistake that they raised their standard and fired a Lombard cannon as a signal to port. But no port of the Great Khan, nor indeed of any other, lay ahead. The land they thought they had sighted had disappeared as mysteriously as it had appeared. The crew despaired and could "bear no more." But Admiral Columbus told them there was no use complaining because, he correctly predicted, they had passed out of the waters of the Atlantic Ocean and reached the sea where landfall would be made. On the penultimate day of travel, they met "rougher seas than any they had met with on the voyage." But once through them, they found a stick that had been carved with an iron tool and another covered in barnacles. The men rejoiced, fell to their knees in grateful prayer and kept a sharp watch for the islands they now knew for certain were near.
At approximately ten o'clock on the night of Tuesday, October 11, 1492, a remarkable miracle transpired for which no explanation has ever been given. Sailor Juan Rodriguez Bermeo of Triana, Spain, spotted a speck of land from the crow's nest of Admiral Columbus's flagship. The Admiral saw what he described as a light "like a wax candle that went up and down," though they were, in fact, too many leagues away to see any landborne source of light, telescopically or otherwise. No record since, historical or scientific, has ever explained the luminous phenomenon, but the three vessels faithfully followed this polestar westward.
Two hours after midnight, on Friday, October 12, 1492, the flotilla arrived off the shore of an island. The Taino colonists called it Guanahani, but the desperate, starving, exhausted, rejoicing Christopher Columbus, as the Crown-appointed "Viceroy of all the lands he should discover," called it "San Salvador," "Holy Savior." He named this land, the site of unity between the Old World and the New, of the social singularity that was to change the world forever henceforth, after Jesus.
The crewmen took down all the sails but the mainsail, waiting for daylight. Whenceforth, they took to land on the small island. "Immediately some naked people appeared and the Admiral went ashore" with his caravel captains and "recorder" Rodrigo Escobedo. "Soon many people of the island came up to them" (Bartolomé de las Casas, Digest of Columbus's Log Book). Of that moment, Columbus wrote, "In order to earn their friendship, since I knew they were a people to be converted and won to our holy faith by love and friendship rather than by force, I gave some of them red caps and glass beads which they hung round their necks [and which] pleased them greatly and they became marvelously friendly to us." Afterwards, he wrote, welcome parties of islanders "swam out to the ship's boats in which we were sitting, bringing us parrots and balls of cotton thread and spears and many other things, which they exchanged with us for such objects as glass beads, hawks and bells. In fact, they very willingly traded everything they had" (Id.) Not only had Columbus succeeded in his trans-Atlantic voyage, proving it could be done, but first contact between the Europeans and the tribes of the West Indies was a rousing success: Christopher Columbus embraced the Tainos in friendship and they him.
The first meeting of the tribes of the New World and the explorers of the Old involved no tribalism, no oppression, and no violence, only love, unity and the brotherhood of their common humanity. How far the modern world has fallen in eschewal of these sacred values to which Columbus adhered so piously and faithfully.
Many modern, and post-modern, revisionist historians misquote Columbus's own journals and correspondences to the Crown to portray him as counseling the Crown to enslave the islanders he found. In fact, in every recorded address to the Crown from the outset, he counseled just the opposite. Referring to the islanders as "very intelligent," "very gentle" and "a very fine people," he repeatedly advocated Baptizing them; Baptized people could not be enslaved in Christendom. In fact, he feared, rather, that subjects of the Great Khan would "come from the mainland to capture them for slaves," or that others from other nations or more savage tribes would attempt the same or worse. By this pledge to protect the islanders, Columbus engaged in his first deed of civil rights activism on their behalf; it would not be the last by any stretch.
Similarly, many detractors rely on a mistranslation of the Fifteenth-Century, Spanish verb "subjugar" to suggest that Columbus exhorted the Crown to "subjugate" the islanders. In fact, Columbus used the verb to exhort the Crown to "make subjects of" -- or, in the modern vernacular, to make "citizens" of -- the indigenes so that they would enjoy all the rights, privileges and protections of Spanish nationality, including protection from enslavement. He knew the ultimate decision whether to treat the islanders as conquered people or citizens would be up to the Crown, but he repeatedly counseled, sometimes explicitly and sometimes subtly where necessary, that the tribal peoples of the West Indies be given neither lashes nor servitude, but "the love and service of their Highnesses and of the whole Spanish nation" (Letter of Columbus dated February 15, 1493).
In the two months following Columbus's peaceful and propitious first contact with the islanders of Guanahani / San Salvador, he visited at least a dozen more islands, repeatedly and without exception making friends and allies with every single tribe and village he met on every inhabited island he visited. Though all of the islanders, men and women alike, went about unarmed and "naked as their mothers bore them," he ensured no sailor harmed a hair on the head of any of them. Columbus and his crew traded trinkets for the balls of cotton the islanders offered, and Columbus ensured that his men engaged only in fair trade and did not exploit the islanders in their bartering transactions. He insisted his sailors "give[] as much as they were asked" in bargaining with the islanders and got "angry with" the Spaniards if they did not (Bartolomé de las Casas, Digest of Columbus's Log Book).
Repeatedly, many of the Taino islanders Columbus encountered recounted tales of savage cannibals from the northwest reaches of the archipelago, the Caribs, who frequently "descended at certain seasons of the year," "robbing and taking all they can," and who "captured [the Taino] people and took them away to be eaten" (Id.; Letter of Columbus dated February 15, 1493). The settlers would later discover that the Caribs were committing many manners of atrocities upon the Tainos, including kidnapping those of Boriquen (modern-day Puerto Rico), castrating and enslaving the boys, eating the men, and raping and impregnating the women only to feast on their newborn babies.
Among the many friends Columbus made who warned of the atrocities of the Caribs was his best friend in the New World, Taino cacique (king) Guacanagarí. On Christmas Eve, while moored off of Hispaniola (now Cap Haïtien, Haiti), the steersman of the flagship Santa María, against Columbus's strict orders, handed the wheel of the vessel to a "ship's boy," who damaged the rudder on rocks so badly he rendered the ship forevermore unseaworthy. To make matters worse, the treacherous Captain Martin Alonzo Pinzón of the Pinta mutinously abandoned the flotilla to find gold, leaving Columbus's retinue reduced to but a single ship, the Niña. In the mere two-and-a-half weeks they had come to know each other, Guacanagarí so came to love Columbus as to be "proud to call [him] and treat [him] as a brother" (Letter of Columbus dated February 15, 1493). On Christmas Day, Guacanagarí had his entire village empty the shipwreck of the Santa María of all the crew's effects, placed them in three houses he had the occupants vacate, and posted armed villagers to guard the sailors' possessions throughout the night. Guacanagarí openly "wept, showing great sorrow at" the disastrous wreck of Columbus's flagship and promised his newfound Genoan friend "he would give [him] everything he had" (Diego Colón, The Life of the Admiral, Chapter 33).
In return, in addition to bestowing gifts upon Guacanagarí and his kin, Columbus promised to protect the entire tribe, and indeed the entire island, from the Carib marauders. Even as the crew rested there, Carib canoemen, or some other hostile tribe, arrived on the shoreline and stormed the village. Guacanagarí, aided by Columbus and his men, chased them off without a single fatality. Seeing the threat for himself, and pursuant to a formal treaty he personally drafted, Governor Columbus left behind thirty-seven sailors, supervised by the King's steward and the flotilla's discipline officer, along with provisions, arms and a rowboat to protect the island and its inhabitants from the Caribs.
Admiral Columbus took willing passengers from each tribe he encountered aboard the Niña to meet the Crown, one islander even canoeing furiously in pursuit of the departing caravel to implore the Admiral to take him with them so he and his family could appear together before the Spanish monarchs. "The Admiral was highly delighted by this man's action and ordered that the whole family should be well treated and entertained" (Diego Colón, The Life of the Admiral, Chapter 29). As Columbus finally left the coast of Hispaniola, he suddenly reunited offshore with the insincerely-contrite Pinzón, Captain of the Pinta, who was chagrined at being found and restored into service. No sooner had the flotilla newly reformed was it attacked again by the Carib canoemen, this time armed with poisoned arrows. Rather than return hostilities, Columbus welcomed the man-eating chieftain, painted head to toe in black warpaint, aboard the Niña, where, facing down the Admiral, he "made a speech as fierce as his appearance" (Id., Chapter 36). Admiral Columbus served him a meal not of human flesh; bestowed gifts upon him; and, through his new Taino translators, worked a diplomatic miracle, completely diffusing the confrontation. Admiral Columbus sent the warrior back to shore, accompanied by a small cadre of sailors, who then bartered with the rest of the war party, whom the leader ordered to lay down their weapons. Whether by planned perfidy or paucity of patience, the war party eventually picked up their arms again and attacked anyway. Yet again, Admiral Columbus chased them off without a single fatality before finally departing the West Indies, and bringing his first sojourn in the Americas to a remarkable, peaceful and successful close.
Few instances of first contact in history have proceeded without bloodshed or loss of life. Admiral Columbus managed to negotiate first contact with at least a dozen tribes of the West Indies -- including hostile, cannibalistic canoemen who twice attacked him and his crew -- without a single fatality, sowing good will and friendship in every village port. But Christopher Columbus was no average man. In his Historia, Bartolomé de las Casas, official (and vehement) Protector of the Indians, not only described the "illustrious Genoese" as "the most outstanding sailor in the world, versed like no other in the art of navigation, for which divine Providence chose him to accomplish the most outstanding feat ever accomplished in the world until now" (Book I, Chapter 3), but "that most worthy man [who was] second to God but first in the eyes of men" (Id., Chapter 76). And of Columbus's Voyage, de las Casas wrote, "Many is the time I have wished for the eloquence to extol the indescribable service to God and to the whole world which Christopher Columbus rendered at the cost of such pain and dangers, such skill and expertise, when he so courageously discovered the New World" (Id.).
Indeed, Christopher Columbus did just that. For all the unfounded accusations levied against him as a racist, rapist, slaver, maimer, murderer and genocidal maniac, the primary sources clearly demonstrate that he not only was none of those things, but precisely the opposite. He prevented the Spaniards under his command from exploiting the tribal peoples of the Americas. For all the bloodshed that ensued in the West Indies after a conspiring cabal of hidalgos (landed nobles) took Columbus out of the picture, as will be detailed in my upcoming articles for PRIMO Magazine, Columbus's presence and leadership caused things go as well as they possibly could have for both the Spanish settlers and the tribes of the Americas.
Christopher Columbus proved it was possible to safely cross the Atlantic Ocean. He blazed trans-Atlantic routes still used by Twenty-First-Century sailors. He founded the first permanent European settlements in and began the recorded history of the Americas. He intiated more than five hundred years of cultural, economic and political relations between the Old World and the New, commencing an enduring exchange of science, technology, law, commerce, art, music, literature, and people, benefiting and enriching the globe from pole to pole.
Our own historical icons commemorated him well for these unparalleled deeds. In 1775, Phillis Wheatley, a fourteen-year-old, free, African-American girl wrote a poem that so moved General George Washington that he distributed it throughout the thirteen Colonies. In it she used "Columbia" as a personification of the American nation. Thereafter, Columbia and Columbus appeared in myriad poems, songs and essays, firmly weaving the intrepid mariner into the fabric of American identity. The Founding Fathers celebrated the 300th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's landfall on October 12, 1792, one year after they named the nation's capital after him, adorned with many statues and paintings of him, none of which had been created during his life.
Since then, 144 places in the United States have been named after Christopher Columbus, including cities, counties, towns, bodies of water, and schools. On June 29, 1868, the first Vatican Council petitioned for his sainthood. A generation later, in 1892, President Benjamin Harrison proposed a national celebration, and President Franklin Delano Roosevelt institutionalized the holiday in 1937, which we have celebrated annually to this day.
Columbus Day is more than just a commemoration of this mariner, the first founder and first civil rights activist of the Americas. It is a monumentalization of the legacy of his watershed voyage: the European contributions of Greco-Roman democracy and law, Judeo-Christian ethics and morals, and the tenet that all human beings are equal in the eyes of their Creator. We must never forget these sacred principles and, like Christopher Columbus, never fail to practice them in our words, in our deeds and in our government.
Editor’s Note: Pictured top is the painting, “The Discovery of America by Columbus,” by Salvador Dali, completed in 1959 for the opening of the Museum of Modern Art, on Columbus Circle, in New York. The author Robert Petrone, a practicing attorney and Italian American activist and leader in Philadelphia. He can be reached by email at robertpetrone@yahoo.com
Op-Ed
ITALIAN AMERICAN MARGINALIZATION IS ALIVE AND WELL
The Author Argues for a Different Definition of Marginalization
By Christopher Binetti, Ph.D.
It is Italian American Heritage Month and no politician talks about it. Partly, that is, because the federal government refuses to recognize it. Even if states like New Jersey that do, politicians refuse to publicize. The media and academics who strongly support Hispanic Heritage month refuse to acknowledge Italian American Heritage Month, even though Hispanic Heritage Month came out later and was based on circumventing and ending our ethnic holiday- Columbus Day.
Columbus Day is reviled by many, but it is revered by most Italian Americans. It is the only day a year where our marginalization - past and present - is considered nationally relevant. Merriam-Webster, the definitive dictionary of American English, defined marginalized, as “relegated to a marginal position within a society or group.” This is not a great definition, as it uses a form of the word in a sentence. However, marginal means, according to Merriam-Webster, “not of central importance,” “existing outside of the mainstream,” “limited in stature.”
A marginalized people is often viewed as one that suffers active and present persecution. I am arguing for a different definition here. A marginalized people is one that is literally invisible or marginal to society, that is never talked about, that is ridiculed and easily ignored. To square this with the more traditional definition of marginalized, I have come up with the idea that there is political marginalization and social marginalization. I believe that Italians are both, but I am only arguing here that we are politically marginalized.
Other minority groups are much more socially marginalized than Italians but much more politically powerful. We are viewed as “not politically salient.” We are, in truth, politically invisible. You do not need to be politically correct around an Italian American. There is no promotion of Italian American heroes, such as in comics, television, or movies. There is promotion of stereotypes and villains that are Italian but not the reverse.
Academia also fails to represent Italians. In New Jersey, which due to a refusal to keep good statistics on Italians has an unproven but high percentage of Italian Americans, I have done a preliminary study that shows that Italian Americans are virtually absent in History and Political Science departments amongst four-year college and universities’ faculty. A state with about 20 percent Italian Americans cannot even have six percent (the estimated Italian part of the national population) of its History and Political Science professors be Italian.
There is massive underrepresentation in the arts, the media and academia. Moreover, Italian American issues are not even discussed by Italian American politicians, such as our massive underrepresentation in key culture-producing industries, the massive stereotyping problem and the need to protect our ethnic holiday, Columbus Day.
No one argues with the history of persecution and traditional marginalization of Italian Americans. Our ancestors were subjected to Spanish colonization in Southern Italy (including Sicily); which led to a severe lack of resources for Italians coming here. We were labelled as black in the beginning and massacred in 1891 in New Orleans, an act for which The New York Times has never apologized for supporting. We suffered legal lynchings such as the unfair Sacco and Vanzetti trial in the 1920’s. We were the second-most lynched ethnic group after African Americans. We were all but banned from immigrating here for about 40 years from the early 1920’s until 1964.
We have suffered forced assimilation, a loss of culture and language, interment during World War II that the government has never apologized for, police brutality in pursuit of defeating the mafia, and a whole host of crippling stereotypes that have not abated even today.
I am not trying to prove that Italians meet the traditional definition of a marginalized people; although I believe that I could with good data. However, we clearly were persecuted for a long time and still suffer from the effects of mass bigotry and one can argue even systemic racism. Moreover, Italians are still considered “not of central importance,” “existing outside of the mainstream” and “limited in stature,” all of which is the definition of marginal under the Merriam-Webster definition. White progressives exclude us and push us to the political margins. This is the definition of political marginalization. On this Columbus Day, remember the real history and present reality of Italian America.
Editor’s Note: Dr. Christopher Binetti is a historian, political scientist, and adjunct professor at Middlesex County College. He is the founder and president of the Italian American Movement, an Italian American civil rights organization. He can be reached at cbinetti@terpmail.umd.edu. The author’s opinion, as expressed in the article, may not reflect the views of PRIMO Magazine.
The Court of Spain
COLUMBUS: A HERO
Continuing The Series on Why Columbus is a Hero, The Author Considers How Columbus Persuaded the Spanish Monarchy to Fund and Support His Expedition
“And this is precisely why the sinister axis of cultural majoritarians, comprised of radical leftists, post-modernists, neo-Marxists, and globalist elites, hate Columbus; he was a capitalist, ahead of his time, who began the takedown of the Age of Empires.”
By Robert Petrone, Esq.
A deficit of bravery currently exists in the once-home-of-the-brave, as demonstrated by the unmitigated roughshod run over our history, society and institutions by the sinister axis of cultural majoritarians, comprised of radical leftists, post-modernists, neo-Marxists, and globalist elites. The recent, pandemic razing of statutes of American icons in an attempt at damnatio memoriae, for instance, began, only a few years ago with statues and memorials of Christopher Columbus, the progenitor of Western culture in the Americas and the first Founding Father.
In Philadelphia, the early-morning-hour vandalizations of both the Columbus statue in Marconi Plaza and the Columbus monument at Penn's Landing on Columbus Day 2018 were synchronous with a third, simultaneous, attack on the History of Italian Immigration Museum, thus proving that the message was more than merely anti-Columbus, but Italophobic at the very least and outright Europhobic at the worst. Despite receiving a direct request to do so, the City refused to pursue the vandals, much less denounce the tripartite attack as a hate crime.
Acts of Columbus Day vandalism have persisted in the years since then, and the bigots who perpetrated them have always hidden behind the pretext that "Columbus didn't discover America" but rather supposedly "started the Atlantic slave trade." Not only are both claims false, as will be demonstrated in this and the following article in this series, but the primary historical sources, which I have discussed in greater detail in my previous articles (and continue to cite below), demonstrate the exact opposite.
Columbus discovered America in the sense that he brought to light to the rest of the world the existence of the American continents and the Asiatic colonists -- known in the United States by the misnomer "native Americans" but more accurately described by our Canadian counterparts as the "First Nations" -- who had arrived in the Americas via "ice bridges" formed in the Bering Straight during the Ice Age. This installment of the PRIMO series of articles "Christopher Columbus, The Greatest Hero of the Fifteenth & Sixteenth Centuries (as Revealed by the Primary Historical Sources)" continues last week's story of Columbus's life, focusing on his formulation of his scientific hypothesis and his quest for funding of his great experiment, Columbus's First Transatlantic Voyage to the Americas.
Last week's article discussed Columbus's humble birth to poor Genoan weavers; autodidactic efforts in studying the maps, charts, writings and scientific theories of countless scholars among the "Latins and Greeks, Jews and Moors, and many others of many other sects" (Historia de las Indias, Book I, 15); and early maritime adventures. It concluded with his marriage to Filipa Moniz Perestrelo, a Portuguese noblewoman who died giving birth to their son Diego. And there this article resumes, with the widowed single-father raising his motherless son alone in their new homestead in Portugal's Madeira Archipelago, a thousand kilometers out in the Atlantic off the east coast of Europe.
Bankrupted by having had to provide his late wife with a funeral befitting a noblewoman, the lowborn Columbus turned again to his familiar comfort, the sea, yearning again to traverse its waves. He listening eagerly to the Portuguese sailors' stories and legends of uncharted lands to the west. Columbus had been an early adopter of the theory of the new scientific school that the world was spherical and that but a short stretch of sea lay between Europe and "the Indies," the medieval term for the lands comprising the Indian subcontinent through Southeast Asia (and today referred to, if a bit archaically, as the East Indies).
When the grief of the loss of his beloved wife finally passed, Columbus could tolerate a sedentary life no more. With his five-year-old son in tow, he pounded the proverbial pavements of Europe in search of a royal benefactor willing to fund his "enterprise" of a possible nautical expedition westward to find an all-water route to China. Such an endeavor, should it succeed, would revolutionize trade by creating an alternative to the lengthy and burdensome overland journey of the Silk Road. In the seminal, primary historical source “Historia de las Indias,” contemporaneous chronicler of the West Indian settlement Bartolomé de las Casas recalled that nearly every royal court in Europe rejected Columbus's outlandish proposal: "Everyone laughed at [his] enterprise and dismissed it as a joke" (Id., 15-16).
Columbus's own Genoans refused to consider sponsoring the expedition because the discovery of an all-water route to China would bring an end to their contested monopoly (with the Venetians) over the Mediterranean trade routes to the Silk Road. Columbus succeeded in soliciting the funding of the Crown of Portugal, but it was a ruse: King John II took all of Columbus's maps and charts, delivered them to a fleet of his own, and had them leave without the Genoan master mariner. By the grace of Providence, however, the Portuguese fleet met a devastating storm, returning to port crippled and unseaworthy, thus alerting Columbus to the chicanery. He took his maps and charts and turned his back on Portugal.
Columbus remained undaunted by the selfish acts of the Genoan and Portuguese Imperialists in his search for capital to fund his scientific experiment. Still determined, he sent his brother Bartolomeo to England to solicit the patronage of King Henry VII and went himself to Spain, his last choice.
Spain had just unified three kingdoms -- Aragon, Castile and León -- rendering it the first European superpower. But the Crown of Spain initially rejected Columbus's proposal, despite the backing of Columbus by the Cardinal of Spain, who had met him through Columbus's landlord and been impressed by his "fair speech and learning" and "good intelligence and great knowledge." Sixteenth Century historial Gonzalo Fernández de Oviendo y Valdés recalls of Columbus, in his “General and Natural History of the Indies,” that "his cloak was poor and ragged, [and] he was considered a dreamer" of "fantastic ideas" for which the Spanish royals had no time. They had a bigger concern: Spain had been occupied by murderous Jihadists for eight centuries.
Oviendo writes, "all the Moors in Spain ... had insulted and maltreated Christians since 720 A.D." For so long had Spain been occupied by Moor slavers that the Spanish language itself -- even high Castilian -- is today but a pidgin of Latin and Arabic. With the newfound wealth of its three unified kingdoms, however, Spain was finally ready for a reconquista, a reconquering of its lands out from under the Jihadists' near-millennium-long death grip on Europe. Though Columbus intrigued Queen Isabella with his hypothesis of an all-water route to Asia, the court scholars counseled the Crown to reject the proposal for these, more important matters.
Demonstrating the "unusual insight into human ... affairs" and "good judgment" that de las Casas described in his biographical sketch of the man in “Historia de las Indias” (Book I, 15), Columbus changed tacks. While in Spain, Columbus had personally witnessed the Spanish monarchs' overthrow of the Moorish king, who exited the city gates of Andalusia and kissed their hands in submission as they raised their banners on the Alhambra. Later that month, Columbus suggested to the Spanish Crown an alliance with the "Great Khan" of China, who had made "frequent and vain applications to Rome for men learned in the holy faith who should instruct them in it." Columbus suggested that the legendary military might of the Great Kahn might help launch a two-front attack against the Jihadists, driving them out of Europe altogether and, perhaps even liberating Jerusalem from them for all of Christendom. Queen Isabella personally reconsidered, buoyed, no doubt, by the recent success of the Crown's reconquistada of Grenada.
At the turn of the Twenty-first Century, Stanford University Professor Emeritus Carol Delaney left her tenured university position to dedicate a decade of her life to travel the world in the study of Columbus artifacts and become an unparalleled world-expert on Christopher Columbus. She details this particular angle of Columbus's persuasion in her book “Columbus and the Quest for Jerusalem” (Free Press, July 17, 2012), a must-read for any Columbus historian.
De las Casas, in his Sixteenth-Century “Historia,” recalls that Queen Isabella summoned Columbus back to her Court after he had spent seven years of his life trying to persuade her and her husband. Despite continued discouragement from her advisors, she was swayed by his affability, and finally reconsidered the Crown's original rejection of his proposal, finally accepting his request for patronage.
Christopher Columbus's personality, not the plausibility of his plan, prompted the Queen to reconsider. If not for Christopher Columbus, the man, some other nation would have inevitably found the Americas -- maybe even the murderous Jihadist slavers that Spain had just driven out of Europe, and Christopher Columbus would not have been present to be the pacifying force he was.
Using funds from the royal treasury, Queen Isabella purchased from Don Luis de la Cerda, Duke of Medinaceli, the construction contract Columbus had cannily negotiated for the building of three ships: the Niña (its formal name being the Santa Clara), the Pinta (its formal name being lost to history) and the flagship Santa María de la Inmaculada Concepción (nicknamed the Capitana, the Captain-ship, or the Gallega, the Galician). Isabella personally saw to the completion of the vessels and provided Columbus with only half the "trifle" he requested in funding (Historia de las Indias, Book I, 25-34).
But with this half-a-trifle, Columbus had acquired all the capital he had needed for a bare-boned expedition. He was not motivated by greed. Rather, he was driven by a scientific thirst for the sea, that "eagerness to learn" with which de las Casas had characterized him in his “Historia” (Book I, 15).
And this is precisely why the sinister axis of cultural majoritarians, comprised of radical leftists, post-modernists, neo-Marxists, and globalist elites, hate Columbus; he was a capitalist, ahead of his time, who began the takedown of the Age of Empires. Apparently, the cultural majoritarians, who still cling to their megalomaniacal vision of monolithic, globalist domination, failed to learn any lesson from imperialism. They failed to learn the lesson from the Peace of Westphalia, negotiated by Catholics and other Christians, whom these same cultural majoritarians hate, that independent nationhood strike the most effective balance between the chaos of tribalism and the oppression of global empires. As their ignorance of Christopher Columbus demonstrates, they have little interest in or regard for history.
Next week in PRIMO, with the arrival of Columbus Day weekend, I will present the next installment in this series of the life and legacy of Christopher Columbus, based on the primary historical sources. It will detail his famous First Voyage to the New World, marking his discovery -- in the sense of bringing to light to the rest of the world -- of the Americas.
Editor’s Note: Pictured top is the beautiful statue, “Columbus’ Last Appeal to Queen Isabella,” by Larkin Goldsmith Meade and made of Carrera marble. The statue had been a mainstay since 1883 inside the rotunda of the Capitol building in Sacramento, California. This year, the statue was removed by the Democratic majority leaders in the state legislature. Pictured here is the author Robert Petrone, a practicing attorney and Italian American activist and leader in Philadelphia. He can be reached by email at robertpetrone@yahoo.com.
A COMMUNITY GROUP SEEKS A NAME CHANGE FOR COLUMBUS SQUARE AND COLUMBUS SQUARE PARK IN PHILADELPHIA
The Passyunk Square Civic Association is spearheading a “process” to recommend changing the name of Columbus Square and Columbus Square Park in Philadelphia.
Located at 12th and 13th Streets and Wharton and Reed Streets, Columbus Square has been a mainstay of the predominantly Italian neighborhood there since 1954. The area hosts an urban park with a playground for children, a dog park, baseball diamond, basketball court, and an open area for band concerts and other events.
The Passyunk Square Civic Association recently issued a press release titled “Columbus Square Community Conversation: Coming Together to Share Our Histories, Understand Our Value and Shape Our Future.”
The bulletin indicates that “Native American rights activists have called for a change to the name of Columbus Square Park.” They also acknowledge that many current residents do not want the name of the park changed.
The area was named Passyunk Square when founded in 1874 until it was named after Christopher Columbus on October 13, 1954.
The association states “that there are enough neighbors with strongly held views that the issue should be addressed and that there needs to be a process that ensures it is considered in a constructive manner.” They go on to claim: “…there is no question that the current moment of racial reckoning has, for many neighbors, spotlighted the perception of injustices and need for immediate action…”
In a section of the bulletin titled “objectives,” advocates seek to “create a process that engages those most concerned about the name of the park, along with broader community, to recommend to Department of Parks and Recreation and First District Councilman Mark Squila…a name of the park (Columbus, Passyunk, or something else).”
Robert Petrone, a lawyer and historian, has volunteered to speak on behalf of the Italians in Philadelphia at public hearings hosted by this and other community organizations on the future of Columbus Square and Columbus Square Park.
The Early Years
COLUMBUS: A HERO
In His Second Article for a Series on Why Columbus is a Hero, The Author Examines the Early Years of The Explorer
"History reveals Columbus to have been a worldly intellectual who did not discriminate against scholars of any race, religion or creed in working with and learning from them."
By Robert Petrone, Esq.
Last week, I presented an introduction to this series of articles about Christopher Columbus that included a brief summary of my credentials and sources; the local socio-political factors that make this serial exposé necessary; and the theme of this series. That theme is this: that Christopher Columbus was not only the man who single-handedly ushered humanity out of the Middle Ages and into a new era of intercontinental fraternity by bringing to light to the rest of the world the existence of the American continents, but he was also the Americas' (1) progenitor of Western Culture, (2) first "Founding Father" and (3) first civil rights activist. This astounding list of deeds, which I dare say no one since has matched, makes Christopher Columbus, beyond cavil, the greatest hero of the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries by any standard.
How this unique, self-educated genius managed to defy not only the medieval ideologies of his time, but also the sizable, war-mongering, political forces that opposed him, and accomplished all his unparalleled deeds in the face of them, is revealed by his humble beginnings. A man of no rank and no formal education, Cristoforo Colombo came into the world in the latter half of 1541, the son of poor, Catholic, Genoan wool-weavers. His parents named him, perhaps prophetically, after St. Christopher, the patron saint of travelers, whose most famous legend tells that the surefooted Canaanite crossed a body of water carrying with him the most singular asset of Christendom, the Christ Child himself. Like his namesake, Columbus, too, would carry Christendom across the deep, but a long road lay ahead of him before he could achieve that world-changing feat.
The young Cristoforo Colombo educated himself. He studied the writings of, among others, the Greco-Roman astronomer Ptolemy, the Phoenician geographer Marinus of Tyre, the Greek geographer Strabo, the Roman Philosopher Pliny the Elder, the Spanish scholar St. Isidore and the French astronomer Pierre d'Ailly. In his seminal, primary historical source, “Historia de las Indias” (translated from the original 15th-Century Spanish as History of the Indies), the Protector of the Indians and New World historian Bartolomé de las Casas contemporaneously recorded the settlement of the West Indies, beginning with a brief biography of Christopher Columbus.
De las Casas's “Historia” was no propaganda fluff piece. He wrote extremely critically of his fellow Spaniards, in particular, the hidalgos (the low, landed nobles of Spain's feudal "encomienda" system), and their treatment of the indigenes; so much so that modern Spaniards still regard his candid accounts to be a "black" mark on Spain's history. In his profile of Columbus, however, the otherwise-censorious de las Casas described "the illustrious Genoese" as "good-natured, kind, daring, courageous, and pious," and marveled at his many "acquired qualities," including his masterful calligraphy, arithmetic and drawing; his skill with Latin; his "unusual insight into human and divine affairs"; "good judgment"; "sound memory and eagerness to learn"; intense study; and "proficiency in geometry, geography, cosmography, astrology or astronomy, and seamanship."
De las Casas noted that Columbus "avoided exaggeration" in authoring the many "documents of value" that have themselves become primary historical sources, such as his journals and correspondences with the Crown and Court of Spain. He emphasized Columbus's "over forty years" of experience "in sailing all waters known today" and noted that Columbus's autodidactic efforts included collaboration with scholars among the "Latins and Greeks, Jews and Moors, and many others of many other sects" (Historia de las Indias, Book I, 15). For a historian as hypercritical as de las Casas to cast Christopher Columbus in such a consistently-favorable light speaks volumes of Columbus's true character.
History reveals Columbus to have been a worldly intellectual who did not discriminate against scholars of any race, religion or creed in working with and learning from them.
But Columbus was more than a mere theorist; he was a bona fide adventurer-scholar whose globetrotting, swashbuckling exploits were worthy of the pulp fiction of the early 20th Century. As a young man, still studying the arcana of the cartographers and astronomers that preceded him, he embarked on several remarkable maritime adventures that proved him the Indiana Jones of his day, including to Iceland, Ireland and Africa. Not the least of these sojourns included passage on the ship of a Genoan privateer -- also named Columbus but of no relation to Christopher -- who was fighting on behalf of the doge (akin to a "duke") of Genoa against the Venetians for dominance over the Mediterranean trade routes. The privateer's ship was burned in a naval battle, and Christopher avoided the scorching, subaqueous sepulcher of Davy Jones by jumping overboard, grasping a floating oar, and swimming two leagues to shore -- equivalent to seven miles for the landlubbers -- where he convalesced from paralysis of his legs (Historia de las Indias, Book I, 18).
After a full recovery, the young Columbus traveled to Lisbon, Portugal, where he met and married Filipa Moniz Perestrelo, the daughter of a wealthy Portuguese hidalgo, Don Bartolomeu Perestrelo, also an accomplished mariner and explorer. Don Bartolomeu's widow gifted her son-in-law her late husband’s navigational instruments and maps. Thenceforth, Christopher Columbus joined several Portuguese expeditions, ultimately establishing his early homestead in Puerto Santo of the Madeira Archipelago, an island Don Bartolomé himself had settled. There, Filipa gave birth to a son Diego, but tragically died in childbirth (Historia de las Indias, Book I, 18).
In the grief of his widowhood, and despite the burdens of single-handedly raising a now-motherless newborn, the newly single father found solace in his staunch devotion to God and the quietude of contemplation of the collective works of the many, multicultural scholars he had studied. His insatiable yearning to return to the open sea inspired Columbus, in the spirit of the burgeoning scientific method, to conceptualize and operationalize a real-world experiment to test his hypothesis that an all-water route to Asia lay across the Atlantic. An "enterprise" of a possible nautical expedition westward to China became Columbus's passion project. In what would become a dominant theme in Christopher Columbus's life (and again now, over five centuries after his death), he pursued this endeavor in the face of virtually-universal derision; de las Casas wrote that "[e]veryone laughed at [Columbus] and dismissed [his proposed expedition] as a joke" (Id., 15-16).
Christopher Columbus would not be deterred. He was a man of science in an age of superstition, sovereigns and swords. The Dark Ages had only ended four and one-half centuries prior. While some scholars mark the end of the Middle Ages at the year 1300 and others at the year 1500, a third school of thought ends the Middle Ages firmly with the date of Christopher Columbus's First Voyage: 1492. Like the birth of Christ -- the event that reset the calendar for the Western World, -- Christopher Columbus was the worldwide singularity that ended the Middle Ages and ushered in the next era of human existence.
Next week in Primo Magazine, I will present the next installment in this series of the life and legacy of Christopher Columbus, based on the primary historical sources. It will detail his formulation of his scientific hypothesis and his quest for funding of his great experiment, his First Transatlantic Voyage to the Americas. More importantly, the next article and those to follow will leave the reader with no doubt that Christopher Columbus not only was not the villain the cultural majoritarians attempt to portray him as, but, in fact, was nothing less than the greatest hero of the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries.
Editor’s Note: Robert Petrone is a practicing attorney in Philadelphia. He can be reached at robertpetrone@yahoo.com. The picture is a painting by NC Wyeth, circa 1917, titled “The Boy Columbus on the Wharf at Genoa.”
Op-Ed
RECLASSIFY ITALIAN AMERICANS AS MEDITERRANEAN AMERICANS
The Author Argues the Time Has Come to Create a New Census Category of Race and Ethnic Identity
By Christopher Binetti, Ph.D.
My name is Dr. Christopher Binetti and my 501c3 organization, the Italian American Movement, is proposing a non-partisan bill in the New Jersey State Legislature for the recognition and reclassification of various ethnic groups as Mediterranean and not Non-Hispanic White, as the U.S. Census Bureau and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) currently recognize us.
This proposed law, the Mediterranean American Recognition and Reclassification Act, would obligate the State of New Jersey to do two main things. First, the State of New Jersey would have to recognize that certain ethnic groups are misclassified as Non-Hispanic White by the EEOC and the U.S. Census Bureau. Second, the State of New Jersey would reclassify, for New Jersey purposes only, these certain ethnic groups as Mediterranean American (or Mediterranean for short) for the below purposes. Thus, the name of the bill, the Mediterranean American Recognition and Reclassification Act.
Let me break down the proposed law into its constituent parts in a question and answer format here.
Question 1 - Which ethnic groups would be affected?
Answer 1 - Ideally, all ethnic groups of the Mediterranean would be included. However, since Spaniards are all already grouped with Latinos as Hispanic, if the Spaniards (from Spain) do not want to be reclassified, that is okay. However, in addition to all ethnicities of Mediterranean, Brazilians who are not already covered by another minority categorization, like black, should be included here, as they are excluded by the Latino/Hispanic category. The Mediterranean people include all of the people of Southern Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. This includes, but is not limited to Italians, Portuguese, Greeks, Maltese, Arabs, Copts, Syriacs, Persians, Armenians, Turks and American Jews of all ethnic backgrounds. Essentially, anyone with ancestry from Southern Europe, the Middle East or North Africa would count, possibly excluding Spain and hopefully including Brazil.
Question 2 - How would the State of New Jersey recognize the above ethnic groups as Mediterranean?
Answer 2 - Recognition is relatively easy - it would simply state that for all legal purposes, including statistics, New Jersey recognizes these above groups as Mediterranean Americans/Mediterranean and not as white/Non-Hispanic white.
Question 3 - How would the State of New Jersey reclassify the above ethnic groups as Mediterranean?
Answer 3 - This law would NOT require the State of New Jersey to carry out its own Census in order to count Mediterranean people. However, it would have to “endeavor to count Mediterranean people as accurately as possible” (that is the legal language that we would use. This means that the state would have to, as accurately as possible, estimate the numbers of each Mediterranean ethnic community and estimate the total Mediterranean population. It would also require every entity, institution, and business that collects information based on Census categories to include a Mediterranean category and stipulate that under New Jersey law, the following ethnic groups that are Non-Hispanic White for Census purposes are Mediterranean for State purposes.
Question 4 - How would the State deal with under-counting?
Answer 4 - The Census undercounts Italians and others because we have to fill in our ethnic group as opposed to the ethnic groups of all other census categories. The State of New Jersey would be legally required to “endeavor to count Mediterranean people as accurately as possible” and that means that the State would work hard to create an estimate more accurate than the under-counted federal data. Where the State numbers for a Mediterranean group or all Mediterranean groups together is higher than the federal data, the federal number is considered an under-count under New Jersey law and the New Jersey state estimate becomes the legally official and binding number.
Question 5 - How will affected entities, institutions and businesses implement the new requirements?
Answer 5 - This law does Not require anyone to do anything new. If you do not have to collect demographic information now, you will not have to do so because of the law. The only thing that changes is that if you are already required to collect demographic information, you must include a Mediterranean category and make sure that all affected ethnicities know that they are deemed to be Mediterranean and not Non-Hispanic white, as they would be federally.
Question 6 - In addition to having to keep statistics, what other obligations do universities, employers, institutions, businesses, and other entities, have under this law?
Answer 6 - Universities or any institutions do Not have any new obligations in type under this law. However, if they are using affirmative action, inclusion and diversity, minority mentoring programs or other similar programs, they must apply these programs to Mediterranean people. This applies both for employment and for students. However, since affirmative action is less direct in employment, the effect would be less direct.
Question 7 - How would sum up this Mediterranean Recognition and Reclassification Act?
Answer 7 - Under this proposed law, ethnicities recognized and reclassified as Mediterranean would be minorities under New Jersey law in all respects.
Editor’s Note: Dr. Christopher Binetti is a political scientist, historian, adjunct professor at Middlesex County College in Edison, New Jersey. He is the founder and president of the Italian American Movement, an Italian American civil rights organization. He can be reached at cbinetti@terpmail.umd.edu. The author’s opinion as expressed in the article may not reflect the views of PRIMO Magazine.
PRIMO Exclusive
INTERVIEW WITH THE MAYOR OF BERGAMO, GIORGIO GORI
Ground Zero for the Coronavirus Catastrophe in Italy was Bergamo
A look back at the ravages of the pandemic; what went right and what went wrong in one of Italy’s most historic and beautiful cities
Text: Jesper Storgaard Jensen – Photo: Municipality of Bergamo
"When the coronavirus raged in Bergamo in March this year, one could read in the Italian newspapers that the city's hospitals were under extreme pressure, and that there were almost no more available beds for the infected. This, however, was not the truth. Not only were we pushed to the extreme. We were actually pushed far beyond our maximum capacity. Actually so much that we were forced to reject patients”.
Although it’s been half a year since the dramatic events in Bergamo, one can hear in Giorgio Gori's voice that these mental images are still standing strong in his mind. His replies to questions about these dramatic days are not at all routine. It is quite clear that these events have marked him. And in the beginning the phenomenon was really hard to understand.
“When people ask me ‘how did you experience all this in the beginning?’, I reply that ‘I experienced it as someone who was certainly unprepared and who quickly had to update his awareness’. From day to day I understood a little more. I realized that the whole situation was much more serious than what I initially thought,” he says.
Throughout the corona rage in Italy, especially during springtime, a lot of discussions about figures went on. Did this also happen in Bergamo?
"Well, actually yes. The official figures say that the city of Bergamo has had some 300 covid victims. But the real number is probably around 670. Many died before a test was done. And many died at home. So those people do not appear in the official statistics,” Gori says.
If you take Bergamo's surrounding municipalities into account, this number will rise to as many as 6,000 coronavirus victims. And that’s when you consider an area of only approximately 1.1 million inhabitants.
“Bergamo city and its province-areas probably constitute the area in the world that has been hardest hit by coronavirus, including New York and Wuhan in China,” says Gori.
He says that everyone had underestimated the virus in the beginning. "You could say that we have all failed, including myself. We had no knowledge of this phenomenon and its intensity. We politicians listened to the doctors and the experts, and they too disagreed. So there was really a lot of confusion in the first time.”
At the beginning of the virus outbreak, Bergamo’s authorities tried to tell people to be careful. If they were, they could go out to do their shopping and continue their lives just as before. The aim, of course, was to avoid a total lockdown of economic activities in an area that is one of the most active in Italy - home to thousands of small and medium-sized enterprises.
"We were definitely not careful enough. However, I'm pretty sure that a psychological mechanism is activated, when we face disaster. It says: 'All this cannot possibly happen to us, and if it does, it will be in a much milder form,’” says Gori.
Unfortunately, as we all know, it went differently. The disaster occurred. The virus began to rage, and at some point in March, Bergamo’s hospitals could not accept more patients. They were simply rejected. "It was, to put it mildly, a scary situation,” says Gori.
The red zone that was missing
The first infected Italian came from Codogno, not far from Bergamo. The infection soon spread to the neighboring town of Alzano, and the two small towns, Alzano and Codogno, were quickly turned into red zones. They were shut down and all entry and exit were banned. The same plan was ready for Bergamo when the virus also started raging here. But the red zone was not established, and disaster happened. But why wasn’t the red zone established in Bergamo?
"When we first realized how fast the infection spread, I actually recommended the government to turn Bergamo into a red zone. But it did not happen, and to this day I actually do not know why,” he says.
The fact that Bergamo was not made a red zone has given rise to much controversy in Italy. Confindustria Bergamo (corresponding to Bergamo’s Chamber of Commerce, ed.) launched the slogan "Bergamo does not stop.” What's worse, the organization allegedly carried out a very aggressive lobbying campaign to thwart government plans to turn Bergamo into a red zone. This has been illustrated in the Italian TV-program "Report,” which is known for its accusatory and in-depth journalism. Subsequently, lawyer Luca Fusco founded the association “Noi Denunceremo” (We will accuse, ed.) in an attempt to find out why the red zone was not established in order to save lives. The association has a Facebook page with more than 66,000 followers, and approx. 600 of the association's members have filed a lawsuit against the region of Lombardy, where Bergamo is located.
“Virtually all families in Bergamo are marked by corona. I myself have lost my father. We do not want financial compensation. We want to find the political responsibility for not turning Bergamo into a red zone. It could have saved many lives,” says Fusco to PRIMO Magazine.
Gori confirms that pretty much everyone in Bergamo is either directly or indirectly affected by corona. "It also applies to myself. I have also lost people in my close family. I would probably say, that I have never experienced death at such a close range as I did last spring,” he says.
When God is mysterious
It is clear that Gori has been - and is - emotionally involved. Both as a mayor and as a private person. I ask him if he is a believer, and if the faith has helped him through the difficult period in the spring: “Yes, I am a devout Catholic, and I also practice my faith. Faith has certainly helped me to resist. I have often prayed for people I knew, who were infected with the virus. At the same time, I must add: I think it is very human to ask oneself why God allows all this? Why all the pain? In such a case, I perceive God as very mysterious,” he says.
At a certain point the discussion about the virus took a turn in Italy. After an initial emphasis on the disease and all the health dangers, you then started to focus on the economic difficulties.
“The epidemic, as we all know, has serious consequences on our overall economic situation. Not only in Italy but also elsewhere. I fear that there may even be a retreat of environmental values due to the fact that the focus is now on more material values. Today, after all this, people care less about air pollution or other environmental questions. Today, the basics are important – maintaining or finding work, salaries, the possibility of feeding your family. This, unfortunately, is a side effect of the coronavirus,” Gori says.
Have these months and the overall experiences after the corona storm in the spring given him a reason to make a more existential reflection?
"Yes, for sure. In general, we humans feel like masters of our own lives. We often regard science as an infallible instrument in relation to nature. You could say that we feel invincible. And all of a sudden something called corona appears. It makes us understand that we humans are, as a matter of fact, incredibly vulnerable. We are small. With corona, nature has simply put the relationship of power between man and nature into a very clear perspective,” says Gori.
Part of the story about the virus storm in Bergamo is also the famous photo of military trucks driving away with hundred of Bergamo’s citizens that died from the virus. A photo that went around the world.
"That photo hit us all hard. Me too. It was a photo with an incredibly emotional message, which perfectly illustrated what we had tried to explain to the world in words. It showed how serious the situation in Bergamo actually was, at the time. It may sound strange, but today I am actually grateful for the photo, which was taken by a Ryanair-steward from the balcony of his home. Because it helped us to tell the story of our dramatic situation, both abroad and to the government in Rome,” says Gori.
Half a year has passed since the dramatic events. What kind of city is Bergamo today?
"Bergamo is definitely a city that still licks its wounds. We have been down and now we have to show the world, that we are able to get up again. What has happened is impossible to forget. But Bergamo is a city carried forward by a rooted work culture. That culture is deep within us, and it will especially be the one that will carry us through the crisis and make us look ahead,” Gori concludes.
Who is Giorgio Gori?
Born in 1960 and trained as an architect from the Polytechnic Institute in Milan.
In his youth, he was politically active on the pro-reform left.
In 1980, he starts working at the TV-station Rete4. He later founded the company Magnolia, which produces TV-shows and formats for a number of Italian TV-channels.
In 2012, he re-entered politics and became a member of the Italian Social Democrats. In 2014 he was elected as Bergamo's mayor and in 2019 he was reconfirmed mayor for the second time.
Privately, he is married to TV-host Cristina Parodi, with whom he has two daughters and a son.
Covid Chronicles
SCHOOLS REOPEN IN ITALY
Illegal Immigrants, Mostly from the Balkans, Flood into Italy
- Former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi Tests Positive for Coronavirus
- The Birth of the Virgin Mary is Celebrated in Florence
- A Ferrari Festival Convenes in Florence
By Deirdre Pirro
Week 17 has come and gone and we are into Week 18 of partial lockdown in Florence.
School began for many pupils on 14th September. There was a chronic shortage, it was estimated, of well over 80,000 teachers. This number included teachers for special-needs students who, in most cases, because of this were unable to return to school on Monday with their friends. Some students were lucky because the teachers and parents had often worked up to the 11th hour getting the classrooms ready, often paying out of their own pockets to paint and sanitize the rooms. Many still lacked the individual desks (on wheels – a mystery why it was so necessary that they be on wheels?) promised by Minister of Education Lucia Azzolini, of the 5 Star Movement, a minister much contested by the opposition. Distancing on public transport remains a problem because of the peak-hour crush; despite the number of services being increased. Some schools lacked sufficient classrooms and students convened with teachers in gymnasiums, courtyards, marquees and even in churches and theaters, including the historic Pergola theater here in Florence. Yesterday, a taxi driver told me the class of his 16-year-old daughter, who attends a classical high school, has been split in two. One day is in the classroom the next day is distance learning from home. He was not a happy man.
Silvio Berlusconi, former Italian prime inister and leader of the Forza Italia party, was admitted to hospital in Milan after being diagnosed with the coronavirus on 3rd September. Two of his children also tested positive and are quarantining at home. They were all infected at an event on the Isle of Capri. He was discharged in good form on 14th September, in time to continue the electoral campaign for elections within some regional and city administrations, like Florence, next weekend.
Between mid-September and the end of the month, many companies and other individuals will have to make up to 270 payments to the Italian Inland Revenue Agency. Only 13 of these payments, many of which involve complicated procedures to complete, have been suspended owing to the pandemic. And they call this "simplification!" Road freight transporters are also alarmed as they fear an additional tax will be imposed on diesel fuel, although a final decision has yet to be made. Such a tax was the fuse that led to the explosion of the “yellow vests” movement in France.
About illegal immigrants, they continue to arrive in droves. A newspaper remarked a few days ago that the government managed to shut down the discotheques but seems incapable of closing the ports. But the ports are not the only problem. In Friuli-Venezia Giulia, the city of Udine has had a 300 percent increase in the arrival of illegal immigrants from the Balkans who declare they are underage when they arrive in Italy. The question is how many of them are actually minors? Many are strongly suspected of being over 25 years old. They declare they are under 18, so they will not be refused entry into the country or have to undergo medical tests like swabbing. To encourage this situation even more, the so-called Welcome Centers receive more money for minors than for the average individual. In other words, they are profitable.
Here, in Florence, to the children's delight, the “Rificolona,” celebrating the birth of the Virgin Mary, took place on 7th September and is a favorite procession on the which in normal times moves from Piazza Santa Felicita to Piazza Santissima Annunziata. This year, the children carried the home-made or store-bought paper lanterns to one of the eleven piazzas made available by the city or to public gardens like the one under our apartment. The tradition dates back to the Middle Ages when peasant farmers used lanterns, with the flame protected by a covering, to illuminate their long walk into town the night before the feast day. They came not only to pray but to sell their produce after the summer harvest.
Bigger kids also had a reason for celebrating when, on 11th and 12th September, Florence was swathed in red to celebrate Ferrari cars and their 1,000th race in Formula 1 at the Mugello Circuit not far from Florence, the weekend before. Two days of festivities were held in Piazza della Signoria with guests from the motor sports' world and a gala dinner for 500 VIP invitees. Several iconic Ferraris were on display and, at night, the Town Hall, the fountain and statues were lit up in red. Unfortunately, the Ferrari team is currently on a losing streak but it takes much more than this for fans to abandon the prancing horse...
Stay healthy and safe... Deirdre
Editor’s Note: Deirdre Pirro writes for PRIMO and provides new and original translations of excerpted works from English to Italian. She has written two books, now on sale through PRIMO. The first is “Italian Sketches - The Faces of Modern Italy,” a book about the most influential Italians in the arts, science and statecraft this past century. The second is “Politica e Prosa” a new book of translations in collaboration with PRIMO’s publisher and editor Truby Chiaviello. If interested, please log on to our Books Page here.
A LEGAL VICTORY IN PHILADELPHIA
Court Orders That The Columbus Statue Cannot Be Removed Until Legal Pleas Exhausted
“Defendants are prohibited from removing or otherwise altering the Christopher Columbus statue…”
From what had been a terrible setback two days prior came a stunning victory today for Philadelphia Italians and their legal team, led by George Bochetto.
In Friends of Marconi Plaza, et al, versus City of Philadelphia, the Court of Common Pleas ruled in favor of the Italians' emergency motion to stop Mayor Jim Kenney from removing the Columbus statue at Marconi Plaza, pending legal appeals. The ruling came today on September 17 “This should serve to provide protection for many, many months to come, perhaps more than a year,” said Bochetto. “By the way, I am very optimistic we will win the appeal. “
Just two days ago, on September 15, the prospects looked grim for Philadelphia Italians when Judge Patrick ruled against their injunction to stop the statue’s removal. Barbara Capozzi, a lawyer and real estate professional in Philadelphia, working with Bochetto and others, issued an “alert” via email and social media. “Everyone should know that the Kenney administration may choose to seize upon this order and try to immediately tear down the Statue," she said. "We will do everything legally we can, but as of now there is no stay."
She claimed, "Since our appeal with L&I Review Board is still pending, we believe it would be illegal for the Kenney administration to tear down the statue until our appeal rights are exhausted, but they will try to take the opposite position."
Capozzi then announced to all Philadelphia Italians, especially those in the area of Marconi Plaza and south side to please "be on the alert - we will need to get a crowd - without weapons - to the statue - the minute we hear of any action" at the site.
Today, however, came a reversal of fortune for Mayor Kenny and a ray of needed hope for the Italians. The statue remains - for now - where it has been since 1982, inside Marconi Plaza, the western half of the park at Broad and 20th street in Philadelphia. Albeit covered in plywood and out of public view, the statue was sculpted by Emanuele Caroni and first unveiled in 1876 in Philadelphia to commemorate the country’s centennial. The motion to stay gives more time for Bochetto to push forward his case that the City Trusts, not the mayor and city council, should decide the statue’s fate.
Editor’s Note: If you would like to help George Bochetto and Friends of Marconi Plaza in their continuing legal battle to retain the Columbus statue in Philadelphia, please send donations made payable to George Bochetto at 1524 Locust Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19102.
Op-Ed
COLUMBUS: A HERO
Christopher Columbus, The Greatest Hero of the Fifteenth & Sixteenth Centuries (as Revealed by the Primary Historical Sources)
“Christopher Columbus stands for everything they stand against.”
By Robert Petrone, Esq.
Have you ever -- even once -- asked yourself where this current, fashionable narrative came from, that Christopher Columbus was a racist, rapist, murderer, slave-driver and genocidal maniac? Have you ever looked into finding out the answer to that question? A good chance exists that your answer to one, if not both of those questions, is a resounding "no." That is precisely what the Columbus detractors are banking on in perpetuating their false narrative against him.
As an attorney, historian and professional researcher, I have asked myself that question and have looked into it, on a deep, methodical and scholarly level. In fact, I was enlisted to do so by THE Philadelphia City Council when they received a petition from a local member of the bar to eliminate the municipal holiday of Christopher Columbus Day -- as over 60 U.S. cities had already done. He shall remain anonymous in this article -- let's call him "Mr. Coarse." But suffice it to say he has characterized himself in a local news-outlet interview as a "Socialist ideolog[ue]" and "aveng[er of his] enslaved ancestors" who, oddly, is admittedly "scared sh**less of statues." In that same interview, he also expressed his opinion that "[t]here are no 'good cops'" and revealed that those who know him understandably may be "surprised to know" his secret: "I don't hate all white people" (See Phillymag.com "News and Opinion" article of August 35, 2018, entitled "One of Us" by Victor Fiorillo). The splenetic "Mr. Coarse" buttressed his polemic petition with the usual lies about Christopher Columbus being a racist, rapist, genocidal maniac, et cetera. He purported to support those lies with the usual hackneyed hack-job and out-of-context pseudo-quotes of Columbus's own writings. The reader is undoubtedly familiar with these pseudo-quotes: those so carefully crafted with strategic use of ellipses to twist portions of Columbus's own correspondences to create the false impression that he means the exact opposite of what he actually said, and that are plastered ubiquitously across the Big-Tech-controlled internet.
At the request of City Council to investigate the calumnious claims of "Mr. Coarse," I reread the primary historical sources, this time in their original 15th century Spanish. These included the seminal, three-volume “Historia de las Indias” (History of the [West] Indies) by Friar Bartolomé de las Casas, who was appointed by both the Crown of Spain and the Church as "Protector of the Indians." De las Casas's account, written contemporaneously with the Spanish settlement of the West Indies -- and, importantly, very critically of his own countrymen's violent and anti-Christian deeds in that endeavor -- is the closest account in existence to having been recorded by the indigenes themselves. I also read the epistolary account of Columbus's Second Voyage written by Dr. Diego Chanca, effectively the surgeon general of the West Indies, and Columbus's own journals, which have been publicly available in English for nearly two centuries.
All of the primary sources dovetailed in one important regard: They show, unequivocally and irrefutably, that Christopher Columbus was none of the epithets with which his detractors repeatedly characterize him. Rather, in addition to his well-known feat of bringing to light to the rest of the world the existence of the Americas and its inhabitants, Christopher Columbus actively fought against the rampant racism, rape, murder, enslavement and genocide committed by his arch-nemeses, the Spanish hidalgos (low, landed nobles). Consequently, Christopher Columbus became the first civil rights activist of the Americas and the founder of Western Culture in the New World, making him, beyond cavil, the greatest hero of the 15th and 16th centuries.
This is precisely why Columbus's detractors -- a sinister axis of cultural majoritarians that includes radical leftists, post-modernists, neo-Marxists and globalists -- hate him; because Christopher Columbus stands for everything they stand against. That is, he was a devout Roman Catholic who valued and successfully fought for the welfare of all human lives; brought the existence of the Americas to the rest of the planet; and established the "trinity" of Western Culture in the Americas: (1) Judeo-Christian ethics and morals; (2) Greco-Roman democracy and law; and (3) the benefits of self-sovereignty, which in turn include civil rights, personal responsibility and the demos of capital.
“The Philadelphia Inquirer,” in this spirit of cultural majoritarianism, has recently and repeatedly attempted several journalistic kill-shots at Christopher Columbus. As my own name surfaced as a local expert in the history of Columbus and his voyages, the Inquirer attempted the same at me, claiming that no historians supported my characterization of Columbus as the greatest hero of the post-medieval era and first civil rights activist of the Americas. The Inquirer was wrong, of course, and seems to have quietly removed the article from the internet without a formal retraction or apology. To add insult to injury, my multiple correspondences to Inquirer Managing Editor of the Op-Ed section, Sandra Shea, requesting to provide a historically-accurate counter-narrative, were repeatedly ignored by her.
Yet, anyone who has actually read the primary sources -- not the internet's reimagining of them -- concurs with my characterization. For instance, Stanford Professor Emeritus Carol Delaney, who left her tenured university position to dedicate 10 years of her life to travel the world in the study of Columbus artifacts in order to write her book “Columbus and the Quest for Jerusalem” -- and who is truly an unparalleled world-expert on Christopher Columbus -- agrees that all the tired calumny repeatedly levied against him is simply a collection of lies. "[H]e's been terribly maligned," she wrote of Columbus, by revisionists who are "blaming [him] for things he didn't do." And that, dear reader, is the reason for this exposé.
In the months to come, I, with the help of Broad + Liberty, will continue bring you a series of articles about Christopher Columbus to put to rest these lies of the cultural majoritarians. Following this introduction, my first substantive article on the man will chronicle Columbus's birth and early life, putting a real, human face on the near-mythical historical figure Columbus has become. The subsequent articles will detail his First, Second, Third and Fourth Voyages; the world-changing events they spawned; his lifelong and tireless civil rights activism on behalf of the indigenes of the New World; and his continued efforts to his dying day as their champion. Should you honor me by continuing to the end of this series, it will conclude with an account of the civil rights legacy his life and efforts spawned through those that proudly modeled themselves after "the illustrious Genoese" Christopher Columbus, the first civil rights activist of the Americas, our first Founding Father and the greatest hero of the 15th and 16th centuries.
Covid Chronicles
CORONAVIRUS CASES INCREASED IN SUMMER IN ITALY
The Government Faces Criticism from Opposition Parties
By Deirdre Pirro
This is the end of the sixteenth week of still partial lockdown in Florence.
Like in other parts of Europe, contagion rates are increasing again in Italy. This is because people returning from vacations outside the country have been infected and so swabs have now been ordered at most major airports and are available voluntarily at ports and stations. The other reason is that young people seem to believe they are immune simply because they are young and so, despite warnings, continue to assemble in large gatherings in the pizza parlors or discotheques, often unmasked. As of 17th August, the government has shut down all indoor and outdoor discotheques, night clubs and dance halls. Furthermore, face masks are obligatory between 6 pm and 6 am in outdoor areas that are open to the public such as in the piazzas, on the streets, or at the seaside where people gather. In the past months, Sardinia which had been relatively free from the coronavirus is now experiencing a sharp rise in positive cases due to the recent influx of summer vacationers.
This week, the major political hot potato is whether Italian schools will be able to open again on 14th September, the beginning of the scholastic year throughout most of the country. This is a real acid test for the Italian government and it is well aware that if it botches this one, its popularity and electoral chances will plummet. Meanwhile, the opposition is calling for the Minister of Education Lucia Azzolini of the 5 Star Movement to resign. They say she has done too little, too late to ensure that schools will open in safety. Major issues needed to be solved and, as yet, there is little evidence that they have been. These included whether pupils needed to be masked during class and whether their temperatures should be taken on entry into the school buildings or, as the government wants, at home before they leave for school with all the uncertainties that would cause. Public transport is another huge problem because of the distancing required and the number of students who use buses, trains, or trams to get to and from school. Last but not least, individual desks will be needed that are well spaced between them whereas, in pre-Covid times, students sat in pairs at their desks.
Mystery surrounds the 11 companies that have been awarded the contracts to manufacture these new desks prompting the president of the Confindustria, the influential association of Italian industries, to say that there was “a kind of state secret around a public tender.” You can't help but wonder why. Furthermore, many school buildings in Italy, a large number of which were built before 1947, are old, cramped and in bad repair. Added to all this, one of the largest teachers' unions has estimated there is shortfall of 85,000 teachers. Also, contingency plans have been made should there be an outbreak of the virus in any of the schools. Critics of the government decry “a topography of absurdity.” Perhaps, this is why Prime Minister Conte has been strangely absent from on our television screens lately. I think he socially distancing himself!
A political revolution also took place in mid-August when the 5 Star Movement, which has governed in two very different coalitions since 2018, called upon its membership to vote on two key issues on Rousseau, its controversial on-line platform. The first was to modify the Movement's regulation to allow municipal candidates to stand for a third mandate and second, that they could do so in alliance with traditional parties, both previously prohibited under its original charter. The rumor is that this is to allow Virginia Raggi to run again as Rome's mayor, despite many Romans considering her to be among the worse first citizens the city has ever had. These results caused a rumpus with traditionalists within the Movement while the opposition brands the Movement with sacrificing its ideology to become a traditional party simply intent on maintaining its hold on power and privileges.
With hordes of illegal immigrants continuing to arrive in Sicily, according to its governor, Nello Musumeci, the island has been turned into a kind of concentration camp for squalid contagion hotspots euphemistically called “welcome centers.” A gentleman in the finest Sicilian tradition, Musumeci has locked swords with the central government because the situation is at breaking point. He accuses it of being uncooperative and of trying to label a serious health crisis as a racist issue. He wants all these hotspots closed down and the immigrants sent to better places. Should the government fail to act, which is more than likely, his only alternative will be to go before the courts. In the meantime, these people are living in appalling conditions exposed to risks far greater than the ones they left behind them. The island of Lampedusa is in a similar situation. In desperation, the mayor announced that the whole island would go on a general strike if the government does not take action.
Here, in Florence, in an attempt to help businesses and encourage shopping and eating out, the city council has allowed greater traffic access to the historic center from 4 pm until midnight Monday through Friday and has made about 1,500 low-cost parking spots available until 30th September.
Craving entertainment, I thought I would attend the annual New Generation Festival in Florence. Because of the Covid-19 lockdown, the festival was aptly renamed the ReGeneration Festival. Lasting four days, from August 26 to 29, it was held in the city’s magnificent Boboli Gardens and free to the public. The program included opera, orchestral music, jazz, and classical chamber music for 500 socially distanced spectators each evening. I desperately tried to book a seat to see Rossini's opera La Cenerentola, to open and close the festival. I failed on both counts. I must have been Number 501. My only consolation was to sit out on my terrace in the evening and watch the 1981 La Scala production of it on YouTube. I can only hope I'll have better luck next year...
Stay healthy and safe... Deirdre
Editor’s Note: Photographs include the Arno River on a bright, sunny day; the statue “The Rape of the Sabine Women,” by Giambologna and located in the Loggia della Signoria in Florence; the Fountain of Neptune by Bartolomeo Ammannati and located in the Piazza della Signoria; and the statue of “Perseus with the Head of Medusa,” by Benvenuto Cellini and located in the Loggia dei Lanzi in Florence.
Game Changer
ATTORNEY GEORGE BOCHETTO CLAIMS MAYOR HAS NO JURISDICTION TO REMOVE THE COLUMBUS STATUE IN PHILADELPHIA
The Columbus Statue at Marconi Plaza was Gifted in Trust
“…it would certainly appear that the City Trusts has the authority…”
George Bochetto has done a remarkable job as the pro bono lawyer representing the Friends of Marconi Plaza. He continues an extraordinary legal effort to stop the removal of the Columbus statue by Mayor Jim Kenney in Philadelphia.
Bochetto has done enormous research to make his case. He went back to when the statue was unveiled in 1876 and beyond; more than 150 years ago to a law that officially established the City Trusts in Philadelphia. The attorney, a founding partner of the law firm Bochetto/Lentz, has come away convinced that Mayor Jim Kenny and the respective city arts and history commissions have no jurisdiction in the current matter. Rather, it is the City Trusts, not the mayor or city council, who must maintain the Columbus statue for public viewing. As such, the plywood boards that now hide the statue must be taken down immediately.
In a letter submitted today to Joseph P. Bilson, executive director of City Trusts in Philadelphia, Bochetto stated that the organization comprising some 115 non-profit trusts must immediately take over management of the Columbus statue. That the original intention of those who gave the statue to Philadelphia was for the City Trusts, not the mayor and city council, to oversee and manage the large sculpture. “By way of my new-found knowledge and familiarity with the Statue,” Bochetto writes, “and the documents accompanying its donation, it has come to my attention that the Statue was gifted to the City of Philadelphia in 1876 and left in trust to be publicly displayed.”
Public trusts, also known as “Sundry Trusts,” were first introduced in 1739, some 37 years prior to the Revolutionary War. These non-profits were put in place to ensure the survival of clinics, schools, parades and other endeavors. After the Civil War, a law was passed in Philadelphia detailing the rights and responsibilities of public trusts, renamed as City Trusts.
Bochetto reviewed the original writing of the law from 1869. He writes, “that the City Trusts may unilaterally extend its purview to adopt the (Columbus) Statue and from thereon manage and care for it in accordance with the intentions of the benefactors.”
The Christopher Columbus Monument Association officially gave the statue of Columbus to Philadelphia on October 12, 1876. According to Bochetto, “The intentions…can be easily gleaned from letters and records dating back to the 1800s that have been preserved by the City.”
He highlights a letter dated September 28, 1876 by Nunzio Finelli, president of the Christopher Columbus Monument Association, who invited “the Philadelphia Fairmont Park Commission to join the Statue unveiling ceremony and accept the gift on behalf of the City.”
Preserved for historical research by the city archives are many old letters and other documents. Bochetto reviewed dozens of written correspondences, some of which date back 150 years.
“It would certainly appear that the City Trusts has the authority to extend its governance over the Christopher Columbus Statue at Marconi Plaza and take on the control and management responsibilities of the Statue to ensure the intentions of the benefactors are followed,” Bochetto says in his letter to Bilson. “Accordingly, may I respectfully request the information related to the process involved with expanding the City Trusts’ purview to include the Christopher Columbus Statue at Marconi Plaza.”
With City Trusts in charge of the Columbus Statue for purposes of public viewing, it seems highly unlikely that the statue is to be removed any time soon.
Editor’s Note: Pictured is attorney George Bochetto, the statue of Columbus at Marconi Plaza and what it looks like today boarded up by the city. If you would like to help George Bochetto and Friends of Marconi Plaza in their continuing legal battle to retain the Columbus statue in Philadelphia, please send donations made payable to George Bochetto at 1524 Locust Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19102.
COLUMBUS IS A POSITIVE ROLE MODEL
Look to Columbus When Following One’s Dreams
“If we stop and truly look at history, we will see that Christopher Columbus is deserving of our gratitude…”
By Frances Uzzi
“You’ll never make it.” “Don’t bother trying.” “Forget it.”
These are tough words to hear at any age; but ones we have all heard one time or another in our lives. Perhaps this why from the time we are kids we are taught to believe in the opposite: to persevere, not give up and work to accomplish our goals. One person in history that exemplified these ideals was Christopher Columbus; but unfortunately in today’s world his memory and importance are being diminished. This is why, as a proud Italian American, I felt compelled to write this article.
All around our country beautiful statues of Christopher Columbus are violently being torn down, as streets and city landmarks are being renamed to remove any “Columbus” identification. If we stop and truly look at history, we will see that Christopher Columbus is deserving of our gratitude, and someone who can serve as a positive example both now and for generations to come. When Christopher Columbus first made his plans to sail West across the Atlantic known in the late 1400s, he was turned down by many people and countries, and no doubt heard some of those “you’ll never make it” messages. He did not give up, however, and eventually set sail on those three famous ships we all know today. These important values of perseverance and hard work are the same we instill and reinforce in our children today. The notion of following our dreams is the very fabric of American life. Just like Columbus, we may encounter bumps along the way; but if we follow through we will come out on the other end.
Columbus was indeed the first person to discover a sailing route from Europe to the Americas, and this remains one of the great feats for all time. His landing in the Americas was a turning point in history, and one that allowed for a connection between continents and peoples that did not exist before. His expeditions and discoveries led to what is now known as the “Columbian Exchange,” where everything from animals to food was exchanged between the “Old World” of Europe, Africa, and Asia and the “New World” of the Americas. This exchange forever altered the course of history, and nations all around the globe were introduced to new goods, people, and ideas.
We often hear today of the negative way Columbus and other Europeans treated the native people in the new lands they discovered, and there is no doubt some truth to this. However, we must not rewrite history and negate all that Columbus accomplished. Certain customs and behaviors acceptable in the 1400s and early 1500s we would most certainly not find acceptable today. It is crucial for anyone looking into history and deciding how they view Columbus (or any historical figure) to look at the norms and customs of the time period. Again, just like on our own journey, mistakes can be made, but that doesn’t mean we should dismiss everything else we have accomplished.
As we approach the Italian heritage month of October and the holiday, I look forward, as always, to celebrate Columbus Day in America. I hope this article inspires people towards a greater understanding about the importance of Christopher Columbus so more of the wonderful statues and cities in his honor will continue to stand. I also hope this article serves as a source of pride and reinforcement for all Italian Americans; that we should be proud of our heritage, and happy to celebrate such an important person in history.
Editor’s Note: The writer resides in New Jersey. Pictured is a lithograph made in 1993 by John Duillio titled “Christopher Columbus and Queen Isabella.” The artwork was a gift from the National Italian American Foundation to the Smithsonian American Art Museum, where it can be seen today in Washington, D.C.
WHO ARE WE TO JUDGE COLUMBUS?
Historic Figures Should Not Be Appraised by the Evolving Code of Ethics of Future Generations
- Monuments and statues are symbolic inspirations for reflection.
By Vincent Arena
The men and women hellbent on the removal of monuments shouldn't be judged in the years to come. Likewise, they themselves should refrain from casting judgment on figures of yesteryears. If anyone is to be branded revolutionaries, rebels, anarchist or political agitators, let the people grasping the iron be an impanelment of their peers, attuned to the vast assortment of the day's ideologies.
What I write today isn't to sway the judgment I call upon, but simply to recite an individual’s perspective. I come from a society where individualism and freedom to voice one's opinion was celebrated. Not a place where the volume of one's word's is meant to outweigh its content and drown out opposition. The First Amendment granted us this fundamental right, and I impel the people to take advantage of it before it's pulled from beneath our feet.
I don’t view our monuments as solely honorific, but multi-purposed. When I had learned of the suffering of past generations, whether it were a byproduct of racial, ethnic, economic or gender inequality, I viewed it with appreciation. I didn’t contemptuously disregard them or question their existence. How could I? It was in those pieces of history that I was able to fully grasp the progress we had made. Our past is what we learn and grow from. To erase it places us at risk of unwittingly repeating it.
A large part of the pride I carry as an Italian American isn’t in the accomplishments of my forebears but in the hardships they have endured and all that was overcome. We have suffered the largest recorded lynching in American history. Dealt with derogatory and debasing stereotypes from the moment the first shiploads of southern Italians arrived stateside. We have felt social injustices and marched for civil rights. We were share croppers and day laborers working amidst harrowing conditions. Yet we persevered to become contributors of the arts, culture and physical structure of our adopted land. The struggle built character. To better understand I’d like to delve deeper into our past to pay further homage to our ancestors.
Our affiliation with the glory of Rome made us feel capable. To this day we stare wide-eyed at the Colosseum. We don't speak of the disenfranchised gladiators and call for an immediate teardown of each and every reminder of the ancient world. Religion, too, has been a notable cause of continuous bloodshed. Though if we were to dwell on the losses we would forget the countless lives those same religious beliefs have saved. When does it all end? When is enough enough? When do we recognize that our history is what created the strength and fortitude that gradually integrated into our DNA. Without remembering our past, our future would have been a plateaued existence.
Monuments and statues are symbolic inspirations for reflection. To denounce an historic figure, for example, such as Christopher Columbus, is an unfair attack on the foundation of this great nation. When five centuries have passed, we are no longer in position to properly gauge or interpret a man’s thoughts or actions, let alone hold him accountable to the opposing standards of today. This age of insecurity, self-hatred and over dramatized cries of victimization is ravaging this country. I believe it is our duty to set an example by letting our voices be heard.
Editor’s Note: Mr. Arena is a freelance writer. The photograph depicts the statue of Christopher Columbus lifted by crane on June 24, 2020 and removed from Wooster Square Park in New Haven, Connecticut. The statue was donated by the United Italian Societies and first erected in 1892, and later recast in bronze in 1955. The city has placed the statue in storage.
IN DEFENSE OF COLUMBUS
The Writer, a Native of Pittsburgh, Asks, “Where is the Outrage?”
Columbus is worthy of praise and monuments
- “Let us not allow the bad to conquer the good by denying our rightful history.”
By Joseph T. Ferruzza
In light of the recent events in Maryland, Ohio, Kentucky and Massachusetts, the question has to be asked, “Where is the outrage?” The anarchists, insurrectionists, and history revisionists have all desecrated or torn down statues of Christopher Columbus. Instead of constantly hearing the voices of the anarchist and insurrectionist mobs, why is there no competing voices of historical knowledge and reason raised in our hero’s defense? The following message is more relevant now than ever before.
In defense of Christopher Columbus:
The Spreading of Catholicism. Christopher Columbus’ devotion to God and His Church is without question. He was, without a doubt, the driving force behind the rooting of the Roman Catholic Church in the New World.
The Courage of His Convictions. Columbus knew the world was a globe with unfathomable opportunities. This courage to tackle the unknown, against all odds, is comparable to America’s early pioneers and today’s astronauts.
His Steadfastness to Overcome Obstacles. In spite of all odds such as a lack of financing, ridicule, mutiny and persecution, Columbus never wavered in his belief in God and his mission of destiny.
Great Men and Their Flaws. The history of the world is rife with men and women we cite as great and pay homage with statues and monuments. To suggest that the depiction of a historical figure such as Columbus should be removed from public view because of what some believe are his flaws, can only be viewed as an attempt to re-write history. To deny our history is a crime against our fellow men and women and those who follow us.
I believe all good Americans sympathize with the plight of racial injustice. However, we should be very careful to not join forces with those who never lose an opportunity to ride on the backs of the oppressed and move forward with their ultimate goals to bring this country down. We should not to join forces with those who attack our liberty and those who profess the ideologies that have been tossed on the scrap heap of history such as Socialism, Communism and Fascism.
Even one of God’s favorites - King David - one of history’s most celebrated leaders, had very serious flaws that often plague ordinary men. We are all human, after all. Hopefully, our good deeds outweigh the bad. Let us not allow the bad to conquer the good by denying our rightful history.
Editor’s Note: The writer is the former president of the Pittsburgh chapter of the Knights of Columbus and a member of the Sons and Daughters of Italy in America, Frank Ricco Lodge #731. The photograph shows the Columbus statue in Schenley Park, Pittsburgh. Erected in 1958, the bronze statue and granite pedestal was made by Frank Vittor, an Italian immigrant who sculpted this and other masterful works in the city and elsewhere in the Midwest. Recently, the arts commission of Pittsburgh held a public hearing on the removal of the statue.
Covid Chronicles
CORONAVIRUS CASES SLIGHTLY RISE IN ITALY
Is Another Lockdown to Come?
By Deirdre Pirro
This is the end of the fifteenth week of now partial lockdown in Florence.
There has been an unwelcome increase of cases of contagion in the last week or so and we have been told another lockdown is “inevitable” if this continues. Most of these cases have been provoked by people returning from vacations in places where Covid-19 restrictions are laxer. The Italian Ministry of Health has made testing mandatory for travelers returning to Italy in the last 14 days from Croatia, Greece, Malta and Spain.
This week began – yes, you guessed it – with yet another Prime Minister's decree, this time imaginatively called, the August decree. In passing the 115-article decree, the government had to make a budgetary slippage of 25 million euro. In it, the regulations about social distancing, wearing masks in closed space and the prohibition on people assembling, the no-spectators at football matches rule and the continued monitoring of discotheques were confirmed. Rail transport was in chaos for 48 hours when it was announced that trains would resume full capacity travel when this was almost immediately revoked by the Health and Transport Ministers.
Other main provisions provide for an extension of the redundancy fund and a stop to dismissals. This latter provision was criticized because it may cause future social havoc as it appears more welfare than a stimulus measure. Some tax relief and assistance for companies were conceded and yet again, another series of bonuses were provided, if you ever manage to navigate the paperwork required, for things like babysitters, bicycles, restaurants and holidays.
A few days ago, the prime minister and six of his ministers were advised, based on the presentation of numerous complaints from various parts of the country, that they are under investigation for the way they handled the initial stages of the coronavirus emergency. However, the Public Prosecutor's Office has indicated it believes these accusations are unfounded and the case will probably be archived.
Because the constant flow of illegal immigrants continues, Prime Minister Conte finally broke his silence on the subject and stated that Italy could not “tolerate” that these people illegally enter the county, thereby undermining the sacrifices we have made in combating Covid-19, especially when they attempt and often succeed in escaping without undergoing health examinations, as has been occurring. Trouble is, he made no mention of how this non-tolerance policy will be implemented.
Scandal hit the Italian Parliament when a newspaper revealed that five parliamentarians had applied to INPS, the national social security institute, for the 600 euro (later raised to 1,000 euro) a month bonus (another one!) aimed to assist struggling self-employed workers and those with a VAT code during the crisis. Although this was not illegal because the provision had been so badly drafted, it was considered morally and ethically wrong because senators are paid approximately 14,600 euro a month while those in the lower house receive about 13,900 euro. Three of these individuals received payment but their names are still a mystery because INPS uses the excuse that the privacy laws prevent them from disclosing them. What we do know is that two are from the Lega party and one from the 5 Star Movement. Evidence has yet to emerge how many elected representatives at regional and municipal levels have made similar applications. The effect this will have on the constitutional referendum of 20th and 21st September 2020 asking Italians if they wish to decrease the numbers of parliamentarians or not will be interesting.
In Tuscany this week, wine produces heaved a huge collective sigh of relief. Thankfully, the U.S. government has announced it will not impose an additional tariff on Italian wine. This is important because the American market is fundamental for the Tuscan wine industry representing, for example, 35 percent of exports of Brunello di Montalcino and 20 percent of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano.
Here, in Florence, August is the traditional month when many Florentines take their annual summer vacation, but this year because of the pandemic many, like us, opted to stay at home. This meant we were able to enjoy the special events the city offers at this time every year. The first, on 10th August, was the Feast Day of San Lorenzo when, in the evening, we all gazed skywards to watch the Perseids meteor shower of falling stars, called San Lorenzo's tears, and made a wish. But, there was no historic court parade through town nor the usual street party in the San Lorenzo quarter of town near the basilica which is always accompanied by music, dancing, free lasagna and watermelon. Hopefully, next year...
On August 11th, it was the anniversary of the liberation of Florence in 1944 from Nazi and Fascist soldiers who occupied the city during World War II. At dawn on that morning 76 years ago, the Martinella bell called the Florentines out onto the streets to fight and the “battle of Florence” began. It continued until September when the last German troops left the city, opening the way for the Allied forces to advance. The bell rang again this year from the Torre di Arnolfo of Palazzo Vecchio as it does every year, but now in commemoration and celebration.
Stay healthy and safe... Deirdre
Editor’s Note: Deirdre Pirro writes for PRIMO and provides new and original translations of excerpted works from English to Italian. She has written two books, now on sale through PRIMO. The first is “Italian Sketches - The Faces of Modern Italy,” a book about the most influential Italians in the arts, science and statecraft this past century. The second is “Politica e Prosa” a new book of translations in collaboration with PRIMO’s publisher and editor Truby Chiaviello. If interested, please log on to our Books Page here.
ITALIAN CULINARY EDUCATION SUFFERS UNDER CORONAVIRUS RESTRICTIONS
Gruppo Italiano Seeks Ways to Help Italian Chefs and Restaurant Managers of the Future What can schools do when human interaction - a key part of education - is now banned by government?
Pictured, clockwise, Dr. Joyce Brown, Fabio Parasecoli, Lisa Sasson, Gianfranco Sorrentino, Andrea Sinigaglia and Rick Smilow
Let us salute Gruppo Italiano! The non-profit organization, with a mission to promote authentic Italian food and wine, is trying to a find a way forward in this pandemic desert; but it’s not easy. Restaurateurs face ruin. There are just too many government restrictions to overcome. And for what? To alleviate the danger of a virus with a 99 percent survival rate.
Everyone wants to have fun. Everyone wants to go out. Except today’s government class. Were they ever joyful? More laws, more measures, more decrees, more mandates. Basta!
Gruppo Italiano conceived Italian Table Talks. They used to meet in person. Cocktails were served afterward. They convened a series of talks on the latest issues and trends concerning Italian food and wine. Top figures in the Italian culinary arts share views and opinions. Topics ranged from the love of Italian grains to what defines “authentic” Italian food. Then came March and contagion. The focus changed. One word: Survival. How restaurants and eateries could stay afloat. The worst of government seeks to mitigate the effects of coronavirus. Everyone is adversely affected, including education.
The title for the video linked session, on Monday, August 23, was “Class Dismissed: Reimagining Culinary Institutes and Food Studies.” The event was moderated by Fabio Parasecoli, professor of Food Studies in the Nutrition and Food Studies Department at New York University. Guests included Dr. Joyce Brown, president of the Fashion Institute of Technology, Lisa Sasson, Associate Dean of Global Affairs and Experiential Learning and a clinical professor at New York University’s Department of Nutrition and Food Studies, Rick Smilow, CEO of the Institute of Culinary Education and, from Italy, Andrea Sinigaglia, general manager of ALMA, The International School of Italian Cuisine.
The current president of Gruppo Italiano, Gianfranco Sorrentino, began the webinar. Managing Partner of Il Gattopardo Group, a conglomerate of Italian restaurants in New York and elsewhere, he opened the session declaring that, “1 billion students worldwide have been affected by Covid-19.” Sorrentino is Neapolitan and, as such, lives for the human touch. The idea of a virtual world is especially frustrating for him and other Italians. He said, “As many students, parents and teachers are discovering, there is a human need for face-to-face interaction. One of the reasons we go to restaurants: To dine and to see other people.”
He turned the meeting over to Fabio Parasecoli to moderate. A unique scholar, Parasecoli seeks to bridge the gap between gastronomy and political science. He published several books on the topic. He conveyed a theme for the webinar. “We don’t know what will happen to school and school programs,” he said. “Culinary schools, now operating, will be different in the future. What kind of skills to teach our students with this disruption in the food system?”
Asked to comment about the state of education was Dr. Joyce Brown, president of the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York. Although the name signifies an exclusive education on apparel design and clothing, FIT also teaches the fine arts, illustration and technical design. Seeking to manage a university of nearly 8,000 undergraduate students in a time of pandemic is challenging and perplexing. “There has been a confluence of events and a need for quick decision,” she said. “Many people look to institutions for answers. Yet, those answers are not available because the ground has shifted so much since the pandemic.” Dr. Brown admitted to upheaval in the fashion industry prior to coronavirus. “Before the pandemic,” she said, “the retail industry was in trouble. According to polls, 65 percent of American families will spend less on apparel. The luxury market will shrink. We need new models and a different set of expectations.” She is committed to the school’s mission. “In spite of pandemic,” she said, “institutions have to retain focus and respond to the needs of students and industry.”
When asked if the pandemic has affected food and nutrition classes at NYU, Lisa Sasson pivoted. She addressed the recent riots and demonstrations that came about after the death of George Floyd by police officers in Minneapolis. “BLM (Black Lives Matter) has made us aware of critical issues,” she said. “Curriculum will be enhanced to include food advocacy, food justice and food equality. Food is more than just eating; its about taking care of the environment” and other social issues. She said, “Most people suffering Covid have pre-existing conditions,” and we need to focus more on nutrition to help them and others in society build a tolerance to diseases and infections.
Rick Smilow was asked about the morale of students at his culinary institute. He answered, “I have not heard many careers changed for students. Their goals are still in place.” Classes at the culinary institute begin this week. “Most students want to come back,” he said. “We are doing all things higher education is supposed to do. We couldn’t teach cooking online but we can teach restaurant management on line.” As for the spread of the disease, Mr. Smilow said, “We have seen, thus far, zero indication that our students are getting coronavirus in school or bringing it to the school.”
Andrea Sinigaglia joined late in the webinar because of technical difficulties. When coronavirus came to Italy, he said, schools were “forced to close all programs and undergo strict sanitary protocol. Local governments decided what schools could open and what schools could not.” Many students were from outside of Italy. He said, “Foreign students are not coming. All foreign students returned home.”
Parasecoli asked his guests about virtual learning. What are schools doing when human interaction - a key part of education - is now banned by government?
Dr. Brown said that FIT has invested more money in new technology to make education fully remote in the foreseeable future. Lisa Sasson shared her experience in creating a virtual class that took students on a culinary journey through Italy. “Food is a lens to better understand Italy,” she said. “The Mediterranean diet is the focus. Everything had to be interactive. We had two culinary classes structured to feel like an in-person experience. Virtually, the teacher could look at the students’ dishes and provide feedback. We visited Italian farms and wineries in real time. We were able to introduce the owners to students.”
As to whether or not schools can retain a full faculty in a time of pandemic, Dr. Brown said, “We are public and not a tuition model. We are supported by the state and city. We are not sure how the pandemic will impact our budget. Enrollment issues are probably not answerable today. Students have not yet made their financial commitment. Until they pay their actual tuition, there is no way to tell.”
Smilow said, “If we can remain open, we can have classes.” He commended the Payment Protection Plan that provided low interest loans and grants to businesses and non-profits. “PPP was very helpful. One of the few government programs that worked like intended,” he said.
Sorrentino then finished the webinar. He said, “This is about the future of our country and the future of our children.” He originally wanted the discussion to include his two children, ages 11 and 17. They had to learn virtually as did most kids in the country. However, in summertime, he said, “They sleep until 3 p.m.”
Editor’s Note: You can learn more about Gruppo Italiano and their upcoming webinars and events at www.gruppo-italiano.com
Covid Chronicles
PRIME MINISTER CONTE SCORES 209 BILLION FROM THE E
By Deirdre Pirro
This is the end of the 14th week of now partial lockdown in Florence.
We still need to take care and wear mask. Hotspots are beginning to crop up again in various parts of Italy, especially among young people who insist on meeting in large groups for the so-called weekend “movida.”
There is a wonderful word in Italian: “gongolare”; which means, “to gloat.” It conjures up images, in my mind, of Jack, who jumps out of his box and bounces his way on a spring, beaming with pleasure. That is precisely the impression Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte gave at the conclusion of the summit of the Council of Europe in Brussels. After five days of hard diplomatic negotiations, the 27 European leaders finally reached a deal on the €750 billion Recovery Fund on July 21. This post-coronavirus emergency fund will give out €390 billion of grants and €360 billion of low-interest loans to EU member states. Italy is one of the biggest beneficiaries.
Italy will, in fact, will receive €208.8 billion: €81.4 billion in grants and €127.4 billion in loans. This is said to be the equivalent to about 28 percent of the total fund. This money, Conte announced, will “change the face of the country.” He basked in the glory of personal success and a sure sinecure for his political survival. Indeed, the result is noteworthy; but it should be remembered that powerful nations like Germany and France have no interest in letting Italy go under. Instead, the opposition parties believe that these funds will arrive too late. The first installment will not come until 2021, when many industries and businesses will have already closed. They claim the fund, which is only money on paper, is really a series of loans and, in the end, a ripoff.
On July 29, the prime minister announced that he had extended the state of emergency for the coronavirus until October 15, 2020. This means he has super powers to happily continue govern by decrees, totally bypassing or even ignoring parliament. The opposition strongly inveighed against this, declaring that Italy is the only country in Europe to prolong the emergency phase. This fell on deaf ears because the government was already busy making over 300 appointments to key positions, strategically placing “friends of friends,” with no discussion before parliament. And they call this democracy!
On a similar tack, it emerged on August 1 that the PM has put a gag order on the release of the meeting’s minutes of his Technical and Scientific Task Force. The inevitable result is a lack of transparency and the question: “what is he trying to hide?”
In the last weeks, the problem of illegal immigrants arriving in small boats and inflatable craft from North Africa, particularly from Tunisia and Algeria, has created a serious emergency. Lampedusa is their first port of call. The small island is at breaking point. In the night of July 31, some 250 people in eight boats landed on its shores. The center, where they are held for health checks and processing, now has over 900 people massed together; when the usual capacity is 250. A never-seen-before scene occurred last week when a small boat arrived from Tunisia carrying a handful of migrants; all were well-dressed and seemingly rich; with one of the women clutching her well-manicured poodle! Foreign Affairs Minister Luigi Di Maio wants foreign aid destined for Tunisia to be cut unless it blockades the exodus. The problem is that Tunisia is in a present state of chaos. To add to the confusion, taking what seems a contrary stance within the same government, Minister of the Interior Luciana Lamorgese proposes an aid package. She wants to help Tunisia with economic aid to encourage a halt to departures. The prime minister is silent on the subject.
Recently, the governor of the Lombardy region, Attilio Fontana, has found himself in the eye of the cyclone. A member of the right-wing Lega party, currently in opposition, he is being investigated for fraud. A public procurement related to the supply of lab coats were found and never delivered from the headquarters of Dama, the company owned by Andrea Dini, his brother-in-law; as well as 10 percent by his wife. Of these, 50,000 were supposed to be destined for purchase by the Lombardy region at a higher than market price. Meanwhile, to avoid the accusation of conflict of interests, this has somehow turned into a donation. In his defense before the Regional Council, Fontana, who has refused to resign and who has faced a mammoth task combating the virus in Lombardy, said he knew nothing of the proposed purchase. When he found out, he asked his brother-in-law to make the donation. Since then, it has emerged that Fontana inherited 5 million euro from his mother and has trust accounts left by his parents in the Bahamas. He denies tax evasion. Stay tuned...
Much loved tenor, Andrea Bocelli, has also had his problems this week. He has had to apologize for the comments he made at a conference at the Italian Senate. He appeared to negate the importance of the restrictions imposed by Covid-19 such as lockdown and social distancing. Despite this, according to social media sites, his “misunderstood” remarks have lost him some fans.
One of Tuscany’s most important activities, wine-making, has been badly hit by the pandemic. However, it has just now received important and innovative financial assistance. Massimo Ferragamo, a major producer of Brunello, received a million euro funding from the Bpm Bank for his vineyard in Castiglion del Bosco. The collateral for the loan was the bulk wine aging in the vats in the winery. This is a first for this kind of subsidy in Italy.
Here, in Florence, we are in the grip of a heat wave; but it didn't stop me going to see the prowling 100 wolf statues by the Chinese artist, Liu Ruowang. They sculptures will remain in Piazza Pitti and Pizza SS Annuziata until 2nd November. Promoted by the City of Florence and the Gallerie degli Uffizi, this fierce pack of wolves, each cast in iron and weighing in at 280 kilograms makes you reflect on the delicate balance between nature and humankind in these uncertain times.
Stay healthy and safe... Deirdre
Editor’s Note: Deirdre Pirro writes for PRIMO and provides new and original translations of excerpted works from English to Italian. She has written two books, now on sale through PRIMO. The first is “Italian Sketches - The Faces of Modern Italy,” a book about the most influential Italians in the arts, science and statecraft this past century. The second is “Politica e Prosa” a new book of translations in collaboration with PRIMO’s publisher and editor Truby Chiaviello. If interested, please log on to our Books Page here.
WE HAVE LOST OUR NOSES
Mascherina in Italy
Masks are worn differently by different people in Rome
“We have all become the Masked Man.”
Text and photos: Jesper Storgaard Jensen, Rome
Italy is slowly turning back to normal after a pandemic lockdown that started on March 9 and ended May 20. Eateries – restaurants, trattorias, pizzerias, wine bars, cafes and bars – were totally inactive. Some 700,000 workers were dawdling; without doing absolutely anything. Billions of euro have been lost. An estimated 20-30 percent of all eateries risk not reopening after the lockdown.
On June 3, foreigners from other European countries were able to visit Italy. We can now cross “the borders” of the regions where we live, i.e. people from Lazio can go to Tuscany, and people from Puglia can go to Basilicata.
Italy has seen a strange phenomenon which someone has called “inverse discrimination.” The South of Italy has always been considered the “weak part,” when it comes to economical performance. Today, however, several South-Italian regions (and its citizens) are not pleased with how the pandemic was handled in the North. The flamboyant and “hard-hitting” governor of the Campania region, Vincenzo De Luca, has publicly said: “In this moment we are not interested in receiving people from the north.” He also refused to sign the governmental protocol to regulate the flow of persons between Italy’s 20 regions.
In Sicily, a region, with low infection figures, is obviously afraid of the “northern invasion.” The Sicilian governor, Nello Musumeci, is of the same opinion as his colleague De Luca, even though he expresses himself in a somewhat more diplomatic way. Sicily now wants to introduce a sort of a “virus passport,” which means imposing serologic tests on visitors that want to go to the island.
Speechless and nose-less
Two months have passed since the quarantine ended.
Now, we have our returned back into society. But something has happened. You immediately see it when you walk around on the streets of Rome. We have…lost our noses.
The face mask has become the ultimate symbol of the coronavirus in Italy. In Lombardy, it is compulsory everywhere you go. In Rome, only in closed spaces, e.g. shops and closed markets. However, in public spaces you’ll still see eight out of 10 people wearing a mask.
Our new “pandemic fashion item” comes in many different shapes, colors and models. You’ll see the very popular surgical mask that – consciously or unconsciously - expresses solidarity with thousands of nurses and doctors. There are the quirky beak-shaped masks that immediately direct one's thoughts toward the animal world. There are the use-and-throw-away masks that the Italian government has now promised. We can buy them at 50 cents a piece. There are the masks made of colored fabrics that can be washed and used over and over again. Such masks allow the proud wearer to send a variety of social signals - beautiful and chic patterns for the fashion conscious, the Italian colors for the patriotic, Mussolini's face for the nostalgic, etc.
The new parole is now "show me how you wear your face mask, and I'll tell you who you are" - the mask worn under the chin (the so-called Naples-model!) or on your forehead is worn by the careless. The mask that covers only the mouth but not the nose, is worn by the distracted. The mask that covers most of the face and that is often held into place by a pair of large sunglasses, is worn by the fearful and infectious-scared, and then of course there are the nonchalant and fearless who move out into public space without any face protection.
In this period, you’ll meet friends and acquaintances on the street, and they will wave at you and say “Ciao, I’m Mario, don’t you recognize me?” And I actually don’t, because with all that cloth wrapped around your face, how can I?
Now, half sentences, important words, facial grimaces, good intentions and the politicians’ growing noses are sadly disappearing under layers of colored cloth. And as I go to the fruit and green market in my neighborhood, I can feel the elastics of my mask tighten on my neck. I have an almost constant feeling of being short of breath. But I’m too scared to take it off. I’m too scared to jeopardize my own health and those of others.
But, perhaps this new habit is not so bad after all. That’s actually what the well-known writer and journalist, Michele Serra, says in his article “The Masked Man” in the daily la Repubblica:
“I’m sort of getting used to the new mask. Especially the surgical one – the mask that is blue on the outside and white on the inside – which doesn’t annoy me at all. As a matter of fact, I kind of like it. It puts me in a state of composure. I even feel a certain elegance, the elegance of the low profile. My own ‘self’ has had to take a step backwards. My narcissism is staggering, and my street anonymity is gaining new terrain. Everyone is now nobody, a non-face in the crowd. The mystery of identity - which has always been a puzzle to psychoanalysts, philosophers and writers – has won its battle. No one no longer recognizes nobody. We have all become the Masked Man.”
Editor’s Note: Jesper Storgaard Jensen writes for PRIMO on a regular basis. He lives and works in Rome with his wife and children.
Opinion
NEW AUTHORITARIANISM IN AMERICA TARGETS ITALIANS
Italian Americans are Disproportionately Affected by the Mask Mandate in NJ and NY
“Arbitrary and Capricious Use of Power” at the state and local levels
- Is the Irish and Italian rivalry the reason why statues are removed in Philadelphia?
Right now, Italian Americans are dealing with two crises at once. We are being threatened with erasure in many cities, especially Philadelphia. However, we also are facing the horrible mask mandates in New Jersey and New York. Rather than pretend that they are separate issues, we need to see the common cause of both threats to Italian American civil rights and civil liberties. The common cause is the rise of authoritarianism at the state and local levels.
I am a political scientist and I know that most citizens do not have any clue what authoritarianism is; so I need to explain a little bit. Authoritarianism is often used as a synonym for dictatorship, even in scholarly literature. However, it is a little broader that that. There is gray area between democracy and dictatorship. Authoritarianism can arise in a democracy with an increase in the arbitrary and capricious use of power by fewer and fewer people. In our Italian American homeland, from Philadelphia to New York and throughout New Jersey, we face growing authoritarianism. Arbitrary and capricious attacks are most evident in the removal of statues important to Italians and statewide mask mandates.
Mask mandates in the age of the Black Lives Matter will not be enforced upon African Americans trying to protest systemic racism and state violence. Also, African Americans are more likely to refuse to wear a mask. As a result, they will disproportionately break the law but will likely not get arrested. I was in the park on Sunday and 14 black men, not all related to each other, were playing basketball, sweating and had contact with each other. They were violating the New Jersey mandate but in this political climate, they were immune to the law. There is nothing wrong with not arresting anyone. However, to choose which racial or ethnic groups are arrested and not arrested is how we got the Black Lives Matter movement in the first place. It would only be counterproductive to reverse racial privilege right now in the enforcement of this executive order.
Hence, the New Jersey mask mandate cannot be properly policed. And, if it cannot be properly policed, then it cannot be properly enforced. An executive order that cannot be enforced hurts the rule of law. Authoritarianism, in the guise of the mask mandate, simply will lead to anarchy in New Jersey and New York. Either only good people will obey it and give up their rights, while others remain free, or some groups will be arrested while other groups will be allowed to violate the law.
As always, white Anglos will be immune to arrest for minor crimes while Latinos and African Americans will benefit from the new privilege. That leaves Italian Americans, Portuguese Americans and Jews who will benefit neither from the old privilege nor the new privilege and will be disproportionately arrested.
In addition to the lawless “laws” of Governors Cuomo and Murphy, there is Mayor Jim Kenney of Philadelphia. Based on unproven accusations, he removed the Frank Rizzo statue, a bronze sculpture that honored the city’s first Italian American mayor. I do not want to defend Rizzo, but Kenney extricated the statue, not because of social justice, but because of Irish-Italian rivalry. When it comes to the Cristoforo Colombo statue at Marconi Plaza, Kenney seeks to remove that statue not because he is offended by the history but, rather, because an Italian American is being honored above the Irish in Philadelphia.
Irish Americans, more or less, fully benefit from white privilege, especially when they deemphasize their Catholicism. We Italian Americans do not fully benefit from white privilege. Also, unlike the Irish, our ethnicity is not accepted as legitimate. The Irish have achieved so much largely by creating an under-class. In New York, Boston and Philadelphia, and probably also in Newark, Italians, along with Portuguese and Jews, were that under-class. When things go badly, the Irish land on their feet, but the rest of us get hurt, like in Newark.
We do not like to talk about the Irish-Italian rivalry, but we have always been second fiddle to them, with brief moments of independence. Pretending to be white has empowered the Irish and if we wish to gain equality to the Irish, we must abandon whiteness and align with our Portuguese, Jewish, Greek and Middle Eastern compatriots. An Irishman thinking himself an authoritarian rules Philadelphia. Just like the Irishman in New Jersey, he is able to lord over Italians because his ethnicity is more privileged than ours and we let him do it. We need to say no to authoritarianism and stop letting the Irish and Anglos “whiten” us.
Editor's Note: Dr. Christopher Binetti is a political scientist, historian, and adjunct professor at Middlesex County College is Edison, New Jersey, as well as the President of the Italian American Movement and editor-in-chief of the New Jersey Journal of Politics. The author’s opinion may not reflect the views of PRIMO Magazine.
“PLEASE DON’T ERASE OUR HISTORY”
A Plea to California Governor Gavin Newsom
From Velio Bronzini, a 90-Year-Old, Longtime, Italian American Resident of Castro Valley
Pictured are the author’s parents, Guido and Clara Bronzini,
circa 1945, two family photographs with his brother Lorenzo,
and his current photograph.
The following letter was written by Mr. Bronzini on June 21.
To:
The Honorable Governor Gavin Newsom
President of the Senate Toni Atkins
Speaker of the Assembly Anthony Rendon
Assembly Rules Committee Chairman Ken Cooley
California State Capitol
PO Box 94289 Room 204
Sacramento California 95814
As a son of Italian immigrants, I am stunned and appalled that you would even consider removing the statue of Christopher Columbus and Queen Isabella from the State Capitol Rotunda. Those monuments not only represent the contributions by Italians to California but also to our great country.
The toppling of the statue of the great navigator and explorer, Christopher Columbus, from San Francisco’s Telegraph Hill was driven by a mob mentality. It is an insult and an affront to people of Italian heritage and to the memory of those such as A.P. Giannini who was extremely instrumental in rebuilding San Francisco after the 1906 earthquake. Whether you agree with it or not, as descendants of Italian immigrants we are entitled to the preservation of our history. The contributions made by Italians to our state and country are immeasurable and should not be diminished.
I have heard the argument that Columbus was a polarizing figure; really ladies and gentlemen of the California legislature, you were not elected for the purpose of, nor do you have the right, to re-write history.
The first recorded celebration of Christopher Columbus in the United States was 1792 and he has been celebrated in San Francisco since 1869. In 1891, eleven Italians were lynched in New Orleans; they were murdered by a mob. It was the largest mass lynching in American history. In that period, Italian Americans were the second largest group to by lynched in this country. The following year, in 1892, President Benjamin Harrison issued a proclamation and urged Americans to celebrate, marking the day of October 12, in celebration of Columbus’ landing in the Western Hemisphere. In 1937, President Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaimed Columbus Day as an official U.S. holiday.
Although discrimination and abuse of Italian Americans continued, as a people we have moved forward from the dark days of injustice. The attacks on Christopher Columbus are unfair and obscure the reason why COLUMBUS DAY MATTERS to all Italian Americans. The successes of Italian Americans are being erased by a new wave of bigotry, intolerance and prejudice by a mob mentality in order to re-write history in their own vision.
If some are offended by the Christopher Columbus statues that is no excuse or reason for their destruction and removal: THAT IS NOT ACCEPTABLE. It is important to the Italian American people (and should be to all people of this country) that the statues remain in place and are looked upon as a part of history, whether individuals or certain groups approve of them or not.
The real danger lies in the fact that it will set a dangerous precedent for future movements by any other group. If something is deemed unjust or offends them, they can pressure lawmakers and have it erased from history.
Columbus Day holds a special significance for me. October 12, 1942 was the day that my father and mother became naturalized American citizens. It was also the date that President Roosevelt announced the lifting of restrictions on non-citizen Italian immigrants who, although in this country legally, at the outbreak of WWII were declared to be enemy aliens. The president lifted the restrictions, recognizing the loyalty and contributions made to our country by the Italian people. I ask that you please do not erase our proud heritage.
Sincerely,
Velio Bronzini
Castro Valley, California
Editor’s Note: On July 7, without deliberation, debate, or a vote in the legislature, three presiding members of the California assembly - Toni Atkins, Anthony Rendon, and Ken Cooley - ordered the removal of “Columbus’ Last Appeal to Queen Isabella.” The marble statue that had been in place inside the state capitol rotunda building since 1883 is no longer there.
PRIMO’s Picks
THE FIVE GREATEST FIGHTS OF CORNERMAN ANGELO DUNDEE
From Carmen Basilio to George Forman to the “Thrilla in Manilla” to “The Super Fight”
Strategic planning combined with shrewd tactics for Angelo to help his boxers win
In the current edition of PRIMO - First Edition 2020 - we feature a six page article on Angelo Dundee. He is rightly considered one of boxing’s best cornermen. He trained the likes of boxing’s greatest champs such as Muhammad Ali, George Foreman, Sugar Ray Leonard, Carmine Basilio, and many more. To read the full story, please order this latest edition of PRIMO at http://www.onlineprimo.com/back_issues.html
In a supplement to the article, we feature here the five greatest boxing matches of cornerman Angelo Dundee. He not only trained his boxers, he was there with them in every fight. He coached and coaxed his men to the final round. Some of the greatest boxing matches of the last 50 years had Angelo Dundee finding a unique edge to victory. Here are five fights that show Angelo and his fighters at their best.
Carmen Basilio v. Sugar Ray Robinson, September 23, 1957, New York, New York. It was after service in the United States Marine Corps in World War II that Basilio sought a career as a boxer. He was amazingly aggressive with quick reflexes that were fine-tuned when Angelo became his trainer. Basilio was welterweight champion when he faced the great Sugar Ray Robinson in Yankee Stadium. Robinson had the advantage going into the fight. He was middleweight champ and was heavier, taller and more experienced than the challenger. Angelo, however, knew, going into the fight, that Basilio could take the best from Robinson. The first rounds were a real battle. Angelo played doctor for much of the fight. Basilio suffered serious cuts above his eyes from Robinson’s jabs. A homemade solution by Angelo treated the lacerations and stopped the bleeding. This gave Basilio time to come back in the middle rounds. He attacked Robinson with combinations to the head and body. The fight was incredible in the number of punches thrown. Neither boxer wanted to cede to the other. Only after the final bell was rung was there a split decision, and a close one at that, for Basilio. Angelo’s fighter was now middleweight champion of the world.
Muhammad Ali v. Joe Frazier, October 1, 1975, Quezon City, Philippines. It was called the “Thrilla in Manilla” and rightly so. The fight remains one of the best in boxing. It was the third and last time Ali met Frazier in the ring. The setting was a crowded, hot and humid stadium in the Philippines. Ali was ahead midway in the fight when he laid back on the ropes. Angelo never liked this tactic, coined the “rope-a-dope” in the press. Ali underestimated Frazier’s speed and was hit repeatedly. He was hurt and in trouble. Then Frazier backed away in the 10th round. Angelo ordered his fighter to attack with consecutive jabs to the eyes. The fight was then to be decided by the trainers in the 14th round. Frazier was almost blind from jabs while Ali was almost dead from exhaustion. Ali wanted Angelo to take off his gloves and call the fight. Meanwhile, Frazier’s trainer, Eddie Futch, was convinced the boxer’s sight was lost if the fight continued. Which side blinked? Angelo refused Ali’s pleas and got his fighter ready for the final round. Meanwhile, Eddie Futch threw in the towel to save Frazier’s eyes. It was Angelo’s man who remained heavyweight champion.
Muhammad Ali v. Earnie Shavers, September 29, 1977, Madison Square Garden, New York, New York. Champions find an edge. Ali was to defend his title against Shavers as broadcasted live on NBC television. The fight was supposed to be an easy win for Ali. Yet, Shavers was in the best shape of his career and had a right hook as hard as granite. He tagged Ali in the second round. The champ tried to make light of the punch by holding on to his opponent and clowning with the audience. Yet, everyone knew Ali was hurt. Such was the fight. Ali forged ahead weekend by the blow. He relied on speed to avoid getting hit and used his long reach to jab Shavers repeatedly. Yet, the challenger connected again with a powder keg right. The crowd was on the edge of their seats when the fight became a brawl. However, Angelo knew all along that his fighter was destined to win. This was the first telecast of a boxing match to show the judges’ scorecards in real time to the audience. Angelo had the television on in Ali’s dressing room. His assistant watched the scores given each round, ran and told the results to Angelo at ringside. Ali was way ahead by the 12th round and, save for a knockout, Shavers could not win. However, Angelo kept the news from his fighter. Thinking he might lose, Ali gave his best performance in the 15th round and won what many consider to be his best fight.
Sugar Ray Leonard v. Marvin Hagler, April 6, 1987, Paradise, Nevada. Leonard had been retired from boxing when he saw Hagler almost lose to John Mugabi. The middleweight champ looked slow and Leonard was convinced he could beat him. He sought a shot at the title and challenged Hagler in what was deemed by the press “The Superfight.” Angelo thought Hagler was especially dangerous. He decided that Leonard could only win by relying on speed and footwork. Much of the action hinged on pre-fight negotiations. Hagler was to make more money from the bout in return for giving Leonard a larger size boxing ring, bigger gloves and 12 rounds instead of 15. Leonard was in excellent shape after Angelo’s strict regimen, that required, in addition to calisthenics and sparring, two hours of tennis a day. Angelo had Leonard constantly on the move in the fight. The wider boxing ring gave the challenger more room to dodge Hagler’s assaults. The fight was an excellent showcase of pugilistic skill with numerous exchanges but no knockouts or knock downs. Leonard was drained at fight’s end but he won a split decision on points. He unseated Hagler to become middleweight champion of the world.
George Foreman v. Michael Moorer, November 5, 1994, Paradise, Nevada. It was 1987 when Foreman returned to boxing 10 years after his retirement. He wanted only to earn enough a money to subsidize a gym he owned in Houston. However, with one knockout after another, he had the makings to once again be champ. He called in Angelo in 1991 to train him after Evander Holyfield agreed to give him a shot at the title. Although the fight was a losing effort for Foreman, the old boxer surprised everyone by going the distance with Holyfield. It was three years later when Foreman got another chance. Michael Moorer had defeated Holyfield for the heavyweight title and agreed to fight Foreman. The bout began one-sided with the 27-year-old Moorer ahead in points. It was the ninth round when Angelo told Foreman he needed a knockout to win. Heavy and hard punches came Moorer’s way. The champ made himself vulnerable after he attacked with a flurry of jabs. Foreman threw a hard right that connected and Moorer went down for the 10 count. At 45, Foreman was the oldest person to become heavyweight champion of the world.
Editorial
BOYCOTT SAINT PAUL
The Columbus Statue Was Destroyed in St. Paul, Minnesota, on June 10
PRIMO asks everyone to boycott the city until these conditions are met:
- Repair the statue
- Restore the statue
- Arrest and prosecute vandals
- Lt. Governor Flanagan apologize
Nothing is worse than a criminal act, except when it seems a state’s lieutenant governor condones it. This is exactly what happened when Peggy Flanagan, lieutenant governor of Minnesota, all but cheered on vandals in Saint Paul who tore down the statue of Christopher Columbus there on June 10. Members and supporters of the American Indian Movement, an activist group founded in Minneapolis, gathered at the state Capitol, tied a rope around the neck of the bronze figure and pulled down the statue. It is reported that law enforcement were aware in advance the group wanted to destroy the statue but made no arrangements for a barrier or other form of protection. Devoid are any police officers in view attempting to stop the crime.
Governor Tim Walz vowed to bring the perpetrators to justice at a press conference convened on June 11.
Since then, however, no arrests have been made. Many videos are available on YouTube and elsewhere to view the criminal act occurring in broad daylight by vandals, one of whom has been identified as Mike Forcia. American Indian Movement took full responsibility for the statue’s destruction and even went so far as to indicate their criminal intentions to law enforcement in advance. And yet…there have been no arrests.
Although such vandalism remains shocking and unwarranted, it still does not match the incendiary and injudicious remarks of Lieutenant Governor Flanagan. She followed the governor at a press conference a day after the assault. The second highest ranking figure in Minnesota said she would not “shed a tear” for Columbus. She accused the explorer, without foundation, of having sold girls as sex slaves. “There is no honor in the legacy of Christopher Columbus,” she said. In reference to the taking down of the statue, she quipped, “I am not sad to see it gone.”
The lack of arrests might not be too surprising when the state’s own lieutenant governor says things than many could reasonably interpret as endorsing vandalism and the criminal destruction of property.
The time has come to make a stand. All Italian Americans and all people who support the rule of law, who cherish history, public art and demand responsible government must take action.
PRIMO urges Italian Americans and all Americans to boycott Saint Paul, Minnesota.
The words of the lieutenant governor and the criminal act of vandals are unacceptable. Equally appalling are the lack of arrests. The lieutenant governor presides over Minnesota’s Capitol Area Architectural and Planning Board. Questions arise as to whether she will preside fairly over the board and decide without any bias against Italian American interests the art and architectural works for the state Capitol. Considering her remarks about Columbus and the destruction of his bronze rendering, one can reasonably presume that she will not serve Italian Americans equal to others of her state. Her apology to Italian Americans could do much to quell such concerns.
The Columbus statue was erected in Saint Paul in 1931 as a gift to the people of Minnesota by Italian immigrants and their descendants in the state. Italians had settled in Saint Paul to work as bricklayers and carpenters in the burgeoning construction trade. Many of the landmark buildings in Saint Paul, including the state Capitol, itself, with a dome modeled after Saint Peter’s Basilica and designed by Michelangelo in Rome, was built, in part, by Italian labor. From poor and desperate circumstances in Italy they came to live, work and eventually open a wide range of family businesses in Saint Paul. Italians became proud citizens of their adopted city, state and country.
In the mid-1920s, members of the Italian Progressive Club in Duluth conceived of a monument dedicated to Columbus. Other Italian American organizations and clubs supported the idea and donations were collected among Italians, numbering then about 10,000 in the state.
Bigotry and discrimination were experienced by many Italians in Minnesota. Iron Range is a moniker given to a key region of the state where Italians faced considerable persecution. Peter DeCarlo and Mattie Harper wrote in the online newspaper MinnPost in 2008 that “Iron Range officials called southern Italians, ‘inefficient and worthless … fit for but the lowest grades of work in the open-pit mines.’ Whole towns were disqualified from being ‘white’ if too many Southern Europeans lived there. Although Italian-American Minnesotans faced discrimination throughout the state, it was most prominent in the Iron Range region.” The writers continue, “Starting in the 1890s a racial ideology of Anglo-Saxon, Germanic, and Nordic superiority held sway in America and served as the basis for ‘whiteness.’ This ideal of Northern European ancestry excluded many immigrants, including Southern Europeans, from full-fledged participation in American society.”
With passage of the Immigration Act of 1924, Italians in Minnesota sought to counter a rise in racism and bigotry directed against them and others from Southern Europe. They hoped the Christopher Columbus monument could help them gain greater acceptance in the state. The statue was a token of thanks to the people of Minnesota but also a reminder to them that a person from Italy founded the New World. Carlo Brioschi, an Italian immigrant, was hired as the sculptor to create an exceptional rendering of Columbus. As is true throughout history, a stunning work of art can bring people together in awe and reflection. This is exactly what happened when the statue was unveiled on a cold winter’s day in 1931. On hand for the ceremony were Italian Americans throughout the Midwest, along with the governor of Minnesota and other public officials who made speeches praising Columbus, the statue and the Italian people of the state.
The destruction of the statue of Columbus on June 10 is a renewal of intolerance and bigotry for Italian Americans in Minnesota. A work of sculpture that was intended to heal the pain of persecution was destroyed in broad daylight by their Native American neighbors. The cruel and heartless remarks of the lieutenant governor sends a clear message that Italian Americans are not welcome in Minnesota.
Saint Paul adjoins Minneapolis as the state’s most populated area. The riots that all but destroyed the Twin Cities will go down as a sad chapter in American history. The death of George Floyd by local police remains tragic and unnecessary. Now is the time for the Twin Cities to rebuild and bring people to the region. We Italian Americans are willing to help and visit the city to spend our money on the many tourist attractions of the area. However, that will not happen if the statue of Columbus is not repaired, restored and put back on its former pedestal. Those that unlawfully destroyed the statue must be brought to justice and an apology from Lieutenant Governor Flanagan must be made to Italian Americans of Minnesota and the country.
Saint Paul has much to offer visitors. Yet, we Italian Americans, who number 20 million in the country, will boycott the city. We will not tour the many landmarks and famous mansions along Summit Avenue in Saint Paul. We will not visit the Como Zoo and museums of the city. There are many fine hotels and restaurants in Saint Paul but Italian Americans will not patronize them. We will not stay there overnight. We extend the boycott also to the Minnesota Twins and other professional sports teams in the Twin Cities.
The boycott will continue until the monument and statue of Columbus is repaired, restored and returned to its pedestal in the Minnesota State Capitol where it had been since 1931. We will continue the boycott until those who took down the statue are arrested and prosecuted. We demand that Lieutenant Governor Flanagan apologize for her mean spirited remarks that can reasonably be interpreted as condoning the criminal act of tearing down the statue of Columbus, a proud symbol of the Italian American community in Minnesota and the country.
Editor’s Note: The following link is a video, one of many, of the tearing down of the Columbus statue in St. Paul: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9dZZ3Y5_Is. Video footage of the governor’s press conference in Saint Paul is seen here: https://www.fox9.com/video/695794. At five minutes and 30 seconds into the press conference, Lieutenant Governor Flanagan makes her remarks about Columbus and the Columbus statue.
The Covid Chronicles
TWELFTH WEEK
MONEY FROM MERKEL’S PURSE
Should Italy Take European Union Funds to Pay for Coronavirus?
By Deirdre Pirro
Pictures: Angela Merkel, prime minister of Germany, meets with her
Italian counterpart, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte. The famous Uffizi
Gallery in Florence had shorter lines and less visitors to Covid-19.
This is the end of the 12th partial lockdown in Florence. We still need to take extra care, wear a mask and gloves as the coronavirus is still lurking out there.
One thing is for certain in Italy, politics is never dull and, during the last week, even less so than usual. Yet again it concerns the soap opera of whether or not Italy should accept the funds for coronavirus-related health system expenses from the the EU's European Stability Mechanism (ESM). On 27th June, the German Chancellor Angela Merkel gave an interview to La Stampa newspaper. She said "the Recovery Fund cannot solve all the [economic] problems, but without it the problems would be worse. Too high unemployment in a country can have an explosive effect. The dangers to democracy would, at that point, be greater.” She then added, "Italy should think about activating the ESM." For once, the response was not slow in coming. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte replied, "I respect her opinions, but nothing has changed. But I am the one to do the sums, together with the Minister of the Economy and Finance Roberto Gualtieri, the State accountants and the Ministers.” It could, however, be that the PM' s strongman stance is simply a play for time given that he is currently in a difficult situation. Owing his elevation to the role of PM to the Movimento Cinque Stelle (M5S), founded by comedian Beppe Grillo and now deceased web strategist Gianroberto Casaleggio, and never having been voted in by the people, Conte is now in a position where the M5S strongly opposes accepting the ESM fund. On the other hand, its coalition party in government, the Partito Democratico (PD), together with its splinter group Italia Viva, led by the former PM and ex-mayor of Florence, Matteo Renzi, as well as a major opposition party, Berlusconi's Forza Italia, want the funds as quickly as possible. To add confusion to chaos the other two major opposition parties, the Lega and Fratelli d'Italia are also contrary to accepting the money, believing it to be “a trap” and “a not very reliable resource,” witnessed by the fact that, at present, other countries like France, Spain and Portugal have decided not to apply for ESM funds.
On 25th June, students, parents, teachers and teachers' unions demonstrated in 70 squares throughout the country protesting against guidelines for reopening schools in September by the Minister of Education Lucia Azzolina. They claim that these guidelines provide neither resources nor personnel to make them viable.
There is also concern in Mondragone, in the province of Caserta, which has recently become a coronavirus hot spot. From a second screening, another 28 people tested positive, after the initial discovery of 23 cases of contagion mainly among Bulgarians, seasonal workers in agriculture in the area.
Name and blame time has begun in one of three worst coronavirus hit Italian regions, in Reggio Emilia also. The public prosecutor's office there ordered the exhumation and autopsy of the bodies of 18 old people who died in the recent months in a nursing home in Montecchio Emilia. Five people, including the director and other managers, are now under investigation and risk being charged with manslaughter or with the crime of culpable negligence against public health.
On 28th June, President Sergio Mattarella took part in a commemoration of the over 6,000 victims of Covid-19 in Bergamo and surrounding areas. The moving Messa da Requiem of Gaetano Donizetti was performed before invited guests at Bergano's Monumental Cemetery and was transmitted live on TV and on the web.
Here in Florence, the mayor, Dario Nardelli, in an interview to the local press revealed that the loss of revenue coming from tourism caused by the pandemic has brought the city to the brink of bankruptcy. From $200 million in tourist revenue in 2019, this year, it has virtually dwindled to nil. This will escalate when visitors from the United States, Russia, Brazil and Qatar are refused entry after international travel opened up on July 1st. Lack of revenue from American students studying abroad who will, not for the present, be resuming their programs in Florence can only deepen the dire situation. The mayor estimated that about 10,000 apartments available for short time rents, many hotels and restaurant were now empty. The city's coffers were also deprived of about 48.8 million euro of revenue from the local tourist tax on which they strongly depended. He went as far as to say he was ready “to put the city's buildings up as collateral” if only the Italian Constitution allowed cities to get into debt. Unfortunately, it does not; so the mayor of this beautiful town has a serious problem. He has to find a solution to and his political future may depend upon it.
On the brighter note, this week, Florence, together with Turin and Genoa, celebrated the feast day of their patron, Saint John the Baptist. It is a holiday and, in normal times, a Mass is held in the cathedral in the morning followed, in the afternoon, with the final game of historic football in costume in piazza Santa Croce. Later, a rowing competition takes place along the Arno river and, finally, at 10 p.m., a magnificent fireworks display is launched from piazzale Michelangelo, mirroring their lights in the river below. But not so this year. Instead, Florence was illuminated by a light show of its major monuments, the highlight being three streams of light beamed onto the lantern at the top of Brunelleschi's Dome. In the cathedral, Zubin Mehta conducted the orchestra of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino opera house while the singer-songwriter, Irene Grandi, performed in the Palazzo Vecchio’s “Salone dei Cinquecento.”
Whilst I am still breaking full lockdown slowly, I took one major step out into the world this last week. Because I believe it will be difficult to see Florence in the future so empty of tourists, I decided I wanted to visit museums and monuments. I had not visited them for years because I hate queues and jostling among the crowds to enjoy them. So my first stop on Sunday morning was the Uffizi Gallery. In contrast with today, in 2019, this art gallery had counted 4,391,895 visitors, an increase of 33.2 percent compared to the year before! I booked my visit and entered without difficulty and on time with no hustle and bustle. Two hours of sheer visual delight awaited me. Next visit this coming weekend will be to the Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens.
Stay healthy and safe... Deirdre
Editor’s Note: Deirdre Pirro writes for PRIMO and provides new and original translations of excerpted works from English to Italian. She has written two books, now on sale through PRIMO. The first is “Italian Sketches - The Faces of Modern Italy,” a book about the most influential Italians in the arts, science and statecraft this past century. The second is “Politica e Prosa” a new book of translations in collaboration with PRIMO’s publisher and editor Truby Chiaviello. If interested, please log on to our Books Page here.
Editorial
BOYCOTT RICHMOND
The Columbus Statue Was Destroyed in the City on June 9
PRIMO asks everyone to boycott Richmond tourism until these conditions are met:
- Repair the statue
- Restore the statue
-
Arrest and prosecute vandals
With a wave of Christopher Columbus statues and monuments vandalized and removed by a host of municipalities, PRIMO urges all Italian Americans and Americans of all races and ethnicities who appreciate history, public art and the rule of law to make a collective stand.
Statues that depict Columbus were given as gifts to cities by Italian Americans with the understanding that the recipients were to maintain and protect the artworks. Their destruction in recent weeks is a breach of that trust and a national disgrace. What is worse is that some mayors, members of city councils, governors and other officials have either applauded the destruction or remained silent and, thus, have greeted the vandalism with ambivalence.
This will not stand.
Our focus here is on the city of Richmond.
The statue of Columbus was taken down from its pedestal in Richmond’s Byrd Park on June 9 and was grossly defaced with paint and thrown into a nearby lake. Expression of outrage neither came from Richmond’s mayor Levar Stoney nor most members of the city council. There was no press conference convened to condemn the vandalism. There was no public voice of outrage at the criminal act and no expressed commitment on the part of the mayor, police chief and district attorney to capture and prosecute the perpetrators. There have been no arrests, as of today.
We presume from the tepid reaction of Richmond’s mayor and other officials that the statue will remain destroyed with little priority, if any, to bringing the offenders to justice.
Hence, PRIMO calls for a boycott of the city of Richmond.
We urge all Italian Americans and Americans of all races and ethnicities, who appreciate public art, history and the rule of law not to visit Richmond and that city’s varied tourist attractions and those of the surrounding region.
Richmond, a city of 210,000 residents, has in recent years seen an increase in violent crime and other social ills after a period of some revitalization. Indeed, the city’s population was declining until a rebound began 20 years ago only to wane in recent years.
Tourism is vital to Richmond’s economy and generates some 20,000 jobs and $2 billion annually. According to the Visit Richmond web site, “If not for tourism spending, Richmond Region households would pay an additional $585 per year in taxes.” After the coronavirus lockdown, Richmond is understandably anxious to get the city’s economy going again and tourism is a big part of that recovery.
Now is not the time for Richmond to alienate Italian Americans - some 20 million - and dissuade us from visiting the city.
Hence, our boycott is aimed at Richmond’s tourism industry.
The city is near the I-95 interstate. We ask those who are driving this summer to points south, such as Virginia Beach, the Carolinas, Georgia or Florida, to forgo spending night(s) in any hotel, motel or other establishment within the city or an outlining area of 25 miles. Please do not utilize gasoline stations, snack shops or eateries within a 25 mile sphere of Richmond, either while driving south or north on I-95.
Richmond is a city with many museums dedicated to fine arts, science and history. There is the Old Dominion Railway Museum and a museum on the life of Edgar Allan Poe. There are many historical buildings and landmarks. We ask all not to visit them. Please keep away from all tourist attractions in Richmond. Do not attend any events or conferences scheduled there. Please do not convene a family vacation or reunion anywhere within 25 miles of the city. Please stay away.
We call for a boycott of Richmond to last until the following conditions are met: 1.) The repair and restoration of the statue of Columbus, 2.) Reinstallation of the Columbus statue in its original location at Byrd Park, 3.) The arrest(s) and prosecution of those who vandalized the statue and their co-conspirators by police and the district attorney. We understand that investigations are not fool proof. Hence, if the two former conditions are met and the third is satisfied by a discernible effort on the part of law enforcement, then the boycott is lifted.
To allow the destruction of the Columbus statue is to affirm what was, briefly, a sad chapter for Richmond. Ethnocentrism and religious intolerance were the initial reactions by the city’s fathers when the edifice was proposed by the Italian American community there 100 years ago.
Back then, the city’s small yet close knit Italian American community was led by Frank Realmuto, a barber who raised funds for the statue, hired the sculptor and coordinated the installation. A coalition of city residents that included some members of the Ku Klux Klan successfully lobbied the city to refuse donating land for the statue. Reasons given were that Columbus was a Roman Catholic and a foreigner and, as such, not a worthy figure to stand among edifices paying tribute to Confederate heroes. A compromise was brokered after newspapers from all over the country wrote editorials condemning the decision of the city council. Land near Byrd Park was then set aside for the statue. Ferruccio Legnaioli, an Italian immigrant, designed the structure. A ceremony was held in December 1926 when the statue was finally unveiled. In attendance was Virginia’s governor, the Italian ambassador, the city mayor, members of the city council, and Richmond’s Italian American community. What began as a dark moment became a proud day in Richmond’s history.
Sad then that the Columbus statue was torn down and destroyed with such hatred by vandals and met with such ambivalence by Richmond’s leaders. The statue is actually a testament to how Richmond was divided but came together in understanding and compromise and a great work of art was erected. To allow the statue of Columbus to remain broken and off its pedestal is to accede to the past spirit of bigotry and religious intolerance of the city. To avoid justice and not arrest and prosecute the vandals that destroyed the statue is a slap in the face of those Italian Americans who sought to thank their city of adoption with a worthy statue of the discoverer of the Americas. For Richmond to do nothing is a clear signal that all Italian Americans are not welcome there.
The boycott stands until the statue of Columbus is fully restored and the vandals are brought to justice.
YES TO BOYCOTTS, NO TO QUARANTINES
Imposing a Quarantine on Visitors from Another State is Wrong
What NY, NJ and Connecticut are doing is immoral
“This is just payback…”
By Christopher Binetti
Do you feel American anymore? I am not sure that I ever felt accepted by most Americans but I feel more like an Italo-Jerseyan than ever before. The nation is falling apart, not just the rule of law, but the very sense of a common cause between the fifty states. I feel strange coming to you, the Italian American people, and proposing two different and seemingly contradictory statements - boycotts are needed but the kind of two-week quarantines being enforced right now at the time of my writing against the states of Texas, Arizona, Florida, and others are wrong.
You must be scratching your collective heads. He is about to write in favor of boycotts while at the same time refusing to agree to quarantining whole groups of people in his name, you say under your breath. After all, Texas has never accepted us, nor Arizona, and much of Florida still does not accept us.
At the same time, you will argue that if quarantines against groups of people are wrong, then so must be boycotts. After all, the most logical boycotts would be against whole states, such as Minnesota and Ohio. Is not boycotting a whole state just as bad as quarantining whole groups of people based strictly on state origin?
Why are we boycotting places? I am not calling for a boycott of Richmond or of Boston. I will not call for a boycott of a 50 percent black, poor city that is run by a bad guy who does not care about his city (Richmond). I will not call for a boycott of Virginia because my Italian American friend and his Italian children (also Chinese American) will be affected by it. Boston can be negotiated with, so I will not call for a boycott upon it (yet). Massachusetts is still home to many of us to safely boycott it right now.
The places where a boycott makes sense are the city of Columbus, perhaps the state of Ohio, and all of Minnesota. In Columbus, the mayor acted against the laws and constitution of his own state. A boycott will work without hurting anyone. Even the threat of a massive boycott over civil rights, in this pro-civil rights atmosphere, will bow the mayor, who does not have the support of the city council, from what I can tell. The State of Ohio, with its long history of anti-Italian racism is a also a prime target. Moreover, Ohio has Democrats and Republican in the State in abundance, making our boycott strictly non-partisan.
The boycott of Minnesota is based on the clear legal and constitutional violations by the Governor and the Lieutenant Governor, as well as the State Patrol, that stood by while Colombo was lynched in front of a cheering, hateful crowd. We need also to challenge Native American power and privilege, but that is mostly for another article. That said, we will force people to realize that Native Americans are just too powerful in hateful Minnesota. We need to make the civil rights argument against Minnesota.
So, you can boycott a state or city but can you quarantine a state or city? I think that you cannot. You must have seen the news. Shaun King of the Black Lives Matter Monument wants to smash the Jesus statues in most churches, particularly I think Catholic churches. He views Jesus as a hateful symbol. I cannot let him be right, not this week. As a devout but flawed practicing Catholic who seeks to be a good role model for his nieces, I cannot in good conscience harm my own persecutors through the positive punishment of quarantines.
In psychology, there are two types of punishments, positive and negative. Positive punishment is lie a quarantine, forcing people to endure suffering as a form of revenge, which is what these quarantines are, not good-faith public health and safety measures. Texas and Florida in particular did this kind of two-week forced quarantine thing to New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut, and this is just payback, plain and simple. There is also a partisan element to it, since the three main states (Florida, Arizona, and Texas) affected by this are Republican strongholds or are perceived to be so.
The other kind of punishment is called negative punishment- the withholding of something rather than the infliction of suffering. Boycotts are negative punishments, while quarantines are positive punishments. A negative punishment for bad behavior in children is no dessert, while the child-equivalent for quarantines is child abuse. Clearly, there is no moral equivalence between boycotts and quarantines when you think of it this way.
So, we should not punish Texas and Florida (and more incidentally Arizona) through quarantines that are unconstitutional anyway. Government cannot simply lock up an entire state’s people for two weeks without a better, more narrowly-tailored way of separating out real health and safety concerns from red herrings. Also, states are not supposed to be able to interfere with interstate commerce like this. Quarantines are state action and thus are subject to intense civil rights and civil liberties scrutiny under the U.S. Constitution and state constitutions.
However, boycotts by Italian Americans, not endorsed by the state, are not state actions. I do not believe in state entities boycotting other state entities, pretty much for any reason other than civil war. I do not want the State of New Jersey or municipalities to boycott Texas, which San Francisco (which is a terrible place for Italians to live) actually does. No, state boycotts are morally wrong and unconstitutional and I do not support them.
Instead, individuals an groups of people, even ethnic groups have the moral and legal right to boycott states and cities, which are really state entities. Frankly, I like boycotting whole states, since under the state and federal constitutions, state governments can overrule pretty much everything that a city does. So, why not hold a state that allows immoral and unconstitutional municipal actions to stand accountable for those actions through entirely peaceful boycotts?
Boycotts by people against states are just us refusing to help those who hate us. However, quarantines are doing direct harm to our adversaries and this both immoral and unconstitutional, even if we are righteous Democratic heroes and they are benighted Republican scoundrels. To politicize public safety and health measures and to use them too broadly just to harm one’s adversaries, one’s supposed fellow Americans is unworthy of us all.
Editor’s Note: Dr. Christopher Binetti is a political scientist, historian, adjunct professor at Middlesex County College in Edison, New Jersey. He is the founder and president of the Italian American Movement, an Italian American civil rights organization. He can be reached at cbinetti@terpmail.umd.edu. The author’s opinion as expressed in the article may not reflect the views of PRIMO Magazine.
120 artists have created 99 murals that have a total length of 1,260 metres, second only to the Berlin Wall. The Art Mile, inaugurated in May last year, in the Roman district of Torraccia, is an explosion of beauty and an example of how public spaces can be turned into surprising works of art. PRIMO Magazine went to visit an unknown Roman area which is way out of the city’s centre, and definitely way out of the ordinary.
THE ART MILE IN ROME
A Sound Barrier of Suburban Beauty
Torraccia - the city’s poorest district now has art and purpose
Text and photos: JesperStorgaard Jensen
In today's Rome - tormented by what seems to be an unstoppable decay - it is particularly pleasing to celebrate the one-year-anniversary of a project that tries to bring the city closer to new forms of beauty, the regeneration of abandoned areas together with the aggregation of communities around art.
This is exactly what happened in May last year, when n extraordinary art project, The Mile Art, was inaugurated in the presence of Rome’s Mayor, Virginia Raggi. The display is located in the Torraccia and San Basilio district, in the northeastern part of the Italian capital, close to the city’s huge ring road. The promoter is the cultural association Arte e Città a Colori (Art and Colorful Cities). PRIMO went to talk to its president, Francesco Galvano, to find out more about this project.
On arrival in Torraccia, a neighborhood built at the end of the 1980s, the importance of having created a work so full of light and life becomes abundantly clear. This suburban neighborhood really seems to be on the edge of reality, with rows of anonymous public housing and many social problems. But now it has an attraction that draws both Roman and non-Roman visitors.
I approach the beginning of the area. Here, there is a sign with the words - "Welcome to the Art Mile - 99 murals and 120 artists for an Open Air Museum" – that welcomes me, together with Francesco Galvano.
The impact leaves you incredulous. The panels are about 13 feet hight (four meters) and nine feet wide (2.7 meters). There are about a hundred of them, divided into different sections. In all, they measure 4,133 feet (1,260 meters). "After the Berlin Wall, which surpasses the Art Mile by just 132 feet (40 meters), this is Europe's longest work of art,” Francesco tells me, understandably proud.
Apparently a mission impossible
As we start our walk, Francesco recounts, "The idea of this project came to me about three years ago, when some local people asked me: ‘why don't we try to use the noise barrier to do a street art project?’ The anti-noise barrier was placed at the end of the Torraccia district to cushion the hubbub of traffic from the ring road,” Francesco explains.
"The idea was good, but it really seemed like a mission impossible. Our association works to find large spaces where intervention is required, to change the appearance of a neighborhood, obviously to make it more beautiful and civilized. I knew, therefore, more or less what needed to be done, and right from the start I knew that there were so many things that needed to be sorted out,” he says.
It’s hard to disagree with him when you take a look around. Many years ago, in the 1930s, San Basilio was one of the first villages to be born, when many families in the center of Rome were forcibly moved to the suburbs to make room for the construction of new central roads. The former well-known urban planner, Paolo Berdini, called the new new development "distant suburbs,” while writer and filmmaker Pier Paolo Pasolini was much less diplomatic, defining San Basilio simply "a concentration camp for Rome’s poor people.”
"With a small group of locals and with the fundamental support of the so-called Retake Group Torraccia (Retake is a non-profit organization in Rome that works on various regeneration projects, ed.), we began to clean up the whole area. The grass was growing wild and was quite high. Then we had to send away shady characters who were dealing drugs. It was only a year later, when the area had been suitably cleared, that we were able to start the core project,” explains Francesco.
Today the lawn is nicely manicured, the plants are pruned, the benches have been painted and young trees stand side by side with the older ones. Together with Francesco I move on as I contemplate the many artworks. You really need to pause every 10 steps or so to take in all the detail from each individual piece of work. One of the first murals depicts Don Luigi De Liegro, founder of Caritas (Italian organization of emergency aid, ed.), who died in 1997, accompanied by the words "Love and share.” He is followed by Little Red Riding Hood who hugs a frightened wolf, two teenagers on the beach saying "I like you,” the judges Borsellino and Falcone, who were killed by the mafia and Peppino Impastato, who met the same fate. It is indeed a colorful experience, full of meaning and important civil and social values.
"You will surely see many well-known personalities, painted to highlight some of the themes covered throughout the work: Here we pay tribute to nature and the environment, we defend the most socially marginalized classes and we also say no to violence against women.”
A choral work
The project was brought about from a choral work: 120 artists were involved - some well-known street artists, together with artists that are totally unknown to the general public, as well as local youngsters. Even foreign artists have participated, e.g. from Venezuela, United States and the Philippines.
Everyone worked without receiving any remuneration. The materials were paid for with crowdfunding which the local people organized.
The murals are full of human and pedagogical messages: Two stylized children are accompanied by the phrase "Don't compare children to each other, you can't compare the sun and the moon, they shine when it's the right time.”
In front of all this beauty I immediately feel concerned. How do you protect yourself from the notorious Roman writers, those who are signaling their passage with often vandalistic tendencies?
“Well, before starting the project we identified the signatures of the local writers, and we contacted them in order to involve them in the project. And they accepted happily. In doing so we motivated them to safeguard the murals. I hope it will work,” says Francesco.
To understand the stories behind each of the 99 murals you could easily spend an entire day in Torraccia. I ask Francesco about some artworks, including one that depicts a teenage boy standing among the stones, with the sea behind him.
"Among the murals there is one in particular with quite a special story,” Francesco says. “This is the case of Federico, a boy who died of fulminant meningitis earlier this year. He was 15 years old. His mother had asked me to dedicate a mural to him and of course we wanted to fulfill her wish. The artist is called foko 127. He is a policeman who is an artist in his spare time. Look ... he also quoted a small part of an Eros Ramozzoti-song, ‘From the Other Part of the Infinite,’ which Federico liked very much. Her mother told me that since this mural has been there, she no longer goes to the cemetery. She prefers to come here, to be with her son.”
I take a good look at that image which is accompanied by Ramazzotti's words: "Nothing has passed, nothing is over, you have only slipped into the other side, to the infinity, we’ll meet again, where the horizon meets the open sea".
Francesco Galvano is rightly aware of how aesthetics have embraced a powerful symbolism in the Art Mile. Yet he doesn't rest on his laurels. "We have a new project in the pipeline," he adds, "that is, to put a plaque under each work, with the artist's name and a brief explanation of the meaning of the work itself. Having this information would enrich the mural itself. Then my dream is to organize guided tours. Only this way will it be possible to fully enjoy this amazing work.”
Another plan for the future is to create periodic cultural events in this area. It used to be "a concentration camp for the poor", but today, instead, it seems like a small corner of Switzerland, where every color tells a story of its own.
The Covid Chronicles
ELEVENTH WEEK
LOTS OF TALK BUT LITTLE ACTION
Prime Minister Conte Holds a Summit at the Villa Doria Pamphili
- Enjoying Florentine cafe while wearing a mask and gloves
By Deirdre Pirro
Villa Doria Pamphili
This is the end of the eleventh and beginning of the twelfth week of now partial lockdown in Florence.
I am a little later in presenting my chronicle this week as I have been waiting to report more fully on Italian Prime Minister Conte's latest brain child. He calls it the "estates general on the economy,” a nine day summit that began on June 13th and aims to map out Italy's economic recovery from Covid-19.
Staged at Rome's magnificent Villa Doria Pamphili, the gathering convened with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen addressing the audience on conference call. She assured, "Europe will be by Italy's side because it needs a strong Italy.” Other leaders from international organizations such as the OECD, IMF, ECB, Harvard and MIT were expected to speak, together with government ministers and local experts on the economy and society. The summit is not, however, open to the public. City mayors were not invited or were journalists except for a select few. Opposition parties (Forza Italia, the Lega and Fratelli d'Italia) refused to attend believing that such important questions should be debated in parliament.
The prediction is that the “estates general” will rest on nine main pillars, which were already widely known before the event ever started. These include the digital revolution, infrastructure, the green economy, industry 4.0, supply chains, simplification and reform of the public administration, the health system, justice administration and research. It's hard not to wonder how many struggling factory owners and small businesses could have been helped from the money spent on this extravaganza. There are some 400,000 workers in Italy who are still waiting for the promised payments from the State redundancy fund and an equal number of workers who have not yet registered.
More mystifying than ever is that on June 8th, Vittorio Colao, chair of the government's much trumpeted Task Force presented his long-awaited “report” entitled “Initiative for the Relaunch of Italy 2020-2022.” Fifty pages long, the communique contains a little over 100 proposals for Italy's recovery. These are divided into six chapters: Companies and Employment; Infrastructure and the Environment; Tourism, Art and Culture; Public Administration; Education, Research and Skills; Individuals and Families. He suggests measures will take up to 12 mouths to implement.
Following the release of the Task Force report, the prime minister informed us that "it is an important contribution, but it is not political.” In other words, it would be politicians to relaunch the country. Then why bother with a Task Force in the first place? Furthermore, it makes the Estates General look as though they are trying reinvent a wheel that has already been invented and paid for profusely. Added to this, no other European country has engaged in such a spectacle. Instead, like Germany and France, they have reacted swiftly and made concrete efforts to solve their economic problems. Meanwhile, Italy has spent well over a week in an ivory tower just talking, talking, nothing but talking.
The other major event in this week concerns high school kids in their final year. On June 17th, they began their exams for graduation. Already disadvantaged after being home schooled since the end of February 2020, students will not take a written exam but, instead, face only an hour of oral questions. The interrogating commission will be made up of teachers from the students' school and not an external commission as before. The system of evaluation will be based on overall performance during their five years of high school.
Here in Florence, I am still breaking full lockdown very timidly. The weather has not helped as we have had a very rainy introduction to summer. The wet days are predicted to last in central Italy for at least another week or so. Maybe it's a good thing as the water will wash the virus off the streets. I did, however, manage a morning coffee with a friend I had not seen since March. Masked and gloved, we met at a cafe nearby the market where we noticed that most cafes along the street placed their distanced tables on the curbside as customers want to sit in the open air.
Under my apartment, the small playground has reopened with social distancing still the rule; as it is easy to see an almost impossible task for mothers to keep their toddlers from running about and hugging and kissing their playmates, despite their mini-masks. Strangely, I had become used to the absolute silence over these last weeks and I now miss it.
Magazines articles have appeared in Italy explaining that, after these months of home working and lockdown, many women say they have put on weight because of reduced physical exercise and have become used to wearing more “comfortable” clothes. Fashion houses are, therefore, now working on collections that will feature this new looser-fitting but still elegant styles. It made me think of when women freed themselves of those cumbersome crinolines! So I, for one, can't wait to renew my wardrobe...
Stay healthy and safe... Deirdre
Editor’s Note: Deirdre Pirro writes for PRIMO and provides new and original translations of excerpted works from English to Italian. She has written two books, now on sale through PRIMO. The first is “Italian Sketches - The Faces of Modern Italy,” a book about the most influential Italians in the arts, science and statecraft this past century. The second is “Politica e Prosa” a new book of translations in collaboration with PRIMO’s publisher and editor Truby Chiaviello. If interested, please log on to our Books Page here.
Opinion
A CALL FOR ACTION
Italian Americans Must March, Boycott, Sue and Demand Equal Protection Under the Law
“We have a right not to be erased.”
By Christopher Binetti
Four statues of the first immigrant to the Americas, Cristoforo Colombo, were attacked and other statues depicting him have been removed by local governments.
Only in Miami, a Latino-majority city, were Columbo statues spared. That is because the Latino mayor and mostly Latino police force respects Colombo or at least understands what he means to so many Latino and Italian Americans. Attacking Colombo is xenophobic, racist, and Italophobic, as well as Hispanophobic. After all, he worked for Spain and without him, there would be no Latinos.
Black Lives Matter (BLM) is now the predominant civil rights movement in America. Some of the movement’s supporters who are rightly angry at systemic racism in America and police brutality have resorted to violence. They have taken their frustrations out on Italian symbols and public works of art.
The governor of Minnesota called the lynching and take-down of the Colombo statue there as “civil disobedience.” No, it is not. This was rioting, plain and simple. Italians should boycott and march in protest against Minnesota until we get our statute back, an apology, arrests and prosecutions for those who vandalized the artwork.
“Italian Lives Matter” should not be a banned phrase, but I guarantee you that GoFundMe will ban it, so will Twitter, Facebook and perhaps YouTube. No one cares about Italian lives. Even Italian American politicians such as Mayor Joseph Curtatone of Somerville, Massachusetts, will routinely harm the Italian American community to impress suburban white progressives.
We will be erased if we do not protest, march, sue, and boycott. Philadelphia has begun erasing us. The Boston mayor says that he will not repair or replace the decapitated Colombo statue there or aggressively prosecute rioters. Richmond’s government is equally bigoted against Italians. Our cultural symbols are protected under civil rights and hate crime laws and we will ensure that these laws are followed, including legal action against rioters, the cops that did not stop the assault, mayors, governors, etc…
Italians are not white but letting white progressives call us white has allowed them to stereotype us, ridicule us, take away our representation, make us poorer and less elite, and now erase us. I am a liberal Democrat but I will not play for the white progressives any longer. Native American activists say they no longer wish to be peaceful. Italian American will not follow their wrongheaded call. Instead, our civil rights activists will be peaceful and we will not allow our cultural property destroyed. That means suing, peacefully marching, organizing voters and boycotting offending jurisdictions.
It is time for Italians to finally receive equality and civil rights in this country. Many Italians will not march due to threats to their lives and property. This is not just about property or cultural symbols. Italians have never successfully marched for our civil rights and so we have never fully earned them. In order to march, we must feel safe. We feel unsafe because our lives do not matter to most politicians outside Miami and New York City.
We have a right not to be erased. We have a right to march safely. We have a right to have our cultural heroes represented. We are not like the pro-Confederate people, whom we condemn. Colombo was not a monster. The lies against him are simply that - lies. Many Latinos and Italians know the truth - that he was a flawed hero, like someone out of “Game of Thrones.” Italian lives are threatened because we know that no one cares about us and behind our back, bigotry and stereotyping comes out of white progressive mouths all of the time.
So, when I say that Italian Lives Matter, it is because no one ever stands up for us. We are not even recognized as the persecuted minority that we are. It is time for us to not be afraid to march for our civil rights and protect our heroes, like Cristoforo Colombo.
Editor’s Note: Dr. Christopher Binetti is a political scientist, historian, adjunct professor at Middlesex County College in Edison, New Jersey. He is the founder and president of the Italian American Movement, an Italian American civil rights organization. He can be reached at cbinetti@terpmail.umd.edu. The author’s opinion as expressed in the article may not reflect the views of PRIMO Magazine.
BASTA TO RIOTS
All Forms of Violence Must Be Condemned Why Italian Americans Don’t Riot
By Christopher Binetti, Ph.D.
The riots sweeping across the country, from Minneapolis to Denver and beyond, were caused in part by the murder of George Floyd by four cops.
However, if four black cops had murdered an Italian, would Italian Americans riot?
No, because the media and political elites do not encourage our worst tendencies the way they do a small minority of the black community. Colin Kaepernick, raised by two white parents and half-white himself (his biological mother was Italian American), called for more riots after the first night of riots in Minneapolis. The Denver riots broke out after Kaepernick incited them. Marc Lamont-Hill, professor of media studies at Temple University, called the riots a rebellion, a common radical word choice. Both Professor Lamont-Hill and Mr. Kaepernick used the internet to incite riots, a federal offense.
Black nationalism is not new. It was behind the Detroit riot and more importantly in my community, the Newark riots of 1967. Black nationalists attacked and killed Italian and Portuguese Americans, little better off than themselves, and brutalized and murdered cops based on a lie. They made up a cause to riot, proving that black nationalists need no excuse to riot. Newark was seized from Italians and Portuguese Americans and is ruled by a son of one of the original black nationalist riot-leaders today.
New Jersey has never recovered from the Newark riots. The Newark government recognizes the riots as a “good thing,” established by this current mayor. The Italian side about the riots is never written down or portrayed in film. In fact, the Sopranos movie is coming out which will blame the Italians, when they were some of the victims. Rioters are glorified as long as they are from marginalized communities. There are many people who support the LGBT Stonewall Riots of 1969, as well as the Newark Riots of 1967, the 2015 Baltimore riots, etc. No one supports right wing violence, like that of Charlottesville; and yet the chairman of the Democratic Part Tom Perez did not condemn the current riots in an email that I received as a loyal Democrat. No progress will be made as long as Tom Perez does not condemn these riots.
The media often will claim the riots are protests, rebellions and uprisings. When people attack cops, however, or when buildings are burned down, that’s a riot. When businesses are destroyed, that’s a riot. When people attack the state to achieve through violent means what is unreasonable to expect from democracy. That’s a riot.
The media and my party are emboldening the rioters. Italians suffer terribly from discrimination but we don’t riot. We shouldn’t riot. No one should riot. When Twitter put a warning label on Trump’s tweet against the riots, it chose to privilege Kaepernick’s criminal tweet inciting violence. No one on the Left, least of all our standard-bearer, Joe Biden, is condemning the riots. If Biden does not condemn the riots, he will lose in November. There is no defense for what is now happening.
It is time for the Democrats to condemn riots, whether black nationalist ones or LGBT-related ones. Stonewall needs to be condemned for the violence that it was. Oppression does not justify violence. We must not privilege left-wing violence. I say this as a leftist.
George Floyd was murdered by four cops. He did not deserve that. The police officers involved deserve to be punished. And the rioters need to be punished. There needs to be criminal sanctions against people like Kaepernick and others who incite or participate in mass lawlessness.
The media does not fix racial inequities and institutional racism, it profits from them. George Floyd’s family did not want the riots and begged for them to stop, but the media fanned the flames because the media cannot be held accountable for incitement. At least Lamont-Hill and Kaepernick can and should be prosecuted. However, there are four cops who need to be prosecuted much more severely. We need justice but as we Italians, victims of the Newark riots can attest, riots are not justice. Riots are never justice.
Editor’s Note: Dr. Christopher Binetti is a political scientist, historian, adjunct professor at Middlesex County College in Edison, New Jersey. He is the founder and president of the Italian American Movement, an Italian American civil rights organization. He can be reached at cbinetti@terpmail.umd.edu. The author’s opinion as expressed in the article does not necessarily reflect the views of PRIMO Magazine.
The Covid Chronicles
EIGHTH & NINTH WEEK - PHASE 1 & 2 IMPLEMENTED
LOCKDOWN ENDS IN FLORENCE AND ELSEWHERE IN ITALY
Small Businesses Have Difficulty Complying with New Social Distancing Decrees
- Not all of Italy’s regions are on board. Campania will not comply.
- Shops, restaurants, espresso cafes, hairdressers, beauty parlors, and beach facilities can open
- Church services can resume
- More immigrants are needed, says central government
By Deirdre Pirro
With 3.5 million people infected and over 92,000 dead from Covid-19 in America, it would seem the virus has not yet peaked. Take extra special care, wear a mask and gloves and, if possible, STAY AT HOME.
Here in Italy, on May 16th, 2020, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, with an air of bestowing concessions, announced in the umpteenth press conference the latest easing of more Phase II lockdown restrictions. Mind you the decree was supposed to be published at the end of April, but came out a mere 48 hours before many small businesses could open on May 18th. Unfortunately, without guidelines, they hadn't been told HOW they were to open. They were still awaiting precise instructions about obligatory social distancing and other vital safety measures to implement. Some 1,000 restaurant owners in Florence took to the streets to protest. What is more, the decree makes heavy reading, being well over 400 pages long! It is now estimated that four out of ten business will probably never reopen. For example, a small restaurant can only serve a maximum of four tables, according to the new distancing rules. The owner’s costs will far outweigh any benefits. I guess this just goes to show you what more than 400 paid consultants can do when they put their minds to it!
On the morning of May 17th, an agreement was reached between the central government and Italy’s regions. Leeway is given to regional authorities to decide the time frame and the places where the new relaxed measures can be applied. Only Piedmont and Lombardy, because of their contagion rates, and Campania have not signed the agreement. The governor of the Campania region, Vincenzo De Luca, has accused the government of trying to pass the buck and lay responsibility for any worsening of the situation at their door.
The government was hit by even further flak when it suggested issuing temporary residence permits for 6 months to about 600,000 immigrants who were illegally in the country after their residence permits had expired after October 31, 2019. At the end of six months, these could be converted into permanent residency if the immigrants could demonstrate they had an employment contracts within the agricultural, pastoral, domestic service or carer sectors. Rumors are rife that some are willing to pay up to 12,000 euro to procure a false contract. Add to this, a national newspaper reported that, since the beginning of 2020, there has been a 900 percent increase in the influx of illegal immigrants compared to 2018 and 2019. These include about 300 percent that come from the Balkans, who enter the country through Slovenia with the city of Trieste becoming the new Lampedusa. Moreover, it is reported than over 24,000 Italians would be willing to work in the fields to harvest crops. Therefore, hostility towards this government proposal is strong.
The opposition believes there are too many rules that the government can never apply and too many promises that it will never keep. Industry, businesses and workers complain that promised financial assistance and unemployment benefits are yet to materialize. On this basis, Forza Italia, Fratelli d'Italia and the Lega parties are organizing demonstrations in piazzas on Republic Day, June 2nd.
Nonetheless, happily, after May 18th in Tuscany, we no longer have to carry self-certification to explain why we are out and about. We can't yet travel to another region or overseas unless for proven emergencies. We can, however, use second homes and see friends. All businesses including shops, restaurants, coffee shops, hairdressers, beauty parlors, and beach facilities can open; religious services can also be held based on certain restriction. On May 25th, gyms, swimming pools and sports centers will reopen. On June 3rd, we should finally be able to travel between regions and in Europe. Cinemas and theaters should open their doors again on June 15th. The idea of reviving “drive-in” movies is circulating and, although never very popular in Italy in the past, it might be a new sign of the times.
For many, the new relaxation of lockdown has brought a sense of euphoria, although many, especially older people, are wary. For them, it is still wait and see time. They have already been in isolation for so long that another couple of weeks means nothing. A friend calls it “cabin fever” when you are snug in your surroundings and have become unwilling to lose the security of those four walls. Fortunately, good things happen within those walls that make your day. These include taking virtual tours of your favorite cities and museums or watching opera or ballet in streaming from La Scala or simply playing a game of scopa napoletana with your husband.
Stay healthy and safe... Deirdre
Editor’s Note: Deirdre Pirro writes for PRIMO and provides new and original translations of excerpted works from English to Italian. She has written two books, now on sale through PRIMO. The first is “Italian Sketches - The Faces of Modern Italy,” a book about the most influential Italians in the arts, science and statecraft this past century. The second is “Politica e Prosa” a new book of translations in collaboration with PRIMO’s publisher and editor Truby Chiaviello. If interested, please log on to our Books Page here.
QUO VADIS COVID!
A poem about coronavirus
- In English and Italian
By Gerardo Perrotta
You came stealthily and locked us up!
Many breaths you took away!
Remember that 19 belongs to St. Joseph
Even if in Naples it’s a laugh
Your opus is not an opera
Enough laughing Pagliaccio
The comedy is ending
Puccini’s trembling stars
Will shine once again
as you fall at the foot of the archangel
on top of Hadrian’s tomb
Your hour has come,
At dawn I am beginning to hear Pavarotti
Vincero`!
Sei venuto di nascosto e ci hai rinchiusi!
Molti respiri hai portato via!
Ricordati pero` che il 19 e` di san Giuseppe
Anche se a Napoli e` la risata
Il tuo opus non e` un opera
Basta col ridere Pagliaccio
La commedia sta per finire
le stelle tremanti di Puccini
Brilleranno ancora una volta
mentre cadi ai piedi dell'arcangelo
in cima alla tomba di Adriano
La tua ora è arrivata
All'alba comincio a sentire Pavarotti
Vincero`
Editor’s Note: Mr. Perrotta is originally from Paola, Calabria. He is retired from the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.
THE FAUCI PHENOMENON
How Dr. Anthony Fauci Became The Most Powerful Person in the United States
Should we be ruled by scientists?
By Dr. Christopher Binetti
If you have been following my series of similarly named articles, then you probably know what I am doing here. I have been criticizing the overly powerful actors during the coronavirus crisis, particularly those who are ethnically Italian, both in America and in the homeland. My first article criticized the Italian prime minister. My second article criticized some Italian American governors. Today, my subject is Dr. Anthony Fauci.
I am a political scientist and as such, I am setting my own personal opinion about Dr. Fauci largely aside. In my professional opinion, there is a lot to criticize when it comes to the phenomenon of Dr. Fauci but little to criticize in Dr. Fauci’s personal character. He represents a worrisome trend but that does not make him a bad person. This article thus has two, seemingly contradictory goals, to attack the Fauci phenomenon while simultaneously defend Dr. Fauci as the real human person that he is.
Even as a professional political scientist, I must first acknowledge the ideological perspective through which I see my subject. I am what is called in political science a left liberal, rather than the now-more common progressive, which is found through out academia. Left liberalism is based on the notion that everyone is essentially equal and of equal value and that we need to praise and blame people based on their objective actions rather than their demographic categories. In progressivism, who you are demographically is considered much more important than what you do or what you represent. In left liberalism which used to be the ideology of the left until the last ten years, the opposite is the case.
As a result of this ideological lens, I cede the fact that Dr. Fauci is a trailblazer. He is the first Italian American medical professional to be declared by the media and politicians as the most important person in the country. The media and politicians usually diminish and marginalize Italian Americans and our culture and now they love one of us. He even is proudly Italian and has an unmistakably Italian surname. If I were a progressive, I would refuse to criticize anything near Dr. Fauci based on the mere fact that right now he is opening doors all across the country for Italian Americans, especially Italian American men.
However, as a left liberal, I cannot count the fact that Dr. Fauci is helping our Italian American community in a huge way. As a political scientist, I have two things to analyze: Whether the Fauci phenomenon is good or bad for America and does he deserve blame or praise for his actions? I will answer each question in turn.
Dr. Fauci is deemed infallible by the media and most politicians. To question him, we are told, is political suicide. He has the authority that the medieval Catholic Church wanted but never had in the Middle Ages. Whatever Dr. Fauci recommends quickly becomes law. He wins every argument with the president. He has effectively taken power from the vice president in the national commission on coronavirus. He appears to have the kind of political and social power that a humble scientist could only dream of in most eras.
Much of the resentment in the dark recesses of the country against Dr. Fauci is the idea that he has absolute or nearly absolute power over our political institutions. He appears to have exactly this. When he recommended that Americans never shake hands with each other, the media essentially said that the matter was settled. However, Dr. Fauci only appears to have real power. He is on an advisory committee that he does not head. He has no elected office and is not a member of the cabinet. He runs a department of the National Institutes of Health and is not even in charge of the very powerful Centers for Disease Control. He relies on his popularity and apparent power on the acquiesce and support of the media and politicians. If he recommended tomorrow that abortions be cancelled for the next four months due to coronavirus, he would lose all of his apparent power, as the Democratic Party, progressive politicians, and the media would turn on him. In other words, he really has no actual power of his own.
The politicians, not the scientists, deserve the vast majority of the blame here. The scientists do not know how to rule us. I tried to write an article for a mainstream site once saying that and it got shot down. The idea is that the scientists should rule us. Yet, this crisis shows that they do not really rule us even when we claim that they and not politicians make the decisions because the politicians choose their pet scientists and doctors carefully.
We have too much faith in science and too little faith in the cornerstones of Western civilization that made modern science possible, i.e., politics and religion However, most scientists and doctors, despite their flaws, are just trying to muddle through this crisis like the rest of us. Science is not a moral art, it is amoral - it is good or evil based on how we humans use it. Ultimately, politics is how we morally govern our country and when we empower the wrong politicians, they will use their power to misuse science. Ultimately, it is politicians and political scientists who know how to rule us, not natural scientists and doctors.
Thus, Dr. Fauci and his scientists are not to blame for the consequences of their actions, since they know not what they are doing. The political restrictions that they are used to justify will likely not go away anytime soon, even after the worst of the crisis has passed. There will be deaths caused directly by their recommendations. Many will suffer because of their recommendations. However, it is foolish to blame Dr. Fauci and his colleagues for any of this.
Do you think that Governor Raimondo or Governor Cuomo would be stopped for doing their agendas just because the scientific community disagreed with them? They have ways to coerce the medical and scientific communities. The CDC was against face masks, saying that they were harmful until the politicians supported the CDC with praise and money. The CDC then changed its position to conform with what its main supporters wanted. This is not bribery, but group think. Group think happens and we should not blame scientists for engaging in it.
The politicians have the power, the political agendas, the bad motives, and the means to carry out their goals. The scientists may have provided them the opportunity but even this is doubtful. The political restrictions are a political problem and we should blame our political leadership, especially our elected leaders, rather than the scientific and medical community.
Dr. Fauci represents a wider phenomenon, the ‘‘rule by experts’’ that progressives and frankly many true left liberals like so much. I would prefer political scientists be the experts ruling here but again, political scientists have been totally shut out of the conversation. The “rule of experts’’ is a myth here when governors are really ruling. The president might have less power because of the experts but that is largely because the media is opposed to him having power.
Rather than blaming Dr. Fauci, when he seems to be of good character personally, we need to attack the phenomenon that the media and politicians have built around him. We can blame the media, which is driving the groupthink here. If there is one thing that this whole phenomenon makes clear is that the media needs more ideological diversity. Frankly, it could use more religious people and Italians also, but that is for another article. We need a federal law, as well state laws, that not only outlaws ideological discrimination like we do religious, ethnic, gender, disability, and racial discrimination, but also promotes ideological diversity like we do in gender and race. It is a compelling state interest to have an ideologically diverse elite media, particularly since right now, the progressive media can win political battles for the Democratic Party, my party, when its actions are no different than the Republican Party’s actions that are condemned by the media. We have a media ideological diversity problem. We have a media-political industrial complex. We need to end the partisan and ideological stranglehold that progressive Democrats have on the media or else our political institutions will no longer be truly democratic. None of this is the fault of the real Dr. Fauci, but it does explain the Fauci phenomenon.
Editor’s Note: Dr. Christopher Binetti is a political scientist, historian, adjunct professor at Middlesex County College in Edison, New Jersey. He is the founder and president of the Italian American Movement, an Italian American civil rights organization. He can be reached at cbinetti@terpmail.umd.edu. The author’s opinion as expressed in the article does not necessarily reflect the views of PRIMO Magazine.
THE CATHOLIC CHURCH AND CORONAVIRUS
A New Age in Worship Ushered in by Contagion - Pope Francis Walks Alone in Rome
- An Entire Convent Infected
- Italian Priests Get Creative in Reaching Parishioners
By Jesper Storgaard Jensen – Photos: PR Vatican State
Some photographs claim their access to history as symbols; symbols of our time, symbols of change and symbols of a moment that heralds new times coming, new ways of living. One such photograph is the one of Pope Francis on March 15 as he walked through one of Rome's usually busiest streets, Via del Corso, surrounded only by an assistant and a few bodyguards. In the background, an empty Piazza Venezia and on the right-hand side of the photograph you’ll spot a lonely cyclist, who was probably quite surprised to suddenly meet the head of the Vatican State in the middle of Rome's tormented heart.
Pope Francis was heading to the Church of San Marcello to make a prayer to the Virgin Mary. It is here where the "miraculous crucifix” is located. In 1522 the large cross was carried through the streets of Rome in the hope that it would put an end to the plague that ravaged the city.
This is not the only photo of Pope Francis that has travelled around the world in this period. Also the photo where the pope is presenting a prayer at St. Peter's, all by himself in front of an empty square, has a good chance of being elected "Photo of the Year.”
The coronavirus has been tough on Italy. As these lines are written, almost 30,000 Italians have died as a result of the virus, and experts estimate that this figure will reach between 32,000-34,000 in the next months.
The infected nuns
In the Italian daily la Repubblica, Italian author Alessandro Baricco has written that "humanity currently finds itself in a difficult balance between the old world and a new world that we do not yet know.”
Since Baricco's statement, a month has passed. And now we know that an important keyword will be co-existence. We will have to coexist with the virus, at least until a vaccine is found. This means compulsory use of face masks, social distancing and, on the whole, a way of life that will be very different from what we used to know. Italy has been so badly affected that the herd immunity strategy, launched more or less wholeheartedly in some countries, would have been completely unthinkable here.
The virus has infected all parts of society, and the Italian press is full of stories and articles that also deal with the Catholic Church in times of virus. This was the case, for example, when some time ago you could read an incredible story about a convent of nuns in the outskirts of Rome affected by coronavirus.
Near the town of Grottaferrata, south of Rome, you’ll find the convent of Le Figlie di San Camillo. A total of 60 nuns live in this peaceful monastery. But recently it was virus-struck. One of the nuns had been in Northern Italy, in Cremona, which had been a "red zone" due to a large number of virus-infected. She brought the contagion with her back to Rome and subsequently infected a number of her fellow sisters, initially 40 and, later on, the remaining 20. A nunnery with all 60 nuns tested positive for coronavirus! Quite incredible! The nuns then chose to isolate themselves in their rooms, and are now out of danger.
The digital church
During the quarantine period, the vast majority of Italy's churches have been closed, and in the few churches that actually remained open, no religious acts took place. This means that the Church has had to find new ways to assist the parishioners. So, during the quarantine the popular TV2000-channel has frequently broadcasted religious services. This is technically easy, and all dangers of infection are of course reduced.
When need is at its highest point, as we all know, our fantasy is often considerable. This truth was recently confirmed, when la Repubblica published an article with the headline "The Digital Church". The "digital" was a reference to a modern use of social media carried out by the priest Don Corbari from the small Lombard town of Robbiano di Giussano. When his church was closed to ecclesiastical acts, he got a very special idea. He soon found out that it was quite boring to arrange masses in streaming in a completely empty church. So he asked all his parishioners to send him a photo of themselves - a selfie or photo where they were with their family members.
This idea was very well received, and in the days that followed Don Corbari received an incredible amount of photos from his congregation. They were all put up in long rows onto the church’s benches. So now he no longer feels lonely, when he starts his sermon on the digital platform Telegram.
Also the church of San Gabriele dell'Addolorata, in Rome's Tuscolana district, has chosen untraditional ways to stay in touch with the congregation. On the roof of the church, the priests have now placed an altar, and occasionally they broadcast services in streaming, under the open sky.
On the whole, Italy has seen fanciful examples of how Catholic priests are able to keep in touch with their parishioners, despite the Corona crisis. It has, of course, been appreciated by Pope Francis, who said: “The pastors of the Church have proved to be exceptionally creative. In many different ways, they try to reach out for their parishioners so that they do not feel abandoned during this difficult time.”
The churches have not yet been reopened, but the plan it that this will happen on May 24.
More than 100 died
Seven people from the Vatican State have been diagnosed with coronavirus. Fortunately a small number. Unfortunately the situation is much worse "out in the field", where many Catholic priests have often moved around in vulnerable positions. This applies, for example, to Francesco Nisoli, age 71, from Cremona, who had been a Catholic missionary in Brazil for 30 years and who recently died from Covid-19. Fausto Resmini, 67, was a prison priest in Como and died alongside many others. In fact, since the beginning of the corona crisis, a total of 105 priests, nuns and church assistants have lost their lives due to infection.
In his recent Easter prayers Pope Francis recalled these painful sacrifices with the words: “I deeply regret these deaths. We can consider these people like saints living next door to us.”
Coronavirus has had many side effects during this period. One of these is that an era has now ended for the well-known Catholic daily L'Osservatore Romano, which has so far been published in a daily edition of 12,000 copies. The newspaper saw the light of day on July 6, 1849, and is therefore one of Italy's oldest publications. But ... coronavirus p
ut an end to the physical existence of the paper. On March 26 this year, the newspaper appeared for the last time in the newspaper stands - 171 years after its founding. Today, there are simply too few buyers of the newspaper, and in the future the newspaper can exclusively be read digitally.
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ITALY IS THE HERO IN “SANTIAGO, ITALIA”
The Documentary by Nanni Moretti Goes Back to the 1973 Coup in Chile
How the Italian Embassy Gave Safe Refuge to Marxist Radicals - PRIMO Review
Nanni Moretti continues to ride a wave of praise among the best and brightest in Italian cinema. The producer, director and actor has a portfolio of quality films to his credit, such as “The Son’s Room” in 2001, “We Have a Pope” in 2011 and “Mia Madre” in 2015.
Not just a maker of feature length films, Moretti is also a documentarian. Admittedly left-leaning in politics, he strikes a balance in his films for mass viewership. His latest is a riveting tour de force in South American intrigue and political violence titled “Santiago, Italia.”
Made in 2018, “Santiago, Italia” is must-see cinema for anyone interested in socialist or Marxist ideology and the historic interplay between Italy and South America. The documentary considers the aftermath of the coup d'état in Chile in 1973 and the role Italy played in rescuing young revolutionaries opposed to the military overthrow of that country’s duly elected government.
The film begins with a stunning view of Santiago. The snow capped Andes in the distance frames a bustling city of some 5 million people. Chile’s capital symbolizes a model for free market prosperity in South America. Indeed, as this century began, the country Colombia modeled her resurgence on what happened in Chile 30 years prior. It was in 1975 when Milton Friedman and other economists from the University of Chicago were in Chile at the request of the dictator General Augosto Pinochet. The old socialist structure was scrapped for low taxes, minimal regulations and a tight money supply. Chile’s economy boomed and the country eventually made a peaceful transition in 1990 from a military junta into one of the most stable democracies in the world today.
Filmmaker Moretti makes no mention of the positive transformation that occurred under the years of Pinochet from 1973 to 1990. Rather, the general is seen in the film as a symbol of right wing oppression and violence. On September 11, 1973, Pinochet ordered Chile’s army and air force to all but destroy Palacio de La Moneda, the country’s presidential palace and cabinet building. The neoclassical structure was designed in 1784 by Italian architect Joaquín Toesca and is to Chile what the White House and the Eisenhower Executive Office Building is to America. Black and white archival footage shows the building in flames after an aerial assault by fighter jets. The scene is a stunning reminder of just how brutal was the coup d'état in Chile. The event shocked much of the world with a serious rebuke by many countries of United States foreign policy. American support for the overthrow came with a host of clandestine actions by the Central Intelligence Agency, not to mention training and tactics by American military advisers.
Part of the story in “Santiago, Italia” is the rise of Salvador Allende, a physician and member of the Chilean parliament who became the first Marxist elected to the presidency of a country in Latin America. He remains an enigmatic figure who was mentored in political ideology by Juan De Marchi, an immigrant from Turin who was a shoemaker in Chile and sought to lead an anarchist revolution there. Allende won the presidency in 1970 with a plurality vote of just 36 percent. He took a hard and uncompromising approach to nationalize industries, fix prices and expand government. Inflation, long lines at the grocery store and national strikes became symbolic of the country’s woes. Most objective observers consider such economic reforms a travesty, yet Moretti’s focus is on the nobility of Allende’s effort.
“Santiago, Italia” is replete with contemporary interviews of gray haired men and women who in 1973 were young committed Marxists. They were Allende’s most loyal and ardent supporters and look back fondly on those years of hope and confidence. Enthusiasm turns to fear when they recall how the army took control of the capital. Allende, still in the presidential palace, refused to cede power. After troops stormed the building, he was found dead from an apparent suicide.
The testimony of those who survived the coup remains moving and insightful. Many of them today are successful writers, teachers and artists in Italy. They were young radicals then and were rounded up by soldiers and police in Santiago. The city’s soccer stadium became a mass prison for interrogation and torture. The political apparatus of socialists, Marxists and anarchists in Chile was destroyed by the military.
On the run from authorities, many young radicals took refuge in the Italian embassy in Santiago. They scaled the large concrete wall to land in the garden and pool side of the Palladian estate. The Italian government was most generous with sanctuary for Chilean discontents. They were given safe passage to Italy and settled in Emilia-Romagna for the Communist party there to give them money, shelter and jobs.
“Santiago, Italia” is an extraordinary film that captures the complexities of refugees and how Italy helped those at the wrong end of history. The virtues of Italy are extolled by those saved in the crisis. One woman in the film compared her home country of Chile to an abusive father while Italy was the mother who gave her security and comfort. As time passed, she and others became more Italian than Chilean. They married Italians and their children were born and raised in Italy.
Moretti is a wise filmmaker who understands the emotional appeal of survivors. Feelings of sympathy for those persecuted and a revulsion of violent repression is what ultimately keeps our attention in the film.
“Santiago, Italia” is an excellent documentary with its single flaw being the embracement of political propaganda. No doubt the filmmaker is a supporter of the ideological principles espoused by Allende. A difference must be noted in the endgame between Chile and Italy. What Allende and his supporters sought was not a socialist democracy as accomplished in Italy and elsewhere in Europe after World War II. Instead, they yearned for a system that was wholly Stalinist as what arose in Cuba and the Soviet Union. Had they succeeded, Chile would no doubt have undergone many dark years of poverty and repression. Would they have been any less tyrannical than the military junta they fled? If the tide was reversed, would Nanni Morretti tell a story with such vigor and skill for refugees that espoused the virtues of Friedrich Hayek, instead of Karl Marx? These are questions we are glad are not to be answered.
Editor’s Note: “Santiago, Italia” joins a host of other films from Italy and elsewhere as previewed and promoted at Lincoln Center in New York. To find out more, please log on to the virtual cinema page at https://www.filmlinc.org.
The Covid Chronicles
SEVENTH WEEK OF LOCKDOWN IN FLORENCE
Financial Worries Gave Way to Spring Optimism and Italian Patriotism
- Mobsters Get House Arrest in Lieu of Jail for Fear of Contagion
- The Return of the Ducat
By Deirdre Pirro
This is the seventh week of lockdown in Florence.
We are devastated for you in America with the terrible toll this pandemic is taking. Do take extra special care and STAY AT HOME.
Everyday new and often conflicting statements are issued about what the Technical Scientific Task force, chaired by an international, London-based manager, Vittorio Calao, finally recommends. Clarity is certainly required. There is a great sense of anticipation in the air, a little like children waiting for Santa Claus to arrive. The problem is that there are also experts who tell us we shouldn't expect too many gifts. Instead, we should be very careful about rushing out of lockdown; because, if it is too soon we may find ourselves back where we started with contagion and even re-contagion happening all over again – and worse.
Once more, the regional governors have indicated that they will interpret the new recovery measures the way they see fit for the needs of their citizens. The Association of Mayors has also added its voice indicating they too wish to have a say in the matter, particularly with regard to opening local construction sites and getting the public transport systems in their cities back in full operation. The bottom line seems that many areas of the country will recuperate economically at different speeds.
The pundits predict what will probably happen is that the already heavily indebted southern EU Member States, like us, will be required to guarantee loans to be taken out by the European Commission which will then be extended to them, guess what, as loans. We'll have to wait and see.
Controversy arose and indignation was voiced by much of the judiciary, the police and victims' families when the 60-year-old financial boss of the Casalesi clan, Pasquale Zagaria, was released on house arrest. This was because the hospital in Sassari, where he was being treated, while in jail could no longer do so as it was to be used exclusively for Covid-19 patients and he risked contagion. This was followed, again on health grounds, by house arrest for the convicted murderer Francesco La Rocca, nicknamed “U zu Cicciu,” boss and founder, in the 1970s of the Caltagirone clan and a friend of Totò Riina and Bernardo Provenzano. Opponents argue other solutions within the prison system could have been found and that these decisions offend the memory of those who died in the fight against organized crime. A review by the Justice Department has been promised and there is relief to know that the don of Catania's Cosa Nostra, Nitto Santapaola, despite his 81 years of age, will remain in jail, in a separate cell, under what is known as the 41bis disciplinary regime.
On a lighter note, to help those within its community struggling to make ends meet, the small municipality of Castellino del Befino in the province of Campobasso has taken to printing ducats. One ducat is worth a euro and there are notes of 5, 10, 20 and 50 ducats. They are to be used in the town for food shopping.
In Florence, life in lockdown progresses much as usual, except that the spring weather is improving which makes it harder and harder to stay cooped up and fuels the growing desire to escape. But, even if should we venture out, we have to wear a mask. Hopefully, by the end of May, we may be given a serological test that reveals the IgG antibodies indicating whether we have had the virus or not. The Italian branch of the US pharmaceutical company, Abbott, will distribute 4 million of these tests throughout the country and states it is able to analyze up to 200 tests an hour in its various laboratories.
One important event occurred on April 25th. The lone figure and dignified of the President of the Republic, Sergio Matterella, wearing a mask, placed a wreath at the Vittoriano, the monument housing the tomb of the unknown soldier (fondly known by many as “the wedding cake” because of its distinctive architecture), on the 75th anniversary of Liberation Day. This is the symbolic date chosen each year to honor the popular rebellion followed by the retreat of Nazi German soldiers and the Fascists of the Republic of Salò from Turin and Milan, a vital step in bringing World War II to an end in Italy. Unable to attend the usual celebrations, we were asked to stand on our balconies or at our windows and sing “Bella Ciao” which I and many others did, some waving flags in their hands. One man in my street played the trumpet. It was very emotional. In his address to the nation the President told us, “We are all called upon to make a contribution in order to resume our lives again after the pandemic. Together, we can make it.” And, I for one, believe him.
Stay healthy and safe... Deirdre.
Editor’s Note: Deirdre Pirro writes for PRIMO and provides new and original translations of excerpted works from English to Italian. She has written two books, now on sale through PRIMO. The first is “Italian Sketches - The Faces of Modern Italy,” a book about the most influential Italians in the arts, science and statecraft this past century. The second is “Politica e Prosa” a new book of translations in collaboration with PRIMO’s publisher and editor Truby Chiaviello. If interested, please log on to our Books Page here.
MEET THE CZECHOSLOVAKIAN VLCAK
A New Children’s Book Acclaims an Obscure Dog Breed Popular in Italy “Is That a Wolf or a Dog?” is Aptly Titled by Author Marcangelo L. Benevenga - PRIMO Review
Big Red. Old Yeller. Rin Tin Tin. Lassie.
These are the names of the most famous dogs from literature, cinema and television. Now add to the mix, Arya, a new kind of canine protagonist from Marcangelo L. Benevenga’s heartwarming children’s book “Is That a Wolf or a Dog?”
As the title suggests and as reinforced by the outstanding cover illustration and others in the inside pages by Andrea Alemanno, Arya is unlike most pet dogs. She is a Czechoslovakian Vlcak, a relatively new breed with a unique background as explained in the book. The author writes: “Back in Czechoslovakia around 1955, a Carpathian wolf was bred with a German Shepherd and the offspring resulted in the breed. The dog was intended to have the strength and stamina of a wolf, and the trainability of a German Shepherd. They were known to be fiercely loyal and affectionate, and to love the outdoors.”
Mr. Benevenga became the proud owner of a Czechoslovakian Vlcak while in his 30s. He is today an active member of the Czechoslovakian Vlcak Club of America and has appeared in documentaries and other television programs touting the breed. He decided to put his experiences training and rearing a Czechoslovakian Vlcak in a children’s book. Hence, “Is That a Wolf or a Dog?” tells the story, not of a dog owner who is a grown man, but, rather, a 14-year-old boy named Marc who lives with his family in Canada. A canine enthusiast if there ever was one, Marc loved “how dogs greeted him with their tails wagging happily and their sloppy, wet kisses. He also loved the fierce look of wolves, their golden eyes, and the sweet music they made when they howled in the night.”
Marc asks if it is possible to own a wolf and is immediately told “No” by his parents. Nevertheless, while on a family trip to Italy, he sees in Venice, Rome and elsewhere people walking what look to be wolves. He is told by one owner that the animal is an established canine breed named the Czechoslovakian Vlcak. Marc then sets a goal for himself to acquire the dog when his family returns to Canada.
After working in his father’s Italian restaurant washing dishes and other chores, Marc has saved enough money to purchase a Czechoslovakian Vlcak pup from a breeder in Italy. The dog arrives and is named Arya, based on a character from Marc’s favorite book, “A Game of Thrones.”
At first gleeful about owning a rare mixed breed of dog and wolf, Marc is soon beset with an array of problems. Arya is as clever as a German Shepherd but as unpredictable as a Carpathian wolf. She seems to possess the best and worst of her respective breeds. The dog tears up furniture and playthings. She escapes from her leash and makeshift kennel and Marc has to run after her in the park. Although the dog wreaks havoc in and outside the home, Marc is committed to keeping and training Arya. The author writes, “Czechoslovakian Wolfdogs do not train or communicate like regular dogs. They form a bond developed by love and loyalty. Marc was once told that Arya would never be a ‘normal’ dog, and she definitely isn’t. Normal is overrated! As much as Marc wanted a dog that would be friendly and greet everyone on sight, he got one that needed time to get to know someone.”
What happens next is a dose of humility for Mark. He understands his limits and must find help in caring for Arya. He is not unlike other main characters from the great stories of the past about dogs and animals. The troublesome pet and young owner must learn from each other.
“Is That a Wolf or a Dog?” is the kind of story we use to cherish on Sunday nights watching Disney on ABC television. The lessons of life come in the way of wholesome adventures with unique dogs and animals as important characters. Such are the tales we still love today.
Marcangelo Benevenga is commended for giving us a story that further introduces us to the unique breed of the Czechoslovakian Vlcak. “Is That a Wolf or a Dog?” is a most enjoyable and enlightening book for children of all ages.
The Covid Chronicles
SIXTH WEEK OF LOCKDOWN IN FLORENCE
Political Forces Remain Divided In How Best To Move Forward
- As Government Promised, Masks Arrived…But They are Poorly Made - A strange bird in the yard. Is that an omen?
By Deirdre Pirro
This is the sixth week of lockdown in Florence.
America has now experienced greater loss of life than Italy and, sadly, it is first on this sad global death roll so please take extra special care and STAY AT HOME.
This last week the Italian government took steps to begin Phase II of the recovery aimed at slowly putting the economy on an even keel. The goal is to prevent industries and businesses in Italy from losing their slots in the global marketplace to other countries that have been less affected by this coronavirus. In what turned out to be a controversial press conference given by Prime Minister Conte on 10 April, 2020 we were told that lockdown was to be extended until 3 May, on the advice of his hefty squad of consultants. However, from 14 April, the new Ministerial decree would permit book and stationary shops and clothing stores for children to open as well as some activities related to forestry. If these initial measures are able to kickstart the economy of a country on its knees it would surprise me and others.
Apart from this, the major reason that this press conference caused an uproar was that Conte openly attacked two of the members of the opposition, naming names, during a public interest announcement and at a time when Italy needs maximum unity and collaboration among her political forces. He contended he was simply countering fake news that were circulating but, whether this was true or not, this was not the place to do it.
His comments were linked to the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) regarding the financial rescue tool that the powerful northern countries in Europe are in favor of using to help bail out their suffering southern neighbors. Instead, the prime minister and the 5 Star Movement political party who sponsored his rise to power call for the issue of Eurobonds, to share debt across the eurozone, arguing that use of the ESM would come with onerous conditions that could paralyze them with debt. Instead, the EU has come up with a “light” ESM package in with they would allow Italians, Spaniards, Portuguese and Greeks to borrow. In Italy's case, some 36 billion euro from the ESM could come with no conditions attached except that the funds be directly used for coronavirus-related expenditures. Applying “a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush” approach, Spain and Portugal appear willing to accept this proposal. Also, in recent statements two authoritative figures, former prime ministers Silvio Berlusconi and Romano Prodi, from opposite sides of the political spectrum, agree. Even the leader of the Democratic Party, Nicola Zingaretti, partner of the 5 Star Movement in the ruling coalition is in accord; likewise, the Confindustria, the Italian Industrial Federation. It looks like the prime minister will have to find a compromise or else back down.
Meanwhile, the Regional authorities have interpreted these new recovery measures in varied ways, interpreted according to what they see as local priorities. However, a recent, disturbing ingredient has been introduced into this power-sharing mix. After an alarming number of Covid-19 deaths of the elderly in many nursing homes throughout Italy, magistrates and the caribinieri are now investigating and looking for where any blame may be laid or responsibility attributed.
This last week, here at home, the surgical masks we must wear outdoors arrived, as promised. Volunteers from the civil protection organization left three paper bags in our letter box, one for each of us. Trouble is each bag only contained two masks made of flimsy material and for mono-use only. So, it seems we can now go out – at least twice! Aren't we lucky?
Yesterday morning, as I was about to put the Bialetti on the stove to make my first cup of coffee, I looked out of my kitchen window and saw something. It was a flash of color and a strange shape sitting on a branch of the big pine tree in a courtyard nearby. I couldn't see it clearly so I went to get my husband's binoculars to take a better look. It was a bird. The kind I had never seen before. It was larger than a pigeon, orange in color with dark, zebra-striped wing and tail feathers, a pointed crest and a long, narrow beak. Fascinated, I found our book on European birds and discovered it was a Eurasian hoopoe, called such because of its oop-oop-oop call. This made me think about the capacity of nature to survive and regenerate. Since we have been in lockdown, there is hardly anyone out on the streets. There are very few cars on the road and the noise and pollution in town have almost disappeared. The birds are coming back. Let's hope it's a good omen for the future.
Stay healthy and safe... Deirdre
Editor’s Note: Deirdre Pirro writes for PRIMO and provides new and original translations of excerpted works from English to Italian. She has written two books, now on sale through PRIMO. The first is “Italian Sketches - The Faces of Modern Italy,” a book about the most influential Italians in the arts, science and statecraft this past century. The second is “Politica e Prosa” a new book of translations in collaboration with PRIMO’s publisher and editor Truby Chiaviello. If interested, please log on to our Books Page here.
DRACONIAN MEASURES BY GOVERNORS RAIMONDO, CUOMO AND DESANTIS ARE UNCONSTITUTIONAL
Perpetuating Autocratic Stigma of Italian Americans - Forcing quarantine on visitors to Rhode Island
By Dr. Christopher Binetti
Governor Gina Raimondo has authorized state police and
the national guard to detain
and enforce a quarantine
upon visitors to her state, Rhode Island
In my last article, I talked about what I viewed to be a failure of Italian leadership in the homeland. To me, every problem facing Italian people, American or otherwise, is connected to every other problem facing Italian people. The problem of leadership is a big one for our people. It is no less a challenge in America than it is in Italy. However, the contours of the problem are different.
A major theme that you will find in my writings on Italian Americans, if you are unfortunate enough to read all of my rants on the subject, is that Italian Americans lose out when they do not identify strongly with one another as Italian Americans. When Italian Americans play at being white people, we lose. When we perform for elite suburban hipsters and pretend that we do not have a distinct culture of our own we lose. Most importantly, when we pretend that Italian Americans do not need to secure more power for ourselves, we lose.
In the future, I will explore a lot of what I just mentioned, but today, I simply want to talk about Italian American leadership. Right now, during the coronavirus crisis, Italian American political leaders, particularly governors, are front and center like we have not seen in a while. Sure, the Speaker of the House is an Italian American, but the media does not emphasize that aspect about Nancy Pelosi, except when they want to depict her as a stereotypical Italian grandmother.
During the coronavirus crisis, governors have taken power like we have not seen in our lifetimes. Many of these governors are not Italian and there is no real correlation between autocratic behavior and being Italian. However, there is also no real correlation between organized criminal behavior and being Italian and yet the media and entertainment have most Americans believing that Italian Americans have the market cornered on organized crime or that most of our families owe their status due to organized crime.
So, I am worried that Americans will see the power-hungry behavior of a few Italian American governors and come to the wrong conclusion that Italians are naturally anti-democratic. I myself am worried that my last article implied this. Italy is right now marching away from democracy and it has some indicators for an increased tendency to do so, but it also is the birthplace of many of our ideals about a republican form of government and of checks and balances on power. It is the home of both the Roman Republic, the model for America’s political ideals and its antithesis, the Roman Empire. Italian culture has as much, if not more, pro-democratic indicators in the long run as it has the opposite.
Yet, most Americans are ignorant of Italians and Italian American culture. That topic could be and will be a topic on its own in the future, but for now, it is sufficient to say that if we do not call out the bad apples in our own community and promote positive Italian American leadership as an alternative, our whole community will lose the opportunity to lead in America due to the stereotype of the autocratic Italian.
Governors Ronald DeSantis, Andrew Cuomo, and Gina Raimondo all have abused power in the name of public health and safety during the coronavirus crisis, but in different ways and to different degrees. They are all of Italian ancestry and thus I call them all Italian Americans. Governor DeSantis, of Florida, is a Republican and Governor Raimondo, of Rhode Island, is a Democrat, but their actions are similar. While each party will attack the other as more autocratic, I think that party is a relatively insignificant factor here. Both governors have ordered people from states other than their own, but not their own citizens, be forced to quarantine themselves under the sanction of the state for two weeks, regardless of the chances of being infected. Governor DeSantis, from what I can gather, has not enforced his quarantine order with the same vigor, but I believe it to be at least somewhat mandatory and focused only on states such as New York and New Jersey. It is ironic that an Italian American governor would disproportionately target Italian Americans since New York and New Jersey are states with huge Italian populations. The governor actually could end up subjecting Italian Americans to what is legally called disparate impact discrimination, against federal and state laws.
Governor Cuomo of New York, has not taken this tactic, but is requiring everyone within 6 feet of a person in public to wear a mask or facial covering or suffer the wrath of the state’s police powers. This is not as invasive or discriminatory as DeSantis or Raimondo’s actions, but it does essentially violate the idea of civil liberties in public. Governor Cuomo is also being inconsistent in that he supports a radical notion of bodily autonomy in all other areas of the law.
However, the greatest threat to future Italian American leadership comes from Governor Raimondo. She has used the state police and the National Guard in an extremely aggressive way compared to DeSantis and Cuomo. She originally only quarantined New Yorkers, but now any non-Rhode Islander will be quarantined simply for visiting her state, with no due process, while Rhode Islanders do not have to do so. There is no constitutional basis for what Raimondo is doing and she is being much more aggressive in her policy than DeSantis.
Raimondo has not gone as far as Cuomo when its comes to her own citizens. Cuomo has mandated that even if it may kill you, you have to wear a mask anywhere within 6 feet of another person. This will hurt many people and the mainstream media and the ACLU does not care. On an objective level, Cuomo’s actions are more likely to cause actual deaths or force people to become agoraphobic and malnourished at home
However, subjectively, most people view Raimondo’s actions as worse. Most civil libertarians, for example, believe that losing your basic rights in an emergency is much less worrying that for some people to lose their rights and not others. Although I am a proud liberal and civil libertarian, this is not actually my view; I am more worried by the deprivation of rights more than the discrimination, but both are very bad.
Raimondo, unlike Cuomo, does not demand much of her own citizens. For example, citizens of Rhode Island do not have to even wear masks or facial coverings in grocery stores, which is a pretty sensible restriction. In other words, the governor does not restrict the civil liberties of the citizens. However, she totally eviscerates the civil liberties of non-Rhode Islanders. She eliminates the rule of law and adopts a xenophobic stance. If you are from abroad, i.e. not Rhode Island, you are, by what passes as law in Rhode Island, declared a threat. You must be self-quarantined for two weeks after you enter Rhode Island to stay there. However, a citizen or resident of Rhode Island does not have to self-quarantine for two weeks after returning from the same place as that ‘‘outsider.”
In other words, some American citizens are being treated better than others, which is the definition of privilege. Raimondo swears that privilege is bad but created it as a matter of law based on state origin. There is no way this is constitutional. Her actions are deeply discriminatory and arbitrary.
Governor Raimondo is a major threat to Italian American power and leadership because she will help the Italophobes limit our opportunities with her arbitrary and capricious behavior. She has no medical basis for her policy, and it exempts the voters with power over her without cause. Her behavior must be condemned by Italian Americans and challenged in court. I also believe that Governor Cuomo’s actions, as dangerous to the liberty and lives of people, despite being less subjectively outrageous, should also be challenged in court.
Editor’s Note: Dr. Christopher Binetti is a political scientist, historian, adjunct professor at Middlesex County College in Edison, New Jersey. He is the founder and president of the Italian American Movement, an Italian American civil rights organization. He can be reached at cbinetti@terpmail.umd.edu. The author’s opinion as expressed in the article does not necessarily reflect the views of PRIMO Magazine.
Going around Rome these days is like taking a walk through history. Many things in Italy have changed during coronavirus, and many will change when the country reopens around May 3rd. Thanks to PRIMO’s editor I had an incredible chance to photograph an empty and surreal Rome, as I had never seen before.
“A BEAUTIFUL NIGHTMARE”
A Walk Through Deserted Rome In Lockdown, The Streets of the Eternal City Suggest Abandonment
- PRIMO Exclusive
Text and photos: Jesper Storgaard Jensen
Devoid of tourist crowds is the Roman Pantheon
and devoid of Catholic worshipers is St. Peter's Basilica.
The author's neighborhood in Rome is Prati, with its treelined street.
A place of frequent political rallies and demonstrations - Piazza del Popolo
- is eerily silent.
Walking your dog is the only outdoor activity allowed in Rome today.
No people in sight along the Via Condotti and the Spanish Steps.
The Trevi Fountain and Roman Colosseum.
The streets in my Roman neighborhood, Prati, are mostly silent.
Only in the morning do people briefly leave their homes to go shopping for food or buy a newspaper. By early afternoon, everything fades out. People disappear. All cars are parked. Shop shutters are down everywhere. No smell of coffee from the bars, no laughter in the streets.
In the afternoon, I usually take a stroll, just to get some fresh air. I always bring a paper with me, which gives me an alibi to go out. Police and carabinieri start to circle around in the afternoon and check on people. So I strive for a natural walk. I must admit, in spite of my youthful nonchalant strolling style, I do actually feel a small sting of guilt. We are not supposed to move too much around in the public space.
I'm walking on my own. And I suddenly notice that in my neighborhood's prickly-knit network of small streets and roads, new horizons are emerging. I can see to the end of all the streets. There are no cars or buses or cyclists that block my view. There is no traffic. I stop and gaze in the middle of the long Viale Angelico, and, surprisingly, I manage to see a mile further towards Piazza Risorgimento.
I pass some other people. They walk around me in a large arc. I am not offended. I do the same myself. There is no eye contact. They wear a mask to cover much of their faces. Eye contact is an unconscious desire to connect with a person whose path you are crossing. In these times, we seek no connection. We must not have contact. Social distancing is the new password. We turn our eyes down and let our feet “do the talking”.
Rome’s loneliness
We are inside a piece of history. This is what you keep hearing in Italy. And I do think this is correct. The impact of the corona crisis will be so huge in Italy, that the subject will be on everyone’s lips for years to come.
Each week a new chapter in this piece of history is written. One of these chapters is about “Rome’s loneliness”. The emptiness of the city. Facebook and various papers have published impression photos. So I thought to myself, as a photographer: “When will I ever be able to see Rome like this again?”
When I leave my home with my camera, I also bring my passport, my press ID, a letter from PRIMO’s editor and my so-called self-declaration that I’m going around for a photo assignment.
After having crossed the Tiber from Prati I approach the first major piazza, Piazza del Popolo. This is a popular venue for political protests. Some years ago my wife and I went to a demonstration here. There were so many people in attendance that it was practically impossible to move. Today it’s empty. Totally empty. I see only one other person - a woman crossing the piazza. She is carrying a bag in her hand and dragging her shadow along.
From here I start to walk along Via del Babuino, which is totally deserted. All shutters are locked, and the only person I see is a signora walking her dog. And … speaking about dogs, in the first period of our quarantine, many dog jokes were passed around on social media, like, “Sorry, could someone lend me a dog? I would like to take a stroll without getting arrested.”
In front of the Spanish Steps I have my first encounter with the municipal police. I approach three officers to explain who I am and why I’m round and about. They check my documents and tell me: “Have them ready as you move on, because in every single piazza, our colleagues will ask for your ID.”
The Spanish Steps hit me right in the eye. It’s simply impressive, and also a bit scary. There’s not a single person on the 136 steps. It’s simply as it must have been, when it was inaugurated in 1725. Nude marble, nude architecture. There is loud splashing water from the famous Bernini-fountain below the steps. There are absolutely no distractions from people creating sounds or things to look at. I’m alone with this architectonic masterpiece.
Wasted beauty
Via Condotti, Rome’s most exclusive street, is closed down. I head towards the Pantheon. And also here I find the same situation of abandonment. There is only a small police car in front of one of Rome’s most famous churches. That day this complete loneliness makes it look even more majestic than it usually does.
The same situation I find some moments later on Piazza Navona. Only two other people are present: A father and his little son crossing the street. The lack of people changes the look of the piazza. There now is an extra dimension; of something grandiosa.
I get this strange feeling that the city has returned to its origins, when all these architectonic masterpieces were built hundreds of years ago. Today, all that beauty and all that magnificence seems totally wasted, with no one to admire them, without any possibility of transmitting their immortality.
I must say that walking around in Rome in this state gives me a feeling of history. Yes, I know … it’s a piece of sad and worrying history if you go beyond the beauty, beyond the spell and allurement of an empty city. In the 23 years I’ve been living in Rome, I’ve never seen it like this.
What comes next, after the reopening of the Italian society will, unfortunately, be an economic disaster. The latest survey from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) says that Italy is among the countries that will experience the biggest economic setback with a state debt bound to rise to 143 percent of GDP.
My negative thoughts are blown away when I arrive at the Trevi Fountain. It’s definitely impressive. I have my work space at Rome’s International Press Center, not far from city’s most famous fountain. Almost every day there is such an incredible hustle and bustle in front of the fountain with tourists from all over the world. But not today. There is only a couple of bored police officers. This is incredible. It’s almost like being part of a strange dream. I’m alone, in front of the world’s most famous fountain where Swedish actress Anita Ekberg called out for Marcello Mastroianni in Federico Fellini’s “La Dolce Vita”: “Marcello, come here!” And of course, Marcello took off his shoes and socks and went out into the fountain.
That was in 1960, but today, 60 years later, I actually have the feeling of being part of a film. A strange and surreal and incredible movie with a script that no one would have ever imagined just two months ago.
Some 20 minutes later I can ascertain the Colosseum. The large structure is deserted. In order to get a good shot, I climb a small hilltop next to Rome’s most famous monument. Also here I’m being called out by two police officers. “Sorry, but we thought that you were a tourist.”
They are kind but resolute. We speak for a couple of minutes and I explain my whereabouts. We agree that today there are probably no tourists, whatsoever, in Rome.
After a few minutes I reach the nearby Circo Massimo. I used to live close by and jogged here. Usually at Circo Massimo, that has a length of 656 yards and a width of 153 yards, you’ll see people running, walking, listening to music, kissing each other, eating sandwiches, reading books and the daily newspaper. Today, I see only two other people - a father and his young son on a bike.
I check out the distance counter on my mobile phone. I’ve been walking for about five hours, and it measures something like 17 km, (10 miles). I still have some way to go before I’ll reach my home.
After Rome’s most popular neighborhood, Trastevere, I arrive at the beginning of Via delle Conciliazioni, the large alley that brings me towards the Vatican and St. Peter’s Basilica.
Two police officers are walking back and forth with their hands behind their backs. I sit down in the middle of the road. It’s no problem because there’s no traffic. I want to get an unusual shot, a shot from a new angle of a monument that embraces history, architecture and religion. The thousand cobblestones are leading my eyes towards St. Peter’s, and I think to myself that today I’ve had material for many stories to tell my future grandchildren.
Back home – after 19 kilometers (11 miles) of walking – I send a couple of photographs to a friend. He immediately writes me back: “Wow, those photos are really so … what can I say … beautiful. Well, I mean … it’s just like a beautiful nightmare.”
Editor's Note: Jesper Storgaard Jensen is a special
features writer for PRIMO. His articles can be read in each edition of PRIMO. Jesper also convenes tours of Rome. His web site is http://www.mysecretrome.eu/
The Covid Chronicles
FIFTH WEEK OF LOCKDOWN IN FLORENCE
Covid-19 Cases Decline as Anxiety Grows in Italy
Writer finds a new career…as amateur marriage counselor
By Deirdre Pirro
The situation in America has become very serious since I last posted so please take care and STAY AT HOME.
This last week in Italy has seen a slowly diminishing rate in contagion and hospitalization from the coronavirus, although the number of daily deaths is still more or less the same. What has changed is the growing concern within the country about the future, after Covid-19. This has prodded the government into talking about Phase II, the recovery phase, when economic life swings back into action. The government has taken steps to pass, what are called, “Save-Italy” measures to give some financial assistance to struggling small and medium sized industries, freelance workers, and many families in difficulty. How these will work in practice without becoming bogged down by bureaucracy and controversy remains to be seen.
At European Union level, there is still on-going conflict between the Members States on how best to overcome the recession Covid-19 will leave in its wake. Backed by Spain, and (initially) France, and seven other eurozone countries, Italy has called for the urgent issue of Eurobonds, shared debt security instruments. Other countries, notably Germany, the Netherlands, Austria and Finland strongly oppose the idea and favor using something called the European Stability Mechanism (ESM). Italy and its Eurobond allies say more loans will heighten their already crippling debt burden. In other words, to you and me, this boils down to the old saying that there is no such thing as a free (or, in this case, solidarity) lunch. However, the EU should think very carefully about what it will do as it may finish up burning its own bridges.
Closer to home, this year in Naples, it is unlikely that, on May 2, the procession from the cathedral to the Basilica of Santa Chiara for the miracle of the blood of Saint Gennaro will take place, an event that not even World War II managed to halt. Officials say that this is to prevent people assembling in the streets and that the ceremony may symbolically be carried out behind closed doors in the Basilica. Italy needs all the help it can get.
In Tuscany, like in Lombardy, we are all now required to wear surgical masks when we go out. The Regional Governor has promised each household free masks and we will not be fined for not wearing them until every municipality has distributed its quota. Throughout the country, from the onset of the crisis, masks have become a focal point of dissatisfaction. There have never been enough of them and, despite many factories, including famous fashion houses, converting their operations into manufacturing them as well as the arrival of shipments from places like China, there may never be enough. What is worse is that so far there is no national policy about who, when and where masks must be worn, so chaos reigns.
Here at home, fruit and vegetables from our local market have now nearly doubled in price. This is because very few agricultural laborers are working in the fields harvesting produce. Rightly so, they too are afraid of this pandemic.
Otherwise, to my surprise, I find myself in another new role, that of amateur marriage counselor. Friends who have been married for years (and not only the wives) frequently telephone me to grumble about their spouses. One friend, a classic golf “widow”, telephoned yesterday and confessed that she had told her husband when they married that it was “for better and for worse, but never for lunch”. Closed up together on lockdown all day, they bicker frequently while he is longing to be out on the green and she is pining for her lunches with the “girls”.
These counseling calls did, however, make me reflect on those dramatic cases where domestic violence may be involved. In fact, figures show that domestic abuse has risen worldwide during the pandemic, prompting the United Nations to call on governments to put mechanisms in place to safeguard women and children in such circumstances. In Florence, a mobile phone app called YouPol managed by the police has been beefed up and used to report domestic violence.
With the spring weather beginning, my gastronomic desires are concentrated on dreaming about a double ball, artisan-made chocolate and pistachio ice cream from the best ice cream parlor (having tried them all) in Santa Croce. Come join me when life is back to normal...
Stay healthy and safe... Deirdre
Editor’s Note: Deirdre Pirro writes for PRIMO and provides new and original translations of excerpted works from English to Italian. She has written two books, now on sale through PRIMO. The first is “Italian Sketches - The Faces of Modern Italy,” a book about the most influential Italians in the arts, science and statecraft this past century. The second is “Politica e Prosa” a new book of translations in collaboration with PRIMO’s publisher and editor Truby Chiaviello. If interested, please log on to our Books Page here.
COVID-19 VACCINE IS A RACE AGAINST TIME
IRBM Helped Develop the Ebola Virus Vaccine and Now Seeks One for Covid-19 How long will it take?
Text: Jesper Storgaard Jensen – Photos: PR from IRBM
Researchers at IRBM are led by CEO Matteo Liguori
Certain work environments require such a high degree of cleanliness and sterility that careful dressing is required. At IRBM - an Italian company that is avant-garde in the field of developing new vaccines - the word "careful" is clearly a polite understatement.
“Our researchers currently working on the development of a Covid-19 vaccine, must change clothes, remove any makeup and all their jewelry. They wear three safety suits, two pairs of gloves and three different types of headgear. Then they must go through three different security chambers and eventually they have to enter a digital security code. Only then will they gain access to the laboratory,” explains IRBM’s CEO, Matteo Liguori.
I am in an industrial area outside a small town, Pomezia, 40 km. (25 miles) south of Rome. Italian press - both the dailies and several TV stations – often file reports from this small town, though it has neither attractive beaches nor famous sights. The reason is found in a question that is being asked more and more frequently, in virus-ravaged Italy: When can we expect a vaccine against Covid-19?
Table tennis with Oxford
“IRBM was started in 2010 from a US pharmaceutical company that was located here,” explains Matteo Liguori. “Today we have 250 employees, of which 200 are research teams. We specialize in developing vaccines and products for the pharmaceutical industry. And then it is important to mention that we have a year-long collaboration with the Jenner Institute, which is a part of the University of Oxford, and which has also specialized in the development of vaccines.”
Liguori takes me on a short walk of the premises. However, there is not much to see. The hallways are characterized by being clinically clean. There are no decorative objects or plants, and through large windows you can see the administrative staff in front of their computer screens. The laboratories are located at the other end of the building and hermetically closed to people coming from the outside.
If the Italian press, in these times of Covid-19, frequently focuses on IRBM, it’s simply due to the fact that the company has a know-how on vaccine development that is on an absolute avant-garde level - both in Italy and worldwide. This was seen already five or six years ago when IRBM, as the first Italian company - and one of the first worldwide - developed a vaccine against the dreadful Ebola virus.
“The Ebola vaccine was developed in collaboration with the Jenner Institute,” Liguori tells me. “Our collaboration with Jenner is a bit like a table tennis match. We exchange information on an ongoing basis. In these days we have conference calls with Jenner several times a week.”
Some years ago IRBM set up an independent expert group called Advent. It was the one that developed the Ebola vaccine, and it is the same group that is now on the trail of a possible vaccine for the corona virus. The group consists of 20 young scientists from around the world, including Italy, Spain, USA, France, UK and several South American countries. IRBM receives applications from all over the world, and only the most capable researchers with a thorough knowledge in the fields of celleluar and molecular research can get admitted to the Advent group.
“Most of our researchers have experience from other labs around the world. In the IRBM interview process applicants speak to five or six of our key figures before we are able to welcome them as a new member of the Advent group,” says Liguori.
First mice, then men
After the Ebola virus flared up in certain African countries, IRBM quickly began research to find a vaccine. As a matter of fact, the company was one of the first in the world to showcase a test tube containing the "magic vaccine.”
“It took about three years to develop the Ebola vaccine,” says Liguori. “Back then, however, there were some other issues at stake compared to the virus situation we are facing today. The affected African countries in particular were Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone. So Ebola did not spread worldwide, as we see with Covid-19 today. Therefore, it was necessary to carry out part of the research in precisely these three countries. This made research and development both slow and somewhat complicated.”
What is the situation today, as we sit here, regarding the development of a vaccine against the coronavirus?
“Well, this is really one of the most frequently asked questions right now. And unfortunately, some erroneous information has been seen, both in the press and on social media. For the same reason, a few weeks ago, the WHO issued a press release stating that the organization clearly indicates that a new vaccine must go through an institutionalized test procedure that lasts for at least 18 months before any new vaccine can be released.”
And at what point is IRBM in that procedure?
“Our experience - both with Ebola and in general - means that we are already on an advanced stage in our research. In this period, we almost work 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We expect to have a thousand vaccine doses for testing ready around June this year. This means that the experimentation period - which as I said will last for at least 18 months - can initiate around June/July. The first phase will be to experiment with mice and study their reactions. Later, the vaccine must be tested on humans. Right now we are only in April, and we really do not know how the infection will develop globally in the coming months. So, if the world situation deteriorates drastically, one might imagine that the period of 18 months could be shortened. But it requires a number of permits from both national and international health authorities,” Liguori explains.
Both Matteo Liguori and the Advent group researchers are aware of the great interest that is in their work.
“But it only seems to be an extra stimulation. It is clear that other research groups will be able to find a vaccine too, and I actually hope so. It will be the best for everyone. Especially when you consider the big problems – in both health and finance - that Covid-19 has already created in a very short time. Finding a vaccine is like a race against time. Being able to raise the test tube as the first laboratory in the world to showcase a new vaccine will, of course, give you incredible prestige. So I dare say that the world will probably see a vaccine that will be created in record time. But it does take some time, after all. We humans are used to getting everything we point at right away. But this is not the case with pharmaceutical products. Certain types of medicines for particular diseases have been developed over a period of 15-20 years of research. The testing period is extremely important. This is when the safety and the efficiency of the product must be tested, and that requires time,” Matteo Liguori concludes.
Editor’s Note: A member of the Italian press, Jesper Storgaard Jensen was able to tour the IRBM laboratories and filed this report from his home while in lockdown in Italy. To learn more about IRBM, please visit their web site at https://www.irbm.com.
WE REALLY NEED TO TALK ABOUT ITALY
What The Lockdown Says about Italian Politics Was the national quarantine really done for Italians or, rather, to protect Northern Europeans?
By Dr. Christopher Binetti
Italy is treated ambiguously in American pop culture.
There are many debilitating stereotypes of Italians and Italian Americans. Cultural appropriation of Italians and Italian Americans by others is common. Although, we are marginalized, we are treated as if we are not marginalized. Yes, we are white; but we are not white enough to be mainstream like the Irish and are considered too white to be a subject of cultural protection like white Cubans or Lebanese.
Politically, Italy is often viewed in the middle. While not a developing country, she has long been viewed as not quite in the developed world either. Italy has historically been compared to Argentina, Brazil, Spain, Portugal, Greece and Turkey. In other words, she is too peripheral to be in the center of the developed world but too much in the core to be viewed as truly developing.
This leads to a strange combination of attitudes towards Italy. Italy is expected to meet Northern European demands, but we also have assumptions that Italians will not really meet them. Much of the increased resentment of the EU in Italy comes from Northern European countries like France and Germany taking advantage of Southern European countries like Spain and Italy. Also, the strict demands on the finances and economies of countries like Italy and Spain have led to massive reversals in human development and prosperity.
Most people who write on Italy in English are not ethnically Italian and yet we are expected to take them as more objective than me telling you about Latin America. This is a racialized view of the world that obscures the great differences between Northern and Southern Europe. While Italy has major internal regional differences, even Northern Italy is not Northern Europe and the cultural, ethnic, and historical differences between Northern and Southern Europe should be taken seriously by international observers.
Much of the coverage is backwards. The international media views Prime Minister Conte as an apostle of modernity and civilization trying to force Italians to obey law and order and the will of the EU. I see Prime Minister Conte as the villain, as the man who is ruining Italy. His martial law, which is euphemistically called a lockdown in English (it is ‘’il blocco’’ in Italian and actually means blockade in English), is often praised as good for Italy and Italians. Now that Coronavirus deaths are finally going down, after weeks of going up (even after martial law was imposed), he is getting credit for his authoritarian tactics.
In sum, Northern Europe wanted martial law in Italy, got it, and is going to try to reward Conte for doing it. Martial law has hurt Italy’s economy but may have ultimately helped the economies of wealthier Northern European countries. Martial law, while not keeping Italians safe, may have kept Northern Europeans safe. The international community and the EU does not care about Italians but about Northern Europe.
Italians have become subjugated in their own country by Prime Minister Conte’s essentially authoritarian regime and the EU. They want to free themselves of him and increasingly free themselves of the EU. While leaving the EU entirely like Britain did is very cathartic and could certainly stop Conte from consolidating his power, it is the wrong answer.
The EU is deeply corrupt and flawed in some ways, but the fundamental concept of a non-military loose politically union that helps economic and security concerns in Europe is still valid. Italy should not leave the EU entirely unless given absolutely no choice. That time has not come and hopefully never will.
The main anti-EU politician in Italy, Salvini, is not just hated by the international business community and the EU elites who wish to make Italy a province in a federal Europe. Salvini is a bad actor. He was marginalized by Conte for the wrong reasons, to please the international business community, the EU, and to secure power for himself. He is a racist, xenophobe and he is no less authoritarian than Conte.
The solution is not to leave the EU or give Salvini the absolute power that he craves. However, the international community is dead wrong about Conte. His actions have created the riots, looting, and unrest in Southern Italy. He has lost Northern Italy for a generation. Many will never forgive the excesses of martial law. He will try to rule as the favored governor of the European elites and the international business community, but that is exactly the wrong way to win Italians over.
No one who writes in English about Italy ever explains the history of Italy. Italy has long been dominated or threatened by three forces- France, Germany, and the Italian central government. The Coronavirus crisis has revealed these forces as threats to Italy’s sense of self and democracy. Of course, people are mad at the EU and of course they are mad at Conte for politically exploiting this situation to cause unnecessary damage to regional autonomy, to consolidate his own quasi-dictatorial power, and to oppress the people with unnecessary martial law.
However, hatred is never the solution. Riots are never the solution. Just as the Newark riots in New Jersey were evil and unjustified, so too are riots and looting in Southern Italy. Coronavirus did not cause the economic devastation, the Eurozone did. Coronavirus did not cause the rioting, Conte’s power grab and imposition of martial law did that. Coronavirus did not essentially end Italian democracy. Again, Conte, with the EU, did.
Conte needs to be held accountable for his actions, either removal as prime minister if his actions were legal or imprisoned if they were not. Italy needs to be made into a federation, where it is clearly illegal to block people from moving from town to town within their own region without the region’s concurrence. There must be a clear legal justification for all martial law-like impositions in the future in case of emergencies.
The EU also needs to learn that Italian sovereignty comes first. While Salvini’s racism and xenophobia must be condemned and rejected, he is right that Italy needs to take power back from the supranational elites in Brussels. While the EU is correct to impose restrictions on Italian national sovereignty in some areas, the time has come for Italy to leave the Eurozone, but not the EU itself.
In sum, Italy has many problems. Coronavirus brought them to the surface and perhaps made them worse, but it did not cause them. Conte is a threat to Italy’s prosperity, safety and security and he needs to be replaced by someone who will create a sovereign, federal Italy strongly aligned with other Southern European countries and rejects racism, xenophobia and Salvini. It is time to put both Salvini and Conte in political quarantine.
Editor’s Note: Dr. Christopher Binetti is a political scientist, historian, and adjunct professor at Middlesex County College in Edison, New Jersey. He is the founder and President of the Italian American Movement, an Italian American civil rights organization. He can be reached at cbinetti@terpmail.umd.edu. The author’s opinion as expressed in the article does not necessarily reflect the views of PRIMO Magazine.
OF NONNA AND COVID-19
My Grandmother Lived Through the Spanish Flu of 1918 What I Learned from Her
By Alfonso Guerriero
A few days ago, my brother-in-law sent me a text and news report about a convoy of military trucks ordered to collect the remains of the coronavirus victims in Bergamo, Italy. The city is one of the hardest hit in the global pandemic. Cadavers were dumped into a mass grave to prevent the disease from spreading. I am certain the government’s decision was difficult, especially in a country noted for mourning loved ones.
The article reminded me of a parallel story about my maternal grandmother, Giuseppina Zaccaria. She was born in Sant’Angelo a Scala circa 1902 and survived the Spanish influenza in 1918. Her oldest sister Filomena, a young and beautiful blue-eyed girl, however, was not as fortunate and died in her arms. My grandmother told me that her sister’s lifeless body was carried in a horse drawn wagon and dumped in to a mass grave. The family never had a chance to properly bury her beloved sister.
The 1918 influenza devastated Italy much the way the 2020 coronavirus is now. My grandmother’s tragedy was over a hundred years ago. I find myself remembering her while I and others confront the 2020 pandemic in New York. Here is America’s epicenter where hundreds die daily.
New York is is where I was born and raised, where my wife and I work and where we raise our daughters. In one big swoop the vibrant energy is sucked-out. There is a new soundscape here that is noticeably off key, accompanied by a very different sidewalk scene and lifestyle. Pedestrians and straphangers on buses and trains are covered in white or black surgical masks; some with the highly coveted N-95s, as well as in blue or lavender colored latex gloves to protect their hands from the disease. My wife and I, like the rest of the world, are working from home. We are educators who are doing our best to be on call for our students via remote learning while juggling our responsibilities as parents and maintaining a life of normalcy for our daughters.
The shelter-in-place decision in New York, like most of the country, followed the advice of many medical experts predicting the worst is yet to come. So many hospitals will be unable to maintain the onslaught of patients. Those with pre-existing medical conditions are most susceptible to the virus will likely be whisked into the ER. The strain on hospitals is predicted to be so enormous that the Jacob Javits Center is now transformed into a 1,200 bed emergency hospital and in Central Park a field hospital was erected to serve impending patients expected to arrive in the days ahead.
New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo convenes daily briefings like modern day fireside chats. As one reporter from the New York Times, remarked, “It’s no wonder that watching Andrew Cuomo’s daily briefings can make some people crave Chianti and meatballs….the governor of New York evokes the feeling of a big Italian family dinner table.”
The importance of family returns in a times like these. Family is the pillar of our existence. The contagion forces many of us to press reset and reevaluate our lives. I call or text my cousins in Italy more regularly now. I ask my mother more in-depth questions about my grandmother. I check in with my own children about what they are feeling.
The coronavirus has abruptly entered our lives like a spiteful guest who has crashed our party filled with gaiety. The U.S. economy was strong and many of us were removed from the challenges that confront the rest of the world. At the same time, my grandmother’s story of courage and perseverance has awoken in me my own self-pity during this outbreak.
After living through the 1918 pandemic in Italy and ravages of World War I, she arrived in America in 1920, unable to read or write in her native language. Almost a decade later, she and my grandfather married and raised three daughters on a modest income only to survive the Great Depression and World War II. And yet I never heard my grandmother complain.
So, then, why am I complaining?
I have electronic devices to communicate with the outside world via text, audio and video. I can buy food and have it delivered to my home and added to my stockpile. My wife and children remain safe and out of harm's way. And, I am getting paid and have medical insurance while many others have been laid off and struggle to pay the mortgage or rent.
Furthermore, we have running water and electricity and as long as no one interrupts those essentials, we will be just fine. Yes, of course this global pandemic created an inconvenience from my regular routine but compared to my grandmother’s life and the horrible experiences of so many first responders right now, I have no reason to complain.
LOCKDOWN - ITALIAN STYLE
Deirdre Pirro, Writer and Translator for PRIMO Shares Her Experience in Florence During the Coronavirus Crisis
By Deirdre Pirro
The author in her home in Florence, where next door is a school playground devoid of
children in Italy's coronavirus lockdown.
This is the third week of lockdown in Florence. I call it “house arrest.” Yet, it is for a crime I have not committed. Others call it a war; but against an invisible, insidious enemy which, at the present moment, we seem to be losing. With this in mind, I thought I would write a few suggestions that might help those in the United States who are now facing a similar lockdown here in Italy.
Pietro, my husband, and I now appear to belong to a category of potential patients called the “anziani” (old people) who, when the chips are down and there are not enough ventilators for everyone may be considered dispensable. That is because a high percentage of over 60 year olds, usually with other pathologies, have died of COVID-19 in Italy.
Health officials in Italy have told young parents to keep children away from their grandparents. Children have a high recovery rate but, nevertheless, if infected, endanger the elderly. Prepare your own children psychologically to spend extended time with other children when schools close. Some parents may not be used to spending so much enforced time with their children. They will need to invent ways to entertain the kids.
Here, thank goodness, Piero, our son, is our link to the outside world. He shops at the supermarket for us (only 5 people allowed in at a time) and takes care of all the other things that involve venturing outside the house. On returning home, he leaves his shoes outside the front door, changes his clothes and washes his hands.
Initially, on Day 1 of lockdown, I was elated to think that finally, I could have some time at home to do all the things I had been putting off for a century. With this in mind, I began tidying up my desk. I was extremely pleased with myself when I finished the job. Trouble was, it only took a couple of hours, and then what?
As the days have passed, I find it strange that I have become very lethargic and don't seem to want to do anything, not even write that best selling book! The telephone has become my best friend and I find that I am telephoning or I am being telephoned by people I haven't seen or heard of for years. It's a positive.
Things to do:
STAY AT HOME
1. Buy a good mask and a store of disposable rubber gloves
2. Stock the pantry with dry goods like pasta, rice, tinned products, etc.
3. Stock the freezer
4. Make sure you have plenty of books, DVDs (films and music), Netflix, etc., to help pass the time
5. Dust off your board games and set up the card table
6. Take out old photo albums to look at or watch you old home movies, it's fun to reminisce
7. Try to have something to do that will occupy your time manually as psychologists here say that doing something with your hands is relaxing for the brain. When I watch TV at night, I knit scarves, at which I am hopeless, but it soothes me and I will give them to the homeless when this is all over. If you can paint or draw that would be even better.
Things not to do:
1) Do not compulsively watch the TV news
2) Do not compulsively check online sites to look at the number of deaths
3) Do not let concern turn into anxiety.
Stay healthy and safe...Deirdre
Editor’s Note: Deirdre Pirro writes for PRIMO and provides new and original translations of excerpted works from English to Italian. She has written two books, now on sale through PRIMO. The first is “Italian Sketches - The Faces of Modern Italy,” a book about the most influential Italians in the arts, science and statecraft this past century. The second is “Politica e Prosa” a new book of translations in collaboration with PRIMO’s publisher and editor Truby Chiaviello. If interested, please log on to our Books Page here.
#LORESTOACASA - I'LL STAY AT HOME It was around mid-February when I heard about the coronavirus for the first time in Italy. Today, a month later, the whole country is in a state of emergency, and here in Rome, where I live, everyone seems to be infected by a downfall mood.
Text and Photographs by Jesper Storgaard Jensen
Face masks are sold out and people now cover their faces with scarves, despite the fact that the
temperature in Rome is 60 degrees. Andrea, the owner of my neighborhood newsstand, welcomes his
customers with rubber gloves and face mask. All newspaper sales now take place outside the newsstand.
In front of most of the city's pharmacies there are now long queues. People are admitted one at a time,
and sometimes there are guards at the pharmacy entrance. A morning jogger runs through Rome's central
streets where traffic has now ceased.
Bar Canova at Piazza del Popolo was once the favorite cafe of director Federico Fellini. These days you
can see just a handful of people at the cafe. Well, actually no longer, because Bar Canova is now closed.
The Spanish Steps usually host a veritable throng of people. These days, however, tourists can be counted on no more than two hands. Usually there is a chaotic tourist situation in front of the Trevi Fountain. In these
days, there are plenty of room to throw a coin in the Fountain.
A few days ago I bought a copy of “la Repubblica,” Italy’s largest daily newspaper. I couldn’t help but get a lump in my throat. The headline was written with giant letters: “Dear Italy, these are dark times, but we will get through the difficulties together".
In these days it’s really difficult to recognize the Italy where I – Danish journalist and photographer – have now lived for more than 22 years. The Italians’ joy of life, their usually good mood and their typical vivid hand gestures while speaking have been replaced by dismay, anxiety and a social behavior that has changed drastically and practically overnight. Cheek kissing and embraces have now been replaced by a new way of greetings, in which elbows are poked against each other to avoid the physical contact that authorities now strongly discourage.
Most streets in Rome are now deserted. The Trevi Fountain, which I often pass, is only a shadow of itself. Usually, it’s quite difficult to move ahead in front of the fountain due to the massive crowds of tourists. These days, it looks like a huge splashing marble poltergeist without capacity to evoke any interest whatsoever. Rome’s subway in these days - where the rush hour often resembles Bombay-like situations - is now driving around with ghostly and almost completely empty trains.
Only supermarkets, mini-markets, pharmacies and newspaper stands remain open. All cinemas, theaters, swimming pools and gyms are closed, and now – after the latest governmental decree – all restaurants and eateries. When I open my living room window, just out of Rome’s center, in the evening, the only thing I hear is a strange and surreal silence. No cars, no people, nothing. Just silence.
The Italians’ – and my – social life have gone completely black. Even my little cozy yoga team, where we are just four stiff-backed people, has shut down. Now we only walk in the streets if we have a specific objective, and if I have to move from one place to another for work reasons I need to carry a printed document – the so-called self-certificate. If I don’t the police might give me a fine of 206 euro.
Rome’s big parks, e.g. Villa Borghese in the center of the city, have been closed; so people choose other places to do their afternoon walk, e.g. along the Tiber. But also here police forces have started making controls. We are all supposed to stay at home, and if you leave your home together with another person, you have to remember to keep the distance of at least one meter.
People are scared and as with a snap of the fingers this anxiety has caused us all to change our social behavior. Saturday night when my wife and I were having dinner with friends in our neighborhood (but today, as these lines are written, you no longer have dinner with friends). After our initial elbow-greetings we immediately reminded one another about the importance of coughing in the elbow and keeping some distance. It was said with a laugh and a smile, but I still felt an underlying seriousness. My friend Simone, who is a theater instructor, soon became quite serious: “I spoke to a theater manager yesterday. He was crying on the phone. The closure of his theater could have disastrous consequences. After all, we know nothing about how long this situation will last. I myself had to cancel five performances in the coming weeks”.
The next day I meet an acquaintance, Maurizio, in the street. He is worried. Coronavirus has been detected at his daughter's school. A parent of one of his daughter's classmates who was infected went to a Roman hospital for care. The school is reluctant to give information about the state of the infected person’s family due to strict Italian privacy laws. “You know my wife has had cancer. Her immune system is still weak and we need to take extra care. This means that for a while my daughter cannot be with her classmates,” he says.
All Italian schools are now closed until April 3. My own children, 12 and 16 years old, have suddenly been given four weeks of freedom. Now we parents need to be creative. The families’ young people must be activated and at the same time informed about proper social behavior. We are only at the beginning of a rather long “home isolation journey” that might very well last for another 3-4 weeks. But first and foremost, they must do homework they now receive electronically. My son, who is a freshman in high school, is mostly annoyed: “We don’t know yet which electronic platform we should use to deliver assignments to the different teachers. It's a bit of a mess". The family's youngest, Sara, is especially worried and has to be convinced to go out. She prefers to stay a casa, safe and sound.
My wife and I try to have a relaxed attitude towards our children, but they have long recognized the seriousness of the situation. An invisible danger seems to be hiding everywhere.
This new reality has something unreal, surreal, and absurd about it, as if all of us were part of a sci-fi movie whose plot has been invented by a half-crazed director.
News from the trench
Reading Italian newspapers these days is a bit like reading the latest bulletins from trench war.
On social media, Facebook in particular, there seems to be an invisible competition among the various media about who is able to bring most coronavirus-related news. New figures about the infected, about the dead, about various side effects and about the updated coronavirus situation are published all day long.
We - my wife and I - have told my Italian parents in-law, who live in Rome and who both are over eighty, to stay at home and only to go out to do shopping of food and groceries. Instead, we have now arranged a daily video call so they can still have contact with their great amore, their grandchildren. Work appointments and any kind of business are going down the drain in this period. In the near future, I should have been to the Italian city of Pesaro to work as interpreter, but this was of course cancelled. And also my four lectures - for Danish high school classes on a study trip to Rome - about Italian politics, economics and society have also been cancelled.
New “social phenomena” are emerging. Face masks are sold out everywhere, so when outside their homes many people move around wearing a scarf that covers both the mouth and nose. And that’s despite a pleasant spring heat in Rome these days. There are long lines in front of the supermarkets, where people are now being let in one at the time. Sometimes you have to wait for more than one hour to get in. In front of a pharmacy in my neighborhood, Prati, you see a hundred-meter-long line. Half the people in the queue wear face masks. An impatient signora complains loudly and security in front of the pharmacy try to calm her.
For quite some days, newspapers have been reporting that the already fragile Italian growth this year is expected to worsen by at least 0.5% of GDP. And this year's Italian budget deficit is now predicted to come dangerously close to the EU's maximum limit of -3%. These are disastrous macroeconomic figures. I think to myself that all this - this weird virus situation, this surrealistic infection scenario - will require blood, sweat and tears. It will lead to an anxious grinding of teeth, family tragedies and divorces. It will lead to company closures, declarations of bankruptcy and horrifying red numbers on the bottom line. When the virus eventually will have gone or been tamed, what will be left here in Italy – and probably also elsewhere – is a disastrous economic situation for thousands and thousands of people.
And who knows, maybe what we see these days is just the beginning? Press allegations have it that the curve of virus infections is supposed to peak around 25-28 March. The big fear, right now, is that the infection will start to spread from North Italy towards major cities like Rome and Naples.
So maybe we will soon see the same disastrous phenomena here in Rome as one sees in Northern Italy, where many hospitals, so resource-depleted, that doctors are forced to make the terrible choice between virus patients to save and virus patients to be given a lower priority, which often means “to be sacrificed.”
Newly infected from day to day are still around 3,000, and the number of deceased persons rise to about 300 per day.
Both my wife and I now work at home. We are following strict orders introduced by the Italian authorities with a new hashtag #iorestoacasa (I stay home). In an English language neologism we call it smart work, and if you manage to practice this option - working at home – you’ll automatically score a couple of points on the social image barometer.
The well-known Italian writer Fulvio Abbate was interviewed by me weeks ago at a cafe in Rome's Monteverde neighborhood. Now I follow him on Instagram, where he posts doomsday prophecies; halfway cynical and halfway humorous: “The authorities are not saying what we all know so well: the virus is on its way to Rome. Save yourself who can and good luck to all of you. To you that are bound to succumb and to you that will eventually manage to survive."
Editor's Note: Jesper Storgaard Jensen is a special
features writer for PRIMO. His articles can be read in each edition of PRIMO. Jesper also convenes tours of Rome. His web site is http://www.mysecretrome.eu/
PRIMO ANNOUNCEMENT
Truby Chiaviello, Publisher & Editor of PRIMO Magazine, Appointed to the Board of Directors of The Sicilian Project The Sicilian Project’s mission is to teach English to all children in Sicily
It is with pleasure that PRIMO Magazine announces Publisher and Editor Truby Chiaviello has been appointed to serve on the board of directors of The Sicilian Project. The term of his service began in January 2020.
The Sicilian Project is a 501-C3 tax exempt organization that raises money from people throughout the United States to fund academic grants issued in Sicily. The organization’s objective is to train Sicilian students, from elementary through high school, to read, write and think in English.
The Sicilian Project began in 2011 as an idea Massachusetts attorney Alfred Zappala had during one of his many visits to Sicily. He saw that children there could not compete in a global market without English language skills. Since then, The Sicilian Project has maintained an active all volunteer board of directors and volunteer teachers to conduct classes in Sicily. The Sicilian Project established a strong working relationship with the Babilonia School in Taormina to provide grants and use their staff and facilities. English language summer camps are ongoing in Aci Bonaccorsi, Valverde, Augusta and Palermo. The plan is to begin new camps in other locations of the region such as Messina.
“I am honored to serve on the board of directors of The Sicilian Project,” says Mr. Chiaviello. “I have been an admirer of the organization since its inception nine years ago. Alfred Zappala and his team have made incredible strides helping Sicilian children and young adults learn English. More than just an organization, The Sicilian Project is a serious change agent for Italy’s future. To be a part of The Sicilian Project is to be a part of history in the making and I am very honored to serve on the organization’s board of directors.”
To learn more about The Sicilian Project and how you can help, please log on to www.TheSicilianProject.com. To contact Truby Chiaviello, please call 202-363-3741 or email potompub@aol.com. To learn more about PRIMO Magazine log on to www.onlineprimo.com.
INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR JOSEPH ORAZI
His New Book “L’America” Follows The Paths of Three Italian Immigrants at the Turn of the 20th Century
- Main Characters Come from Naples, Calabria and Sicily Did one group of Italian immigrants have it easier than the other?
Joseph Orazi is no stranger to the dreams and struggles of Italian immigrants. In 2005, he was the screenwriter and associate producer for a riveting documentary on the internment of Italians in World War II titled “Prisoners Among Us.” Changing gears from writing for film to writing a new novel, Mr. Orazi conveys the struggles of three immigrants from different regions of Southern Italy in “L’America.” PRIMO gave the book a most positive review. We interviewed the author about his new novel and the Italian immigrant experience.
Your new novel "L'America" is a fictional account of Italian immigrants. What new insight about Italian immigration will readers gain after reading your book?
It is my hope that readers will learn the true story of immigration, when huge numbers flocked to our shores. Between the late 1800s and the early 1900s, millions of Italians, Irish, Germans, Slavs, etc made their way to America. While my story centers on Italians, it is actually the story of us all, no matter the country of origin. As far as Italians are concerned, we’re a pretty proud bunch, so many of the struggles to make it here were not spoken. We had to pry them out of first generation folks. So it was my intention to mine those stories of immigration, assimilation and the largely unknown events leading up to WWII. History has been neglected, I think. It’s important for younger generations to learn what it took for their ancestors to enable them to live the lives they do. I’m biased, but I think we owe it to them.
You dedicate "L'America" to your ancestors, i.e., Fuscas, the Fusias, LaChimias, Funaros and Orazis. Can you tell us a little about them?
The Fuscas, Fusias, La Chimias and Funaros were my mother’s side of the family, from Calabria. The Fusca name was the original. When my grandfather came to America, they got it right on Ellis Island. But when his brothers and sisters came over, immigration read the name wrong. The “c” had an accent above it. So they thought it was an “i.” So most of my family call themselves Fusias. It’s always fun to argue about it at family reunions. The Orazis were my father’s side from Ascoli Piceno.
"L'America" follows the harrowing journey to America of several characters from different parts of Southern Italy. They have different backgrounds and circumstances but they all have one thing in common: They want to leave Italy. Tell us a little about what made Italy so unattractive for people to leave at the turn of the century.
In the 1800s, the Italian peninsula was made up of many different states. It was decided that it was in Italy’s best interest to unify into a single kingdom of Italy…and also one of Sicily. The country was racked with civil wars. Lands were redistributed. The Mezziogiorno (the area south of Rome) was devastated in particular. Poverty was rampant. It’s estimated that about 10% of the population decided that the only way to feed their families was to seek employment elsewhere. America became their beacon to a better life.
We have Sicilians, Calabrese, and Neapolitans making their way in the New World. Did one group of Southern Italians have it easier in America than another?
There really were no differences in the assimilation experiences of Italians. All found it very difficult. Some were more successful than others in acquainting themselves of new language and cultures. Some returned home. Many stayed and sent for their wives and children later.
What's next for you after this novel? You have done some exceptional work in film, most notably as the screenplay writer and associate producer for the award winning documentary "Prisoners Among Us." Do you plan to purse filmmaking or novel writing in the future?
I am currently working on Book Two of this two book series. It picks up the families’ stories in 1928 and follows them to 1946. I have written a treatment for a TV miniseries based on the books. I think it’s time for our story to be told. We don’t just off people and own pizza joints. So I’d like to write the scripts for that project.
Editor’s Note: Joseph Orazi gives us a captivating and well-written new novel in “L’America.” You can purchase the book at Amazon.com. As an author and screenplay writer who focuses on the plights of Italian immigrants, Mr. Orazi can share his in-depth knowledge and experience with Italian American organizations. To inquire about his availability to be a speaker at your next event, please contact him at josephorazi@gmail.com.
SEMO'S GHOST
Finding The Gravesite of My Great Grandfather
Was a Strange Marking in a Photograph a Sign from the Afterlife?
By Al Vaccaro
My great grandfather, Semo Gambero, died in 1917, and was buried near Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. Many of our relatives (now living around the Pittsburgh and Cleveland areas) had never visited Semo's grave, who was the first family member to immigrate to the United States from Calabria, Italy, in the late 1800's. Some of the older family members, however, remembered the name of the cemetery where Grandfather, Semo, was buried, in Anita, Pennsylvania.
One sunny Sunday in October of 1996, three vans, loaded with relatives went to seek out Semo's final rising place. Several hours after the departure from Pittsburgh, we located the Adrian-Anita R.C. Cemetery.
Spreading out and searching for a half hour or so, we finally found Semo's gravesite. Although nearly 80 years had weathered the tombstone, all the information on it was clearly readable. With my Kodak camera, I (as well as other family members) snapped dozens of pictures, at various angles, usually with most to the family members surrounding the gravesite. One picture, however, I snapped after all the family had moved away from the gravesite. I wanted a picture of only the tombstone. When the roll of film was developed, this mysterious picture was one of the 36 returned to me. When I showed it to the employees of the local Ritz Camera Center, they had no explanation for the "white wisp" that appeared at the gravesite. It was the ONLY picture on that roll of film, or any of the hundreds of pictures that I had taken with that camera, that had this mysterious white mark on it. A puzzle to one and all who viewed it.
Was our Grandfather disturbed by our presence? Was Semo thanking us for finally visiting him after so many years? Was he asking to be reburied next to his wife in Sewickley, Pennsylvania, nearly one hundred miles away? (Semo is the ONLY relative buried in that location.)
Whatever the logical explanation for this unique picture is, the family members who made the trip to Anita that day to visit the grave of our family patriarch, all have their own beliefs about the significance of that unique, and treasured photograph. Many years ago, I entered that picture in a Kodak photograph contest and it won an award. They returned the original (enlarged) photograph to me, beautifully wood mounted and framed, and entitled, at my suggestion, "Grandfather's Return." It hangs on a wall in my house and it will be passed on to my children, and grandchildren, for many years to come....I hope.
“NO SAFE SPACES”
PRIMO Was at the Film’s Premiere in Washington
- Our Review
By Samer Chiaviello
You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you. Your posts on Facebook, Twitter, and social media will be saved to shame you. Anything you say that we don’t like will be used to shut you up. You cannot be funny. You cannot think differently. You can’t challenge us. There is no debate.
This harrowing warning is the underlying rhetoric of what is said to come from America’s colleges and universities in the new shockumentary, “No Safe Spaces.” The film tells a cautionary tale of how our salient freedom of speech is under attack by leftist thuggery on today’s college campuses.
“No Safe Spaces” stars Adam Carolla and Dennis Prager, two veteran radio talk show hosts and political commentators. They serve as our dynamic duo; guiding us through the discourse maze of today’s status quo and radical left.
Carolla relays his upbringing about how he grew up in a poor household, with a mother unwilling to give up her welfare benefits. His story is that of overcoming hardship through comedy. He found refuge in his opinions when he created a podcast to express his politics in a lighthearted manner. Prager’s upbringing is much different that Carolla’s. His family is Jewish Orthodox and he graduated from Brooklyn College and went on to study international relations at Columbia University. He suffered ideological persecution when he pursued Prager University; a name given to his short, well-produced videos about politics and culture. Now with over a hundred of his videos banned from YouTube, Prager is engaged in a lawsuit to get his videos back on this widely viewed platform.
Together, Carolla and Prager tour the country interviewing and seeking insight about freedom of speech from esteemed political commentators such as David Rubin, Jordan Peterson, Ben Shapiro, Alan Dershowitz and comedian Tim Allen.
“No Safe Spaces” is a documentary that paints a graphic picture of the current state of colleges and universities in America. The film’s title refers to rooms and other enclaves where students go to avoid people of different political opinions. Once a haven for the free exchange of ideas, colleges and universities are now islands of social justice and political correctness; increasingly ruled by students rather than faculty and administrators. The film contains many scenes of angry students partaking in unconventional (and extremely violent) protests to uphold leftist values of their accredited institutions. Debate, reason, and - more importantly - simple communication are absent. The diversity of thought through the use of free speech is punished with glass breaking, chair throwing and other forms of destruction.
Perhaps the most captivating and eye opening part of the documentary is the story of Bret Weinstein, former professor of biology at The Evergreen State College. He describes himself as liberal leaning and, yet, was a victim of leftist protests. He utilized his freedom of speech to pen a letter to the college administration regarding the Day of Absence; a decades old political correct “holiday” celebrated by the college. On this day, minority faculty and students do not attend class to remind others of their contributions. In 2017, however, a change was proffered where white faculty and students were urged to leave campus while only minorities remained. Weinstein expressed his distaste for the change, calling it “an act of oppression” by the students. Protests followed and Weinstein was verbally assaulted and he and his wife were threatened with bodily harm. The college president refused to contain the protests with police intervention. Weinstein resigned, sued the college and received a settlement of some $500,000.
The call to action in this documentary is one that cannot be ignored. “No Safe Spaces,” is perhaps the most visually stunning documentary released in a long while and serves as a premonition of what is soon to come. It is a must-see for all Americans who value their first amendment rights, and who still believe in the predominant principles of the foundation of America.
At The Premiere of "No Safe Spaces"
It was a full house at the premiere of “No Safe Spaces,” as almost 500 people attended the film’s first showing on Wednesday, November 20, at the Uptown Theater on Connecticut Avenue in Washington, D.C.
A mainstay of Washington’s Cleveland Park neighborhood, the Uptown contains one large screen, balcony seating and a grand chandelier for a trip back in time.
Absent from the premiere was the film’s star Adam Carolla. However, Dennis Prager was present, as well as the film’s producer Mark Joseph, producer and director Justin Folk, writer John Sullivan and special guests Greg Lukianoff, founder of FIRE (Foundation of Individual Rights in Education) and Karith Foster, a comedian who was featured in the film.
Most in attendance at the premiere are involved in various conservative causes and have, themselves, faced persecution on today’s college campuses. “No Safe Spaces” conveyed what many here have been warning about for years: That institutions of learning are increasingly less tolerant of conservative political viewpoints and are outright confrontational towards political minorities. Heads nodded in unison as the film showed one scene after the other of conservative speech banned and right-leaning dissenters bullied.
It was Dennis Prager who captured the mood of the audience and the ultimate meaning of the film when he said, “This isn’t a documentary about who’s right and who’s wrong, it’s about the importance of freedom of speech; something that everyone can get behind.”
THEY CALL HIM “CAPTAIN LAST”
Italy’s New Hero is Sergio De Caprio of the Carabiniere By Elisa Rossi
Sergio De Caprio is Italy’s most famous Carabiniere officer.
He rose to international fame in 1993 when he arrested Toto Riina, the boss of bosses of the Italian mafia. Riina had resisted capture for 24 years before De Caprio and his team of crackpot investigators tracked him down.
De Caprio had the rank of Captain then and took on the task to find Riina by organizing a team of special investigators, named CRIMOR; or as De Caprio dubbed them, “the beggars.”
Today, De Caprio holds the rank of colonel in Italy’s Carabiniere. Several books have been written about him with the headlined nickname “Ultimo” or in English “Last”, alleging to the fact that De Caprio was the last of the Carabiniere to get Riina. There is “Ultimo. Il capitano che arrestò Totò Riina,” (Last. The captain who arrested Toto Riina) by Maurizio Torrealta and in May 2019 Pino Corrias’ “Stop the Captain Last!”
A quote from Corrias’ book: “How is it possible that, in all those years (23!), nobody got the king of the Corleonesi, when Last, with his team, has managed in just a short time (6 months!)? And immediately a poisonous rumor spread all over the capture of Riina, as if it were a kind of the result of secret arrangement […]”
Italian television broadcasted “Ultimo” in 2004, a made-for-TV film that starred actor Raoul Bova as Sergio De Caprio, amplifying enormously the myth of the hero.
De Caprio tried to remain humble as more accolades came his way. On his mind was personal safety. He was aware that too many honors are trouble. Threats came from bad guys and envy from good guys.
Now, after more than 25 years since Totò Riina was arrested, De Caprio has found himself a wanted man. At least, that’s what he believes. He hides his face behind a ski mask to achieve invisibility. He sees himself a man condemned to a life of the hunted animal; danger lurks everywhere.
De Caprio is Italy’s new hero. He is “Captain Last” a man sworn to defend the values of Italy.
Pino Corrias writes in his book: “He was found guilty of faking the capture of Riina, encouraging agreement between Bernardo Provenzano and carabinieri: in exchange for a truce. He was found guilty of not searching Riina’s house, giving time for mafiosi to hide Riina’s papers. He was found guilty of participating in the negotiation State-Mafia that had ensured the survival of Corleonesi clan after the massacres. (Judge Falcone, murdered in 23 May 1922 and Judge Borsellino, murdered in 19 July 1992) He was found guilty of having an investigative team in his image and likeness, guilty of being too independent from military hierarchies and from the Prosecutor State. He was found guilty of being an arm of government for Henry John Woodcock, the State’s attorney ‘who intercepeted half of Italy’ with reckless inquiries. He was found guilty of causing some problems for businesses of Finmeccanica and consequently for Italy, during the investigation that generated the arrest of its chief. He was found guilty of attacking party political of Lega, Roberto Maroni, Matteo Salvini, hurting Lega thorough the arrest of Francesco Belsito, the party treasurer. Guilty of being too intrusive in investigations. He was found guilty of attacking the World of Cooperatives, when he decided to investigate the Cpl Concordia and when he arrested the president of Cpl, acquitted by the court of Naples, convicted by the court of Modena. He was found guilty of plotting against Matteo Renzi. He was found guilty of being an unruly, exalted and subversive carabiniere.”
De Caprio says: “If you arrest gypsies and junkies, there’s no problem. You don’t have to do anything else otherwise you are a threat to the lobbies and the troubles begin. But what really hurts me most of all was the reprisal against my soldiers. It was happened after Riina. They did the same thing 20 years later.”
Colonel De Caprio’s own book “Fight anti-crime Intelligence and activity” remains a needed reference for those who will be fighters against crime and corruption. They will have the privilege of continuing a fight that doesn’t have to end.
For the Italian people who supported him, protests arose against the State for not protecting Captain Last. His security detail was temporarily removed and he was at risk of assassination. Ordinary people who expressed their support do so through peaceful demonstrations. Thanks were given, not only for him, but also for those who choose to sacrifice their lives throughout law enforcement. A police escort was reinstated last month.
Why did he call himself Ultimo? Towards the end of my article he says: “I called myself Last because I grew up in a world where everyone wished to be the first. I didn’t like it when people sat at the first desk in school just to shine. And I don’t like people who continue to do so during in our lifetime.”
Editor’s Note: UPDATE - On February 22, it was reported that Colonel Sergio De Caprio, of Italy's Carabinieri, was finally awarded a police escort after months of pleading with the Italian government. The security detail will begin immediately in light of continuous threats to his life. Sergio De Caprio has begun an organization Italy dedicated to the principles of justice and sound government. His web site is www.volontaricapitanoultimo.it
SISTERS IN LIBERTY
New Exhibit Compares The Statue of Liberty with “Liberty of Poetry” Was the Florentine Statue The Model for The Statue of Liberty?
On Tuesday, October 16th, at the Consulate General of Italy in New York, a press conference convened for the “Sisters in Liberty,” an exhibit by the Opera di Santa Croce displayed at the Ellis Island Museum of Immigration in New York, from October 18, 2019 to April 26, 2020.
Central to the exhibit is the reproduction of the statue “Liberty of Poetry,” by Pio Fedi, the titular “sister” of “The Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World” by Frédéric Bartholdi, in New York harbor. Both statues, representing the search for freedom, are similar in stance and details. Thanks to the partnership with Kent State University, the statue in Florence has been subjected to an accurate 3D scanning for a perfect reproduction at the exhibition.
“Sisters in Liberty,” is curated by Giuseppe De Micheli and Paola Vojnovic (Opera di Santa Croce) and by Ann and David Wilkins (Duquesne University Program of Rome).
The project’s partners are: National Park Service / Statue of Liberty National Monument and Ellis Island, Kent State University, US Consulate in Florence, Consulate General of Italy in New York, Garibaldi Meucci Museum, and The Union League Legacy Foundation.
Pio Fedi was an Italian sculptor who lived from 1816 to 1892. Located in Florence are works by him such as “Rape of Polyxena” and the Monument to General Manfredo Fanti. Inside the Basilica of Santa Croce in Florence is the Memorial to Giovan Battista Nicolini, a hero of the Risorgimento, where standing is Fedi’s statue “The Liberty of Poetry.” The similarities between this and the Statue of Liberty by Frédéric Bartholdi are quite significant. Fedi completed his work in 1877 with drawings and a smaller model completed in 1872. Bartholdi began preliminary drawings and collecting funds for the Statue of Liberty in 1876. Bartholdi fought beside Giuseppe Garibaldi in the Franco-Prussian War and was in Italy at the time Fedi completed his scaled model accompanied by a public display of sketches of the eventual work. Above are photographs of both statues. Was “The Liberty of Poetry” the model for The Statue of Liberty? You decide.
Editor’s Note: To learn more about the coming exhibit on “The Liberty of Poetry,” please log on to https://consnewyork.esteri.it
CHURCH OF SAINT FRANCIS OF ASSISI IN MANHATTAN CELEBRATES 175 YEARS
The Franciscans Took Control of The Church Under The Leadership of Father Pamfilo da Magliano The Church Hosts the Oldest Continuous Breadline in the United States
The spirit of Saint Francis is alive and well at the parish that bears his name: Church of Saint Francis of Assisi.
Located at 135-139 31st Street, between Sixth and Seventh Avenues in Midtown Manhattan, Church of Saint Francis of Assisi this year celebrates its 175th anniversary.
What began from dissension is today a multi-faceted and innovative parish.
The story begins at Saint John the Baptist. A parish formed in 1840 by German immigrants was censured by the Vatican. Disputes arose between members of the church’s board of trustees and its pastor Zachary Kunze. A Franciscan friar from Hungary, Kunze realized the best way to quell dissension was to start an entirely new parish and separate himself from Saint John the Baptist. New York’s bishop John McCloskey gave Father Kunze permission to begin Saint Francis of Assisi, just around the block from Saint John the Baptist’s, where an open lot along 31st Street awaited the cornerstone for the new church in 1844.
Church of Saint Francis of Assisi began as a modest structure to be eventually rebuilt in 1892 in the Gothic Revival style we see today. The church comes with a decorative topped steeple, narrow windows and moulded coverings. The tan brick facade and brown trim stands out among the bland warehouses of the Garment District and the sleek shops and restaurants of nearby Koreatown. The church’s interior contains beautiful mosaics, murals and statuary. A memorial exists of damaged steel beams taken from the destroyed Twin Towers. They pay tribute to parish priest Mychal Judge, who died in the terrorist attacks of 9/11. A chaplain in the New York City fire department, Father Judge was killed when the Twin Towers collapsed. His funeral Mass at the church was attended by former President Bill Clinton and former First Lady, turned U.S. Senator, Hillary Rodham Clinton. Downstairs is a chapel that features a large Italian presepe depicting the Nativity. Outside is an alleyway shrine to Saint Anthony.
The Order of Friars Minor (Franciscans) have managed the church since 1861. They officially adopted the parish under the leadership of Father Pamfilo da Magliano. He was born Giovanni Paulo Pietrobattista in 1824 in the village of Magliano de’ Marsi, in Italy’s Abruzzo region. Ordained a priest in 1846, he taught philosophy and theology at the monastery of Saint Bernadine in Sienna. He learned English at the Irish School of Saint Isidore in Rome and came to the United States in 1855 to grow the Franciscan order. He helped begin Saint Bonaventure University in Allegheny, New York and served as its first president. He was later named Custos, leader of the Franciscan order in the United States, and took control of two parishes in New York: Saint Anthony of Padua, located in Greenwich Village and Saint Francis of Assisi, in Midtown. Father Pamfilo began a school at Saint Francis administered by the Franciscan Sisters of Allegheny, an order of nuns he founded.
Church of Saint Francis of Assisi was a parish that experienced many changes. By 1920, the predominantly German, Hungarian, recent Italian and Greek working families were replaced by a transient population. To meet the changing demographics, the church initiated several innovations that were later adopted by other parishes throughout the country. Saint Francis was the first to offer a Night Workers Mass, convened at Midnight to serve Catholics who were working night shifts in the neighborhood. The church was also the first in the United States to offer a 12 noon Mass for traveling salesmen staying at hotels and tradesmen employed in nearby theaters and printing plants.
The church is most famous for hosting the oldest continuous breadline in the United Staes. It began in 1930 and, since then, has served some 12 million cups of coffee, 18 million sandwiches and 12 million slices of cake. Franciscans Bread for the Poor is a subset of the Franciscan Order that administers the breadline. Each day at 7 a.m. priests and staff are out front giving food to needy New Yorkers.
A year of tribute and commemoration for the church’s 175th anniversary will end this fall at the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi on October 4th. A special Feast Day Mass is scheduled to be oke a coil spring.
STORMING OMAHA BEACH ON D-DAY
PRIMO Reader Pays Tribute to Her Late Husband’s WWII Service
Mrs. Lola Pollastrini Gianelli wrote to PRIMO about her late husband, former U.S. Army Sergeant George Frederick Gianelli, and his service in the D-Day landing at Normandy in WWII. Here is what she wrote:
"This is a tribute to the 75th Anniversary of Normandy D-Day, in honor of my late husband George and his Army Battalion who all survived (Thank God) the war against the Germans on June 6, 1944 at Omaha Beach.
On June 6, 2019, President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania, along with Queen Elizabeth, saluted and stood at attention on Omaha Beach at noon for the raising of the American Flag and the 21 Gun Salute in honor and respect of our GIs.
Although I didn't know George until after the war, (we were married for 48 years until his death), this is a summary of his and his buddies' stories, as told at their Battalion reunions held every year after the war. The reunions lasted for 30 years. Wives and children attended in a one-week's vacation to listen to war stories.
George's battalion was in the Fifth Wave that stormed onto the beach where Hitler's army was waiting in bunkers. The worst battle was there at Omaha Beach. George said it was like going into a suicide mission. He stumbled over dead GIs who came ashore before him. The next 6th Wave of GIs wiped out the German troops. There is a GI cemetery on the hill above Omaha Beach maintained by the United States. George always said that the heroes were the guys who never made it out alive from that battle.
George's battalion spent four years in England shooting Buzz Bombs and fighting in Germany. They reached Hitler's bunker the day after both Hitler and wife Eva Braun committed suicide. Next to the bunker was a concentration camp where the battalion was allowed to go and observe. George refused to go. He could see from the gate a big pile of dead bodies.
George was drafted the day after graduation from Hayward High School at age 18. His battalion was made up of guys from Italian families in the San Francisco Bay Area. (Was this done purposely??) The families all knew each other. Actually, George received his draft notice before graduating from high school. He turned 18 in March and didn't graduate until June. George and his father went before the Draft Board and asked for a deferment so he could graduate. He was then drafted the day after high school graduation.
On your computer, you can see live movies and stories about D-Day, also photos of the cemetery. Just go to ‘D-Day Invasion of Normandy.’ I wish they would teach some information about WWII in schools nowadays, but they don't. I guess it's not ‘Politically Correct.’ (It might hurt somebody's feelings??) I wonder---if we went to war and there was draft today, would our youth go to battle or would it infringe on ‘their rights’???
INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR DEBORAH STEVENS
Her Book “The Serpent’s Disciple” Explores Freemason Infiltration of The Vatican Are the Conspiracies True?
Your new novel The Serpent’s Disciple explores the inner workings of the Catholic Church. What new insight about the pope and Vatican will readers gain after reading your book?
Many readers might not know that The Vatican or officially Vatican City State is the smallest sovereign nation in the world. It is a theocratic, absolute, and elective monarchy. The pope as the leader of the Roman Catholic Church and bishop of Rome exercises ex officio supreme legislative, executive, and judicial power over Vatican City. This translates into a significant amount of power; not just authority over the citizens of Vatican City, but as religious leader of the Catholic Church, many Christians worldwide. In any seat of power, an inner structure is set up and authority distributed between people. As we all know from history, desire for power can often result in corruption. Although we would like to believe in the sanctity of religion, we can also find the seeds of betrayal. The reader of my novels will learn about a few of the regrettable events and challenges having to do with the inner workings of Vatican City and the papacy.
One need not go farther than the engrossing title of you novel – The Serpent’s Disciple - to know its Biblical roots. How closely connected is your novel to the prophetic warnings of the Book of Revelation?
The vast array of ornate and lush imagery found in the Book of Revelation has led to a wide variety of interpretations. Ranging from the simple historical analysis, to a prophetic view of the future, to futurist interpretations of different end time scenarios. As many believe, the obscure and extravagant imagery signify the invisible forces and spiritual powers of good versus evil at work in the world and in the heavenly realms and culminating in a war against the church.
In a way, my stories could be considered an adaptation on the Garden of Eden. In the Book of Revelation Satan is called a serpent, not once but three times. So, in The Serpent’s Disciple we uncover and see the results, as in the Garden of Eden, of the soul tempted by the promises of the serpent. An intriguing element of the story line is based on real events. The collapse of the Vatican bank in the 1980’s did take place and involved a gruesome murder. The group Propaganda Due (P2), an illegal masonic lodge, existed. Conspiracy theorists believe P2 could be behind the mysterious circumstances of Pope John Paul I death after only 33 days of his papacy. The fictional story behind The Serpent's Disciple involves a battle between the serpent and a disciple of the church. If you embrace the belief that faith exists, then you will also believe there will be a judgment day. I will leave that debate in the hands of the readers.
A key suspicion among many traditional and conservative Roman Catholics is that the Church changed radically after Vatican II because of infiltration by the Freemasonry. What led you to take on this controversy head on in The Serpent’s Disciple?
Many believe International Freemasonry has sought to infiltrate the Catholic Church for decades. When Pope John XXIII announced the creation of the Second Vatican Council (also known as Vatican II) in January 1959, it shocked the world. There hadn't been an ecumenical council in nearly 100 years. Canon law before Vatican II prohibited membership in Freemasonry and considered cause for automatic ex-communication. It concluded Masonic principles and rituals are irreconcilable with Catholic doctrines. After Vatican II, however, the Catholic Church began an evaluation of its understanding of Masonry and subtle modifications of Canon law began to occur. The Church’s position appeared to be fluid on the matter. There were various interpretations of what was being reported. When doing research for the book I was not that familiar with the story of P2. As I delved deeper, I became fascinated to learn more. As I did, the idea for The Serpent’s Disciple began to materialize. I decided to use actual events with real circumstances that faced the Vatican at the time. It is often said, fact is stranger than fiction, and I agree.
The Serpent’s Disciple is a fascinating book with many plot elements that connect to other genres, i.e., horror, science fiction, fantasy, historical fiction etc…What genre best describes The Serpent’s Disciple?
That is a challenging question to some degree. I use the label Fiction Thriller. A Thriller is a story that is usually a mix of fear and excitement. It contains traits from the suspense genre and action, adventure or mystery genres. I’ve had people say they thought it touched on fantasy and historical fiction. I agree with all these. My wish is to hopefully keep the reader wondering and hopefully surprised at end of the story.
Do you see yourself writing more books? Similar to The Serpent’s Disciple? Why do you find this subject so fascinating?
Yes, I plan on writing a trilogy. The Serpent’s Disciple and, Holy Predator, the second in the series is available on Amazon in paperback and eBook. The first book has received six awards and the latest Holy Predator received its first award, The Pinnacle Achievement Award, winner in the category of Thriller. Any religion or powerful group has a history of how it evolved and Christianity, in this case, Catholicism, is thousands of years old. Then, you add the existence of Vatican City and all this takes place in Italy, how can you not be fascinated by the topic. I loved to research and learn the history behind how something came to be. Although, sometimes creating more questions than answers. It’s like working on a puzzle. Trying to figure out which piece goes next and finally seeing the results of ones efforts. There are so many stories surrounding the Catholic Church, Vatican City and the history of Italy. It's hard not to be fascinated with it all. The Serpent’s Disciple has been translated into Italian. Holy Predator is presently being translated into Italian and should be out at the end of 2019. Before the final book in the trilogy is completed, I will be releasing a non-fiction book titled Strange but True, The Vatican Dossier. I hope to have it out at the end of this year.
PRIMO SPECIAL REPORT
NEW ORGANIZATION - "SAVE THE PERSECUTED CHRISTIANS" - UNVEILS PLAN TO STOP WORLDWIDE CHRISTIAN GENOCIDE
245 Million Christians
are Victims of Extreme Persection; 90,000 Killed in 2016 for Practicing Christianity in Africa and Asia; Focus on Nigeria Hang a Banner at Your Church!
Top photograph is the new banner by Save The Persecuted Christians organization. The next photograph is a Coptic church in Egypt that was destroyed by a suicide bomber who killed 128 worshippers. Other photographs: Somalia, Islamic boys are recruited to kill Christians; Palestine, parents hold a photograph of their son, abducted by Islamists; Iraq, statues in a church were destroyed by ISIS; Libya, Christian men were decapitated by Islamic terrorists; China, a Christian woman is attacked by soldiers; Frank J. Gaffney, president of Save The Persecuted Christians leads the organization’s press conference at the National Press Club in Washington. He said that the organization was inspired by American rabbis in the 1960s and 1970s who worked to save Soviet Jews from persecution; their logo pictured. Last photograph depicts the speakers at Save The Persecuted Christians press conference; with many from Nigeria who spoke about Christian persecution there.
A cry for help is heard.
Save The Persecuted Christians is a brand new organization headquartered in Monument, Colorado, that held its first press conference yesterday, January 17, at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.
Their mission: Stop the ongoing genocide of Christians, worldwide.
The press conference convened inside the newly renovated National Press Club building on 14th street, N.W. Black steel beams streak above a lobby of contemporary decor that bespeaks the continued and active presence of the National Press Club in downtown.
The event was held there on the 13th floor; an ominous sign, perhaps; the number of the apostle who turned on Christ. Those gathered, however, showed no signs of despair. Instead, they were hopeful. They were unified in a cause. They seek to save their brothers and sisters in Christ.
Frank J. Gaffney, president and board member of Save The Persecuted Christians, was the event’s moderator and lead speaker.
A Washington insider since the days of Reagan and active participant in a number of conservative causes, Gaffney is the founder and executive chairman of the Washington-based Center for Security Policy. His knowledge of geo-politics will serve him well in this newfound effort.
Gaffney’s main purpose was to convey the organization’s background and grassroots strategy. He then invited others to speak, such as Bishop Keith Butler, founder of Word of Faith International Center, former member of the Detroit City Council and board chairman of the Save The Persecuted Christians. Another was Kevin Jessip, founder and president of Global Strategic Alliance and fellow board member of the organization. Only a few reporters were present. Most audience members were activists, both foreign and American, representing different Christian denominations. A political celebrity in attendance was Alan Keyes, assistant secretary of state in international affairs under President Ronald Reagan, a former radio talk show host and a Republican presidential candidate in 1996, 2000, and 2008. Prayers were said at the beginning and end of the press event.
Christian suffering was the main topic.
The reasons vary.
In China, it is to preserve the zeal of Marxism. In North Korea, it is to preserve the cult of Kim Jong-un. In Nigeria, it is to set up an Islamic caliphate.
Christians get in the way.
They praise God, not man. They seek salvation through Christ, not government. They read the Bible, not the Koran.
They are easy targets.
They attend church in day. They pray at night. They wear the cross.
In many countries in Africa and Asia, Christians are increasingly arrested without warrants. They are tried, convicted and jailed without due process. They are tortured. They are killed.
Christianity consists of 2 billion people today. Three decades ago, Roman Catholics and Protestants were on the rise in the Third World. Africa became more Catholic thanks to frequent visits there by Pope John Paul II. Protestant missions were fully established in countries such as Nigeria and Mali. Anglican, Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist and congregational churches spread throughout the continents.
The past was for evangelization. The present, fear of persecution.
Every year, more Christians are killed for their beliefs, according to a recent report issued by A Church in Need, a Roman Catholic organization based in Germany.
Some 245 million Christians are victims of high extreme persecution. In 2016, some 90,000 Christians were killed, just for practicing their faith.
Gaffney worked in the Reagan administration as acting assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs. He witnessed from the White House the demise of the Soviet Union. He knows history well. Mostly forgotten today are the loud, unstinted efforts of America’s rabbis in the Cold War. A synagogue in Cleveland in 1963 began a movement to save Soviet Jews from persecution. They produced a banner with an illustration of a prison chain clasped by hammer and sykle that surround the words: “Free Soviet Jews.” The goal was greater awareness. Americans would know the plight of Jews in Communist Russia. Almost every synagogue in the country eventually hung the banner. Gaffney, who grew up in Pittsburgh, remembers walking by a synagogue one day and seeing a banner hanging there.
One movement begets another.
Save the Persecuted Christians pursues a similar goal and strategy as did Jewish rabbis 50 years ago. Gaffney and others unfurled a banner in white with a red colored cross and lettering “Save US.” At the bottom is the organization’s name and web site address. The group will push forward the plight of persecuted Christians. They will ask every church in America to hang one of their banners. Greater awareness will bring greater action in Congress. On an immediate basis, however, is the call for a special envoy: A person should be appointed by the president today to travel through Africa and Asia, meet leaders there to press an end to the slaughter of Christians.
U.S. foreign policy is often at odds with the persecuted in foreign lands.
Gaffney recalls reluctance on the part of the Ford administration to stop Jewish persecution in Russia. In 1974, Senator Henry M. “Scoop” Jackson of Washington sponsored legislation to withdraw most favored nation status from the Soviet Union unless steps were taken there to save Soviet Jews. The bill passed in Congress. Majorities in both chambers were large enough to override a presidential veto. Saving Soviet Jews was now the law of the land.
Gaffney reminds us that back then Washington think tanks missed the cause. It was grassroots, not professional advocacy, that won the day. American rabbis moved leaders to action. Russian Jews were saved. The Soviet Union later fell.
The current plight of Christians worldwide calls for a similar effort. This time the scope is larger. Not just one country, but many countries host Christian genocide. On display at the press conference were records of brutality perpetrated by foreign governments and their agents against Christians. They came in the way of exhibits consisting of photographs, captions and hard facts. Some highlights follow:
In North Korea: An elderly woman is photographed with black eyes and bruises. She sits, tied to a chair, under the threatening gaze of a female guard. Her crime: Praying.
In Palestine: Christian parents hold a photograph of their missing son. He was abducted by Islamic fundamentalists. Authorities claim the boy willingly converted to Islam.
In Yemen: Christians face extinction. They are caught between warring Islamic groups who agree on nothing else but their hatred for Christians.
In Sudan: Military aircraft are often sent by the Islamic government in Khartoum to destroy churches.
In Somalia: Al-Shabaab, a word meaning “young men” in Arabic, is now a call for Jihad. Children are recruited. Boys, some of whom are just 10 years old, are armed with light machine guns. They order Christian men to recite the Shahada - claim God is one and Muhammed the prophet - or be killed.
In Syria: Christian girls are taken from their families and sold as sex slaves to ISIS.
In Iraq and Egypt: Some of the world’s first churches, located in these two countries, are now under assault. In Mosul, statues of Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary were decapitated by ISIS thugs. In Egypt, a Coptic church was destroyed by a suicide bomber who claimed the lives of 128 people worshiping inside.
In Turkey: A country where 20% of the population was Christian after World War I has seen that number decline below 1% today. Oppression by the Erdogan-led government is the reason. Only one cleric of each Christian faith can be seen in public. Only one Christian holiday can be celebrated each year. Christian celebrations are forbidden, unless approved by the government.
In Libya: One of the most horrific images in history. Christian men in orange prison clothes were marched to a beach by black clad, face masked Islamists. One by one had their heads sawed off by tormenters. The carnage faced northeast in the direction of Rome. The Vatican. The Holy See. The throne of Saint Peter. The message was obvious: All Christians are infidels. All are to be killed.
In the audience at the National Press Club event were several Christians from China.
They spoke firsthand about persecution. The latest technology is continuously used by China’s government to harass and kill Christians. Data mining and drone surveillance locate churches slated for military assault. China forbids religious education. State media mocks and misrepresents the activities of new congregations. On display was a photograph of a young Chinese Christian woman attacked by a group of Chinese soldiers.
Tracy Jiao belongs to the Church of Almighty God, an independent church founded in 1991 in China. She attended yesterday’s press conference. She says her group is frequently targeted by the Chinese government. Many churchgoers have been unduly arrested, she says, just for practicing their faith.
“You see pictures of people here who have been persecuted in other countries,” she says in reference to exhibits on display. “At least, they can show photographs of what is happening. We cannot in China. Our people are arrested. Our photographs are taken. We are not allowed to share our story. We have church members who are taken to prison camps. We cannot see them. We don’t know where they are.”
Cases of Christian persecution were well-documented at the press conference with special focus on Nigeria.
Members of the International Committee on Nigeria, an organization based in Falls Church, Virginia, spoke about their experiences.
Nigeria is a country with the most Christians in Africa - some 80 million, according to Pew Research. Yet, each day, they are threatened and harassed by Islamic forces inside and outside the government. Most pressing are the needs of Christians in the Lake Chad region in northern Nigeria. Reports of atrocities are many; such as the time when Christian children were rounded up to watch their parents executed by Islamic militiamen. Another case had as its focus the Nigerian military. The army had ordered the evacuation of Christian and Islamic villages due to civil conflicts in the region. When the battle ended, those from the Islamic villages were allowed to return to their homes, but not the Christians. The military said their villages were not recognized by the Nigerian government. They never existed.
In reference to the way American mainstream media reports violence against Christians in Nigeria, one speaker declared, “There is no such thing as sectarian violence. This is not a war of one tribe versus another. This is not a war of one region against another. These are Muslims killing Christians.”
Abduction of clergy in Nigeria is frequent. One speaker said he was kidnapped by Islamic terrorists not once, but twice. He said what saved him “was my name, Joachim. They thought I was Muslim. They did not know that Christians and Muslims can share the same name. We are named after the Jewish patriarch, Jacob.”
Cases of Christian persecution in Nigeria increased exponentially after the Arab Spring in 2010 and the rise of ISIS after President Barack Obama ordered American troops to withdraw from Iraq in 2011.
“Now everyone wants to be like ISIS,” said an audience member from Nigeria. He claimed that young Muslims there increasingly look to Islamic terrorists as models of violence.
Assaults against Christians are not limited to the body. Christians are often discriminated against and unable to find work or get an education in Nigeria. The military will frequently take church property, according to one speaker. The church building is demolished and the foundation excavated. Property records are destroyed. It is as if entire Christian communities never existed there.
Yesterday’s event contained only a few bright spots such as when one speaker admitted that there has been a market reduction of violence against Christians in Nigeria. He gave credit for this to President Donald J. Trump. Attacks on Christians declined almost immediately after the president spoke out against Christian persecution when he met with Nigerian president, Muhammadu Buhari, at the White House in April.
The future remains tenuous. West Africa is at the precipice of Islamic domination, according to several speakers yesterday. “Do not look to the Middle East,” said one Nigerian clergyman. “The real conflict is happening in Nigeria.”
The underlying cause of violence against Christians is not poverty or dispossession within Nigeria’s Muslim majority. Rather, it is the pursuance of an Islamic caliphate. What pervades there is the spirit of Wahhabism, a branch of Islam from Saudi Arabia that sees all Christians as infidels. Persecution of Christians in Nigerian is a means to an end. Tyranny awaits. The inheritor of Mohammed will come. He will control West Africa. He will enforce Sharia law, as now imposed in Nigeria, for the entire region. Islam will then be the sole religion. Christianity will be extinct in West Africa.
The struggle to save Christians worldwide is the story of the century. The worship of Christ now begets a death sentence. The future is a time for martyrs. Save The Persecuted Christians is an organization with a cause for all Americans to embrace. Psalm 7 may inspire: “God is my protector; he saves those who obey him.”
Editor's Note: Save the Persecuted Christians will provide a banner to your church to help bring greater awareness to Americans on the plight of Christians in Africa and Asia. Contact them today at https://savethepersecutedchristians.org/get-a-banner/
A FIGHTER FOR JUSTICE PASSES
John Cavicchi He Uncovered One of The Worst Miscarriages of Justice in American History PRIMO Tribute
He was the quiet hero.
John Cavicchi died on February 19 in Florida surrounded by his family and friends.
Two decades passed since he achieved one of the greatest victories in American jurisprudence.
And yet, few people know about him.
John was not a braggart. He was stoic and rock solid. He did not seek the limelight. Rarely was he mentioned or profiled in the news media. He never appeared on cable news shows. Although worthy, he was never the guest commentator, the legal expert or savant jurist who could expound on the ins and outs of criminal justice.
John Cavicchi was a good friend of PRIMO’s. We published an article on him in 2007 and rightly praised his miraculous defense of Louis Greco and Peter Limone.
It was in Boston in 1968 when Louis Greco was convicted of the murder of Edward “Teddy” Deegan with Joseph Salvati, Peter Limone and Enrico Tameleo convicted as accessories. They were all given life sentences and each spent 30 years in prison for crimes they did not commit.
Prosecutors had persuaded a jury then that since the foursome were Italian they had been members of the Mafia.
From beginning to end, the case was a ruse. The accused were victims of a frame by FBI agents H. Paul Rico and Dennis Condon and their key informant, Joseph Barboza, who, as it turned, was the real murderer.
In 1965, Edward “Teddy” Deegan, a longshoreman who had robbed a Mafia bookmaking operation, was shot and killed near Boston by Joseph Barboza and Jimmy Flemmi. The ensuring police investigation had run cold. No suspects were named. The FBI, however, knew the identity of the murderers. They had in their possession recordings and transcripts that established Barboza and Flemmi’s guilt. Some years earlier, the feds had wire tapped the office of Raymond Patriarca, the reputed mob boss of New England. Listening in on conversations among local mobsters, FBI agents heard Barboza and Flemmi request and receive the order to kill Deegan.
By 1967, Barboza had found himself in prison serving out sentences for unrelated crimes. There, he was approached by FBI agents Rico and Condon. He was to become their informant. An agreement was brokered to get Barboza released from prison in exchange for his information on the New England Mafia.
Barboza’s long line of crimes had to be expunged. He was interrogated by state detectives about the murder of Deegan. Both FBI agents were present when Barboza admitted to killing Deegan. He then lied by saying he was ordered to do so by Peter Limone. He then falsely implicated Greco, Salvati and Tameleo. The FBI agents said nothing to the police as to the innocence of accused. They did not share the evidence in their possession with local police. Instead, they lied to detectives by claiming Barboza’s story “checked out.” One of the agents, Condon, even went so far as to testify in support of Barboza at the trial. He was motivated to do so, he said, to ensure the “purity” of his informant.
Cavicchi began representing Greco in 1977 and Limone in 2000. He was the lawyer who won Mr. Limone’s release from prison, resulting in the reversal of Salvati’s conviction. Greco’s conviction was vacated posthumously. Cavicchi’s work was a decisive factor in the successful civil lawsuit by Limone and others against the federal government for wrongful imprisonment, with damages awarded in excess of $100 million.
In a 2007 PRIMO interview, Cavicchi said, “To win a lawsuit for wrongful imprisonment you have to show you did not commit the crime for which you were imprisoned. They can prove this with relative ease based on the work I did.”
Cavicchi became a lawyer after he served in the U.S. Marine Corps. He sought to be a tenacious attorney committed to the best defense of his clients. He declared, “After the Marines…I said to myself I will no longer get pushed around by anyone, even a judge.”
When Cavicchi first met Greco, “he had been in jail for 8 years. I was referred to him by a past client. I was struck by his story and his unwavering belief in his innocence. I agreed to represent him and reviewed the case.”
What Cavicchi found was overwhelming evidence that exonerated Greco. His client took and passed several lie detector tests. Greco was in Miami at the time of the murder, according to many eyewitnesses; none of whom were called to testify at the original trial.
“I remember telling him that he would be out in six months,” said Cavicchi. “The case against him was a joke. What I didn’t realize then was just how tangled up was the system and how slow it works when there is a miscarriage of justice.”
Over a 20 year span, Cavicchi filed petitions, met with different prosecutors, pleaded with judges and governors for Greco’s release. A main cause of delay was bigotry: Since Greco was Italian American, he was presumed guilty by many in the justice system.
Cavicchi said, “You had judges that did not do their jobs. At times, I thought they did not even read the case. They did not look at the evidence. They tried to push it aside. Bury it. They made believe nothing wrong happened. There was always an assumption that since they were Italian they were involved in criminal activity.”
FBI agents Rico and Condon remained involved in the case during Cavicchi’s appeals. “They were continuously lying,” said the lawyer. “They were covering up the case. They were submitting false information during hearings.”
Cavicchi did not let the case die.
He kept filing petitions and motions. He kept digging. More evidence was uncovered that proved again and again his client was innocent.
In 1995, Greco died of colon cancer in prison. Two years later, the governor agreed to commute Salvati’s sentence to time already served. In 2000, Cavicchi began representing Limone and won his client’s release in 2001. All convictions were then vacated. Meanwhile, the Justice Department convened an internal investigation that proved FBI agents had framed the defendants and covered up their crime.
Although Cavicchi was a key factor in overturning the wrongful convictions of Greco, Limone and others, he had to sue another attorney and his former client to participate in the eventual lawsuit.
By the time PRIMO interview him in 2007, Cavicchi was hardened and disillusioned by the case and its aftereffects. He said about defending Greco and Limone, “I thought it was no big deal. They were innocent and should have been released long ago. I came to realize how few people perform their roles. Many people do not do their jobs. There were some exceptions but most people did not come through.”
What Cavicchi gained was a newfound appreciation for his Italian roots. Seeing how ethnic prejudices and bigotry worked against his clients, Cavicchi began to look inward and rediscovered his Italian heritage.
“I always thought of myself as American, not Italian American,” he said. “My parents never spoke to me in Italian. I was all-American, through and through. That’s all changed now. I attend language schools in Italy. I speak Italian. I read books on Italian history and ancient Rome. I have become a true Italian American.”
We at PRIMO convey our condolences to the Cavicchi family on the passing of John. He was one of the country’s best attorneys with a legacy worthy of great praise and celebration. The angels now greet him with the rewards of justice. His life is best summed up from words in the Book of Isaiah: “Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, and please the widow’s cause.” John Cavicchi…rest in peace.
ARCHAEOLOGY AND FOOD COME TOGETHER IN TOURS THROUGH ITALY
Elifant Archaeo-Culinary Tours Take Visitors to The Ancient Sites and Finest Eateries in Italy Interview with Principals Elizabeth Bartman and Maureen Fant
Elizabeth Bartman and Maureen Fant conceive and lead tours throughout Italy. Their expertise is on archaeology and gourmet food. PRIMO interviewed them both on future Italian destinations and what makes their touring company different than others.
Neither of you are Italian. Tell us what got you both interested in Italy
Right, we’re not Italian or even Italian American. But our interest in Italy goes way back, to our studies of classics and archaeology. We both spent an undergraduate semester in Rome and kept returning.
Elifant Archaeo-Culinary Tours is different than other tours because of your focus on Italy’s archaeological sites. Summarize, if you will, the sites seen and insights gained from visiting Italy through your company.
Archaeology is the study of the material past, the actual things people built, made, and used. The word may sound arcane, but all cultures have archaeology. When there’s no written record, or when, as often, the written sources are incomplete or inaccurate, archaeology is the only way to reconstruct that lost culture. Archaeology tells us how ancient peoples lived, what they ate, how they buried their dead, made art, etc. It’s the starting point for learning history. Of course, Elifant’s focus on archaeology doesn’t blind us to later art in Italy—if there’s a wonderful church along our route, we’ll pay a visit. Liz is a trained art historian with interests and knowledge that go way beyond antiquity. But don’t imagine that our tours are for eggheads. Tour participants emphatically do not need to arrive already familiar with the intricacies of Greco-Roman architecture or Romanesque bas-reliefs. Everything gets explained in plain English.
Our tours are different from other archaeological tours because they’re also food tours. We treat food as culture and history as well as something to be enjoyed in the moment. Wherever possible, we make connections, draw lines, if you will, between the ancient remains and what people ate then, now, and in more recent local tradition. We call our tours archaeo-culinary, as opposed to, say, “archaeological and culinary,” to emphasize the connection between the two focuses. Take our flagship Rome tour as an example. In the course of a week’s tour we learn how the ancient city was able to feed its one million people. On Monday we’re out at the ports of Ostia and Portus seeing the harbor where ships carrying grain from Egypt docked and the vast warehouses where that grain was stored. By Saturday we’re underground in the city center seeing where the grain was distributed as a dole (the bread of the infamous “bread and circuses”). During the week we visit a manmade mountain made of discarded vessels that once held oil and wine, aqueducts that brought pure spring water over hundreds of miles, an imperial villa with a seaside dining room decorated with spectacular statues, and much more. On this tour, like all our tours, we get special permissions to visit places that are normally closed to the public. We also draw on our extensive professional and personal networks to bring in special lecturers and guides—sometimes even the archaeologist who excavated the site.
Your focus is on both archaeology and food. Is there a connection between the two endeavors? If so, how?
Yes, there is a connection, in many ways. It can start when you’re an archaeology student going on research trips or digs in remote parts of the Mediterranean and eating the local food at the most down-home level. On another level, so much of archaeology is about food. All that pottery—whether for storage, transport, kitchen, or table—contained food. All those temples had altars where animals were sacrificed—and then eaten. Ancient trade was about much more than marble and minerals; it was about wine, wheat, and spices. Our Rome tour is all about supplying and feeding the ancient city—interspersed with great meals and experiences to illustrate how Romans eat today and have traditionally eaten in the same places in more recent history. There’s a more abstract connection as well. A classical archaeologist looks at a society as a whole through its material remains, not just at the important figures in history and literature. In early societies, much of the economy was food-related. Food too is a window on a whole society and in many ways inseparable from archaeology, whether we’re looking at how ancient kitchens and restaurants were built or what kind of food was depicted on Pompeian wall paintings or what wealthy Romans ate at dinner parties.
Archaeological sites are all over Italy. Your company plans and leads tours throughout Italy. Coming up are tours to the Etruscan Places, Eastern Sicily and Rome. Share with us some highlights of these and other places in Italy that you plan to visit.
Highlights? Our tours are one thrill after another! At a cooking school in the smallest town in Sardinia (population 82), we helped make a fantastic lunch then climbed to the top of a prehistoric stone tower (nuraghe). In Positano, we visited a newly excavated Roman villa beneath the main piazza (it took months to get permission). Lunch that day was a seafood tour de force at a Michelin-starred restaurant way out on the Sorrento peninsula. We’ve seen Etruscan tombs not open to the public thanks to the top authority on Etruscan painting, who was also our guide. We’ve had meals in private homes, from country villas to urban palazzi. Then there’s the morning at the buffalo farm—with tasting of freshly made mozzarella di bufala. And have you ever had ricotta di bufala? It’s a revelation!
Romans regard Rome in October as one of the great universal collaborative achievements of man and nature, so naturally that’s when we go to Rome, but also Etruria, which is to say, Etruscan Places. We concentrate on the much-less-touristed northern part of the Lazio region. Visitors tend to skip it in their haste to get to Tuscany, but we love medieval Orvieto (today inside Umbria by a hair’s breadth) and Viterbo, the hazelnut groves near beautiful Lake Vico, Etruscan sites where literally nobody goes. We think it’s all magic. In eastern Sicily, we won’t attempt to climb Mount Etna, but will certainly taste its products, starting with those wonderful wines and sweet-tart oranges. We’re looking forward to a morning in the Catania market, where the fish are practically jumping and the fruits and vegetables are the most voluptuous we’ve ever seen. There are so many wonderful things to see in Italy, that it must be difficult, at times, which one to pick and choose to visit.
What do you look for, in a specific landmark, be it an archaeological site or restaurant, to say to yourself, “Ah, now this is a place to visit…”?
First we choose a general destination—say, Bay of Naples or Rome or Etruscan Places. We normally do that by identifying clusters of archaeological sites and great archaeological museums around which we can build a week-long itinerary. Surprisingly, not every part of Italy is equally archaeology-intensive. For food, it’s different. Everywhere in Italy has great food. There may be more Michelin stars in one area, more great rustic trattorias in another, but we love it all. Thus we can fit the food itinerary around the site visits. In the case of Emilia-Romagna, we pretty much built the itinerary around the food, following the Po river from the province of Piacenza to the Adriatic. But it’s usually the other way around.
We like to cover the whole spectrum of dining, from unreconstructed tradition to up-to-the-minute interpretations of local specialties. The only thing we avoid is food that is totally irrelevant to where we are. What gets a particular spot onto the itinerary? Sometimes it’s just love—for a quirky old-fashioned museum in a small town in Puglia or for bucatini alla gricia in the Testaccio quarter in Rome or Sicilian couscous in Trapani. Sometimes a place is too important to ignore (plus we love it)—say, Selinunte, in Sicily, or Barumini, in Sardinia. But mostly, we seek out the places in our chosen area that we think our participants might overlook (and kick themselves later for missing them), or where they might not go on their own for logistical reasons, or where we can provide a fresh and special experience, sometimes with a guest expert who happens to be a friend too. Rome and its province, which have some of everything, is a no-brainer, an obvious choice. We know places in and around Rome where our people have never gone on their ten previous trips to the Eternal City. One comment we hear all the time is, “We’re alone here!” Maureen lives across from the Colosseum, but a major destination like that is not on our Rome itinerary.
It helps if a spot is relevant to our archaeo-culinary theme. Even when we choose a super-popular destination, like Pompeii, we give it a food-related spin—we emphasize markets, bakeries, kitchens, and dining rooms over temples and other public buildings. Food permeated so much of ancient life that we can even justify visits to tombs because ritual meals were eaten there on festivals of the dead. Pompeii has at least one tomb made like a dining room. We once had a picnic on top of a tomb shaped like a bench. In the inscription, the deceased, a priestess, invited the passer-by to stop and rest. So we did. The connections are everywhere.
Since you both have been touring Italy, how has the country changed you? Do you feel “Italian”?
Maureen: Rome has been my home base for longer than I’m going to tell you, and I have a Roman husband. Do I feel Italian? No. I’m from Manhattan and love to go back there, but I don’t exactly feel not Italian either. I’ve definitely adopted many Italian rhythms, manners, and ways of doing things, in the kitchen, of course, but not only. I don’t get too worked up when an office or museum is closed when it’s supposed to be open, so maybe I’ve become more patient. I speak the language fluently and often find an Italian phrase says what I want better than English, and vice versa. Most important for Elifant, I had to learn how to get along with people in Italy and do things the Italian way—as opposed to having it all come naturally, as to a native. That experience makes me better able to know and explain what our people might find odd or might not even realize is different in Italy.
Liz: I first came to Italy as an undergraduate studying in Rome, and the experience changed my life. Visiting ancient sites with an archaeologist and seeing Renaissance and baroque art with an expert art historian opened up new worlds for me and set me on my present career path. Being in Rome for a full semester enabled me to see places like the Vatican multiple times, experiencing it in different light and in the rain and sun—boy, did I come to appreciate how special the light in Italy was for artists. I traveled around the country as much as I could on a (very) modest budget, but even then was able to eat local delicacies and get a sense of how seriously Italians take food. Back then the museums were often closed and the personnel surly, but I am happy to report that there is an entirely new attitude now; one of the biggest changes I see is the new professionalism in the museums and archaeological sites—longer opening hours, beautifully renovated displays, explanatory material in both English and Italian. The Italians lead the world in museum curatorship and conservation. And of course Italy has the highest percentage of the world’s art. Italy has deepened my appreciation of beauty, both in art and in nature—not to get misty-eyed, but it has enlarged my soul.
Editor’s Note: To learn more about Elifant Archaeo-Culinary Tours, please visit their web site at https://elifanttours.com
PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP MEETS WITH PRIME MINISTER GIUSEPPE CONTE OF ITALY
President Donald J. Trump welcomed Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte of Italy to the White House.
President Donald J. Trump participates in a one-on-one bilateral meeting with Giuseppe Conte, Prime Minister of the Italian Republic, Monday, July 30, 2018, in the Oval Office of the White House. (Official White House Photo by D. Myles Cullen)
President Donald J. Trump participates in a joint press conference with Giuseppe Conte, Prime Minister of the Italian Republic, Monday, July 30, 2018, in the East Room of the White House. (Official White House Photo by D. Myles Cullen)
President Donald J. Trump bids farewell to Giuseppe Conte, Prime Minister of the Italian Republic, following their meetings at White House Monday, July 30, 2018, in Washington, D.C. (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead)
The joint press conference began at 2:05 p.m. and ended 2:45 p.m. on July 30.
In his opening statement, President Trump welcomed Prime Minister Conte and congratulated him on an election victory in Italy. The prime minister currently leads a coalition government in the Italian parliament composed of two major political parties, Five Star Movement and League, with support from minor parties, Brothers of Italy, Associative Movement Italians Abroad and South American Union Italian Emigrants. Mr. Conte is an independent. Although not a member of the political parties that make up the current government, he supports the underlying political philosophy as conceived by its principals, titled Governo del Cambiamento, Government of Change.
“In your election, the Italian nation has reaffirmed the great traditions of sovereignty, law, and accountability that stretch all the way back to Ancient Rome,” said President Trump. “This proud heritage sustains our civilization and must be always defended.”
The president reaffirmed the close working relationship between the United States and Italy in matters of international security. He sees Italy a major player in combating Islamic and other forms of terrorism throughout the Mediterranean.
“Today, Prime Minister Conte and I are pleased to announce a new strategic dialogue between Italy and the United States that will enhance cooperation on a range of issues,” said President Trump. “This includes joint security efforts in the Mediterranean, where we recognize Italy’s leadership role in the stabilization of Libya and North Africa. They’ve been terrific.”
United States and Italy face similar crises at their respective borders in illegal immigration. Both countries share the same goal of combating and impeding the flow of undocumented migrants.
The president said, “Like the United States, Italy is currently under enormous strain as a result of illegal immigration. And they fought it hard. And the Prime Minister, frankly, is with us today because of illegal immigration. Italy got tired of it. They didn’t want it any longer.”
President Trump sees Italy a model for other countries to follow in curbing illegal immigration.
“The people of Italy have borne a great part of the burden for Europe through the course of the migration crisis. I applaud the Prime Minister for his bold leadership — truly bold — and I hope more leaders will follow this example, including leaders in Europe.”
Prime Minister Conte opened his side of the press conference with a few short sentences in English. He then spoke Italian for the remainder of the event with a translator to convey his words in English.
The prime minister’s opening statement was noteworthy for it reiterated the claim by President Trump that Italy is today a major figure in Mediterranean diplomacy and security.
Prime Minister Conte said, “Today, we will have made a great step ahead. We will start working in Italy. It’s a directorship (booth), as it were, in the Mediterranean between Italy and the United States. I would say that we’re almost twin countries in which Italy is becoming a reference point in Europe and a privileged interlocutor for the United States, for the main threats and challenges that we have before us, terrorism, and for all the crises that we see in the Mediterranean and, in particular, in regards to Libya.”
Questions from members of the press ranged from matters concerning NATO, the European Union, illegal immigration and recent reports of the United States economy growing at four percent.
Some questions were exclusive to Italy such as continued construction of the Trans-Adriatic pipeline that will connect oil and gas fields from Azerbaijan to Italy’s Apulia region. The project is scheduled for completion in 2020.
“As far as a pipeline is concerned, I’d like to see a competing pipeline,” said President Trump. “So, Mr. Prime Minister, I hope you’re going to be able to do that competing pipeline.”
The president then ended the press conference after encouraging words about the future of trade between the United States, Italy and Europe.
THE DEVIL AND FATHER AMORTH
Full Coverage of The New Documentary by William Friedkin, Director of “The Exorcist” and “The French Connection”
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PRIMO's Review of the Film
- Highlighted Scenes of Italian Landmarks in the Film
- To Come Later...William Friedkin Shares Insights into How and Where "The Exorcist" Was Made in Washington, D.C.
Satan is busy.
Cases of demonic possession are on the rise. We learn at the beginning of “The Devil and Father Amorth” that 500,000 people in Italy request an exorcism every year. The same goes for Spain and many countries in Latin America. More people are coming forward with claims that the devil or demons are taking over their bodies. The demand for Catholic intervention is high. So much so that the Vatican convenes a week long course each year to train priests to identify and cure demonic possessions. This workshop was first offered in 2005 and since then the number of priests in attendance have doubled to 250.
The model is Father Gabriele Amorth. He was a pioneer in the field of exorcism and a champion fighter against the devil. Father Amorth was the official exorcist of the diocese of Rome from 1992 until his death in 2016. As the foremost expert on demonic possession, he was often newsworthy. In recent years, he made a host of stunning revelations such as “Harry Potter,” yoga, and other contemporary offerings were just instruments of the devil. He said whole groups, even countries could be possessed. He thought ISIS was overtaken by Satan as were both Hitler and Stalin. He even thought the devil’s spirit had infected the Vatican.
Never mind the headlines, Father Amorth was no charlatan. The practice of exorcism has its rules and regulations. In 1990, he along with five other priests founded the International Association of Exorcists. The organization based in Rome retains a mission to review cases of demonic possession and share information on how best to combat the devil. A set of principles remain in place. An exorcism is the last resort. Only when a person is uncured after examination and treatment by licensed physicians and psychologists can she be seen by an exorcist. Often, it was Father Amorth who was called upon to expel demonic spirits. Before he died in 2016, he claimed to have performed over 150,000 exorcisms.
Now comes a new film to further establish Father Amorth’s legacy. It is “The Devil and Father Amorth,” a disturbing yet fascinating documentary now showing in movie theaters across the country. The film recounts the work of Father Amorth and shows the first ever authorized account of him performing an exorcism. The film comes to us from the man who is rightly credited, along with William Peter Blatty, for advancing the concept of demonic possession throughout the world. He is the director of “The Exorcist,” William Friedkin.
A list of America’s greatest filmmakers of the last 50 years will no doubt include William Friedkin. He is a lead member of a generation of directors that came of age in the 1970s such as Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola and Steven Spielberg.
It was Friedkin who practically kicked off the decade when he won the Oscar for best director in 1971 for “The French Connection.” The film also won an Oscar that year for best picture and for best actor, Gene Hackman. Friedkin followed that success with another. In 1973, he made “The Exorcist.” If there ever was a film that deserved an Oscar for best direction and best film, it was “The Exorcist.” But it was shockingly bypassed that year when Oscars for best director, best film and a host of other categories went to “The Sting.”
With or without Oscars, Friedkin’s two back-to-back cinematic masterpieces gave him the credibility to embark on his most personal and ambitious film, yet; one he still considers his favorite, “Sorcerer.” It was a 1977 remake or reinterpretation of the 1953 Italian-French production “Wages of Fear,” as directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot. “Sorcerer” contained Friedkin’s signature intensity and innovation. It came with tight frames, handheld shots and, as always, a fast pace. The film was bold and provocative but not a hit. It was greeted with ambivalence among critics and suffered from bad timing when it was released the same summer as “Star Wars.”
Friedkin’s career underwent reevaluation with his later films. Always a vanguard, he wrote and directed “Cruising,” a 1980 film slightly ahead of its time that starred Al Pacino. It was a dark and sinister post-noir journey of New York’s underground gay S&M scene. He made “To Live and Die in LA,” a 1985 crime thriller that featured a riveting car chase reminiscent of “The French Connection.” Good and bad scripts then came the director’s way. He could still tell a good story as he did in “Killer Joe” and “The Hunted.” What was lacking was nirvana. The critical and popular acclaim he found in “The French Connection” and “The Exorcist” went missing. That is until now…
“The Devil and Father Amorth” is Friedkin at his best. He gives us a riveting documentary for a new generation to savor his unique style. It is 1973 all over again. The film latches on to the viewer within its first few seconds and doesn’t let go until the last credits roll. The film is horrifying, disturbing and controversial. The belief in God is confronted head-on. It is a stark and mesmerizing exploration of terror and faith. The viewer is not the same after seeing this film.
Friedkin said that he is at his best when he approaches a film as a journalist. This is what he did in “The French Connection” and “The Exorcist” and what he does here in “The Devil and Father Amorth.” He gives us a record. He shows us the action. He conveys the subjects as they are. We are left to decide. Do we believe or not?
Italy was a key reason why “The Devil and Father Amorth” was made. The film came about by chance and circumstance. Friedkin had been directing opera in Italy in recent years and was given the Puccini Prize in Lucca. He was enticed by the beautiful walled city and home of Giacomo Puccini. From there, he visited the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Italy had cast her spell. He wanted to see more. Rome. The Vatican. St. Peter’s. The Sistine Chapel. He thought his friend, Andrea Monda, a religious scholar, could get him in to meet Pope Francis, but that was not possible. The pope was on travel. Was there anyone else he wanted to meet? Father Amorth, he said. And if possible, could he observe an exorcism. And if possible, could he film it.
This was a first. Exorcisms are intensely private. Only family of the person possessed and selected priests can attend. Father Amorth, however, knew Friedkin from his work in cinema. “The Exorcist” was his favorite film, he said, and one he claimed was a vital step forward in enlightening the general public about demonic possession and exorcism.
Born in Modena in Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region in 1925, Gabriele Amorth came from an upper middle class family. As a teenager, he became a partisan fighter when Mussolini returned from exile and established the Salo Republic. Gabriele fought beside socialists, communists, and anarchists. Yet, he came out of the conflict with the hope of stabilizing Italy. He worked in the youth wing of the Christian Democrat party and helped Giulio Andreotti, Italy’s future prime minister, get elected to parliament. In 1951, he was ordained a priest and joined the Society of Saint Paul, a religious institute founded by Father James Alberione in Alba, with a goal of spreading the Gospel through modern communication. In 1986, he began an apprenticeship in exorcism under Father Candido Amantini. After Father Amantini died in 1992, Father Amorth became the official exorcist of the diocese of Rome.
In an opening scene of “The Devil and Father Amorth,” we see Father Amorth make his way with a walker through the halls of the Order of Saint Paul office and rectory. It is the first day of May and his birthday. He is 91. Old and frail, the cleric is set to face his arch enemy Lucifer. The subject for dispossession is an Italian woman in her early 40s who goes by the name Cristina. Reality is apparent. The film is different than its inspirational predecessor “The Exorcist.” Cristina comes without green bile or other makeup effects. She seems normal. She is an architect. She has a boyfriend. Yet, she claims the devil is inside her. He pushes her to do things against her will. We see her sitting on a chair covered in a red sheet. Her family is there with her. She is held down by several men. Father Amorth initiates the Roman Ritual of 1614. He holds the crucifix. He calls for the intercession of saints. He leads the participants in prayer. He then orders the devil from Cristina’s body.
Friedkin was the lone filmmaker in the room. He records a fight on a simple handheld video camera. It is the devil versus Father Amorth. It is an evil parasite against the power of Christ. Cristina struggles to be released. She tries to overpower the men holding her down. She then screams in anger. The voice is deeper, scratchier and maybe not her’s.
Footage of the exorcism is just one part of “The Devil and Father Amorth.” As he did in “The Exorcist” and “The French Connection,” Friedkin conveys the complexities of a story without one part overshadowing the other. He takes the audience from Rome to Los Angeles where he shows footage of the exorcism to brain and neuro surgeons at UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center. He visits psychiatrists at Columbia University in New York. He then returns west to speak with Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Los Angeles Robert Barron.
The film sets up the never-ending debate between the Old World and New. Ideas and beliefs collide. Faith versus science. Myth versus reality. The medical experts in the film admit to not knowing the exact cause of Cristina’s violent reaction during exorcism. UCLA surgeons surmise a malfunction in the temporal lobe. However, they are open to other causes and treatments outside the practice of medicine. There soon appears on screen a digital map of the brain. Demonic possession might be a delusion resulting from a tumor. The team of psychiatrists at Columbia University are more confident in their diagnosis. They believe Cristina suffers from Dissociative Trance and Possession Disorder. Although open to other causes and effects, the rituals of faith may have overwhelmed Cristina. The intercession of saints. The signs of the cross. The use of Holy Water. Maybe she has fallen prey to group think and the pressures of mysticism.
Then comes the most noteworthy of interviews in Auxiliary Bishop Robert Barron of Los Angeles. He is smart, calm and articulate. He begins with equivocation about demonic possession and the need for exorcism. Yet, as the interview progresses, he makes a starling revelation. He admits to being unqualified to perform an exorcism. He does not have the acumen to take on the devil. He lacks the level of spirituality as endowed by Father Amorth.
The music. The raw close ups. The tight shots and intimate framing. The unrehearsed comments by experts. This is the kind of documentary we we grew up on. What puts the “The Devil and Father Amorth” above the current fare of contemporary documentaries is Friedkin’s signature style. He remains a master of confrontation. He holds nothing back. Although he says the film is different than “The Exorcist,” we cannot help but make a connection between the two. It is the aging Father Amorth who is the film’s central character. He died some months after Cristina’s exorcism. He is in many ways a carbon copy of Father Lancaster Merrin, the aging priest played by Max von Sydow in “The Exorcist.” Either in a non-fictional or fictional setting, the two priests are the same. They come armed with Scripture. They come endowed with the Cardinal virtue of fortitude. They come to do battle. In either of them, the devil has met his match.
Italian Religious and Historic Landmarks in "The Devil and Father Amorth"
The director William Friedkin convened a press event at Georgetown University recently to discuss how “The Devil and Father Amorth” relates to his most famous film, “The Exorcist.” He was joined by Julie Blatty, wife of the late William Peter Blatty, author of the bestselling novel upon which the film was based. Friedkin and Blatty agreed that “The Exorcist” was neither a horror film nor a horror novel. It was a religious work, they said; a story of faith in the face of evil.
The same theme applies in “The Devil and Father Amorth.” Friedkin shows a number of Italian churches and other religious landmarks in the film. They come as either part of the story or as symbolic images to underscore a message of faith. What follows are the churches and historical sites in Italy that make up key scenes in the film.
SCALA SANCTA
Depicted near the beginning of the film is Scala Sancta, a set of 28 marble stairs inside the chapel of Saint Sylvester across from the Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran in Rome. The documentary shows Catholic pilgrims from all over the world who ascend the stairs on their knees in acts of devotion. These stairs were once inside the palace of Pontius Pilate in Jerusalem. They were removed and transported to Rome in the 4th century at the request of Saint Helena, mother of the Emperor Constantine. It are these stairs that Jesus Christ climbed to be seen and sentenced to death by Pilate.
SANTA MARIA REGINA DEGLI APOSTOLI ALLA MONTAGNOLA
Father Gabriele Amorth died four months after performing the exorcism that was shown in the film. The subject was a woman who went by the alias Cristina. Friedkin said that Father Amorth was the most holy man he ever met. With camera in hand, he captured the outpouring of grief among mourners at the priest’s funeral inside Santa Maria Regina degli Apostoli all Montagnola. Translated, it is church of Saint Mary, Queen of the Apostles, of Montagnola, a suburb outside Rome. Father Giacomo Alberione, founder of the Society of Saint Paul, had the church built after World War II. It was named a minor basilica in 1984 by Pope John Paul II
ALATRI ACROPOLIS
Alatri is the setting for the climax in “The Devil and Father Amorth.” It is a village of 30,000 people and located 90 miles south of Rome, in the province of Frosinone, in the Lazio region. Friedkin went there to meet Cristina after Father Amorth died. The setting is the Acropolis of Alatri and its great cyclopean wall. No mortar in the structure binds the stones together. Instead, large limestone blocks were carved according to specific measurements and tilted when stacked. The wall was erected before the time of ancient Rome and stands today after surviving many earthquakes and other destructive phenomena.
ALATRI CATHEDRAL
Friedkin was scheduled to meet Cristina for an interview on the grounds of the acropolis at the Basilica of San Paolo, otherwise known as the Alatri Cathedral. The location was once the burial chamber for the Hernici tribe and then a temple for the Roman god Saturn. The church was completed there in the 13th century with a facade added in the 19th century. Inside are relics of Saint Sixtus, one of the earliest popes who served in the first century A.D. Cristina did not show up to the basilica as originally planned. Rather, she changed her mind and met Friedkin at the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Alatri.
SANTA MARIA MAGGIORE
One of Italy’s oldest Roman Catholic churches outside Rome is Santa Maria Maggiore in Alatri. The grounds once hosted a temple to Venus. The church was built there in the 4th century and was renovated in the 14th century with an added bell tower and an inscription by Pope Boniface IX. In the film, Friedkin met with Cristina, her boyfriend and her mother inside the church. The
THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS SHINES BRIGHT IN DYKER HEIGHTS
No Place Compares to The Italian Neighborhood in Brooklyn for Holiday Decorations PRIMO photo exclusive
BATTLE LOST - OUR LADY OF LORETO IS DESTROYED
By Truby Chiaviello, Publisher & Editor PRIMO Magazine
Before - Our Lady of Loreto once contained a beautiful interior for Mass said to a flock of devoted Italian American Catholics
After - Our Lady of Loreto today, on the cusp of total demolition, as requested by Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, of the Brooklyn archdiocese.
Our Lady of Loreto has been destroyed.
The Brooklyn archdiocese got its way. And the church, built by Italian immigrants over 100 years ago, is now being demolished.
One photo was taken by my son Samer last week. You can see how the church is boarded up. No doubt this is a demolition site. You can see how the roof has been removed and, thus, the interior. It is reminiscent of what happens to a building that had a bomb dropped on it.
The church was near a subway stop. I visited there in 2009. Our Lady of Loreto was located on 124 Sackman Street in Brooklyn. Part of Brownsville or Ocean Hill neighborhood in Brooklyn. Some refer to the area as East New York.
This neighborhood was once a densely populated Italian neighborhood. About 110 years ago, the Italian immigrants wanted a Catholic church of their own. A house of worship that conveyed their language, customs and traditions. So, they volunteered their money and labor. Many of the men who lived there were carpenters and bricklayers and had experience in construction.
They hired an Italian architect and built a beautiful church. You can see photos here from the web site devoted to Our Lady of Loreto, a web site maintained by Dominick Mondelli. The interior was beautifully designed. There is a ceiling mural. A statue of San Innocenzo at Loreto. Here is a photo of Mass at the church in 1937. You can see that it was well-attended and made up of many devoted parishioners.
In the 1960s, Our Lady of Loreto was turned over to the Brooklyn archdiocese. And 40 years later, the archdiocese wanted to tear it down. That’s when PRIMO got involved. I published a feature article on the effort of Italian Americans who once lived in the neighborhood, who attended Mass there at Our Lady of Loreto, who were baptized there, had their first communion and confirmation there; and so they organized to save the church.
Besides PRIMO, the Italian Tribune, mainstream newspapers and news sites in New York such as the New York Times and the Daily News and others brought a lot of publicity to the preservation effort. And all things were offered to the archdiocese including a creative development idea that preserved the church.
This was back in 2009 and 2010 and the Brooklyn archdiocese agreed to retain the church in return for demolishing the rectory next door. The archdiocese was supposed to upkeep the structure and they didn’t. And here is where one wonders about the intentions of Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio and other officials of the Brooklyn archdiocese. Did they intentionally allow Our Lady of Loreto to deteriorate so they could claim it as a danger to the community and apply for demolition? This is what happened over the last 18 months. The fight to preserve it included petitions and donation drives.
Now, you hear the news about how divided is America. Well, the activists involved came from all walks of life. Not just Italian Americans, but people who live in the neighborhood or are active in it - these were African Americas who’s ancestors come from different parts of Africa and the Caribbean - these were Latinos - Asians - everyone was involved to keep Our Lady of Loreto because they all recognized it as a beautiful church - a real work of art in so many ways.
In the end, however, the fight was lost. The legal appeals exhausted and the archdiocese had their way - and Our Lady of Loreto is being torn down.
In its place will be affordable housing.
You can see photos here, taken by Todd Maisel, of The Daily News, how the the murals, statuary, the decorative elements - all being beaten and destroyed. The time it took to build them, the craftsmanship, the artistry - all for nothing - destroyed.
Very sad.
This is not the only church to face its extinction. PRIMO reported on St Peter’s in Duluth, Minnesota and the effort there by Robin Mainella to save it. The situation began also around 2009 and I wanted both churches to survive. But I thought if one was going to face it’s demolition, it would have been St. Peter’s. Instead, the opposite happened. An artist by the name of Jeffrey T. Larson purchased St. Peters and has now turned it into an art academy.
One wonders, why couldn’t the same thing have happened to Our Lady of Loreto. This part of Brownsville is still knee deep in poverty and dispossession. It remains a place plagued by urban decay. People need more than just a roof over their heads. They need inspiration from art. They need faith. One wonders why the Brooklyn archdiocese didn’t sell the property to another denomination - perhaps a Protestant faith - now prevalent in the area. In return for keeping the church and its interior decorations, the people there could have a place of worship. It is not unusual for Catholic churches to be converted to Baptists and other Protestant denominations.
Unfortunately, that’s not the case. The turning point was when the parish turned itself over to the archdiocese. Any time you build something, you should try and keep it, because those whom you hand it over to, really don’t care and they will destroy it when the moment arises.
The silver lining are the activists, all ethnicities and backgrounds, that tried to save Our Lady of Loreto. We commend them for their efforts. We commend also the Italian immigrants who built this church. They came to build up the city and not tear it down - unlike the archdiocese and now even some others in local government that want to tear down statues of Columbus and others.
We learn from this sad situation, that the effort to preserve our Italian heritage in New York and all over America is well worth the fight and we have to keep fighting whenever we are faced with destruction of our heritage.
Here is a list the people who fought the good fight to save Our Lady of Loreto. If I missed anyone, please let me know, as I want to include anyone and everyone who fought the good fight. We commend the following people who led the effort to preserve the church.
Flavia Alaya
Gianfranco Archimede
Simeon Bankoff
Patricia Dean
Jeff Dunston
Gerald Ferretti
Barbara Florio
Lester Ford
Louis Gallo
Marialena Giampino
Monica Kumar
Farrah Lafontant
Donny Mondelli
Jillian Mulvihill
Barabara Anne Pascucci
Charles Piazza
Stanislao Pugliese
Miriam Robertson
William Russo
Joseph Sciame
Paula Segal
Zulmilena Then
Mario Toglia
Gabriella Velardi Ward
Marilyn Verna
Lakai Worrell
Here is a link to the web site devoted to Our Lady of Loreto in Brooklyn. http://www.loretochurch.com. Below is a YouTube video presentation on the destruction of Our Lady of Loreto.
REVIEW OF “FIRE AT SEA”
A Film About Italy’s Illegal Migrant Crisis and The Island of Lampedusa
“Fire at Sea” is a documentary that came out in 2016 about the illegal migrant crisis in Italy. It is a snapshot of ground zero in the crisis - the island of Lampedusa - 120 miles off the coast of Sicily. Lampedusa belongs to the province of Agrigento; one of several of the Pelagie islands and is actually closer to Africa than Sicily - just 113 miles from Tunisia.
“Fire at Sea” is directed by Gianfranco Rosi and the film won a number of awards and was nominated for an Oscar in 2016 for best documentary.
Rosi is famous for his well crafted shots of people and places in Italy and elsewhere that exist outside the narrative of mainstream media. He made a film called "Sacro Gra" in 2013, that focused his lens on the highway that circles Rome - the Grande Raccordo Anulare. He showed the people who work there and live next to the highway.
“Fire at Sea” takes the same approach. The director lived for a year on the island of Lampedusa where he accumulated extensive footage.
He gives us two stories in one.
The first deals with the Sicilian families of the island who rely on the sea for their livelihood. These are fishermen who either cast nets or dive down in the water to catch fish.
The second centers on the Italian coast guard and others who are called to rescue illegal migrants at sea.
As we learn in the beginning of the film from text on screen, some 400,000 illegal migrants have entered Italy by way of Lampedusa the last 20 years, resulting in some 15,000 casualties. Rosi said the purpose in making the film was to bring greater awareness to the plight of migrants.
Lampedusa has a history that dates back to antiquity as the first step in foreign invasion, be it the Greeks, Phoenicians, or Saracens. This time, it is the people from Nigeria, Eritrea and the Arab nations of Africa who are invading, not to conquer Italy, but to find work and live outside the law.
As the film shows, the perilous journey from Africa is made in boats that are old and subpar. They are terribly overcrowded and come with faulty engines that leak diesel fuel to seriously burn passengers. Quite often, passengers on these boats call for help and the Italian coast guard and navy are sent to the rescue. Lampedusa is a temporary holding center before migrants are transported to the Italian mainland.
There are several key characters in the film; one of whom is Dr. Pietro Bartolo - the sole physicians on the island. He originally came there to treat the fishermen and their families. Now with waves of illegal migrants coming ashore, he is recruited to give them emergency medical care. Many suffer from heat stroke and dehydration. In one scene, we see him in the middle of the night examining all arrivals for viruses and infectious diseases. In another scene he speaks about examining cadavers - those who died at sea.
The film goes back and forth between the daily lives of Italian islanders and African migrants.
It opens with another main character - a 12 year old Italian boy Samuele Puccilo - who sometimes works with his uncle, a fishermen on the island. His is an existence reminiscent of Huckleberry Finn. We see him break a branch off a tree to make with it a slingshot. He and his friend take target practice at cactuses that grow wild there. We follow the boy as he explores the rugged seashore and back country of the island.
“Fire at Sea” is an exceptional film to be watched by all who are interested in Italy. For me, this was a special film because over the years, I have spoken to some PRIMO readers, who came from Lampedusa. They work as fishermen off the coast of California. With “Fire at Sea” I was able to attain a better understanding of their homeland. Here is a place where Italy is at her best, be it the fishermen and their families or the Italian first responders who rescue illegal migrants.
These Italians stand in stark contrast to the EU officials who have done practically nothing in stopping this crisis. Italy is bombarded by illegal migration and there seems no end in sight. One only hopes of leadership to come to stop this problem. To learn more about the film "Fire at Sea" please log on to http://www.fireatsea.com .
SAVE OUR LADY OF LORETO…AGAIN
A 2009 Article in PRIMO Supported Saving The Now 111-year-old Church After a 2010 Compromise to Preserve Our Lady of Loreto, Catholic Charities, which Owns the Church, Renews Its Effort to Destroy
It doesn’t seem that long ago.
In 2009, PRIMO published an article in support of saving Our Lady of Loreto; at the time a 100-year-old church located in the Ocean Hill-East New York neighborhood of Brooklyn, slated for demolition at the insistence of Catholic Charities.
A group of concerned citizens, made up former and current residents of the neighborhood, organized, protested and negotiated with Catholic officials to save the church. A compromise was made then whereby the church would remain but the adjoining rectory would be sold to developers.
Now comes a new effort from Catholic Charities to destroy Our Lady of Loreto. They have filed and attained a permit last year to tear down the church claiming the structure a danger to the community.
In 2010, Our Lady of Loreto was saved when a Letter of Resolution was signed between preservation activists, Catholic Charities (housing arm of the Diocese of Brooklyn) and various New York State agencies including the Office of Historic Preservation. The Letter of Resolution called for Catholic Charities to “make good faith efforts to preserve the former church building for community use” and stipulated that the church not be demolished, reconstructed or damaged. According to Mario Toglia, a member of the team to preserve the church, “Catholic Charities deliberately let the building deteriorate. They never consulted state agencies since the signing of our Letter of Resolution. Church officials are now adamant to once again tear down the church and sell the property to developers. All that will remain of Our Lady of Loreto may be sculpture and some interior and exterior religious decorations.”
Save Our Lady of Loreto remains a cause today. The mission is to keep in place a beautiful church built by Italian immigrants in 1906. The fight for preservation comes with protests, demonstrations and court hearings where a temporary restraining order was recently granted in halting the demolition.
A lawsuit has been filed by the Brownsville Cultural Coalition (BCC) for breach of contract whereby Catholic Charities did not maintain Our Lady of Loreto as agreed. Currently, BCC is looking for financial support to pay for its lawyers. They are seeking help through donations and other means of support and ask people log on to www.gofundme.com/saveOLL and/or their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/saveOLL.
Our Lady of Loreto stands…but not for long.
Catholic Charities, the organization which owns the property, seems wholly committed to tearing it down.
Why should we save Our Lady of Loreto? As Toglia claims, the church has a number historical and physical attributes which makes it special.
“This building has significant meaning for the Italian American community,” says Toglia. “It is the first church in the nation erected in pure Renaissance style, an early example of design-build construction by the New Jersey company of Antonio Federici and Adriano Armezzani, the latter becoming the first Italian-born architect of a New York City Catholic church. They were part of a team of five gifted artisans – all had to be Italian-born - purposely chosen to highlight the architectural talents of their native land and to counterattack the nativist prejudice against Italians as being uncivilized and uneducated. The frescoes on the ceiling were done by Gaetano Capone of Maiori. The 33 ft-long pediment is Paterson sculptor-laureate Gaetano Federici’s largest artwork and the only representation of the Miracle of Loreto outside Europe. Among other findings, the land under the church was once owned by Pietro Cesare Alberti, the first Italian settler to Dutch North America.”
Our Lady of Loreto was one of the first national Catholic churches in the United States. East New York was at the time a burgeoning Italian American neighborhood, where large numbers of Italian immigrants first settled there after leaving Ellis Island. Toglia explains that Our Lady of Loreto was “founded in 1896 and at first housed in a former Salvation Army hall on Powell Street, near Liberty Avenue in Brooklyn. The parish became the fourth national Italian parish in the Diocese of Brooklyn. It drew on worshippers from the entire wider Brooklyn region and beyond. By the turn of the 20th century the congregation had become large and prosperous enough to consider building its own church.”
In Our Lady of Loreto, Italians had a place where they could hear sermons in their own language, worship in accordance to their traditions and customs, and seek the intercession of saints from Italy. The church was built from money raised by neighborhood residents and volunteer laborers, many of whom had experience in carpentry, masonry and construction.
To see Our Lady of Loreto is to see a structure replete with extraordinary structure and decorative elements, both inside and out, that made an architectural gem in Brooklyn and tangible tribute to the Italian American experience in New York.
Toglia explains, “Besides three historic New York City districts commemorating immigrant neighborhoods where Italian immigrants lived, there are only four landmarks related to the Italian American experience in New York City nominated under Criterion A for Ethnic history: The Lisanti Chapel in the Bronx; the Giuseppe Verdi Monument in Manhattan; Our Lady of Mount Carmel Grotto and the Garibaldi-Meucci House on Staten Island. There is no such landmark honoring Italian American life on Long Island.”
Editor’s Note: You can help Save Our Lady of Loreto. Please visit www.gofundme.com/saveOLL and follow the cause on Facebook (www.facebook.com/saveOLL) for news and actions, and kindly sign the petition if you support the landmarking.
PRIMO REVIEW
“GOMORRA” - SEASON TWO
Italy’s Action-packed Series Continues to Mesmerize
“Gomorra” is Roberto Saviano’s non-fiction masterpiece that continues on the small screen, this time in the way of a television series from Italy: Season two - the story of Camorra crime families who fight it out in Naples.
Season one of “Gomorra” left off last year in a bloody cliffhanger. Young upstart Genny Sevastano had taken over the family reigns while his father, Don Pietro remained in jail. Genny was gunned down by rival, and once loyal soldier, Ciro Di Marzio. A violent yet cunning figure, Ciro had allied himself with drug lord Salvatore Conte, who together, they killed off many of the members of the Sevastano clan. All seemed lost for the family that once had total control of Scampia-Secondigliano, a drug-dealing haven in North Naples. Yet, Don Sevastano made a stunning escape. Pretending to be insane, he was transferred out of a maximum security prison only to have the police caravan attacked by his most loyal soldiers and he was finally released from bondage. Now in hiding outside Italy, he must strategize a return to Naples. Meanwhile, son Genny opened his eyes while laying in a pool of his own blood before the series ended last year. No doubt, he survived the shooting.
“Gomorra,” comes back to America, for its second season, direct from Italy, by way of SundanceTV, beginning on Wednesday, April 26, 10/9C.
Viewers who enjoyed season one of “Gomorra” will find season two equal, if not better. The series contains 12 episodes that are amazing in all their fare, from compelling plot twists and turns to intense action-packed scenes, both shocking and alluring in choreographed violence. The acting is excellent as is the direction and other elements, including cinematography, editing and score. It is a quality production from Italy, from beginning to end.
Ciro Di Marzio is once again the central character of the series. A gangster who has achieved a lifelong goal of becoming the lead boss of Naples, he is played superbly by actor Marco D’Amore. He may be the top of the criminal food chain but still finds himself in a fragile existence. Ciro has set up an Alliance of Camorra clans to work out problems and disputes. He hopes peace among the disparate gangsters will allow them all to reap huge profits in the drug trade. Yet, his plan is undermined by top drug dealer Salvator Conte, who is played with icy perfection by actor Marco Palvetti. There is also the pending threat by Pietro Sevastano and son Genny who seek to take back the reigns of power of the underworld. Played to excellence, respectively by Fortunato Cerlino and Salvatore Esposito, Pietro and Genny are a father-and-son team who find themselves estranged from one another by ambition and jealousy. The challenge is not just their return to Scampia-Secondigliano, but to recover a familial bond, which at the outset of the series, seems lost.
Like season one, season two of “Gomorra” was filmed almost entirely on location in Naples. There are many scenes where the city comes to life in all its glory. We see beautiful landmarks, stunning resorts, and the bright lights and energetic sounds of thriving commercial districts, restaurants, and nightclubs. Naples is one of Italy’s great cities; yet, too often overlooked by travel writers and travel agents who only know the city as one drenched in poverty and decay. Although Naples is far more than that, it may nevertheless take a TV series built upon the notoriety of crime and violence associated with the city, to allow people to see its better side.
If so, then “Gomorra” does an excellent job. Not a single scene in the series can be greeted with indifference by viewers. New engaging characters are introduced to give the series a freshness in every episode. For instance, there is Patrizia Santoro, a beautiful young woman, now responsible for her younger brother and sisters, after her father was killed. Played with soft supremacy by Italian actress Christiana Dell’Anna, Patrizia is the niece of Malammora, a loyal underboss of Sevastano. She is recruited to be the don’s messenger, while he hides out in an obscure apartment, somewhere in Naples. Another female lead, played with cool distinction by Cristina Donadio, is Annalisa Magliocca, aka Scianel, a blond tigress who takes over her brother’s drug dealing section. The two woman must hold their own in a world of criminal machismo where their courage and tenacity are continually tested.
Memorable scenes are many in “Gomorra.” They come not only in screen action but also in an array of lines that give resonance to the series. One highlight is a poker game that is invaded by armed robbers. Scianel is one of the players who is unflinching while a gun is pointed at her head and her cash winnings are stolen. She reminds one of the masked bandits that “Scianel” is a nickname given to her for a mastery of perfume. All in the frame of a deadly warning, she tells their leader before their escape, “And you already stink of death.”
Series writers, one of whom was Saviano, convey Neapolitan wisdom in the way of dialogue. One scene shows Don Sevastano, still in hiding, despondent and forlorn over not trusting his son. He expresses his disappointments in himself as a father to Patrizia who is there with an enlightened reply: “My father always said little children need milk, but grown children need trust.”
What sets the series apart from others is its imaginative action. In one episode, friends of Genny find themselves left out of the booming drug trade. They are in their early 20s but are given the worst of turfs in the way of back alleys and the littered ground under highway bridges. Practically weaponless, they seek their own clan to overtake one apartment building where older gangsters make a fortune selling drugs. “We have our hatred,” answers their leader Track to a budding member who expresses doubt in their lack of arms and resources. In a strike reminiscent of a well-planned military operation, the young clan attacks in the dead of night wearing black clothes and masks and swinging metal clubs. All tenants are taken out of their homes while drug dealers and gangsters on a top floor are killed and beaten. It is a fast paced riveting scene, unlike any in television.
The story of “Gomorra” is one of survival in the most brutal and ruthless of settings. The series is a watershed reminder of the crisis of Naples and other European cities that have allowed breakdown of law and order. Politicians and government officials see not the desperation of Scampia-Secondigliano, a well-designed apartment complex that was built for the purpose of giving a safe and functional homestead to Italy’s poorest and most in need. Instead, what we see today are criminal gangs who employ terror and violence to control entire sections of a city. Something must be done. And, perhaps, this series will wake up the political class to once-and-for-all take Naples out of the hands of criminals.
As we did for season one, “Gomorra,” season two, is highly recommended by PRIMO. It remains an awesome television series, one to be watched and cherished in the United States this year and the years to come. For more information on the series “Gomorra,” please log on to www.sundance.tv.
PRIMO REVIEW - "GOMORRAH"
An Extraordinary TV Series from Italy That Will Win Fans All Over America
The Series Begins on SundanceTV, Wednesday, August 24, 10/9C
What made a great book, made a great film, now makes a great TV series.
“Gomorrah,” comes to America, direct from Italy, by way of SundanceTV, beginning on Wednesday, August 24, 10/9C
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Viewers who yearn for a well-made action-packed drama, which is too few seen on today’s cable, will not be disappointed. “Gomorrah” is riveting from the first to twelfth episodes, with engaging characters and a plot to keep audiences tuning in week after week.
In “Gomorrah,” Americans will get an up close view of a place few know. That is Naples: Italy’s third largest city and Europe’s most densely populated. Naples is a dynamic metropolis but rarely celebrated due to bad press stemming from perpetual crime and violence there. Most Americans know Naples as the birthplace of pizza, but the city is much more than that.
“Gomorrah” was filmed in many parts of Naples and a number of scenes convey the city’s spectacular scenery and beautiful landmarks. Assistance was given to the series by the Regione Campania Film Commission. We see a city far different than a narrative of decay and despondency hoisted upon it by outside observers. Indeed, Naples attains a youthful spirit with thriving industries, Millennial entrepreneurs and a nightlife that never sleeps. Although Americans might think Italy a land rich in past treasures, the country is also quite modern. The series is entirely contemporary and we see Italians as high-tech oriented as are Americans.
No doubt ironic is that a TV series based on the Camorra, the organized crime group at the root of Naples’ negative reputation, gives new life to the city. The catalyst of it all is Roberto Saviano - one of history’s most courageous journalists, whose book “Gomorrah” gave an unprecedented, behind-the-scenes look at the Camorra. Never mind the threats to his life, Saviano has continued to build on his success through extensive collaborations, this time in television. He is one of the creators of the series.
As the film and novel followed the exploits of different figures and clans inside the Camorra, the TV series is more focused. Written by Stefano Bises, Leonardo Fasoli, Ludovica Rampoldi and Giovanni Bianconi, the drama centers on the tribulations of a specific family, named after its godfather, Pietro Savastano (Fortunato Cerlino). A brutal yet well-dressed figure, Savastano leads a group of middle aged Neapolitan men who dominate much of the drug trade in the Naples suburb of Scampia. His most trusted lieutenant, and the series central character, is Ciro Di Marzio (Marco D'Amore). Tough yet smart, Ciro is ever-present. He is a man of the streets, sometimes honorable, sometimes despotic, but always fearless. D’Amore plays the character with divergent intensity, at times quietly brooding and at other times explosively expressive. D’Amore has a face of roughened innocence which makes him all the more fascinating to watch. He is the foundation of the series, one that builds in intensity after each episode.
The story of the Savastano clan is multi-faceted but always centered on its survival. Cerlino plays Pietro viperously, but with a thoughtfulness of a wise businessman. We see him sitting inside a Rococo inspired home office, surrounded by accountants, brokers and attorneys. His empire is strictly governed by the supply and demand of street addicts and when a new dealer, Salvatore Conte, played slyly by Marco Palvetti, encroaches on his territory, the threat becomes a crisis. Early in the series Pietro is arrested and imprisoned and the family is turned over to his wife Imma and son Genny. Played by Maria Pia Calzone, a beautiful Italian actress, the Lady Imma, as she is referred to by others, is quick to take over criminal operations. She uses a soft savvy touch to govern the male toughs, putting her at odds with Ciro, who finds his influence and power waning.
Genny is the most transitional character in the series. He is expertly played by Salvatore Esposito who goes from spoiled rich kid to hardened mafiosi. A different twist accompanies his rise in power, as he recruits young men his age. They come to the family not only with youthful impulsivity but with a need, different than Ciro and the older members, for an existential means of belonging. An inner civil war arises as the older members, more rudimentary in their approach, governed by the call for street profit, must fight it out with the young newcomers.
Directed by Stefano Sollima, Francesca Comencini, and Claudio Cupellini, “Gomorrah” presents the veracity of a crime drama with subplots that underscores Naples’ hard truths of urban poverty, political corruption and unrestricted violence. The series, in Italian with English subtitles, is a phenomenal exploration of contemporary Southern Italy, a land more East than West, that moves forward with the times but changes little in the mores and customs of its people.
“Gomorrah” is highly recommended, an exceptional television series, one that will be sure to win fans throughout the United States this year and the years to come. For more information please log on to http://www.sundance.tv/series/gomorrah.
LE RAGAZZE DELL’ESTATE
Italian Female Singers and Songwriters Flaunt Their Creativity
Introducing Rose Villain a singer and songwriter from Milan based in New York City. Horror enthusiast and fashion devotee, her eclectic interests infuse poetry, criminology and natural catastrophes into her witty lyrics and moody vocals. Her music is a catchy cocktail that fuses alternative-pop sounds with hip-hop beats and an electronic slant. Villain’s debut single "Get The Fuck Out Of My Pool” dropped in July via leading indie Machete in Italy and Adesso internationally. Produced by SIXPM, ex-member of the 2ndRoof production team, the song is about the classic toxic LA love story that takes place between a party boy who cannot commit, and a girl who’s had enough.
LILI N delivered a pair of truly global tracks in July and August. The electronic pop songstress from Rome, and current Berklee College of Music student in Boston, features on the debut EP of Dillistone, the Copenhagen-born, Shanghai-rased, London-based producer and SoundCloud sensation. The song “Midas” was playlisted on Spotify’s Fresh Finds as well as on YouTube’s La Belle Musique. Additionally, LILI N’s latest solo single “Paper Heart” hit Apple Music’s Best of the Week Pop Playlist its week of release. Paper Heart was co-written in Stockholm with production team Hymer with additional production by Sanford in LA.
BIRTHH, fronted by Florence’s Alice Bisi, followed up on their successful SXSW debut with the new video for “Queen of Failureland” featured in the influential UK fanzine “God is in the TV.”
lemandorle bursts on to the scene with “Le ragazze”, a retro slice of Italo electronic dance music, and candidate for Italy’s song of the summer, or tormentone. A viral video for the track stars a pair of girlfriends searching for summer in their deserted city, Milan.
SOUTISSO - RECIPE
The Journey of an Italian Sausage from the Italian Alps to North Carolina
Featured in PRIMO’s 2nd Edition 2016 by Dina Di Maio is the story of the Waldensians of the Piedmont Alps and their delectable sausage, known as Soutisso. We invite you to read the article on the migration of the Waldensians from Italy to North Carolina. Their rare sausage, outside Italy, is exclusively found in Valdese, North Carolina. If you cannot find the sausage, the next best step is to make it yourself. Here now is a recipe four Soutisso sausage.
As Dina writes: “it doesn’t matter how one eats his soutisso. What matters is that soutisso is made, enjoyed, and most importantly, not forgotten.
Soutisso, courtesy of Le Phare des Alpes
10 pounds coarsely ground fresh pork
6 tablespoons salt to taste
1 tablespoon nutmeg
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 tablespoon allspice
3 tablespoons coarse ground black pepper
6 tablespoons garlic buttons, chopped fine (optional)
Mix and let sit overnight before stuffing into the casings.
Soutisso, courtesy of Arvin Childers
25 pounds ground pork loin
1 cup salt
¼ cup coarse ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ to 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Mix ingredients. Stuff into casings.
Editor's Note: Dina Di Maio is a freelance writer who writes a lot about her two loves, New York City and Italian food, on her blog, http://huntingfortheverybest.wordpress.com. She is also at work on a book about Italian food.
PRIMO REVIEW - "THE EU: AN OBITUARY"
A New Book by John R. Gillingham Relays the Demise of the European Union
To Be Read by Those Who Yearn for Italy to Leave the EU
The timing could not be better for John R. Gillingham’s “The EU: An Obituary.”
The book is published on the heels of Brexit, the June 23 referendum vote that favored the United Kingdom withdrawing membership to the European Union.
The question now arises as to which country is next to leave.
Italy is the odds-on favorite.
The EU has fallen out of favor among Italians in recent years. The organization is blamed, either partly or entirely by many, for Italy’s second lost decade of high unemployment and zero economic growth. The country’s fortunes nosedived almost from the moment the Euro became the single currency in 1999.
Gillingham is no stranger to Italy. He was a visiting professor there in Florence in 1985. He knows how EU leaders and bureaucrats were once held in high esteem by Italians as the country’s national and local politicians were mired in scandal. The Mani Pulite corruption probe of the early 1990s led to the indictments of almost half the members of the Italian parliament. The accusations of underaged peccadilloes of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi embarrassed and humiliated the country. Police investigations have portrayed village mayors and councillors as conduits of government contracts and tax money for mafiosi. No wonder Italians looked elsewhere for leadership.
Gillingham is a professor of history at the University of Missouri at St. Louis and has written books and articles on Europe’s postwar economy. He knows his subject well.
In “The EU: An Obituary”, he offers the EU as a vacuous organization behind the times and not much different than a crumbling building on a weak foundation. The time is now to leave and break up the membership.
The first part of the book shows how the EU existed in its own desert. Beyond the hype and headlines was an organization that struggled for relevance. Decades passed with countless treaties, charters, meetings, conferences, committees, sub-committees, white papers and reports. The acronyms never seemed to end. Compliant media repeated history making claims by European heads of state only to realize later that they were nothing more than pie-in-the-sky notions of well-dressed bureaucrats. The EU is faulted for lack of enforcement. Power is nonexistent to bind parties to agreements (although some have wanted the EU to start its own military force).
As Gillingham sees it: Much of the EU is based on myth. He doubts the assessments of some scholars that Europe’s boom years were due to the EU. The theses of professors and economists who take EU grants are questioned. Their viewpoints may have been compromised by the inherent nature of EU grants that look askance at any criticism of the organization.
In contrast, independent analysis shows the EU a minor player, at best, in Europe’s postwar prosperity. Indeed, the organization was not even in existence when the Marshall Plan provided needed capital for Europe’s postwar recovery. Gillingham believes the turning point was when Germany and France broke free from wartime controls. The two countries took classical liberal approaches to their respective economies. They sought intense privatization and free markets. Their elimination of price controls and production quotas carried the continent forward.
The strength of this book is history. Few outside the inner offices of the EU know much about its past. As Gillingham reminds us the EU began in the classical liberal sense. It was a free market for coal and steel that came with the Treaty of Rome in 1959. That soon grew into a free market for other goods and services. Open travel and residency followed. Then came many regulatory agencies, a parliament, a flag, and a song. Consolidation was always the endgame, according to the author. Free trade was mostly a guise to push member nations towards a single continent-wide country.
Although Gillingham does not come out and say for countries to leave the EU, his conclusions are nevertheless grist for the mill of exit. He details the failures of the EU in regulating out of existence much of Europe’s mining and heavy metal industries. The EU has done all it can to either outright ban or seriously curtail IT and biotech innovations. As a result, Europe has fallen behind not only the U.S. but also Asia. The recent refugee crisis and terrorist attacks underscore the social liberal tendencies of the EU and its impotency to secure the continent. Meanwhile, the Internet, social media and cloud technologies have eliminated the need for consolidation as cross-border collaborations become the norm.
Gillingham has done a great service in writing “The EU: An Obituary.” He has separated facts from myth to show the EU a monster like organization that sucks the economic and cultural life bloods of Italy and other European countries. From its beginning to today, the EU has existed as a fiction of freedom when in fact tyranny has been its ultimate goal.
“The EU: An Obituary” is recommended by PRIMO as an ideal source of information and analysis to help Italian Americans and Italians persuade their family, friends and neighbors in Italy to vote to leave the EU.
GOMORRAH PREMIERES WEDNESDAY AUGUST 24 AT 10/9c SUNDANCE TV
What remains one of the best films of the past 15 years, “Gomorrah” now comes to the television screen, by way of the Sundance channel, as an ongoing series, direct from Italy.
Based on the novel by Roberto Saviano, “Gomorrah” is a relentless and immersive analysis of the social, economic and political effects of the Camorra (the Neapolitan Mafia), the forces fighting against them and the evolution of the Italian criminal world. The series tells a completely original story chronicling the fate of a great criminal empire and paints a reality in which values often follow perverse, criminal logics dictated by the instinct of survival. However, “Gomorrah” also delves into the family ties and interpersonal dynamics within this emotionally fraught and dangerous world.
The tale depicts a powerful clan and the complex mechanisms that regulate the management and maintenance of a traditional mafia empire, from the everyday exercise of power to new expansion strategies to the ultimate tool for victory: armed struggle. Within the clan are figures both big and small who battle alongside and against their ‘family members’ and rivals, committing deeds ranging from heroic to insidious while attempting to maintain the family’s stronghold and ascend its ranks.
“Gomorrah” was filmed on location in the Scampia suburb of Naples, as well as in Milan, Ferrara, Rome and Ventimiglia, with some exteriors shot in Barcelona; 156 locations were used for indoor scenes. Shooting lasted over 30 weeks for a total of 216 days, 92 of which employed special effects. Filming was made possible thanks to the support of the Regione Campania Film Commission.
The screenplay of “Gomorrah”, written by Stefano Bises, Leonardo Fasoli, Ludovica Rampoldi and Giovanni Bianconi, is based on the deep and thorough research of journalist Roberto Saviano, which culminated in the 2006 non-fiction book Gomorrah. The novel went on to win numerous literary prizes and found worldwide success, boasting over 10 million copies sold and eventually being translated into 51 languages. A 2008 film adaptation was an international smash, garnering the Grand Prix at that year’s Cannes Film Festival.
“Gomorrah”, the television series is directed by Stefano Sollima, Francesca Comencini, and Claudio Cupellini and produced by Sky Atlantic, Catteya and Fandango in collaboration with La7, in association with Beta Film. The stars are Italian actress Maria Pia Calzone and actors Marco D’Amore, Fortunato Cerlino, Salvatore Esposito and Marco Palvetti. For more information please log on to http://www.sundance.tv/series/gomorrah.
THE RUSSO BROTHERS MAKE A GREAT FILM IN “CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR”
Whether you’re Team Cap or Team Iron Man, there is one thing we can agree on: The most anticipated movie of the summer, “Captain America: Civil War,” is a triumph in every way.
“Captain America: Civil War” is not only an excellent comic book film, which pleases comic book fans, but it is also an excellent action thriller that everyone will enjoy. The Italian American masterminds of “Captain America: Civil War,” are directors Joe and Anthony Russo. The brothers deliver compelling action and storytelling, with likable characters, a compelling plot and great moments of drama and comedy.
There is no doubt that their directorial debut in the Marvel franchise, “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” was a huge success. They surpassed the first Captain America film in terms of critical reception. They managed to maintain their credibility by giving us a movie this summer that has all that, and more. One aspect are characters and we mean the newest additions in the Marvel universe, along with the returning favorites like Iron Man, Black Widow, Hawkeye, etc. Anyone who went see to this film knew what they wanted: The surprising reappearance of Ant-Man, the reveal of the mysterious Black Panther, and probably the most important addition, the uplifting and exciting Spider-Man.
If you are not a comic book fan, the film has plenty of action for you. Fight scenes are excellently choreographed and leaves you on the edge of your seat wondering what’s going to happen next. Another plus in the film are its numerous film locations. Berlin, Vienna, and of course the great city of New York, accompany a fictional location in the country of Wakanda, the residence of Black Panther. All of these locations co-align with one another, to drive the plot forward. The film’s pace is perfect, not too fast and not too slow.
Direction, being the most important part of any film, is especially vital here. The style of the Russo brothers appeals to the eye. The story here is more unique compared to previous Marvel films. The superheroes organize themselves in two rival groups when they disagree about a new governmental policy. We will not spoil as to what makes the story more than it is; but we can tell you that this is the Marvel film that makes you sympathize with the characters, as to what their motives are when why they fight each other.
One of the best features of the film is how the Russo brothers handle all the characters. There are over 15 iconic heroes and each has a distinct purpose in the story. The challenge was to retain their unique attributes without making the film feel overcrowded. Characters such as Iron Man, Spider-Man and Ant-Man call for unique directing styles, and the Russos capture them perfectly.
Although this is one of the best comic book films to date, we nonetheless could not overlook a minor flaw, (and we hate to be nit-picky). The overall story seemed at times more of an “Avengers” film rather than a “Captain America” one. It is not because of the new characters, but the way the story revolves around key heroes which, at times, takes your attention away from our beloved Steve Rogers, aka, Captain America.
Besides that minor flaw, the film is excellent, from start to finish. The characters and their motivations keep you captivated. The action will keep you on the edge of your seat. “Captain America: Civil War” is fantastic in every way, a must-see film, no matter if you are a comic book fan or not.
THE ITALIAN CARABINIERI BAND PLAYS AT THE LINCOLN MEMORIAL
One of the World's Greatest Military and Police Orchestras Performed at the Famous Washington, D.C. Landmark April 17, 2016
Founded in 1820, The Italian Carabinieri Band Has Charmed Audiences for Almost Two Centuries.
HOMAGE TO SUPREME COURT JUSTICE ANTONIN SCALIA (1936-2016)
Writer of the Cover Feature Article for PRIMO's 1st Edition 2015, Writer Santi Buscemi Recalls His Meeting with The Venerable Justice Antonin Scalia
I first met Antonin Scalia three years ago. It was purely by chance. I had sent him a copy of "Sicilian Tales", my translation of twenty fairy tales by Luigi Capuana. I knew his father was born in Sicily, and I thought he would enjoy the book. To my surprise, he wrote back almost immediately saying that he knew the author well, for Capuana was the subject of his father’s doctoral dissertation in comparative literature at Columbia University. He offered to lend me the dissertation—his only copy—if I thought it might aid in my research.
After I read the book, I asked if I could return it to him personally so as not to risk its getting lost in the mail. I’m sure he saw through this flimsy excuse to meet him, but he was gracious enough to ask his assistant, Crystal Martin, to set up an appointment. In March of 2013, my wife and I entered the Justice’s suite at the Supreme Court to the sounds of a warm, friendly voice, as Scalia came out of his inner office to greet us. We talked of many things that afternoon: Pope Francis, our families, our visits to Sicily, his strong Catholic faith, his wife and family, his colleagues on the Court, especially Justice Thomas, for whom he had great respect. His brilliance was apparent from the start, but we didn’t talk much about his judicial philosophy. Our conversation became personal very quickly, and we soon felt as if we were sipping fragrant Sicilian wine on a neighbor’s back porch.
He was upbeat, witty, even funny, and we left the office knowing we had made a new friend. We had learned so much about the man—in just a half hour— not because he had told us about himself, but because he had made such an effort to learn about us.
Before leaving, he mentioned how much he loved his children and his many grandchildren. I said that my grandson Matt, then 15, would love to have met him. He looked me straight in the eye and asked “Why didn’t you bring him?” With that, he issued us a formal invitation to return and hear oral arguments in his own reserved seats at the Court.
We did so a few months later, this time with Matt in tow. Afterward, he invited us to lunch in chambers, where his attention seemed to focus on his youngest guest. He was particularly happy that Matt excelled in German, a language he too had mastered. I can never forget his interest in us that day, especially his attention to my grandson. I don’t think I will ever be able to give Matt a greater gift.
Since that luncheon, I have studied the Justice’s legal philosophy in depth and have cited several of his decisions in an earlier article for Primo. All of them demonstrate a legal acumen beyond measure. I have talked to a number of lawyers, who have only praise and admiration for the longest-serving Supreme Court justice in our history. Many of them have asked if they could accompany me on my next visit. Alas, that is no longer possible!
But what I came away with from my two visits with Antonin Scalia has little to do with law or government. It has to do with knowing that this was more than a legal giant; this was a great and good man who opened up to three ordinary people he had never known and invited them to break bread with him in the private space he occupied within the sanctuary of American democracy.
Recently, the Justice gave a colleague and me permission to re-issue his father’s dissertation with an appropriate critical analysis, the proceeds of which would go to the Salvatore Eugene Scalia Library at Brooklyn College. He signed the email “Nino.” That was the first thing I thought about when I heard of his passing, my eyes filled, my heart aching.
On our first visit, I noticed a statue on one of the bookcases. I asked if it was Thomas More, the patron saint of attorneys. “Yes,” he said, “a great and courageous man.” And so were you, “Nino,” and so were you!
STATEMENT FROM SONS OF ITALY ON THE PASSING OF U.S. SUPREME COURT JUSTICE ANTONIN SCALIA
On behalf of its hundreds of thousands of family members in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, the Order of the Sons of Italy in America (OSIA), the oldest and largest organization representing Americans of Italian heritage, deeply mourns the passing of United States Surpreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.
OSIA National President Daniel J. Longo of Maryland calls Scalia
"a shining example of the very best the Italian American community has to offer, highlighting a brilliant career in public service and jurisprudence." Justice Scalia was recognized by the Sons of Italy Foundation (SIF) in 1991 for being that shining example, receiving the SIF's highest honor, the National Education and Leadership Award.
OSIA National Executive Director Dr. Philip R. Piccigallo, who knew Justice Scalia for more than a quarter of a century, states that "whether one agreed or disagreed with his strong legal and philosophical positions, it was impossible not to recognize Justice Scalia's intellectual acuity, command of prose, forceful impact on American law, the legal system, and culture, and the historical importance as the first Italian American appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1986."
Piccigallo adds, "moreover, virtually everyone respected and enjoyed Justice Scalia's company, irrepressible wit, and sense of humor."
OSIA extends its deepest
condolences to Justice Scalia's devoted wife, Maureen, his nine children, and more than two dozen grandchildren. His indelible place in American history and jurisprudence is clear and firm.
STATEMENT FROM NATIONAL ITALIAN AMERICAN FOUNDATION ON THE PASSING OF U.S. SUPREME COURT JUSTICE ANTONIN SCALIA
“On behalf of the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) Board of Directors, we are deeply saddened by the passing of the United States Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. We extend our heartfelt condolences to the Scalia family. Justice Scalia died at the age of 79 on February 12, 2016, in his sleep after a day of quail hunting at Cibolo Creek Ranch outside of Marfa, Texas.
According to Joseph Del Raso, “I am personally heartbroken over this loss. Justice Scalia was not only the most respected member of the Italian American community having been the first Italian American Justice nominated and confirmed to the Supreme Court, but he was also a true friend and respected scholar. He was always there for our community, and participated at so many NIAF-sponsored events. On a personal note, I will always cherish the memories of spending time with he and his wife, Maureen, here in the United States and during our trips to Italy together.”
“Today the Italian American community has lost one of the most iconic figures in our history,” John Viola said. “I think it's hard to quantify how important his elevation to the Supreme Court was for our community, and Italian-Americans of all political persuasions were incredibly proud of this man and his vast contributions to our nation. This is a loss that is deeply felt in the NIAF Family and throughout the Italian American community.”
“His indelible legacy will be long remembered with great affection and admiration.”
CHET CAMPANELLA, OF CALIFORNIA, SEEKS OFFICIAL APOLOGY FROM CONGRESS FOR INTERNMENT OF ITALIAN AMERICANS IN WWII
Since 2010, Chet Campanella, 85, of California, has led an effort to inform the public about restrictions and internment imposed on Italian Americans in World War II.
In a report written by the Department of Justice and submitted to Congress in 2000, executive orders by President Franklin Roosevelt at the time of World War II seriously restricted the freedoms of some 600,000 "Italian-born immigrants in the United States." Thousands were forced to leave their homes along the West Coast and live under curfews, while hundreds of others were forcibly removed from their homes and relocated to internment camps.
Campanella was still a boy at the time but was an eyewitness to what happened to many Italian Americans during World War II.
His effort got the attention and support from Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, Democrat, of District 19 in California and the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF). Two bills were introduced by Lofgren in the House of Representatives, H.R. 4146 and H.R. 4147. The proposed legislation seeks "funds from the Department of Eduction to study the mistreatment of Italian Americans during World War II. The other asks for an official apology from Congress."
NIAF published an article on Campanella's effort in a recentl edition of Ambassador, the organization's flagship publication. They are now promoting a petition drive where Italian Americans can sign up and support the pending bills H.R. 4146 and 4147. If you would like to sign your name to the petition, please access this Link. To learn more about Campanella and his effort for an apology from Congress for the internment of Italian Americans, please log on to www.niaf.org.
REMEMBER FDR'S SURVEILLANCE OF ITALIAN AMERICANS IN WORLD WAR II
By John Romano, Attorney at Law
On this anniversary of this night of infamy December 7th, as a postscript to your story on President Franklin Roosevelt which gave the impression that he was a trusted friend, admirer, and respected Italians, you should have added an asterisk to the article, since FDR issued Presidential Executive Orders in WWII 1942-1944, proclaiming and declaring Italian Americans as "Enemy Aliens", requiring massive government family registrations with the Justice Department, internment of 13,000 Italians, and FBI squads of 24 hour surveillance on all Italian American families, late night searches of apartments, kidnapping, arrests, travel restrictions, etc.
The FBI campaign ot Terror, Fear and Horror was called, "The Secret War" against all Italian Americans who were labeled Domestic Enemies of America.
Today, you the Reader must answer these questions: There were 100,000 War casualties of Italian Americans in WWII and 1 million servicemen in the Armed Forces. Was the Mother who buried her son after he was killed fighting overseas an enemy alien, as declared by FDR? America wants no memory of this time. The silence of America remains today a betrayal of all the Italian Americans who served in WWII.
Yes - We Shall Not Forget FDR.
THOMAS JEFFERSON'S INTEREST IN ANCIENT ROME
The Library of Congress Contains Many Books from Jefferson Written by Rome's Greatest Philosophers and Historians
In a letter to his granddaughter Anne Cary Bankhead, Thomas Jefferson praised the work of the great Roman historian Tacitus. He wrote: “Tacitus I consider the first writer in the world without a single exception. His book is a compound of history and morality of which we have no other example.” After he was president, he wrote John Adams “I have given up newspapers in exchange for Tacitus and Horace.”
Jefferson read Tacitus and other Roman historians to help him establish a longlasting republic in America. Tyranny was to be avoided. Jefferson was especially interested in the fall of Rome and how transgressions among the political class there led to corruption and weakness. He did not want America to repeat the mistakes of Roman history.
The Constitution was a guide to retain the American republic. Laws enacted by the legislature had to be consistent with democratic principles. Jefferson and many of the founding fathers studied the Justinian Code, a set of laws necessary for a democracy. Justinian was one of Rome’s last great emperors who ruled in Constantinople. A man of immense energy, Justinian reformed Roman law and established what became known as the Justinian Code; a key reference for many of the laws enacted by Congress and state legislatures in America.
Many figures from ancient Rome penned histories and firsthand experiences that were read by Jefferson. Julius Caesar’s accounts of the Gallic War and Civil War in Rome helped Jefferson understand not only military strategy but how political divisions in a country could unravel and lead to armed insurrection and war. He read Titus Livius (Livy), the Roman historian who lived from 59 B.C. to 17 A.D. Originally from what is today Padua, Livy published an extensive history of Rome titled “Ab Urbe Condita Libri” or “Books since the city’s founding”; more commonly known as “The History of Rome.” Another historian Jefferson read was Plutarch. Born in Greece, Plutarch became a citizen of Rome and wrote biographies of famous figures of the classical period, many of whom were Romans such as Julius Caesar, Cato, Cicero, Fabius Maximus and others.
Since Jefferson was fluent in Latin, he could read the works of Roman historians and philosophers, written in their native language. He comprehended an unvarnished version of history and knew better than his educated peers the ideals and experiences of Rome.
More than any other figure from ancient Rome, Cicero had the most influence on Jefferson and other founding fathers such as John Adams and James Madison. Cicero’s writings expounded on the nature of Republican democracy and its laws. Yet he wrote on other topics, as well, such as old age, friendship and skepticism. A key political figure during the era that preceded and followed Julius Caesar’s reign, Cicero conveyed through his model the fragile nature of democracy, as he was eventually put to death by orders of Mark Anthony after Caesar was assassinated in the Senate.
The books are many that Jefferson sold to the Library of Congress. Those written by Roman philosophers, statesmen and historians remain a key source of reference, not only for members of Congress and their staff, but all Americans who wish to retain the republic as begun by the founding fathers.
BOOKS READ BY THOMAS JEFFERSON
A Current Exhibit at the Library of Congress Underscores Italy's Influence on
America's Third President
A win-win.
That’s one way to describe the deal brokered between Thomas Jefferson and the U.S. government in 1815 that brought back to life the Library of Congress after a fire destroyed it.
Our third president and author of the Declaration of Independence was famous, among other things, for an immense library at his home in Monticello, Virginia. The United States government wanted to equal, if not surpass, Jefferson's and all other libraries. However, during the War of 1812, the British burned the U.S. Capitol building, which at the time housed the Library of Congress, and the government lost its entire stock - some 3,000 volumes.
To restart the Library, Jefferson agreed to sell his collection of books and journals to the United States. An accumulation by him of some 6,487 volumes was more than double the size of the government’s lost inventory. He transferred his repository to the Library of Congress for the price of $23,950.
Today, the Library of Congress pays tribute to the historic transaction with an exhibit titled “Out of the Ashes.” Free to the public, the display is a portion of the books Jefferson sold to the Library. On the second floor of the main building, visitors can examine the titles and authors of books through glass enclosed bookshelves. The collection highlights the scope of Jefferson’s interests in science, art, history and language.
The exhibit is most notable for its inclusion of books published in Italy and written by Italian authors. As Jefferson was fluent in Italian, he was able to read and comprehend Italy's best writers and scholars. Such books underscore the enormous influence Italy had on Jefferson and the founding of America.
Take for exampe, one book, positioned at the outset of the exhibit, titled “Navigazioni e viaggi” (Navigations and Travels). Published in Venice in 1555 and 1556 by Giovanni Battista Ramusio, the two volume anthology details first-hand accounts of great explorers from Marco Polo to Ferdianand Magellan. Included in the book is an in-depth description of Africa, translated from Arabic to Italian, originally written by Leo Africanus, an explorer from Morocco who was captured by Spanish pirates, taken to Rome, and then freed after he was baptized by Pope Leo X.
“Navigation e viaggi” is one of many books from Italy and other countries that inspired Jefferson to acquire and explore new land for the country when he was president from 1801 to 1809. Under his watch the government brokered the Louisiana Purchase, which added much of what is today the country’s Midwestern region. As president, he sponsored the Lewis and Clark expedition to explore and record the country's geography from the Appalachian Mountains to the Pacific Ocean.
HAMILTON TOWNSHIP, NJ, CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS STATUE RESTORED
Members of the Italian American One Voice Coalition were pleased to join the Mercer County Italian American Festival Association, New Jersey State Senator President Stephen Sweeney, and other dignitaries, in rededicating the Christopher Columbus statue at the Italian American Heritage Center in Hamilton Township, New Jersey.
John Scarpati, founder of the Mercer County Italian American Festival, was instrumental in erecting the statue of Columbus, whom he claims is “one of his heroes.” Dedicated in October 2014, the statue of Columbus was nearly destroyed by vandals this past July. Parts of the statue, most notably the face, were covered in black paint and the number 13 was written on the figure’s chest. The statue of the great Italian navigator has since been repaired.
"We are proud to be part of this rededication and pleased that it has happened well in advance of Columbus Day 2015. It is a tribute to the resilience of all Italians-Americans and of course the greatest of all Italians, Christopher Columbus,” said Dr. Manny Alfano, president of the Italian American One Voice Coalition.
Doctor Alfano also donated a check on behalf of the Anti-Bias Committee of UNICO National to the Mercer County Italian American Festival Association to assist in its continuing efforts to advance the great achievements of this nation's many Italian Americans. To learn more about the efforts of Dr. Alfano and others of the Italian American One Voice Coalition, please log on to www.iaovc.org. For the Mercer County Italian American Festival, please log on to their web site at www.italianamericanfestival.com.
SAVE SAINT PETER’S
A Plea by Advocate Robin Mainella to Prevent Demolition of Her Beloved Church
From top: A recent photograph of St. Peter's, a plaque showing the year built, an interior shot of the stained glass window,
and a historical photo of some of the Italian immigrants who built the church for their Italian community in Duluth.
I would like to tell you about a wonderful, one-of-a-kind historic church.
Closed in 2010 by the Duluth Diocese, St. Peter's Church in Duluth, Minnesota's 'Little Italy' is For Sale. Their asking price is $150,000. I pray that somebody will buy this gem and restore and repurpose in a manner that would celebrate the lives of the Italians who built their very own church out of necessity.
The Old-World skills of the Italian stonemasons make this 'landmark' stand out as a treasure that beckons awe. St. Peter's is located at 810 W. 3rd St., Duluth, MN 55806.
Standing tall and proud on hallowed ground on the steep, rocky hillside overlooking our beautiful harbor, this structure is the only example in Duluth of a Romanesque/Gothic Revival Church built of solid stone. St. Peter's needs a lot of TLC by someone who will understand and appreciate its rich history.
St. Peter's represents the cultural heritage of the Italian immigrants who settled in Duluth in the early 1880's. Closed churches are successfully being repurposed; Historical and Cultural Centers and Museums, Music Centers, Restaurants, Microbreweries utilizing the high ceilings, just to name a few. St. Peter’s meets four out of seven criteria for Local Historical Landmark designation. Only one criteria must be met to be eligible.
January 2015, after 4 ½ years of perseverance, the Nomination for Landmark designation finally went before the Duluth City Council for their decision, but the Duluth Diocese opposed and the Council therefore unanimously voted against Landmark status. That was a huge disappointment. A new owner of St. Peter's would have the opportunity to nominate again and I will help! Without opposition St. Peter's will certainly be given the recognition it deserves. With Landmark Designation there are many benefits; it would be eligible for Legacy Grants, CLG (Certified Local Government) Grants, and state tax credits which would help with restoration.
May this plea find that special someone who will love St. Peter's Italian Church as much as I do. Learning from our past is crucial to our present and future.
St. Peter's is looking for a new purpose to serve our community today and tomorrow. Thank you for this opportunity to share.
Editor’s Note: If you would like to help save St. Peter’s Italian Church, please contact Robin L. Mainella at rlmainella@charter.net. The location of St. Peter’s is 810 W 3rd St, Duluth, MN; MLS 6014323. Real estate agent is Frank Messina.
Searching for Wills in Italy
There are three main forms of Will in Italy:
• A Formal Will (Testamento Pubblico), drawn up by a Public Notary on the testator’s instructions. Witnessed and deposited with Public Notary until testator’s death.
• A Holographic Will (Testamento Olografo), hand written, dated and signed by the testator. No witnesses required. May be deposited with a lawyer, Notary Public or kept by the testator until testator’s death.
• A Sealed or Secret Will (Testamento Segreto), hand written by the testator, placed in a sealed envelope and deposited with a Public Notary until testator’s death.
All three types of Will must be written in Italian to comply with Italian civil code. To avoid potentially significant difficulties following death of a testator, we recommend engaging a lawyer to assist you with all formal legal requirements when making an Italian Will.
If it is deemed that someone had a Formal or Holographic Will, which was deposited with a Public Notary, a request with a death certificate attached can be submitted to the District Chamber of Notaries (Consiglio Notarile distrettuale), who will forward a search request to all Public Notaries within a district.
It is also advisable to submit a request to the Notary Archives Registry Office, in charge of keeping the deeds and wills deposited by the notaries who have ceased business. The General Will Registry Bureau (Registro Generale dei Testamenti), whose headquarters are at the Main Office of the Notary Archives (Ufficio Centrale degli Archivi Notarili) in Rome, can also be consulted.
The General Will Registry Bureau provides the possibility to find out if the deceased had a Will or not, whether in Italy or abroad. The request for the issuance of a decedent’s Will can also be submitted through the Bureau, to the relevant entity of a foreign country which has adhered to the International Basel Convention. Other than Italy, the countries which have signed the Basel Convention are: Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, France, Lithuania, Luxembourg,
Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Turkey and Ukraine.
Interested parties may request a subscription certificate, in the name of the deceased, from the General Will Registry Bureau, as well as the reference to the district notary archive where the Will was deposited, in case the notary has ceased business.
The following records are held in the General Will Registry:
1. Formal Wills;
2. Sealed /Secret Wills;
3. Special Wills;
4. Holographic Wills which have been formally deposited with a Public Notary;
5. Memorandum of publication of Holographic Wills, whether or not deposited with a Public Notary;
6. Withdrawal of Holographic and Sealed / Secret Wills, which were formally deposited at a Public Notary’s office;
7. Suspension of previous arrangements caused by death, providing some had been made by means of a new Will.
Editor's Note: De Tullio Law Firm is an international Law Firm based in Italy and the UK specialized in advising property buyers worldwide and providing legal support to expats on all aspects of residential and commercial property law and in dealing with cross-border inheritance matters in Italy, wills and probates. De Tullio Law Firm is listed on the websites of the British and American embassies. Giandomenico De Tullio is a full member of STEP (Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners), the leading worldwide professional body for practitioners in the fields of trusts, estates and related issues. You can contact attorney Giandomenico De Tullio and find out more information about De Tullio Law Firm at www.detulliolawfirm.com.
Lyrics of "Bella Ciao" in Italian
Stamattina mi sono alzato,
o bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao,
|: Stamatina mi sono alzato
Eho trovato l'invasor.
O partigiano portami via
o bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao,
|: O partigiano portami via
Che mi sento di morir.
E se io muoio da partigiano
o bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao,
|: E se io muoio da partigiano
Tu mi devi seppellir.
Seppellire lassú in montagna,
o bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao,
|: Seppellire lassú in montagna
Sotto l'ombra di un bel fior.
E le genti che passeranno
o bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao,
|: E le genti che passeranno
Ti diranno o che bel fior.
E' questo il fiore del partigiano
o bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao,
|: E' questo il fiore del partigino
Morto per la libertá.
Lyrics of "Bella Ciao" in English
One morning I woke up
goodbye my Beautiful, goodbye my Beautiful, goodbye my Beautiful, goodbye
one morning I woke up
and I found the invader (that means the German troups).
Oh partisan take me away
goodbye my Beautiful, goodbye my Beautiful, goodbye my Beautiful, goodbye
oh partisan take me away
that I'm feeling like dieing
And if I die as partisan
goodbye my Beautiful, goodbye my Beautiful, goodbye my Beautiful, goodbye
and if I die as partisan
you must bury me
You will bury me over there, on the mountain
goodbye my Beautiful, goodbye my Beautiful, goodbye my Beautiful, goodbye
you will bury me over there on the mountain
under the shadow of a wonderful flower
And all the people passing by
goodbye my Beautiful, goodbye my Beautiful, goodbye my Beautiful, goodbye
and all the people passing by
will say "what a wonderful flower!"
Ad this is the flower of the partisan
goodbye my Beautiful, goodbye my Beautiful, goodbye my Beautiful, goodbye
dead for our freedom
and this is the flower of the partisan
dead for our freedom
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