A Glimpse of ‘Big Italy,’ Cleveland’s First Italian Enclave
In Cleveland, Ohio, prior to the formation of the city’s present day Little Italy, Italian immigrants settled in an area called Big Italy, located to the south and west of Public Square, in what was known as the Haymarket District. Prior to 1880, the neighborhood was primarily Jewish, but as the Jewish population moved on to better neighborhoods, t...
ISDA Spotlight: Mary Ferrante’s Lifetime of Achievement
Mary Elizabeth Bianchi Ferrante was born on Cleveland’s West Side to Francesco and Angelina Pasqualoni Bianchi, immigrants from Abruzzo, Italy. She is very passionate about and proud of her Italian heritage and is staunchly dedicated to its preservation and perpetuation. Mary has selflessly given years of service to the Italian American community i...
JCCIA builds political bridges with luncheon
A new era of political engagement dawned on Aug. 8 when the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans hosted its inaugural Government Relations Luncheon. More than 100 public officials at every level of local government converged on the Des Plaines Theatre for the event, which honored State Rep. Anthony DeLuca and former county official turned pol...
Italian Heritage Month showcases special book collection at suburban libraries
A special collection of books is being showcased at area libraries this month. They honor the contributions of Italian Americans to our nation and Chicago's history. Celebrating Italian Heritage Month, the collection was gifted to 10 local libraries to help those of Italian descent learn more about their history as well as inspire others to recogni...
Celebrating Italian-American Heritage Month on-campus and beyond
October marks a period of cultural recognition for Italian Americans across the country. During Italian-American Heritage and Culture Month, Italians reminisce and reflect on the accomplishments and accolades of Italian Americans. Simultaneously, Italians use this month to focus on preserving and celebrating their culture. This celebration of cultu...
State Representative Jennifer Sanalitro Celebrates October as Italian-American Heritage Month
State Representative Jennifer Sanalitro is proudly celebrating a new law she chief co-sponsored in the Illinois House that designates the month of October as Italian-American Heritage Month. The law, which will go into effect in October 2024, aims to recognize and celebrate the significant contributions and achievements of Italian-Americans through...
Italian American Club in Kenosha honors Domenick Tirabassi Jr. as 2023 Person of the Year
The Italian American Club in Kenosha was filled as hundreds were on hand to honor Domenick Tirabassi Jr. and celebrate the local Italian American community Saturday night. Tirabassi Jr., an entrepreneur, philanthropist, coach, sponsor and family man, was honored as 2023 Person of the year at the club’s Columbus Day banquet. He was born in 1934 to A...
Raineri goes to bat for Columbus, Balbo
What’s an ethnic group to do when its icons are under assault? There’s the traditional approach, which relies heavily on anger-fueled protest marches. Then there’s the Enza Raineri way. If you were to codify the crisis management playbook of this longtime government official turned political consultant, it would read something like this: Get your f...
Basil Russo Knighted by Italian Dignitary in Cleveland’s Little Italy
Hon. Basil Russo was formally inducted as a “Knight of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Italy” on Sunday, Oct. 8. The Order, established in 1951, is the highest-ranking honor of the Italian Republic. The official ceremony took place in Little Italy at Angelo’s Nido Italia, where Russo earned the Cavaliere dell’ Ordine al Merito della’ Repubbli...
Army Corporal Donald Ferrone
Donald Ferrone was born in Oak Park, Illinois, to Henry and Filomena Trimarco Ferrone, who were from the Little Italy on Taylor Street. He had one younger brother, Francis. Ferrone’s paternal grandparents emigrated from Salerno, Italy, and his maternal grandparents from Naples. The family lived in West Chicago before moving to Oak Park, across the...
Rockford-area (IL) Italian-Americans recognized for their impact on the community
The Greater Rockford Italian American Association (GRIAA) held its annual hall of fame banquet Saturday. This event has gone on for roughly three decades and honors business and people for their work in the Rockford region. Each of the hall of fame nominees have gone above and beyond to give back to their community. Everyone who was nominated was d...
Galtieri builds communities through the arts
Dawn Marie Galtieri has devoted most of her professional career to nurturing Voice of the City, a small multi-arts nonprofit she founded 24 years ago in Chicago. “Our mission is to build community through making art and teaching art,” she explains. The nonprofit has a staff of two — Galtieri, who serves as executive and artistic director, and Chris...