Celebrate Italian American Heritage Month At Triton Panel Discussion
Triton College will celebrate Italian American Heritage Month with a panel and discussion from 2 to 3 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 24, in the Library Upper Commons (A Building - 2000 Fifth Avenue, River Grove, IL 60171). The panel will feature: Frank Di Piero (Moderator); Maryann Pisano – Staff writer at Triton College; Louis H. Rago – Triton College Foundat...
Italian Americans demand Chicago return Christopher Columbus statues
On the day the U.S. commemorates Christopher Columbus’ landing in the Americas, Italian Americans in the Chicago area are demanding the city return three statues of the explorer that were removed due to protests. In 2020, then-Mayor Lori Lightfoot ordered the removal of the statues from Grant Park, Arrigo Park and South Chicago. At the time, Lightf...
Italian Americans now 'defending' rather than 'perpetuating' their role in building America
Columbus Day is Monday, October 9, and for many Italian Americans the annual national holiday now comes with the sting of having to fight for their place in American society all over again. “In this age of cancel culture, we’ve gone from perpetuating the contributions Italians have made to America to defending them,” Ron Onesti, President of the Jo...
Columbus Day was intended to encourage greater acceptance of immigrants: Basil M. Russo
Tomorrow, thousands of Greater Clevelanders will gather in Little Italy to attend our annual Columbus Day parade. The story of how the first Columbus Day celebration began in 1892 is a tragic example of the mistreatment of immigrants that needs to be told. Between 1880 and 1920, some 4 million Italian immigrants left impoverished towns throughout s...
Cleveland’s Columbus Day Parade Marches Into Little Italy Oct. 9
The Columbus Day Parade is marching back to Cleveland’s Little Italy neighborhood on Monday, Oct. 9, along Mayfield Road. Elaborate floats, marching bands, local artifacts, and city leaders will make up the parade, which steps off at noon to celebrate Northeast Ohio’s deeply rooted Italian American culture. As usual, Columbus Day Mass will be held...
ABC7 Chicago celebrates Italian American Heritage Month with live Columbus Day Parade broadcast
ABC7, Chicago's most watched television station, is celebrating the city's vibrant Italian American community with the broadcast of the 70th Annual Columbus Day Parade. The live event is hosted by ABC7 sports reporter and Windy City Weekend host Ryan Chiaverini, reporter Liz Nagy and meteorologist Greg Dutra reporting all the festivities from the s...
Lavorata tops IAPA's 2023 honor roll
Retired law enforcement officer Kenneth Lavorata will top the list of honorees at the Italian American Police Association dinner dance on Nov. 3 at the Chateau Ritz. Lavorata served in the Marine Corps from 1964-67, including a tour of duty as a battalion scout in Vietnam from 1965-66. He entered the Police Academy in November 1967, and served as a...
The 2023 Cleveland Italian American Heritage Month Honoree for Business is Petitti Garden Centers, founded by Angelo Petitti, Sr.
Angelo Petitti immigrated to the United States in 1963 at age 16 from Faeto, a small mountain village with a population of 600 in southeast Italy. For 3 years, he worked at Pick-n-Pay Supermarket and as a busboy to support himself while attending Kent State University night classes to study political science. Angelo also leveraged his innate sense...
Roma Lodge celebrates 100 years serving Racine as hub for Italian-Americans
Roma Lodge, a fraternal organization, is celebrating 100 years of “liberty, equality, and fraternity” this year. Throughout 2023, Roma Lodge members and the Racine community have spent time reflecting on this milestone and celebrating the success of the place that serves as a notable hub for Italian-Americans. The existence of their organization fo...
Waking Your Ancestors Through Writing About Them
Saturday, October 21, 2023; 10:00a-12:30p. Italian American Museum of Cleveland, 12111 Mayfield Road Cleveland, OH. Register here. Create a story of your family history by learning to write about your ancestors with author, blogger, speaker, and teacher Annette Januzzi Wick. Writing about ancestors we never knew or family that were strangers to us...
Art Institute of Chicago exhibit gives a rare, up-close glimpse of 2 Caravaggio works
Art museums like to offer exhibitions of different size and scope. At one end of the spectrum are blockbusters, attention-grabbing shows with dozens of works that shake up the understanding of an artist or movement or put forward some novel thematic treatment. At the other, are focused, jewel-box presentations. Instead of trying to make any big art...
Fundraiser to showcase the magical world of vintage Murano
Maribel Weisz of Antique Resources and Stephanie Sarris of Bellehaven Designs will celebrate Italian American Heritage Month by hosting a charity event they’re calling “Che Bellezza! An Evening of Italian Culture and Murano.” The fundraiser will run from 6-9 p.m. on Oct. 19 at Antique Resources, 1741 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. Boasting the largest c...