Fighting anti-Italianism, stereotypes and cancel culture: meet Andrè DiMino

Combattere l'anti-italianismo, gli stereotipi e la cancel culture: incontriamo Andrè DiMino

Apr 11, 2025 320 ITA ENG

Perhaps the most important of the things we struggle to understand here in Italy, regarding the needs and struggles of the Italian American community, is the constant fight against stereotypes and cancel culture that has affected and still affects our brothers and sisters of Italian American nationality. However, this is a fundamental issue, one that engages exceptional people, like the friend we are hosting this month in our interview section.

Andrè DiMino is the President of the Italian American One Voice Coalition: he and his association are the first line of defense for Italian Americans against discrimination, unjust stereotypes, and various attacks that, in politically correct America, seem to be allowed only when they target the Italian American ethnic group. Andrè is a wonderful person whom I am honored to call a friend, and it is with great pleasure that I welcome him once again to We the Italians.

Dear Andrè, I would start with your Italian roots: where in Italy are your origins from?

Both my parents are from Sicilia - the Province of Agrigento. My father was from a small mountain town, Grotte, and my mother was from the seaport town, Porto Empedocle. I was born in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn, NY. Nearly everyone in that area was from Sicilia, so as a child I only spoke Sicilian, which I am still fluent in (I have to be cautious when speaking Italian as Sicilian words are still mixed in!) When I was a young child, we moved to a small town in New Jersey with few people of Italian heritage – a major culture shock. My parents wanted me to assimilate, so I learned English very quickly.

You are the President of the Italian American One Voice Coalition. Please tell our readers who may not yet know you when you were founded, what your goals are, and what your activities are.

The Italian American One Voice Coalition (“IAOVC”) is the largest independent nationwide US organization with a sole focus and exclusive mission to fight bias, stereotyping, denigration and discrimination of Italians and Italian Americans.

IAOVC was founded by the late Dr. Manny Alfano in 1992. For the past 33 years we have opposed negative stereotyping of Italians and Italian Americans in media and entertainment; stood up for those subjected to discrimination and denigration; defended Christopher Columbus as the iconic symbol to Italian Americans; and, recognized those individuals who support our efforts.

This is accomplished through broad public advocacy with TV and radio appearances; public demonstrations; email and phone campaigns; social media; legal efforts; and, other actions and initiatives. IAOVC is a non-profit foundation comprised of all volunteers.  It is a coaltion of both Organization Members and Individual Members which is financially supported by our members’ dues and generous donations.

I am very interested in the Solidarity sessions, a wonderful project. Could you tell us more about it?

As is well known, there is a movement to replace the US National Holiday of Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day. A number of states, cities and schools have already done so. IAOVC has been fighting this across the country by appearing at government meetings and school boards and launching phone and email campaigns to preserve the Columbus Day holiday. We certainly have nothing against Indigenous people and want to celebrate along with them – but on their own day.

Therefore, instead of dividing people by substituting one holiday for another, to foster unity and not division. That is why an effort was made to reach out to Native Americans. Tom Damigella of the Italian American Alliance initiated contact with the Native American Guardian’s Association (“NAGA”) which resulted in a historic, milestone event last February 2024.

At a meeting of a number of Italian American organizations in Scranton, PA, hosted by Scranton UNICO, I announced that we established an unprecedented alliance with Native Americans. I introduced NAGA’s Founder and President, Mrs. Eunice Davidson, who traveled there with her husband David, from their home in North Dakota. Mrs. Davidson explained NAGA’s mission to “Educate, not Eradicate” to preserve Native American names and imagery, and how this was aligned with Italian Americans’ efforts to preserve Columbus Day.

To commemorate the new alliance, the Davidsons presented a ceremonial star blanket to me as an honorary member of their tribe. I presented Mrs. Davison with a cornicello necklace as a symbol of friendship with Italian Americans.

This was such an important milestone of uniting to fight cancel culture, Tony Henson, the current NAGA president, suggested we continue this cooperation between both communities. Therefore, in March 0f 2024, IAOVC launched “The Solidarity Sessions – Bridging Cultures Against Cancel Culture”. Each month starting last March, I host a virtual meeting with Italian American organizations and individuals, and NAGA representatives and Native Americans, from across the country.  We have informative guest speakers; discuss important issues affecting Italian Americans and American Indians; and, initiate “Calls to Action”. These well-attended virtual meetings have further cemented the bond between our cultures and resulted in a number of successful joint efforts defending Native American names and imagery and Columbus Day.

As one example - the Rockaway, NJ school system was planning to change Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day. I organized a number of IAOVC members and local residents to attend the school board meeting where the change of the holiday was on the agenda. We spoke at the meeting, expressing our objection, and I presented a letter from Mrs. Davidson, explaining NAGA’s support of Columbus Day. The Board then voted unanimously to preserve Columbus Day in Rockaway schools.

These Solidarity Sessions are an excellent vehicle to unite different peoples. Other cultures are invited to join our efforts to oppose cancel culture and we look forward to having more groups join our alliance.

You are also very involved in defending Christopher Columbus. Do you see an evolution in the attacks against Columbus? In your opinion, what will the situation be like in five years?

Columbus has been under attack since the self-declared anarchist and Marxist, Howard Zinn, published a dubious history book in 1980 intending to damage America with distorted and fabricated facts to denigrate Columbus and America’s founding fathers.  The allegations in his book have been totally disputed by noted 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 Rafeal Ortiz, an author actually of indigenous heritage, who published 5 books defending Columbus.

Instigated by Zinn’s inflammatory false facts, there have been attacks on Columbus, as well as other historical figures for years. This accelerated after the George Floyd incident in 2020, with the destruction, desecration and removal of Columbus statues across the country and more moves to eliminate Columbus Day. IAOVC has been dedicated to opposing these attacks across the country. In fact, thanks to the efforts of IAOVC Vice President Frank Lorenzo, we filed the first landmark litigation, still pending in US Federal Court, against West Orange, NJ and its Mayor, for the removal of the Columbus monument donated by Italian Americans. After our lawsuit, a number of other litigations were filed in various courts across the country.

Based on these legal battles, as well as continuous nationwide opposition to the attacks on Columbus, I believe the tide is turning, just a bit, as there now appears to be less activity against Columbus. We have won a number of battles, but we must win the war against the iconic symbol to Italian Americans, Christopher Columbus.

I met you more than ten years ago, and even then you were an incredibly effective opponent of stereotypes against Italian Americans. Could you summarize your decade-long battle on this issue, from past to present, which unfortunately still requires your intervention?

I am happy and honored to call you my friend for these past 10 years and sincerely appreciate your efforts at bringing Italians and Italian Americans closer together with “We the Italians - Two Flags, One Heart!”

I have actually been opposing negative stereotyping of Italian Americans practically my whole life! My father was a scientist and inventor who developed several scientific and industrial technologies which were financially successful. When we moved from Brooklyn to a nice home in New Jersey, I recall other kids saying that my father must be in the Mafia to have such a house. I constantly had to tell them that he was a scientist, not a criminal!

Later on, when I was in my early 20’s I ran for the Town Council and won the election. During the public portion of my first meeting, when I was installed to the town council, someone said that I probably won the election because I was “connected” – implying I was in the Mafia. At the next Council meeting a gentleman, who I did not know, admonished that statement as a harmful stereotype that was unacceptable. That gentleman was Dr. Manny Alfano. Thereafter I began working with Dr. Alfano in his efforts at opposing the negative stereotyping of Italian Americans.

Our first major effort was a demonstration at the corporate offices of WOR-TV, to oppose the re-airing of The Untouchables, a TV series from the 1950s, that had repeated references to Italian Americans as mobsters on every episode. After that we continued opposing negative stereotypes in many films and TV shows.

Fast-forward to 2009 when a new reality TV show MTVs “Jersey Shore” was being launched. I strongly opposed MTVs repeated use of the pejorative term “Guido” and the bad behavior of the cast members identified as Italian Americans. I knew this would be a new negative stereotype of young Italian Americans being perceived as the bimbos and buffoons on this show. Our opposition went viral resulting in many TV and radio interviews I did on major networks. I stated, “MTV has festooned the 'bordello-like' house set with Italian flag,s and green, white and red maps of New Jersey while every other cutaway shot is of Italian signs and symbols. They are blatantly as well as subliminally bashing Italian Americans with every technique possible.” We contacted sponsors and were successful in their ads being pulled from the show. This pressured MTV to meet with me at their corporate headquarters in New York city and the blatant negative references to Italian flags, imagery and pejorative terms in subsequent seasons were eliminated.

There are many other instances of our battles against stereotyping, too long to list. Suffice it to say, that Italian Americans are still the last ethnicity that has to deal with this – there does not seem to be any political correctness for us. That is why we have to continue this fight every single day!

I’m curious about something that happened a few months ago: the case of Luigi Mangione, the young Italian American who killed a manager of an important American insurance company and became almost a hero in the eyes of many. Did the fact that he was Italian American influence the way Italian Americans are described?

What a horrible crime! I can tell you that as soon as I heard his name as the alleged perpetrator, I was very worried! I thought  “Oh no! This will certainly launch negative stereotyping of Italians and Italian Americans.” In fact, I immediately contacted IOAVC Board members to advise them to be ready, should we need to respond. However, I was pleased that we did not see much of that at all - at least so far! Fortunately, it has not been the problem I thought it may be.

Another curiosity I’d like to get your opinion on is the fact that this year marks the 40th anniversary of the release of Super Mario Bros, the video game featuring an Italian plumber with an extravagant accent. Does he also fall under offensive stereotypes, or is he just a character that inspires affection?

We have heard both comments about this very popular character. Some say it is an offensive caricature of Italian men noting that exaggerated accent. While others feel Mario is a quasi-hero in his quest to save the princess. I feel it certainly would have been better if Nintendo did not make such a specific Italian characterization. But again, there is no political correctness when it comes to Italians and Italian Americans.

The last question is this: what can Italy and Italians living in Italy do to help the Italian American One Voice Coalition and all those who share your activities?

Certainly, we urge everyone to follow our activities at our website and on Facebook.

It is important for the people of Italy to know, understand and hopefully appreciate that we are Americans first, but at the same time very proud of our Italian heritage. The way that Italians and Italian Americans continue to be portrayed creates a negative perception, and unfortunately, perceptions become reality. That is why, we hope the people of Italy will join with us in opposing negative stereotypes wherever they may occur. Italians and Italian Americans have excelled in every facet of life, it is completely unacceptable that we continue to be subjected to these negative representations. As my dear friend and mentor, the late Dr. Alfano, always said “If we do say nothing, and do nothing, we will certainly become nothing.”

You may be interested