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AGBO announced today that Louis D’Esposito will be presented with the inaugural award at the Russo Brothers’ Italian American Filmmaker Forum Event on January 18. The Renaissance Award celebrates outstanding contributions to Italian American heritage and the entertainment industry. This is the first annual event for the Russo Brothers’ Italian Amer...

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ISDA Financial Life total member assets have eclipsed $381M, with millions more on the way from the fourth quarter of 2023. ISDA National President Basil M. Russo, National Controller Joann Blackwell, Sales Manager Jim Laick and ISDA Investment Manager Nick DePersis (along with Nick’s father, Ed) have elevated ISDA to a world-class organization, wh...

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Michael Rosella, a member of the St. Jude Lodge of the ISDA, published a monograph of his photographic works entitled Pittsburgh Streets 1950s. The book was released in November with a book signing event at the Heinz History Center, which is part of the Smithsonian. The center’s Italian American Program sponsored the event as an evening in conversa...

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Chicago’s Italian American community, represented by the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans (JCCIA), came together this week to address opportunities and challenges that are elevating and impacting our shared heritage. JCCIA President Ron Onesti convened the meeting and invited COPOMIAO President Basil Russo to speak on the transformative s...

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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...

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George Bochetto — the attorney representing Italian Sons and Daughters of America in its fight to block the removal of Pittsburgh’s Columbus statue — presented legal arguments to the judges of the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania on Wednesday morning. ISDA’s legal position, in part, stems from a 1955 ordinance that permitted the statue’s construc...

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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...

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The Columbus Day Parade has been a tradition for 35 years in Pittsburgh’s Little Italy. The parade made its way down Liberty Avenue in Pittsburgh’s Bloomfield neighborhood Saturday morning as spectators of all ages lined the streets. “Everybody’s here, having a beautiful day, enjoying the parade, that’s the only thing that matters,” said James Pion...

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Basil M. Russo, in his capacity as president of the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations (COPOMIAO), wrote the First Lady in July requesting that she host an event to celebrate her Italian heritage and honor the 18 million Americans of Italian descent. On Sept. 25, the First Lady agreed and graciously invited a large del...

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When most people think of Italian America, they probably think of the many famous East Coast Italian enclaves, but we've come to learn that some of the finest fruits of Italian influence in American life actually exist well off the beaten path. And few places we've visited, if any, bring the story of Italian immigration to life quite like Tontitown...

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