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A civic leader is demanding that Mayor Lori Lightfoot apologize for the obscene and derogatory remarks a lawsuit alleges she made about Italian Americans during a phone call to discuss the statue of Christopher Columbus removed from Arrigo Park. That statue was taken away on Lightfoot’s orders in 2020 after it became the target of protests and vand...

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The Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans and the JCCIA Women’s Division will join hands to celebrate an Italian-American version of Women’s History Month throughout March. In keeping with the 2022 Women’s History Month theme — “Providing Healing, Promoting Hope” — they will honor Italian-American doctors, nurses, police officers, firefighters...

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Italian Americans seeking the return of Chicago’s Christopher Columbus statue to its former pedestal in Little Italy allege that Mayor Lori Lightfoot interfered with a Park District contract to keep the monument on display “in perpetuity,” according to a recently filed complaint. Lightfoot has been newly added as a defendant in a lawsuit the Joint...

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Do you know someone with a compelling story about achieving the Italian-American dream? The Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans has launched an oral history project to preserve these stories for posterity. The project gathers tales of adversity and triumph in the transition from life in Italy to life in America. Interviewees share their own...

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The Italian tricolors were proudly flown at nine Chicago-area libraries throughout the month of October thanks to the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans. The initiative was spearheaded by Cav. Uff. Lyn Scolaro, JCCIA third vice president and education committee chair. Italian books, decorations, photos, toys and other realia were among the...

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The Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans marked the 700th anniversary of the passing of Dante Alighieri with a standout media luncheon on Sept. 14. Galleria Marchetti in Chicago was bursting at the seams with journalists, elected officials and community leaders who had come to honor CBS President and General Manager Jennifer Lyons and Chicago...

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The Women’s Division of the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans will honor eight accomplished women at the 2021 Impresa Awards. Scholarships will also be presented to several deserving female high school seniors at the event. “We’re always so proud to host the Impresa Awards,” JCCIA Women’s Division President Rosemary Ranallo says. “It’s our...

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It's not easy to take over the reins of NIAF at this time, with a pandemic that is still doing damage and casualties, and that has left major economic and social problems in the United States. Several programs of the National Italian American Foundation, as well as other national and local Italian American and non-Italian American organizations, ha...

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ABC7, Chicago's most-watched television station, is celebrating the city's vibrant Italian American community with the broadcast of the 69th annual Columbus Day Parade. The hourlong event is hosted by ABC7 Windy City Weekend anchors Val Warner and Ryan Chiaverini. They will be joined in the broadcast booth by Anthony Rago, Italian American Human Re...

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The enormous positive impact of Italian immigrants on America has never garnered much attention in grade and high school classrooms across the state. But when longtime Illinois educator Diana Hartmann, Ed. S., noticed that books on the subject were disappearing from the shelves of school libraries, she decided to take action. “I wanted to make sure...

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