Are Italian Americans Being Forced To Forget Their Heritage?

This past month of October we were reminded by some media outlets that we were celebrating, "Italian Heritage Month." You may have known if you read my blog or visited some of the other Italian American sites, but if you hadn't --would you have known this fact-- that nationally as Italian Americans we were celebrating October as Italian Heritage Month?

I will say, many media outlets did a wonderful job in broadcasting & reporting Columbus Day parades locally & across the nation. But, honestly...if I wasn't so involved with my site and reaching out to other Italian Americans, I don't think many people had the opportunity to know or realize what resources are available to connecting to their Italian culture.

As Americans, yes --we are just that, American, but as an American we are part of something bigger, which is our cultural history. So, when you become surrounded by no resources, a sense of assimilation, and a society who shuns cultural education..then yes..I believe it could be possible we are becoming forgetful of our cultural history as Italian Americans.

Now, I don't want this to come off as negative, but there are so many everyday examples that can add to this theory. For instance, can your cultural identity be conflicting in your everyday life? My personal experiences have always leaned toward this being true, but you make amends with your upbringing and values, which then ultimately shapes your everyday life as an American.

You know, the more and more I am engrossed with my blog, Twitter, Facebook, etc..I realize so many Italian Americans are looking for anwers, relationships, ways of connecting to their cultural pasts. The biggest reason why they or YOU seek these answers to your Italian background is because this very thing I speak of, has happened--the fact that maybe your ancestors, parents, grandparents were forced to forget their cultural backgrounds not on purpose but because that was part of fitting in and becoming American.

So, now the generations come full circle and we all seek a common connection. I can only hope that collectively through my site and other Italian driven resources that we can remain, respect, celebrate and practice our traditions and memories as Italian Americans. So, lift a glass of wine this month and toast to your cultural background and be proud to be Italian American. Salute! Tweet

Italian Host of Brindiamo TV, Ornella Fado Celebrates Italian Heritage Month With New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg.

Ornella Fado, host of "Brindiamo TV" on PBS, celebrated Italian Heritage Month at Gracie Mansion this past week with New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg. Here was the Mayor's Intro:

MAYOR INTRO REMARKS:
"One of the best parts of our Italian Heritage Reception is always the food and drink. This year we’ve been fortunate to receive a number of delicious donations from around the city. Here to tell us more about them is a real expert on the subject. She is the host of Brindiamo! – the hit show on NYC-TV about Italian food in New York City.Please welcome Ornella Fado!"

Ornella continues to represent our Italian community with her impressive cultural show airing on PBS/NYC Television every Saturday at 10:30 am and prime time at 9:30 p.m.

Ornella is currently working on the launch of her new magazine. We wish her tanti auguri! Visit Ornella's site for up to date appearances and show schedules.

http://brindiamotv.com/Brindiamo%21/index.html.html

(Photo Credit:Stephen Shadrach) Tweet

This October Celebrate Italian American Heritage Month With The Thirty-One Days of Italians List for 2009.

Thirty-One Days of Italians 2009 List for Italian American Heritage Month.

CARY, NC – August 24, 2009 – The 2009 Quick Facts List of Thirty-One Days of Italians provides a date and name to celebrate for each day in October during Italian American Heritage Month.

October 1: The Italian Immigrant (A day to honor every Italian who journeyed to America from Italy.)

October 2: Amadeo Pietro Giannini (Established the branch banking system in America.)

October 3: Guglielmo Marconi (Known as the Father of Radio for his experiments with long distance wireless transmissions.)

October 4: Filippo Mazzei (Supporter of American freedom during American Revolution. Thomas Jefferson’s inclusion of “all men are created equal” into the Declaration of Independence is a paraphrase of Mazzei’s “All men are by nature equally free and independent.”)

October 5: Antonio Meucci (Original holder of the patent for the forerunner of today’s telephone.)

October 6: Joe DiMaggio (“The Yankee Clipper” led the NY Yankees to nine World Championships.)

October 7: Mario Lanza (Renowned tenor and film star in the mid-1950s.)

October 8: Helen Barolini (Award winning author of more than 50 literary works.)

October 9: Father Pietro Bandini (Missionary for Native Americans. In 1898 established Tontitown, “a perfect example of colonization," in Arkansas.)

October 10: Enrico Fermi (Discovered radioactive elements that heralded the nuclear age.)

October 11: Antonio Pasin (Created Radio Flyer wagon.)

October 12: Christopher Columbus (Navigator that changed the world, opening trade routes and immigration from Europe to the Americas.)

October 13: Maria Montessori, M.D. (Developed an educational method for teaching children.)

October 14: Henry Mancini (Awarded 20 Grammys and 4 Oscars for his film and television scores.)

October 15: John Ciardi (Poet laureate, etymologist, English professor, and radio host.)

October 16: Vince Lombardi (Football icon.)

October 17: Mother Francis Xavier Cabrini (First American citizen to become a saint.)

October 18: Enrico Caruso (World’s most acclaimed tenor in the early 1900s.)

October 19: Yogi Berra (Baseball player, manager, and famous for his quotes, known as "yogi-isms.")

October 20: Frank Capra (Acclaimed 20th Century film director, best known for It’s a Wonderful Life.)

October 21: Arturo Toscanini (One of the world’s greatest orchestra conductors.)

October 22: Giovanni da Verrazzano (First European explorer to enter the harbor of New York.)

October 23: Pietro di Donato (Author of the Italian American classic Christ in Concrete.)

October 24: Fiorello La Guardia (First three-term Mayor of New York City, and credited for changing its landscape and building the foundation for the city’s growth after the Depression.)

October 25: Amerigo Vespucci (Namesake of America.)

October 26: Geraldine Ferraro (First woman to be nominated on a major party ticket as Vice President of the United States.)

October 27: Constantino Brumidi (Known as the “Michelangelo of the [U.S.] Capitol.”)

October 28: Daniela Gioseffi (Award winning poet, writer, lecturer, and educator.)

October 29: Frank Sinatra (International entertainment icon.)

October 30: Andrea Palladio ("Father of Architecture," wrote The Four Books on Architecture, the most famous and influential books on architecture of all time, and still in print.)

October 31: Your Favorite Italian (Celebrate someone not on the list, but greatly admired.)

Author, educator, and researcher Janice Therese Mancuso established Thirty-One Days of Italians to promote the significant contributions that those of Italian heritage have made to America. She was awarded a grant from the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF), and has received support from the Italian Historical Society of America and others in the Italian American community.

For More Information Go To: Thirty-One Days of Italians http://home.earthlink.net/~31italians/ Tweet