L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2016 www.italoamericano.org 14 L'Italo-Americano LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE Dear readers, January, the month of Fresh Starts and Resolutions, even if just symbolic, are a useful way to put momentum behind good intentions. Resolutions can also draw you to brighter place because they are inherently opti- mistic. If one of your New Year goals is to update the mostly dialect Italian Language skills learned in your childhood years or desire to introduce Italian to the "bambini" in your life, you are in luck, because both adults and children will find an "abbon- danza" of italian classes spon- sored by Italian-American orga- nizations in the Bay Area and beyond waiting for you. Among them is the School of Italian Language and Culture (Scuola di Lingua e Cultura Italiana) a non- profit organization founded in 1970 which my "Bambini" Angelina and Caterina attended on Saturdays back in the 1970's. La Scuola offers conversa- tional Italian classes which include history, culture, pronun- ciation and grammar. Italian speakers and non-Italian speakers are welcome. There are classes for children and adults. Classes meet Saturday morning from 10:00 am to 12:30 pm. The win- ter January session begins next week. For more info, call (650) 574-3089 or visit www.italian- classes.com. La Scuola is located at 825 Southwood Drive, South San Francisco, Ca 94083. *** Happy New Year 2016 and as you list your New Year resolu- tions be sure to include giving gift subscriptions to L'Italo- Americano to all your friends and relatives throughout the year. Readers with "studenti" in the family studying far from home will find that the digital version of L'Italo-Americano, only $24 a year ($40 for 2 years), makes an ideal gift and can be viewed on any device, anytime and any- where your young "studente" may be. *** New Year 2016 is also a chance to play our Italian Heritage forward with the "Bambini" in our lives because never before has our Italian Heritage been so grossly distort- ed, via Tony Soprano type depic- tions, Jersey Shore Guidos and Guidettes on T.V. and Mafia video games. *** The Italian Children's Market (www.italianchildrens- market.com), request a free cata- log online or call 310-427-2700 a number you should keep handy throughout New Year if you want to "Give the Gift of Heritage" to the young people in your life. They have hand-picked toys, DVD's, books, clothing, Pinocchio toys and many other newly imported items from Italy, which will introduce children of all ages to the culture and lan- guage of Italy. Italian Children's Market (1536 W. 25th St., Ste. 321, San Pedro, California 90732, tel. 310.427.2700) can be your source for Italian Culture and Language Products for chil- dren throughout the New Year and beyond. The "abbondanza" of Italian connected products for children under one is just fantas- tic. They do mail orders, which are sent Priority Mail, so the "Bambini" in your life can receive any gifts you wish to send them in less than 4 or 5 days. They have toys, books, DVSs, CDs, Infant Onesies. Youth T-shirts and more avail- able for all your gift giving needs. *** Although January is a time to look forward nostalgia, even when it is bittersweet, with loss of old friends, helps us recognize our Blessings. Here is a look back to 2015 when the N.I.A.F. celebrated the 40th Anniversary of its founding: the birth of NIAF dates back to an April day in 1975, when activist priest, Monsignor Geno Baroni and 19 other Italian Americans met in Washington D.C. Their goal was to form an organization that would focus broadly on issues and goals of interest to the nation's nearly 20 million Italian Americans. When the organization offi- cially began operating in 1976, its ranks included some of the most prominent Italian Americans in the country, including its founding chairman, entrepreneur Jeno Paulucci, founder of Chun King and Jeno's Pizza chains. That fall began the NIAF tra- dition of celebrating prominent Italian Americans at a formal dinner. Later the gala was expanded to include an entire weekend of activities. The honorees at the first din- ner, held at the Washington Hilton, were the 29 Italian American who were serving in Congress. Among other digni- taries were former President Gerald Ford, President Jimmy Carter and Vice-President Walter Modale. The ballroom was abuzz with Italian pride, as Chairman Paulucci told the guests "tonight ... you see the strength, you see the influence, you see the recog- nition of a unified community of Italian Americans. We are no longer a sleeping giant." Paulucci also had his eyes on raising funds to keep the national organization in operation, and he created the Council of 100, a core group of enthusiastic supporters, which I joined in 1977, after attending a Southern California Friends of the Italian American Foundation Luncheon followed by a collo- quium-discussion on Italian- American issues with Speakers the Honorable Joseph Alioto and former Ambassador to Italy John Volpe, held at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel's Grand Trianon room. The galas became a huge draw in Washington D.C. In 1984, NIAF's awards dinner was attended by President Ronald Reagan, Vice President George H.W. Bush, and their Democratic rivals Walter F. Mondale and Geraldine Ferraro. A few years later, Joe Di Maggio chose to miss the opening game of the 1989 World Series so that he could attend the gala. To celebrate its tenth anniver- sary in 1985, NIAF's sole hon- oree for its October gala was Frank Sinatra, who was clearly thrilled with the honor, as were his friends President Ronald Reagan and his wife Nancy. During the 1980s, Italian Americans were becoming increasingly more prominent. Mario Cuomo became governor of New York, Geraldine Ferraro, became the first Italian American (and the first woman) nominated for Vice President, and Antonin Scalia became a Supreme Court justice. As NIAF ushered in its third decade in a new headquarters in Washington D.C. in an Italianate villa that bears the name of once Ambassador to Italy Peter F. Secchia. The organization now saw its mission as foremost rep- resentatives of the nation's Italian Americans, the fifth largest eth- nic group in the country. Over the years, NIAF estab- lished a variety of programs and activities, including ethnicity conferences, the creation of a national media institute to help ensure a fair portrayal of Italian Americans in the media, (they made little progress with this one) but great with student schol- arships and student exchange program with Italy. And, after the devastating 2009 earthquake in Italy's Abruzzo region, NIAF partnered with the U.S. State Department to help raise $2 mil- lion from the Italian American community and beyond for rebuilding educational facilities and bringing hundreds of stu- dents to the United States on full scholarships. The NIAF Galas, held during our Italian American Heritage Month, attract two or three thou- sand attendees from the U.S. and Italy annually. They are also a time to reflect on our Italian her- itage and pay homage to our ancestors who emigrated from Italy and who often faced racial, social and religious discrimina- tion. It's also a time to be thank- ful for the successes of Italian immigrants, who have flourished in nearly all aspects of American life. *** Attending NIAF Galas through the years have been Massimo Ferragamo, Frank Capra, President George H. W. Bush, Nancy Reagan, President Ronald Reagan, Jeno Paulucci, President of the Italian Senate Marcello Pera, Sophia Loren, Robert De Niro, Yogi Berra, Giorgio Armani, Isabella Rossellini, President Bill Clinton, Luciano Pavarotti, Joe DiMaggio, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, Donatella Versace, Tommy Lasorda, Sylverster Stallone, Tony Bennett, Roberto Benigni, Jerry Vale, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Dom Deluise, Liza Minelli, Al Pacino, Mario Cuomo, Geraldine Ferraro, Andrea Bocelli, Ernest Borgnine, Frank Sinatra, Alan Alda, John Travolta, Christopher Reeve, Joe Montana, Danny De Vito, Joe Paterno and Maria Gloria.

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