L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2016 www.italoamericano.org 11 L'Italo-Americano LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE Dear Readers, October will always be Italian American Heritage month to those of us with "roots in the boot" , despite efforts of the politically correct to rewrite history and white out the Great Navigator from our national legacy. A decade ago, author and educator Janice Mancuso, came up with "Thirty-one days of Italians" for the month of October. The list of Italians and Italian Americans who enriched our lives via their talent or extraordinary achievements was intended to promote Italian American Heritage Month throughout the U.S. and inform people about Italian American history, culture, and heritage. I have printed the list in its original form except for October 31st, Halloween a day known for tricks, treats and horror stories. And believe me, Dear Readers, some of the anti-Columbus and anti Italian American cultural celebration movements, reported in the latest Official Log of the Italic Institute of America (website: Italic.org - tel:516-488- 7400 - Institute Director John Mancini) are real horror stories to all hardworking law abiding and productive Italo-Americans living and disrespectful to the memory of our forefathers who in disproportionate numbers served in our Military or helped enrich our lives. The Italic Institute has also printed a leaflet entitled Why Columbus Day? which reads in part: Christopher Columbus, Admiral of the Ocean Sea, has become the personification of all the evils that have befallen indigenous peoples of Americas and the sub-Saharian Africans brought to the Americas to become slaves. His place in history has been transformed by a few from intrepid discoverer to that of mass murderer. October 12, 1492 is now viewed by some as another date to live in infamy. If you mourn 1492 instead of celebrating it, are you really saying that the Americas should have been left unopened to any outside exploration and settlement? Or are you saying that some other explorer, or some other race of religion would have done things better?... *** October dates to celebrate 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 branch banking system in America) October 3: Guglielmo Marconi (Known as 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 New York Yankees to nine World Championships.) October 7: Mario Lanza (Renowned tenor and film star in the mid-1950s.) October 8 Gian Carlo Menotti (Opera composer, founded the Spoleto Festival of Two Worlds.) 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 Grammy and 4 Oscars for his film and television scores.) October 15: Dean Martin (Popular 20th century entertainer of stage and film.) October 16: Vince Lombardi (Football icon.) October 17: Mother Francis Xavier Cabrini (Fist American citizen to become Saint.) October 18: Enrico Caruso (World's most acclaimed tenor in the early 1900s.) October 19: Luisa Tetrazzini (World known soprano opera singer of the early 20th century.) 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: Joseph Maselli (Founder of the New Orleans American Italian Renaissance Foundation Research Library & Museum.) and in 1973 The Italian American Digest, "The Italian American Voice of the South". Joe Maselli passed away in October 2009. Joe's obituary was carried by numerous newspapers in Louisiana. Joe was unique in the sense that he could converse with highly placed individuals and the common person as well. It was under his agency that he organized and reorganized numerous Italian-American clubs in New Orleans, the state of Louisiana and as far and wide as the Southeast, and that included Texas, Mississippi, Alabama and other states beyond that area. October 23: Robert Mondavi (Greatly influenced the wine industry in America.) October 24: Fiorello La Guardia (First three-term Mayor of New York City, 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 Unite States Capitol.) October 28: Rocky Marciano (The only Heavyweight World Champion to retire undefeated.) 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: Halloween trays for the Italic Institute of America and its vigilant members. "Grazie" to their official Log I learned that the National Education Association, to which most of this country's teachers belong, recently passed Business Item #24 which calls for the replacement of Columbus Day with El Dia De la Raza/ Indigenous People's Day. To due the change, the NEA has allocated $50,000 to prepare literature and strategies for approaching school boards around the nation. While the anti- Columbus movement has centered around universities and individual city school districts, the NEA decision is aiming for a national school standard. What is different in the NEA approach is linking Hispanics with indigenous peoples. El Dia de la Raza (The Day of the [New] Race) is how Columbus's discovery is celebrated South of the Border. It honors the mixing of European and indigenous peoples - mestizos - mixed bloods. Clearly, the NEA is creating a new alliance among the non- European population. Observes Institute Director John Mancini says, "Columbus Day is a Federal holiday which is being eroded from the ground up. Can these grassroots protests eventually lead to a Congressional surrender? Politicians only have one goal - to be reelected." One of the problems in preserving Columbus Day is that most people believe it's a celebration of Italian American culture, which it is not. Such a misconception leads to parallel debates: Native Americans see the holiday as celebrating their extermination while Italian Americans see losing the day as an insult to Italian culture. Says Mancini, "It's Columbus, stupid! And exploration, human progress and joining two worlds. Not Pasta and Ferraris." *** Another anti-Columbus movement, this one in New York state, was put on hold earlier this year when the Italic Institute, joined forces with the CSJ (commission for Social Justice, Sons of Italy) in an appeal to that community's Board of Ed not to rename Columbus Day for Indigenous Peoples. The adversary was the Shinnecock Tribe, some of whose children attended publics schools in South Hampton, Long Island. If not for the show of force at the Board meeting, the substation of Indigenous People Day for Columbus Day would have been a fast down deal. *** To help preserve Columbus Day while many self-serving politicians and business leaders are performing "Columbo- ectomies" to expunge the Great Navigator from our national legacy, the Italic Institute has produced a banner of pride for your home, club, or business. Show your colors for $45. Order the banner through italic,org of by check payable to the Italic Institute, PO Box 818, Floral Park, NY 11002. They have printed a leaflet Why Columbus Day? Which can be ordered 100 @ $25 at italic.org or to the address above. Perfect for clubs. lodges, and groups to inspire your members.

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