L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, MAY 31, 2018 www.italoamericano.org L'Italo-Americano 2 O n the second of June, Italians celebrate the 72nd anniversary of their Republic, and honor the 1946 Referendum where, by choosing the Republic, they decided the future of the nation. Flicking through our pages, you'll immediately notice it contains a supplement: in collaboration with the Consolato Generale d'Italia in Los Angeles, L'Italo Americano brought the Italian Constitution to its readers. Knowing it means to understand the norms and principles at the basis of Italy's social and political life, and to gain full awareness of the rights and duty of each and every citizen of the peninsula. It is a particularly relevant contribute, considering Italy has been working to create a new government in these very weeks. When it came into effect, taking the place of the 1848 Statuto Albertino, the act governing the Kingdom of Italy and promulgated by Carlo Alberto di Savoia, its principles marked the definitive ending of Italy's Fascist Regime and of two world wars. The last article, number 139, states that Italy must remain a republic: a guarantee against totalitarianisms, dictatorships and antidemocratic regimes. In July 1946, a commission formed by 75 members of the first democratically elected Parliament started drafting the new Constitution. Among the protagonists of that extraordinary political period we'll find the leaders of the main anti-fascist parties, from Alcide De Gasperi to Palmiro Togliatti, from Giuseppe Saragat to Bernardo Mattarella, the father of Italy current president, from Concetto Marchesi to Piero Calamandrei. Among them, also 21 women representing a universe that, for the first time in the history of Italy, had finally exercised its right to vote on that 2nd of June 1946. In January 1947, a first draft was submitted to the Constituent Assembly, which had discussed it for more than 8 months. There were discussions and mediations, agreements were found on all matters that divided political forces the most and, at the end of the year, on the 27th of December 1947, the Constitution was approved and signed by Italy's provisional Head of State, Enrico De Nicola. The constitution was June 2nd, a present of the Italian Constitution and our 110th birthday From the director enforced on the first of January 1948, three years after Italy's Liberation and the end of the Second World War: the document established, before anything else, that in Italy's democratic republic sovereignty belongs to the people. It was the same in Ancient Rome: governing is a "res publica," that is, a public thing which belongs to everyone. The text consists of 139 articles, and 18 transitional and final dispositions. It begins with the 12 Principi Fondamentali, fundamental principles, at the root of all other rules and an embodiment of all essential civil and political rights, guaranteed in their immutability, starting from the fundamental equality in front of the law of all citizens, and from the inviolability of human rights. In this context, the Constitution's first article is determinant: Italy is a republic founded on work. The democratic system attributes to working an essential value, which replaced the medieval and monarchic principle that wanted a state's social system rooted on census and hereditary status. The Constitution is 9369 words long, 1002 among them are basic Italian. It isn't a difficult read, because it never meant to address only specialists, but it rather represents a juridical picture accessible to all. It wasn't a case the final version was revised by a group of language experts to make sure its content was clear and comprehensible. As it is for the rest of our paper, we propose the Italian Constitution in a bilingual version, so that all our readers will have the opportunity to understand it fully while, at the same time, test their linguistic knowledge. We do this because L'Italo Americano's own mission is to promote Italy's cultural and social patrimony. The supplement, conceived with the Consolato Generale d'Italia, is also our gift to celebrate together with you, our dear readers, the 110th birthday of L'Italo-Americano. This is, for us, an immense achievement that confirms the extraordinary path our newspaper followed to become the longest existing Italian American publication in the USA. But this anniversary is also a celebration bringing many a present. Starting with the Raffle we'll launch in June to offer you the opportunity to win a wonderful trip to Italy and a guided tour of Eastern Sicily. Among the other prizes, precious jewelry representing historical symbols of Italy and products that have the uniqueness, craftsmanship and high quality of "Made in Italy" in their DNA. You'll only need a few dollars to participate and, even more importantly, to support L'Italo Americano's next big project: to keep on being the voice of the West Coast's Italian American community for the next 110 years. Happy birthday to L'Italo Americano, then, and to you, our dear readers, our very own reason to be. Simone Schiavinato, Director NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS

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