User:Accountable1/Italian American Organizations

= Italian American Organizations =

Since the beginning of the massive wave of Italian immigration to the United States from 1880-1920, organizations have formed to cater to the Italian immigrant. While Italian immigration has never again reached its former heights, many of the Italian immigrant organizations evolved to cater to the descendants of Italian immigrants.

=1800s=

Societá Unione e Fratellanza Italiana
Perhaps paradoxically, the first Italian organization created was many years before the "great wave" of Italian immigration. The Fratellanza Society was formed on November 11, 1866 in St. Louis, MO. The society was formed by a group of Italian immigrants in the city which sought to "take care of one another." The first president of SUFI was Antonio Curotto, a fruit merchant, who held the position from 1866-1868. It was his belief that newly arrived Italian immigrants needed assistance in acclimating themselves to their new country. Initially, the central benefit of being a member was that the group would provide a burial plot upon a member's death. This practice stretched from the group's inception in 1866 with the last burial plot being fashioned in 1941. During the group's early years, a member who was a doctor would also provide free medical assistance to other members and their families. The society still maintains a record of the dead that it helped bury.

One of the group's central themes was to foster a union between Italians and Americans, or according to the society's website "A unity which meant the fusing of all Italian-Americans into one compact body devoted to the interest of (American) patriotism, charity, and brotherly love." This theme has remained in place to this day, as the society continues to be a meeting ground for Italians, Italian-Americans and Americans. Although the society accepts all ethnic backgrounds into its hierarchy, it continues to be male dominated. As of 2010, the society only accepts males, 18 years of age or older.

Banca Stabile
Banca Stabile was established in 1885 by Italian immigrant Francesco Stabile, in the heart of New York City's Little Italy at 155 Mulberry Street. Although originally created to be a regional bank that appealed to Italian immigrants, it quickly evolved into a "one stop shop" for all Italian immigrant needs. The bank went on to provide telegraph, travel via steam ships, import-export, and post office services to enable Italians to readily and rapidly communicate with loved ones back in Italy. The bank also provided translation services, which aided immigrants in acclimating themselves to their new homeland. These additional service offered by the bank make it more of a community center and organization that simply a financial institution.

It is important to note that Banca Stabile continues to be a symbol of Italian and Italian American identity, albeit in a different form. The site in which the bank stood is now the home of the Italian American Museum.

=1900s=

Order Sons of Italy in America
Originally called "Figli d'Italia", the Order Sons of Italy in America (better known as the OSIA) was founded on June 22, 1905 in New York's Little Italy.http://www.osia.org/about/history.php The primary founding member was Vincenzo Sellaro, M.D., and five other Italian immigrants who came to the United States during the great Italian migration (1880-1923). The group's aim was to create a support system for all Italian immigrants that would assist them with becoming U.S. citizens, provide health/death benefits and educational opportunities and offer assistance with assimilation in America.

Some of the impressive accomplishments of the group's early history were: establishing free schools to teach Italian immigrants English, creating orphanages and old-age facilities, providing credit unions, supplying life insurance and granting scholarships. To date, many of these features remain intact- the OSIA still provides scholarships to Italian Americans and has donated heavily to educational and scientific endeavors.

The OSIA went from its local roots in New York to become one of the largest Italian American organizations. It currently has over 700 lodges nationwide, which are home to thousands of members. The OSIA, forever watching out for Italian identity, also created the Commission for Social Justice, which seeks to defend the Italian image from negative portrayals and stereotypes.

National Italian American Foundation
Founded in Washington, D.C. in 1975, the National Italian American Foundation is a foundation that promotes Italian American culture and heritage. The NIAF serves as a resource to the Italian American community and has educational programs including scholarships, grants, heritage travel, mentoring and anti-defamation protection. The foundation also has yearly "gala" events, which honors important Italian/ Italian American figures as well as showcases Italian achievements in various fields.

The NIAF's intervention on behalf of Italian and American relations can be evidenced best by its work after the 2009 earthquake in Abruzzo, Italy. Shortly following the earthquake, the NIAF not only sponsored dozens of students from the region to attend school in America, but also sent relief crews to restore the devastated medieval town. As of July, 2010 the NIAF is still helping to rebuild Abruzzo to its former glory. While the NIAF states that it is non-partisan and non-profit, it does work closely with the Italian American Congressional Delegation and with sitting American Presidents.

Unlike the OSIA mentioned above, the NIAF does not have national lodges- its is a centralized organization based in Washington, D.C. Members need not be Italian to join.