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Uguaglianza - NYS oldest continuing OSIA Lodge

Uguaglianza Northeast Bronx Lodge No. 83 is the oldest continuing Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America (OSIA) lodge in NYS.

Chartered in 1911, Uguaglianza was originally a men’s-only lodge. In the 1990s women were accepted into membership. In 2000, the Northeast Bronx Lodge No. 2091 merged into it.

It was not until 2004 that Uguaglianza elected its first female president, Josephine M. Bastone. She was also the first person representing a Bronx lodge to be elected to a state-wide position in OSIA, that of Commissioner of Arbitration, in over 40 years.

Josephine M. Bastone, an attorney and accountant, is president of The Enrico Fermi Cultural Center Committee; president and co-founder of The Columbia Society, based in the courts; past-president of The Network of Bar Leaders and of The Bronx Women’s Bar Association; as well as involvement with other organizations. Active in women’s rights efforts, she has been honoured by numerous legal and community groups.

In addition to Bastone, Uguaglianza has enjoyed a long list of well-known Italian-American labour, legal, and political leaders as members over the years, including Antonini, Molisani, LaGuardia, Procaccino, Velella, etc.