WASHINGTON, October 13, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — First Lady Jill Biden hosted a delegation of Italian-American leaders at the White House Thursday evening to highlight an indicator of cultural progress that has taken shape within the community.
Dr. Biden, the country’s first-ever Italian-American First Lady, met Basil M. Russo — president of the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian-American Organizations (COPOMIAO) — and peers to recognize the sacrifices and celebrate the contributions that Italian Americans have made to our country.
In honor of Italian American Heritage Month, First Lady Jill Biden hosts a White House reception to recognize and celebrate the contributions of Italian Americans across the United States (October 12, 2023).
“Our heritage is much more than our hospitality and our food, isn’t it? These are the Sicilians who were torn from their cells and killed in New Orleans by an angry crowd, it’s “Italians don’t need to apply”, it’s people like my father who was never quite accepted by my mother’s family because he was Italian. It is the story of those who led the movements, who wrote our laws and wrote our poetry; of men and women who were courageous, even when they were most afraid,” said the First Lady. in his speech to the delegation.
This historic meeting follows a series of growing and influential initiatives led by COPOMIAO, including the launch of a visionary film platform with the Hollywood company The Russo brothers in 2024, the creation of a national network young leaders scholarshipcementing strategic and commercial ties with Italian and Vatican leaders abroad, and the preservation at the base of Italian-American history.
“When I was named president of COPOMIAO in 2020, Italian-American leadership was fragmented and ready to take a new direction,” Russo said. “In three years, we have united hundreds of Italian-American organizations, collectively amassing over a million followers on social media, in partnership with Hollywood leaders, appeared on Capitol Hill and collaborated with Italian dignitaries. All of our efforts culminated in this landmark meeting with the First Lady, who is the first ever delegation invited to the White House to celebrate Italian American Heritage Month.
Russo and his colleagues began their collaboration with the Biden administration last year, working to develop the 2022 And 2023 Columbus Day Presidential Proclamations.
ABOUT COPOMIAO
Established in 1975 and based in New York, the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian-American Organizations (COPOMIAO) is a collective of the country’s most influential cultural, educational, fraternal, and anti-defamation groups. https://copomiao.org
SOURCE The Conference of Presidents of Major Italian-American Organizations
