Italian American One Voice Coalition

Italian American coalition applauds

Washington, DC - Sept. 18, 2000 -- A coalition of Italian American organizations has publicly applauded the decision of New York Columbus Day Parade organizers to  "dis-invite" cast members from the HBO series "The Sopranos" from participating in this year's parade on October 9 in New York City.

"The Sopranos is guilty of damaging the image and character of an estimated 20 million Italian Americans by using their religion, customs, and values in a violent and immoral context," the coalition wrote in a prepared statement released September 18. "Actors who participate in this mass character assassination do not deserve to be part of New York City's annual tribute to Columbus and to the millions of Italian Americans who helped make this country the power it is today."

The statement was signed by nine Italian American organizations: The National Italian American Foundation in Washington, D.C.; the Anti-Bias Committee; Bella Mia; the Commission for Social Justice; the Federation of
Italian American Societies of New Jersey; the Italic Studies Institute; the Italian American One Voice Committee; the Order Sons of Italy in America; and Unico.

Last week the coalition staged a demonstration protesting "The Sopranos" in front of HBO headquarters in New York City timed to the September 10 Emmy Awards Ceremony . Earlier in the year, the coalition's Italian American One Voice Committee awarded "Sopranos" creator David Chase its first 'Pasta-tute' of the Year Award as the Italian American who most egregiously maligned his own heritage for personal gain.

    The National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) is a non-profit organization based in Washington, DC and dedicated to preserving the heritage of an estimated 20 million Americans of Italian descent, the nation's fifth largest ethnic group.

The Italian American One Voice Coalition is a national network of activists enabling the 25 million members of the Italian American community to act as one united voice when dealing with defamation, discrimination and negative stereotyping of our grand culture and heritage.  

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Chairman email: Dr. Emanuele Alfano

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