Italian American Heritage Project
The Italian American Heritage Project (IAHP) provides educational resources about Italian American history, heritage,
and culture with a straightforward view on the roles of Italians in American history and culture.
IMMIGRATION
INTERNMENT
STEREOTYPES
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without permission except when published with this credit:
Excerpt from the Italian American Heritage Project, ©2018-2022 Janice Therese Mancuso.
Copyright 2018-2024 Janice Therese Mancuso
Contact: jtmancuso@earthlink.net Subject: IAHP
~
ABOUT
~
JANICE THERESE MANCUSO
Janice
had
been
promoting
Italian
heritage
since
1998,
when
she
created
a
monthly
newsletter
for
an
Italian
American
women's
group.
After
establishing
the
newsletter,
she
began
researching
and
writing
about
Italian
and
Italian
American
history
and
culture,
planned
cultural
events
for
the
club,
and
became
a
board
member.
In
appreciation
of
her
work,
and
to
help
with
her
research,
three
ladies—three
generations
of
one
family—presented
her
with
the
book
Italians
First:
An
A
to
Z
of
Everything
Achieved
First
by
Italians
written
by
Arturo
Barone.
(The
fourth
edition
retitled The Italian Achievement is listed on the IAP.) The book opened her world to her Italian heritage and changed her direction in life.
With
a
desire
to
further
promote
Italian
history
and
culture,
Janice
started
to
write
Con
Amore
in
1999,
focusing
on
entertaining
and
educating
her
readers.
During
her
research,
she
became
even
more
fascinated
with
Italian
history
and
realized
there
was
too
much
information
to
include
in
her
book.
In
2004,
she
started
Tutto
Italiano,
(at
first
a
biweekly
but
now)
a
monthly
e-newsletter
about
everything
Italian.
After
Con
Amore
was
published
in
2006,
Janice
began
writing
for
La
Gazzetta
Italiana
,
a
print
and
web
media
source
for
the
Italian
American
Community
and
she
founded Thirty-One Days of Italians, named for the number of days in October - Italian American Heritage Month.
In
July
2011,
Janice
became
the
new
owner
of
The
Italian
American
Press,
an
online
resource
that
promotes
books
primarily
written
by
authors
of
Italian
heritage
who
write
about
Italian
American
and
Italian
culture,
heritage,
and/or
history.
Janice’s
continued
interest
in
the
Italian
American
experience
is
the
catalyst
behind
the
Italian
American
Heritage
Project,
a
website
that
offers
a
straightforward
view
on
the
roles
of
Italians
in
America, providing educational resources, articles, lesson plans, and links to websites about Italian American history, heritage, and culture.
ITALIAN HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA
The
Italian
Historical
Society
of
America
is
a
non-profit
educational
and
research
corporation,
under
the
leadership
of
John
J.
LaCorte,
Ph.D.,
Emeritus
Professor
of
Philosophy
(former
Professor
of
Philosophy
and
Religious
Studies)
at
California
State
University,
Dominguez
Hills.
His
father,
John
N.
LaCorte,
founded
the
Society
in
1949
to
overcome
negative
stereotypes
by
popularizing
the
lives
of
the
many
Italians
who
have
made
significant
contributions
to
Western
Civilization,
and
to
inspire
others
who
learn
of
these
great
achievements.
The
motto
of
the
Society
is
Inspiratio per Exemplum, "Inspiration through Example."
The
Society
has
begun
to
direct
its
energies
and
resources
toward
reaching
a
wider
audience
through
the
use
of
video,
computer
technologies,
and
evolving
electronic
media;
and
is
also
focusing
on
the
development
of
educational
materials,
made
available
to
schools,
that
bring
an
awareness of the significant contributions that the Italian culture has brought to our way of life.
The
Society
is
the
Fiscal
Sponsor
for
the
Italian
American
Heritage
Project,
providing
a
501(c)3
non-profit
status,
that
allows
for
tax-deductible
contributions.
Contributions
are
accepted
for
any
amount
and
will
allow
work
to
continue
for
developing
the
required
education
materials
necessary
for
teaching and learning about Italian American history, culture, and heritage.
~
WHAT
YOU CAN DO
~
~
DONATE
~
A
concentrated
effort
to
eliminate
Columbus
Day
has
been
taking
place
throughout
America
for
more
than
30
years.
Much
can
be
attributed
to
the
“Abolish
Columbus
Day”
campaign
by
the
Zinn
Education
Project
–
a
program
that
targets
school
children
to
judge
the
actions
that
occurred
during
the
fifteenth
century
with
twenty-first
century
values.
Additionally,
the
information
they
receive
is
one
sided,
based
on
passages
taken
out
of
context
from
abstracts
of
Columbus’s
logs.
Children
are
urged
not
only
to
act
on
their
emotions,
but
also
to
base
their
emotions
on
incomplete
and,
in
some cases, manipulated facts.
More
important,
though,
is
the
effect
this
has
on
children
of
Italian
American
heritage.
These
children
are
forced
to
learn
that
an
Italian
is
the
cause
of genocide, slave trading, and other horrific acts that, even today, continue to cause irrefutable harm to Native Americans.
Hours of research has gone into this project and it will continue to provide up-to-date resources, that will be added on a regular basis.
COLUMBUS CONTROVERSY
Parents and Grandparents of School-age Children
Talk
to
your
children
and
grandchildren.
Ask
them
what
they
are
learning
in
school
about
Columbus
and
other
Italians.
Ask
them
how
they
feel
about
what
they
are
being
taught.
Ask
the
principal
and
teachers
if
they
support
“Abolish
Columbus
Day;”
and,
if
so,
ask
them
to
also
teach
about
Columbus and his voyages. Attend PTA meetings to voice concerns about any biased materials being used.
Teachers, Instructors, Professors
Teach
the
history
of
events
in
Europe
before,
during,
and
after
each
Columbus
voyage.
Remind
your
students
that
these
events
are
not
isolated,
but
reflect
the
views
and
technology
of
the
time.
Present
both
sides
to
offer
an
unbiased
view.
Think
about
how
your
teachings
affect
students
of
Italian heritage.
Supporters of Italian Heritage
Ask
what
is
being
taught
in
your
schools.
If
you
find
biased
information
online,
contact
the
appropriate
person
and
ask
for
a
clarification
and
the
resources
used.
Provide
a
list
of
the
contributions
made
to
America
by
those
of
Italian
heritage
(See
Thirty-One
Days
of
Italians
for
names
and
achievements). For questions or assistance, contact Janice at jtmancuso@earthlink.net with IAHP as the subject.
ITALIAN STEREOTYPES
Contact
the
company
to
let
the
proper
department
know
that
the
material
being
used
to
advertise
its
product
or
service
discriminates
against
those
of Italian heritage by negative portrayals.
The
Italian
American
Heritage
Project
needs
your
help.
Initial
funding
has
been
provided
by
the
Italian
Historical
Society
of
America,
but
this
ongoing project will need ongoing funding.
Become Part of the IAHP
Donate to the IAHP and have your name listed on the Contributor’s Page
Donate any amount: Donor’s name
$25.00 to $50.00: Donor’s name and state (with his or her approval)
$51.00 to $100.00: Donor’s name, state, and city of Italian ancestry
$101.00 to $200.00: Donor’s name, state, city of Italian ancestry, and three sentences about donor’s heritage
Over $200.00: Donor’s artwork (subject to limitations) posted for six months .
NOTE: You will receive an email from Janice with the subject IAHP Donation Receipt, and noting the
Italian Historical Society of America as the recipient. All funds are distributed by the IHSA to the IAHP.
Preserve Your
Italian Heritage