Working For A Better Future

Americans of Italian Heritage, Inc. (A.I.H.), incorporated in 1982 is one of the largest and most active groups of its kind in the metropolitan area. A.I.H. works to support and elevate the quality of life in our city through intergroup, educational and cultural activities and civic involvement. The organization is committed to providing a communication link between the Italian-American community and other religious, racial and ethnic groups to make the public more aware of the Italian –American community’s achievements and objectives.

OBJECTIVES:

• To improve the general welfare of Italian-Americans and promote awareness of the Italian-American community’s needs, values, strengths and heritage.

• To create better understanding between different religious, racial and ethnic groups; in order to discover our commonality and develop better ways to work together and build a better city.

• To develop and implement strategies designed to combat discrimination and negative stereotyping.

• To provide positive role models for youth and encourage higher achievement.

• To conduct seminars, lectures and workshops on the Italian-American experience, as well as Italian heritage, and provide a forum the discussion of issues.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND:

When Italian immigrants arrived in the United States they had little or no experience with institutional life, having always relied on the family for support and assistance. This created an aversion to seeking government assistance and fueled the community’s traditional mistrust of government institutions. The net effect, although positive, has inhibited the development of a strong, vibrant community infrastructure which would better enable the community to function in our organization conscious society. Thus, due to the lack of an effective and vibrant community infrastructure, Italian-Americans have been unable to make the general public aware of the community’s values, strenghts and strong cultural background. A.I.H. was formed in 1982 to help correct this situation.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

A.I.H. has a proven record, over 17 years, of community involvement in numerous intergroup activities, cultural activities and programs directed against

bigotry, discrimination and negative stereotyping. Moreover, it has examined the role of women in our society, along with the problems of youth.

A.I.H. was in the vanguard of efforts to alleviate tensions and unrest after the Howard Beach incident, and has supported other functions to bring different religious, racial and ethnic groups together. Intergroup activities have been conduced communities. Also, A.I.H. has worked closely with the Queens division of the New York Urban League, over many years.

A.I.H. has continuously responded to instances of bigotry, discrimination and negative stereotyping by working to develop strategies to combat such instances. For example, panel discussions have been held to discuss instances of negative stereotyping in the arts and media.

Cultural activities have been a big part of A.I.H.’s programming. The works of Verdi, Pirandello, and Scorcese have been featured; and a lecture series is in progress to discuss the literary history of Italy. In addition, A.I.H. has supported plays and concerts featuring original works by young artists and/or events where such artists performed.

Special attention has been devoted to the problems of youth: A.I.H. has sponsored career days and meetings designed to bring young people from different religious, racial and ethnic groups together.

The achievements of women, especially Italian-American women, have been spotlighted. Meetings have been held to analyze the increasingly important role of women in contemporary America and the special problems women find confronting them.

WORKING FOR A BETTER FUTURE:

New York City has become more heterogeneous in the last decade, making the search for common values, goals and ways to build a better city, all the more important. A.I.H. will continue its program of sponsoring meetings, conferences and seminars with other religious, racial and ethnic group to: establish lines of communication, eliminate friction and mistrust, find unifying positions and better ways of understanding our differences. Also, A.I.H. will continue to work against bigotry, discrimination and negative stereotyping and will maintain a full schedule of cultural activities, as well as, programs engaging youth and women.