Initiatives
Anti-Defamation and Positive Imaging
OSDIA and its anti-defamation branch, The Commission for Social Justice®, need your help to put an end to the persistent negative stereotyping of Italian Americans in advertising, entertainment and the media. We often call upon our members and supporters to participate in national campaigns, but you can also do something to make a difference in your state and community.
Below are some resources to help YOU help US put an end to defamation.
Be in the Know
Learn about just how pervasive stereotyping is in many facets of U.S. society—and examine cases of positive images.
- OSDIA Columns:
- “It’s Only a Movie” and “Sempre Avanti”
- CSJ 2013 President’s Report
- At the Movies: Positive Film Portrayals of Italian Americans, 1972-2003
- Italian American Stereotypes in U.S. Advertising
- Made in Hollywood: Italian Stereotypes in the Movies
- Take Off the Apron: Like recent Pizza Hut ad, ethnic stereotypes should be pulled
- Be Active: Fight Stereotyping & Promote Positive Images
- Fact Sheet: How to Fight Workplace Discrimination
- Fight Stereotypes from Your Computer
- Talking Points: “The Godfather” and Stereotyping in Hollywood
- Talking Points: Stereotyping on Television
- What You Can Do
Save Columbus Day
For much of its history, the United States considered Columbus a man worthy of admiration. Columbus Day is one of America’s oldest patriotic holidays, first celebrated in the 18th century. It was first celebrated on October 12, 1792, when the New York Society of Tammany honored Columbus on the 300th anniversary of his first voyage. America has more monuments to Columbus than any other nation in the world.
Columbus celebrates the beginning of cultural exchange between America and Europe. After Columbus, millions of European immigrants brought their art, music, science, medicine, philosophy and religious principles to America. These contributions have helped shape the United States and include Greek democracy, Roman law, Judeo-Christian ethics and the belief that all men are created equal.
Why celebrate Columbus Day?
Columbus Day recognizes the achievements of a great Renaissance explorer who founded the first permanent European settlement in the New World. The arrival of Columbus in 1492 marks the beginning of recorded history in America and opened relations between the Americas and the rest of the world.
Columbus Day is one of America’s oldest holidays, and is a patriotic holiday. In fact, the Pledge of Allegiance was written in 1892 in honor of the 400th anniversary of his first voyage. That year, President Benjamin Harrison declared Columbus Day a legal holiday.
1891 New Orleans Project
On March 14, 1891, 11 Italians were lynched by an organized mob set on their own form of justice. Thousands of mob members stormed the Orleans Parish Prison, where these innocent men were held, broke in and savagely killed and hanged the men, setting off a national and then an international scandal.
This set back Italian American relations, but, more significantly for those Italian immigrants as well as naturalized Italians in America, the bias and vitriol resulted in retribution, bias and opened a wound in the Italian American fabric for many years.
Successful in helping heal that wound, the Commission for Social Justice—the anti-bias arm of the Order Sons & Daughters of Italy—engaged the current New Orleans Mayor for an official Proclamation of Apology, which was offered at a recent April 12, 2019 ceremony in New Orleans.
Shortly thereafter, the Commission for Social Justice created the 1891 New Orleans Project, a national fundraiser to to establish a memorial for these Italian Americans at the site of the lynching. In October 2024, a commemorative plaque was officially erected in partnership with the American Italian Federation of the Southeast (AIFEDSE). The memorial serves to honor the 11 immigrants who were lynched in New Orleans, and also serves to pay tributed to the Italian American community and their contributions to our society.
Speaking after the plaque unveiling ceremony, Robert Ferrito, then-CSJ President and current National 5th Vice President, said “I’m happy that the CSJ was able to sponsor this plaque, and especially that we were a part of the dedication,” adding that “it was something I felt we needed to do.”