Over the years, the most prominent Italian American organizations have struggled to come together around their common goal of uplifting the community that they serve, often competing with one another rather than as a cohesive group.
That was until 2021 when the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations (COPOMIAO), an umbrella organization comprised of 50+ Italian American groups that aim to honor and promote their ancestrial heritage and traditions, hosted a National Italian American Summit meeting to discuss ways to leverage the resources of these organizations to create positive change. Working under one roof, COPOMIAO made some successful strides in 2022, including the implementation of an inclusive Italian Heritage Curriculum in grades K-12 in conjunction with the New Jersey Italian Heritage Commission (NJIHC), collaborating with the White House to issue a Columbus Day Proclamation, among other key wins.
However, in 2023, several member organizations felt that COPOMIAO began to stray from its founding purpose as they felt unheard in the decision-making process. This led to their resignation from COPIMIAO and to the recent formation of a new association of major Italian American organizations called the Italian American Leadership Forum (IALF). Its stated mission is to “serve as a mechanism to discuss, debate and act on the most important public policy issues facing our community,” in addition to acting as a coordinative body that provides a “spiritual bond that encourages, supports and assists the membership to build consensus and advance our shared goals.”
The founding members of IALF are some of the biggest and most well-known Italian American organizations in the country including but not limited to the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF), Columbus Citizens Foundation (CCF), Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America (OSDIA – Supreme Lodge, CSJ, and Foundation), as well as the National Organization of Italian American Women (NOIAW). Per OSDIA President Robert Bianchi, these major organizations have different approaches to serving the needs of the Italian American community on their own, but by working together and leveraging the unique resources of each, IALF has the opportunity to further amplify these needs at a national level.
One of the most important items on the agenda of Italian American organizations is the preservation of Columbus Day. While Primo Magazine has alleged that IALF left COPOMIAO because of its pro-Columbus stance in an article titled “There Is No Turning Back for COPOMIAO Under Leadership of Basil M. Russo,” Mr. Bianchi called BS during a recent interview:
“That is the biggest bunch of bullsh*t I have ever heard. That is not anywhere near the truth,” said Bianchi before reiterating the group’s commitment to the celebration of Christopher Columbus.
Ensuring that future Italian American generations celebrate Columbus Day is just one of the many planned initiatives that IALF will contribute to. Its intention is not to develop a competing organization that will act to overshadow COPOMIAO. Instead, as Executive Director Lisa Ackerman of the Columbus Citizens Foundation puts it, its goal is to advance Italian American culture through “open communication between organizations that serve overlapping and complementary constituencies.” She believes that there will likely be several Italian American groups that are members of both IAFL and COPOMIAO, making it essential for both to work together in broad dialogue on public policy issues that impact the Italian American community.
Having said that, one major difference between the two organizations is the way in which they decide what issues to tackle. As Ms. Ackerman puts it, IALF will aim to have a more “bottom-up approach,” with topics being raised for discussion by member groups for IALF to commit resources to. In contrast, COPOMIAO serves as one voice for the organizations that form its membership, deciding which issues are brought to the table.
Another critical change that IALF will implement relates to organizational structure, moving away from the hierarchy that exists in COPOMIAO with a strictly defined President, Vice President, etc., and utilizing a revolving approach to its officers where each member organization will have a chance to be at the helm.
At the end of the day, IALF intends to be a megaphone that amplifies the voices of its constituents. With several of the largest major Italian American organizations already on board, it will only be a matter of time before its impacts are felt across the country.
Resources:
- Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations [COPOMIAO]
- Italian American Leadership Forum [IALF]
