Anti-Italianism is a concept of the past in the eyes of some. However, this could not be further from the truth as the Italian American community was subject to several instances of vandalism, discrimination, and negative stereotyping over the course of this year. Ranging from attacks on Italian American historical figures to churches to even politicians and everyday citizens, let us recall five instances of anti-Italian sentiment and behavior that made their way into the news cycle in 2024 as the year comes to a close:
5. Mazi Pilip Campaign Uses Anti-Italian Slur Against Tom Suozzi
Mazi Pilip and Tom Suozzi went head to head earlier this year to earn the right to represent the 3rd District of New York in the House of Representatives following the dismissal of the disgraced George Santos. Although Suozzi ultimately won the election and position in our nation’s government, that didn’t stop Pilip’s campaign from making headlines for their desperate and insensitive attempt to paint Suozzi in a negative light by associating him with the mafia due to his Italian ancestry.
The statement was made by the Pilip campaign’s communications director, Brian Devine, to the New York Post on Tuesday, as he noted that “no amount of political spin can change the fact that Tom Suozzi is the godfather of the border crisis.”
Suozzi immediately rebuked this claim, along with half a dozen other Italian American organizations such as the New York State Italian American PAC, the National Italian American Foundation, the New York State Order of the Sons of Italy, the Order of Sons of Italy Commission for Social Justice, and the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations. Issuing a joint statement, the groups collectively condemned Mr. Devine’s mafia reference as “anti-Italian.”
“As Italian Americans and Italian American organizations, we condemn this anti-Italian attack and demand Legislator Philip apologize and refrain from issuing any other anti-Italian stereotypes in the future,” said the statement. Rob Fonti of the Italian-American PAC echoed this sentiment in a separate remark, noting his outrage and that “When you insult one of us, you insult all of us.”
4. Judge Dismisses Anti-Italian Discrimination Lawsuit in North End, Boston
In January of this year, 21 North End restaurants and the North End Chamber of Commerce sued Mayor Michelle Wu for anti-Italian discrimination. This was in response to her decision to charge a $7,500 fee for any dining establishments that wished to set up outdoor tables in the North End, a fee that was not applied to any other neighborhood of Boston outside of the Italian enclave. This, coupled with other anti-Italian acts such as replacing Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples’ Day, led these Italian American restauranteurs to take legal action, filing a complaint for unequal treatment on the basis of “sex or national origin/ethnicity.”
Skipping ahead to this past Friday, a federal judge has decided to dismiss the case because the Plaintiffs failed to “identify a pattern of conduct historically targeting the North End, Italian restaurants, or “white Italian Americans.” Judge Leo Sorokin also felt that the Italians fell short of offering “facts supporting the inference that the City imposed the challenged regulations because many restaurants in the North End serve Italian food or are owned by those of Italian heritage or white people.”
“A joke, perhaps about white people, made by the Mayor at the St. Patrick’s Day breakfast hardly suggests animus against Italian Americans,” Sorokin continued. “Similarly, the designation of Indigenous People’s Day is not evidence of animus.”
3. Prominent New York Politicians and Institutions Push to Eliminate Columbus Day
Members of the Democratic Party in New York such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Jamaal Bowman, Adriano Espaillat, Grace Meng, and Gregory Meeks have continued to push a bill called HR 5822 that proposes the replacement of Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples’ Day. As a result, Columbus Heritage Coalition President Angelo Vivolo did not shy away from criticizing their efforts in a state with one of the largest percentages of Italian Americans in the country.
“We seek to preserve our heritage, celebrate the contributions of Italian Americans and honor the great achievements of Columbus. And we support a holiday for the recognition of indigenous people,” said Vivolo in an e-mail to the group. “Sadly, five members of Congress from New York want to divide our communities by cosponsoring legislation to strike down Columbus Day and Italian American culture. This hurtful action must not move forward,” he said. “Call upon these lawmakers to drop the hate, seek the truth and withdraw their sponsorship of HR 5822.”
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has been the most outspoken in her opposition to Columbus Day. In addition to supporting Indigenous Peoples’ Day, she has even been quoted suggesting that Columbus Day be eliminated from our calendars in favor of Election Day. Outside of these five reps from the Empire State, another NY Democrat that wasn’t able to escape criticism for his stance is Brooklyn Councilman Justin Brannan, who was recently removed from the City Council’s Italian Caucus for expressing a willingness to alter the holiday’s name.
This push to remove a holiday that celebrates Italian American heritage, pride, and contributions even extends passed misguided politicians. In fact, even St. John’s University, New York’s largest Catholic university that is also known for its large percentage of Italian American students, decided to remove references to “Columbus Day” from its academic calendar.
2. Public Works Dedicated to Mother Cabrini Come Under Attack in New York and New Jersey
In the wake of Cabrini hitting theaters in March of 2024, Italians and non-Italians alike received a glimpse into Mother Cabrini’s story, an Italian American nun who founded a worldwide network of 67 schools, orphanages, and hospitals meant to serve the less fortunate. While the film brought greater attention to Mother Cabrini’s work and the anti-Italian attitudes she experienced along the way, it also showed the true colors of some who prefer not to celebrate this important figure in the Italian American community.
For example, in the months following the film’s release, a 14-year old male from Peru, New York broke a window in the nearby church of the Mother Cabrini Shrine near St. Patrick’s Oratory, spreading wax throughout the shrine in addition to smashing other glass items in the space. He was promptly arrested for third-degree burglary and released with a Family Court appearance ticket. Meanwhile, in New Jersey, Newark residents were up in arms over plans to remove a Mother Cabrini statue that currently sits in a park outside of Newark Penn Station. Once home to many Italian immigrants in the early 1900s, some community members argued that the statue is one of the only reminders that the ethnic group ever resided in the city since the removal of a Christopher Columbus monument in 2020 and, therefore, should be preserved.
1. St Peter’s Italian Catholic Church in Los Angeles is Vandalized with Anti-Italian Graffiti
Earlier this month, St Peter’s Italian Catholic Church in Los Angeles was found to be vandalized with anti-Italian and anti-Catholic graffiti. Phrases like “F*ck Italy” and “You Got The Blood of Jesus On Your Hands” were spray painted on the church grounds, while nearby vehicles may have also been targeted by the perpetrator. The church was established in 1904 to cater to the “spiritual and social needs” of Italian immigrants in the United States, particularly within the city’s largest Italian enclave. Although an investigation into the crime is still ongoing, the LAPD is treating the case as a hate crime given the church’s history and the nature of the vandalism.
Unfortunately, this is not the first time St. Peter’s has been targeted by Italophobes, as the church was also defaced just three years ago in the immediate wake of President Biden’s proclamation of Indigenous Peoples’ Day. In that instance, messages like “Stop Colonizing our Land,” “USA,” and “Stolen Land” were illegally spray painted on the Italian American place of worship.
As we enter 2025, let us be mindful that anti-Italianism still exists, and that it is our job to recognize it when we see it and to take action accordingly in order to eradicate prejudice towards Americans of Italian descent.
