The New Jersey Italian and Italian American Heritage Commission

THE NEW JERSEY
ITALIAN AND ITALIAN AMERICAN HERITAGE
COMMISSION
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
RUTGERS, THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW JERSEY

September 28, 2005 - (Trenton, NJ) – Governor Richard J. Codey issued a Gubernatorial Proclamation today that established the month of October 2005 as “Italian Heritage and Culture Month” for the State of New Jersey.

Recognizing the “significant contributions to our social, cultural and economic life” by the 2 million Italian Americans in New Jersey, Governor Codey declared that “it is appropriate that all New Jerseyeans join in honoring Italian Americans for their many outstanding achievements and contributions to our State”.

Brought to the Governor’s attention by the New Jersey Italian and Italian American Heritage Commission, this Proclamation serves to officially recognize the many important celebrations of Italian Heritage planned for this October. In addition to the statewide Columbus Day parades and festivities orchestrated by the over 400 Italian American organizations throughout New Jersey, several other unique events will take place.

On October 10th at 9pm and on October 15th at 3 pm, New Jersey Network (NJN) will be broadcasting a new documentary film to 14 million viewers in the Tri-State area, entitled “A Legacy of Achievement: The Italian Americans in New Jersey”. This film was made possible by the New Jersey Italian American Heritage Foundation and highlights the values, virtues and achievements of today’s Italian Americans in NJ.

During the month of October, the NJ Italian Commission will be launching its second Pilot Curriculum of the “Universality of Italian Heritage” in approximately 20 public school districts. Last year, the Commission field-tested the first set of Pilot Curriculum lesson plans and classroom materials about Italian History and Contributions to 7,000 statewide students. The results were overwhelming successful, resulting in the Commission’s effort to broaden the Italian Heritage Curriculum to more schools and students this year.

Lastly, on Saturday, October 29th, the NJ Italian Commission will be hosting its 2nd New Jersey Congress of Italian American Organizations at Rutgers University in New Brunswick. The first-ever statewide Congress in October 2004 brought together over 520 leaders of Italian American organizations in order to work on developing a “Risorgimento” of Italian Heritage in New Jersey.

N. Larry Paragano, Chairman of the NJ Italian Commission, commented: “Governor Codey’s Proclamation elevates this October’s Italian celebrations to an official, statewide level. The NJ Italian Commission is deeply grateful for his assistance in recognizing the positive contributions of the Italian and Italian American residents of New Jersey.”