Commission for Social Justice, Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America

08/19/2026

This Italian American helped make Snow White possible!

08/13/2026

Spotlight – Celebrating the Birth of Jazz 🎷

Born in New Orleans at the turn of the 20th century, jazz emerged from a vibrant meeting of cultures, traditions, and musical styles. African American musicians were central to its creation, blending blues, ragtime, spirituals, and improvisation into a revolutionary new sound.

Italian American musicians also helped shape jazz’s early development and carry it to audiences across America and around the world.

In New Orleans, the Original Dixieland Jass Band — comprised of five musicians, with several from the city's Italian American community — recorded the first ever jazz record in 1917, "Livery Stable Blues." The record's runaway popularity introduced the sound of jazz to listeners far beyond New Orleans and helped launch its spread across the country.

A generation later, the Philadelphia-born duo of guitarist Eddie Lang and violinist Joe Venuti, two childhood friends from the city's Italian American enclave, redefined what their instruments could do in jazz. Featured in this photo is Lang, born Salvatore Massaro to Italian immigrant parents. Together, the two recorded landmark sessions in the late 1920s that influenced generations of musicians who followed.

Today, jazz stands as one of America’s greatest cultural contributions—a lasting expression of creativity, collaboration, and shared heritage. 🇺🇸🇮🇹🎶

07/24/2026

Fifty years ago, OSDIA helped create the Italian American Congressional Delegation. This past month, we celebrated its bipartisan strength firsthand. 🇺🇸 🇮🇹

On July 15, the Commission for Social Justice, OSDIA’s anti-defamation and positive image arm, welcomed members of the Italian American Congressional Delegation to the OSDIA National Office for "Pillars of the Republic," an event honoring the United States' 250th anniversary. The event was organized by the OSDIA Government Relations Committee, and gathered leaders such as Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, Rep. Rosa DeLauro (CT-3), and Rep. Thomas Suozzi (NY-3), among other distinguished guests.

Five days later, OSDIA Government Relations Committee Chair Mike D'Amore and the committee's staff liaison Mia Galasso joined Rep. Michael Rulli (OH-6) at a summer reception for the Republican Italian American Delegation on Capitol Hill.
Reflecting on both events, D’Amore said that “some of our members are Democrats, some are Republicans, but they are all united by their love of the Italian American culture, and deserve to know that OSDIA is working on the relationships needed to properly steward that culture for another 250 years."

Click here to learn more about the event: https://vist.ly/5cegj

07/17/2026

An Update from the CSJ ⚖️ 🇮🇹

Since becoming President of the Commission for Social Justice last fall, John A. Fratta has worked diligently to advocate on behalf of the Italian American community.

Over the past several months, President Fratta has corresponded with public officials, institutional leaders, and community partners, issuing letters of support for positive developments, and raising concerns on issues that negatively impact the Italian American community.

"As the anti-defamation and positive image arm of the Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America® (OSDIA), the CSJ exists to ensure that the voices, dignity, and contributions of Italian Americans are heard, respected, and protected at every level of public life," said Fratta in an email update late last month, adding that "Over the past several months, I put that belief into action."

To read the full message from President Fratta released late last month, and to read more about each of the listed updates, visit https://conta.cc/3QzMhU0

07/10/2026

Little Italy is Back on the NYC Immigrant Enclaves Map 🇮🇹 🏙️

After backlash from the CSJ and other Italian American organizations due to the NYC Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affair's exclusion of Little Italy on the recently released "Immigrant Enclaves" Map, Mayor Zohran Mamdani has responded to ensure that Little Italy will be added to the map. The CSJ applauds this decision, while calling on the city to recognize all historic Italian American communities.

"We are grateful that Mayor Mamdani and the New York City Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs listened to the concerns of the Italian American community and corrected the omission of Little Italy from the Immigrant Enclaves map," said CSJ President John A. Fratta. "However, we remain disappointed that this correction came only after significant pushback and that other historic and thriving Italian American communities continue to be excluded from the map," he added.

The CSJ remains committed to advocating for accurate representation of Italian American history, culture, and contributions, and will continue working with community organizations and government leaders to promote a more complete and inclusive understanding of New York City’s diverse immigrant communities.

Read more: https://csj.osdia.org/csj-applauds-inclusion-of-little-italy-on-nyc-immigrant-enclaves-map-calls-for-recognition-of-all-historic-italian-american-communities/

05/29/2026

With a strong presence of OSDIA leadership, DC’s iconic Columbus Fountain is flowing once again for the first time in nearly two decades. As OSDIA’s positive image and anti-defamation arm, the Commission for Social Justice has long worked to honor Italian American heritage and protect historic symbols, including Christopher Columbus statues around the nation, like this landmark just two blocks from OSDIA’s National Office.

Inoperable since 2007, the fountain outside of DC's historic Union Station, has now been fully restored as part of a broader effort to revitalize the nation’s capital ahead of America’s 250th anniversary in 2026. 🇺🇸

We were honored to celebrate the unveiling and ribbon cutting with Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, and Andrew Giuliani, Executive Director of the White House Task Force on the FIFA World Cup 2026, alongside Ambassador of Italy to the United States Marco Peronaci and Ambassador of Spain to the United States Ángeles Moreno Bau.

03/25/2026

This is a great radio interview with Angelo Vivolo, our friend from the Columbus Citizens Foundation, regarding the Columbus statue restored from the Baltimore river to Washington, D.C.

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

03/25/2026

We are so proud to see this statue restored!

03/14/2026

On March 14, 1891, one of the darkest chapters in American history unfolded in New Orleans when a mob lynched eleven Italian immigrants after they were accused of killing Police Chief David Hennessy. Despite weak evidence and with some of the men already being acquitted, the mob stormed the jail and carried out the largest mass lynching in U.S. history. The event exposed the dangerous consequences of prejudice and anti-immigrant hysteria that many Italian immigrants faced since the 19th century.

Through its anti-defamation arm, the Commission for Social Justice (CSJ), the Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America has consistently worked to preserve the memory of this tragedy and educate future generations about its lessons.

In 2019, the CSJ worked closely with New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell to secure a historic public apology for what is now recognized as one of the largest mass lynchings in U.S. history. Subsequently, in October 2024, the CSJ also unveiled a commemorative plaque marking the site of the lynching, as a way to eternalize the memory of the victims and bring attention to the long and dark history of anti-Italian discrimination in the United States.

Today, the memory of the eleven victims remains a powerful reminder that intolerance and misinformation can lead to grave injustice—and that remembering history is essential to preventing it from happening again.

02/20/2026

This , the Commission for Social Justice and the Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America are proud to partner with Modern Italian American for a series of videos in celebration of .

This series will highlight the positive impact our community has made on the United States throughout its 250-year history and our contributions to the fight for social justice and civil rights.