A museum of our own

The Italian-American community is about to embark on its most challenging and important project in recent history: the creation of a National Museum of Italian American History on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

Italian Americans have made tremendous sacrifices while making monumental contributions to our country. A national museum would serve to memorialize our exceptional history and preserve it for the benefit of future generations.

This initiative began last year when the Museum and Cultural Affairs Committee of the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations recommended to me that we begin to explore the prospect of creating a national museum.

I thought the committee’s idea was brilliant, and I immediately reached out to U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-NY, a good and loyal friend of the Italian-American community, to work with us.

At our annual COPOMIAO meeting last June in New York City, Tom made a presentation to our 70-member organization. I then introduced a resolution to support the creation of a National Italian American History Museum in Washington, D.C. and it passed unanimously.

Tom then reached out to U.S. Rep. Michael Rulli, R-Ohio, who along with Tom is co-chair of the Italian American Congressional Delegation. Mike enthusiastically agreed to serve as co-sponsor of the bipartisan National Museum of Italian American History Commission Act.

The legislation they drafted would create a planning commission to examine the possibility of creating a Smithsonian Museum of Italian American History on the National Mall in Washington. This commission would include experts in both museum planning and the immigrant experience, and is modeled after ones previously created to bring national museums for other ethnic groups into being. The bill would also examine the feasibility of establishing, maintaining, funding and operating a facility dedicated to our Italian-American legacy as part of the Smithsonian Institution.

The legislation to create this commission is known as House Bill H.R. 1102, and it was introduced in Congress in February. At the time of its introduction, it had nine co-sponsors, and it had been endorsed by 78 major Italian-American organizations.

Our initial challenge is to get this legislation passed in the U.S. House of Representatives. To do so, we need to encourage as many House members as possible to serve as co-sponsors of the legislation.

Every Italian American can play an important role in this effort by sending a letter or email to their Congressional Representative, encouraging them to co-sponsor the bill.

Below is a sample communication that we can all use:

Dear Congressman (or Congresswoman),

I am writing to ask you to support H.R. 1102, the National Museum of Italian American History Commission Act, which would create a planning commission to examine the feasibility of establishing a Smithsonian Museum of Italian American History.

All of the bipartisan chairs and co-chairs of the Italian-American delegation have joined on as original co-sponsors, and the bill is supported by every major Italian-American organization in the country.

Italian Americans have made invaluable contributions to the United States. From Fortune 500 CEOs and public servants to Supreme Court Justices and Nobel Prize recipients, they have excelled in all areas of American life. The Italian-American story is the quintessential American story: immigrants arriving in our country and embracing commitments to family, community, public service, love of country, and hope for a better future.

This legislation will create a planning commission of experts in museum planning and the immigrant experience to examine the feasibility of establishing, maintaining, funding and operating such a facility as part of the Smithsonian Institution.

I am requesting that you support this bill by signing on as a co-sponsor. Please contact Ivanley Noisette (ivanley.noisette@mail.house.gov) in Congressman Tom Suozzi’s office to do so.

Thank you for your consideration,

Your Name

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Let’s all take the time to express our pride in our Italian-American heritage by forwarding the above email/letter to our respective representative.

The article above appears in the April 2025 issue of the print version of Fra Noi. Our gorgeous, monthly magazine contains a veritable feast of news and views, profiles and features, entertainment and culture. To subscribe, click here.