Fra Noi Embrace Your Inner Italian
The legacy of Florentine poet Dante Alighieri was once again celebrated as the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans hosted its annual Dante and DiFrisco Awards Luncheon at the Galleria Marchetti in Chicago on May 22.
Lynn Sweet was the 2025 recipient of the Dante Award. A respected journalist for the Chicago Sun-Times for more than 40 years, she most recently served as its Washington bureau chief.
“I am deeply honored to have my decades of work in Chicago recognized by such a distinguished group,” Sweet said.
“The award represents truth in journalism, and Lynn is a fiery example of the premise of the award,” JCCIA President Ron Onesti said.
More than 200 leaders of the Chicago area’s media and Italian American communities attended the event, which was created by public relations icon and past JCCIA president Dominic DiFrisco. Upon his passing in 2019, the Dominic DiFrisco Humanitarian Award was established in his honor.
The 2025 DiFrisco Award was presented to broadcast news legend Walter Jacobson. Known throughout the country for his “Walter’s Perspective” podcast, Jacobson and former co-anchor Bill Kurtis were staples of local TV news for more than a decade.
“I have always respected and admired Chicago’s Italian American community and Dominic DiFrisco,” Jacobson said.
The event’s master of ceremonies was Pasquale Gianni, president of the JCCIA’s Avanti Group of young Italian American professionals. “To help perpetuate the legacy of my grandfather is an honor and a responsibility,” Gianni said.
The JCCIA also awarded a John Fischetti Scholarship to journalism student Allison Tarnas at the event.
