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PRINTER'S NO. 2500
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No.
530
Session of
2017
INTRODUCED BY HARPER, NEILSON, PICKETT, BIZZARRO, BURNS,
ORTITAY, DONATUCCI, QUIGLEY, SAINATO, MACKENZIE, MURT,
WHEELAND, VITALI, DRISCOLL, DAVIS, SCHLOSSBERG, O'NEILL,
TOOHIL, MILLARD, RYAN, DUSH, SONNEY, HENNESSEY, READSHAW,
CALTAGIRONE, LONGIETTI, DiGIROLAMO, VAZQUEZ, DEASY,
B. MILLER, ROZZI, FABRIZIO, WATSON, WARD, BOBACK, GOODMAN,
ROEBUCK, MARSICO, PASHINSKI, DeLUCA, GILLEN AND BRADFORD,
OCTOBER 2, 2017
INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35,
OCTOBER 2, 2017
A RESOLUTION
Recognizing the month of October 2017 as "Italian-American
Heritage Month" in Pennsylvania.
WHEREAS, Explorer Christopher Columbus, the son of a wool
merchant, was born in Genoa, Italy, around 1451; and
WHEREAS, Christopher Columbus was determined to find a
quicker route west from Europe to Asia and embarked on what
would become four trips across the Atlantic Ocean starting in
1492; and
WHEREAS, Christopher Columbus accidentally stumbled upon the
Americas during his first voyage and his journeys resulted in
centuries of exploration on the American continent; and
WHEREAS, While Italians have always been a part of American
history, it was not until the 1820s that Italian immigrants
began moving to the United States in sizable numbers; and
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WHEREAS, As Italian Americans began settling in major cities
across the United States, they often faced religious and ethnic
discrimination which occasionally led to brutal violence; and
WHEREAS, For this reason, Italian Americans started
celebrating the life and accomplishments of Christopher Columbus
as a way for citizens of Italian descent to be accepted by the
mainstream; and
WHEREAS, In 1937, President Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaimed
Columbus Day as a national holiday; and
WHEREAS, Today we credit Christopher Columbus with Italian
immigration to the New World and what is now Pennsylvania; and
WHEREAS, Currently, there are more than 17 million Americans
of Italian heritage in the United States, and more than 1.4
million Americans of Italian heritage reside in Pennsylvania;
and
WHEREAS, Italian Americans have become one of this
Commonwealth's most influential ethnic groups, with deep roots
in religion, politics, the arts, science, law and economic and
social institutions to preserve their heritage; and
WHEREAS, Today, the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, Sons and
Daughters of Italy, is the largest organization in this
Commonwealth for men and women of Italian heritage, with many
lodges located in almost every county in this Commonwealth;
therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives recognize the
month of October 2017 as "Italian-American Heritage Month" in
Pennsylvania and commend the early immigrants for their
important role in our Commonwealth's history.
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