News Release
For Immediate Release
September 27, 2000
 

Senate Declares October Italian Heritage Month in PA

HARRISBURG -- Senate Resolution 202, designating October 2000 as Italian Heritage Month in Pennsylvania, was approved unanimously by the Senate, according to Sen. Stewart J. Greenleaf, prime sponsor of the measure.

The resolution recognizes the contributions of Italians to the exploration of the American continents and to the history and growth of the United States and Pennsylvania.

Greenleaf, who noted that the suggestion for the resolution came from a constituent, Frank J. Turk, Sr., of Fort Washington, said he learned a great deal in researching the resolution honoring those of Italian descent. "Of course, I knew about Christopher Columbus and Columbus Day on October 12, but I hadn't been aware of William Paca, who was a signer of the Declaration of Independence. We learn about Amerigo Vespucci giving his name to America in our history books, but I wonder how many people are aware that John Cabot, who is credited with discovering the North American mainland, was actually an Italian named Giovanni Caboto," Greenleaf said.

The senator noted that, although all the contributions of Italian-Americans to the nation and commonwealth cannot be catalogued in the space of a Senate resolution, he is pleased that several are highlighted.

The resolution recognizes that 1.5 million Pennsylvanians are of Italian descent, and, with 15 million United States citizens of Italian heritage, Italian-Americans are the fifth largest ethnic group in the country.

"A good number of state senators are of Italian descent, so it is no wonder that this resolution was enthusiastically received," Greenleaf noted.