First Lady Jill Biden hosted a delegation of Italian American leaders at the White House on Thursday evening. The meeting aimed to showcase the cultural progress that has been made within the community. As the nation’s first-ever Italian American First Lady, Dr. Biden met with Basil M. Russo, the president of the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations (COPOMIAO), and his colleagues. The purpose of the meeting was to recognize the sacrifices and celebrate the contributions that Italian Americans have made to our country.
“Our heritage is much more than our hospitality and food, isn’t it? It’s the Sicilians who were dragged from their cells and killed in New Orleans by an angry mob, it’s ‘Italians Need Not Apply,’ it’s people like my dad who was never quite accepted by my mom’s family because he was Italian. It’s a history of those who led movements, who wrote our laws and penned our poetry; of men and women who were courageous, even when they were most afraid,” the First Lady said in her address to the delegation.
The meeting is historic and significant, occurring in the midst of several influential initiatives led by COPOMIAO. Among these initiatives are the visionary film platform launched in 2024 with Hollywood’s The Russo Brothers, the establishment of a national young leaders fellowship, the strengthening of strategic and commercial partnerships with Italian and Vatican leaders abroad, and the grassroots preservation of Italian American history.
“When I was appointed president of COPOMIAO in 2020, Italian American leadership was fragmented and ready for a new direction,” said Russo. “In three years, we have united hundreds of Italian American organizations, collectively amassed over a million social media followers, partnered with Hollywood leaders, appeared on Capitol Hill and collaborated with Italian dignitaries. All our efforts have culminated into this watershed meeting with the First Lady, which is the first-ever delegation to be invited to the White House in celebration of Italian American Heritage Month.”
Russo and his team collaborated with the Biden administration last year to develop Presidential Proclamations for Columbus Day in 2022 and 2023.
