Historic Day for Italian Americans
and the United States
Washington, DC--
November 8, 2006
The Order Sons of Italy in America (OSIA), the
nation's oldest and largest organization for men and
women of Italian heritage, congratulates Hon. Nancy
Pelosi on becoming first woman and the first Italian
American ever elected to the highest post in the U.S.
House of Representatives. A Democratic Party vote
to confirm Pelosi's Speakership, to take place shortly,
is virtually certain.
In a letter sent today to Leader Pelosi, OSIA National
President Vincent Sarno said, “Please accept our
sincerest congratulations on becoming Speaker of
the U.S. House of Representatives. With the
nation's estimated 26 million Italian Americans, we
applaud your historic ascension to this position.”
With her election to Speaker of the House, Pelosi
takes her place in history along with other Italian
American women trailblazers who have carved
careers in government service: Ella Grasso,
the first woman ever elected governor in her own
right; Mary Landrieu, the first woman of
Italian descent ever elected to the U.S. Senate and
Geraldine Ferraro, the first woman ever to
run for vice president of the United States.
Order Sons of Italy in America
OSIA is the largest and oldest national
organization in the United States for men and women
of Italian descent in the United States. Established in
1905, OSIA has more than 600,000 members and
supporters and a network of more than 745 chapters
coast to coast.
OSIA works at the community, national and
international levels to promote the heritage and
culture of an estimated 16-26 million Italian
Americans, the nation’s fifth largest ethnic group,
according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
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Contact:
Kylie Cafiero
Director of Communications
phone:
202/547-2900
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