ABOUT ORDER SONS & DAUGHTER OF ITALY IN AMERICA
Founded in 1905 to help early Italian Immigrants, the Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America (OSDIA) is today's leading voice of the nation's 26 million Italian Americans. We are dedicated to promoting our culture, traditions, language, the legacy of our ancestors, and our contributions to the United States and the world. We are sons and daughters, grandmothers and grandfathers. We are philanthropists and we are model global citizens with purpose beyond ourselves. We are grateful for those who came before us and for the struggle they endured to give us better opportunity. We are proud and patriotic Americans who exemplify the very best of what it means to be Italian American.
OSDIA FOUNDER:
Dr. Vincenzo Sellaro
Vincenzo Sellaro was born April 24, 1868, in Polizzi Generosa in the province of Palermo, Sicily. He received his medical degree in 1895 from the University of Naples and immigrated to the United States in 1897 where he settled in New York City. The following year, he completed post-graduate courses at the Cornell Medical School and obtained a license to practice medicine in New York State. He became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1904.
MISSION
& HISTORY.
The Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America® (OSDIA) is the largest and oldest national organization for men and women of Italian heritage in the United States.
Originally called “Figli d’Italia,” the Order Sons of Italy in America® was established in the Little Italy neighborhood of New York City on June 22, 1905, by Vincenzo Sellaro, M.D., and five other Italian immigrants who came to the United States during the great Italian migration (1880-1923).
Their aim was to create a support system for all Italian immigrants that would assist them with becoming U.S. citizens, provide health/death benefits and educational opportunities and offer assistance with assimilation in America.
The Sons of Italy Foundation® (SIF) is the philanthropic arm of the Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America® (OSDIA), the oldest and largest organization for men and women of Italian heritage in the United States.The SIF is a registered 501(c)(3) charitable organization and donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. View IRS charitable designation.
The SIF was founded in 1959 as a private, grant-making institution with the purpose of preserving Italian American culture, encouraging educational excellence among Italian Americans and improving lives in other areas. To date, the SIF has given more than $164 million to these efforts.
THE SONS
OF ITALY FOUNDATION.
The Commission for Social Justice® (CSJ) is the anti-defamation arm of the Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America® (OSDIA), the biggest and oldest national organization for men and women of Italian descent in the United States. The CSJ was founded in 1979 to fight the stereotyping of Italian Americans by the entertainment, advertising and media industries. It also collaborates with other groups to ensure that people of all races, religions and cultures are treated with dignity and respect.
COMMISSION
FOR SOCIAL
JUSTICE.
WHAT DOES OSDIA DO?
TRAVEL BUREAU
Affordable and exclusive tours to Italy and beyond, designed with members in mind.
NEWS BUREAU
Informs media and public about Italian American issues, history and achievements.
ARCHIVES
OSDIA supports historical records on our Order and on Italian immigration history through a grant to the University of Minnesota as well as a partnership with Ancestry.com
GARIBALDI-MEUCCI
MUSEUM
The Garibaldi-Meucci Museum was the home of Antonio Meucci, the true inventor of the telephone, and a refuge to Giuseppe Garibaldi, the legendary hero who championed the unification of Italy. For over 50 years the museum has fulfilled its mission to preserve the legacies of these great men, and to promote understanding of the Italian-American heritage through cultural, artistic and educational programs and classes. The Garibaldi-Meucci Museum is owned and administered by the Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America.
