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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
RESOLUTION DESIGNATING OCTOBER AS ITALIAN AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH IN COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS
WHEREAS, the first Italians came to Chicago and Cook County as early as the 1850s; and
WHEREAS, immigration of Italians peaked in the period 1900 to 1914, in Chicago, Cook County and the United States, reaching five million immigrants before World War I, with immigrants from all over Italy, but especially from Tuscany and the southern regions of Sicily, Puglia, Calabria and Naples; and
WHEREAS, the early Italian immigrants became cement and sewer workers, tailors and seamstresses, soldiers and sailors, barbers, grocers, bakers and cooks, as well as many other professions throughout our county; and
WHEREAS, Italian immigrants supported and helped grow the Archdiocese of Chicago, the second largest Roman Catholic archdiocese in the United States, with the addition of many priests and nuns, schools, hospitals and parishes throughout the city and suburban communities; and
WHEREAS, the first American Roman Catholic to be canonized was Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, an immigrant, who founded her religious order and two hospitals in Chicago; and
WHEREAS, various neighborhoods grew as a result of Italians migrating to Chicago, in every part of the city, and later in various suburban communities; and
WHEREAS, Italian American restaurants, music, art and culture flourish in our city, its suburbs and the county; and
WHEREAS, many Italian American clubs, associations and organizations developed and continue to thrive in our city, county and region, under the “umbrella” of the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans, promoting religion, culture, the arts, sports, cuisine, and everything Italian and American; and
WHEREAS, today Italian Americans play a vital role in the quality of life in Chicago, Cook County and Illinois, in a variety of corporate board rooms, in journalism, government, public safety and service, sports and social life; and
WHEREAS, Columbus Day, a federal and state holiday, is celebrated in October; and
WHEREAS, Italian Americans have proudly and successfully integrated into the American way of life in Cook County;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Cook County Board of Commissioners does hereby designate October as Italian American Heritage Month in Cook County, Illinois.
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