File #: 15-5583    Version: 1 Name: DESIGNATING OCTOBER AS ITALIAN AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH IN COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS
Type: Consent Calendar Resolution Status: Approved
File created: 9/21/2015 In control: Board of Commissioners
On agenda: 10/7/2015 Final action: 10/7/2015
Title: 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 commun...
Sponsors: PETER N. SILVESTRI, LARRY SUFFREDIN, JOAN PATRICIA MURPHY, JOHN P. DALEY, TONI PRECKWINKLE (President)
title
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 an...

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