ITALIAN AMERICAN ONE VOICE COALITION ANNOUNCES VICTORY IN TOMS RIVER - COLUMBUS DAY IS BACK
Italian American One Voice Coalition Issues Public Statement Thanking Toms River School Board for “Doing the Right Thing!”
NORTVALE, NJ, US, January 31, 2023 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Italian American One Voice Coalition (“IAOVC”), America’s largest independent Italian American anti-bias educational organization, reports that the 2023-24 School Calendar, recently issued by the Toms River Regional School District, returns Columbus Day as a school holiday. This follows IAOVC’s, other Italian American organizations’ and public opposition to the Columbus Day holiday elimination from the 2022-23 school calendar.Last August, the Toms River Regional Board of Education approved changes to the district’s 2022-23 calendar, including the elimination of the Columbus Day Holiday. Local residents contacted IAOVC for assistance in opposing the move which resulted in members of IAOVC along with representatives from IAOVC’s Organization Members attending the September school board meeting which garnered wide media attention. IAOVC President Andre’ DiMino, Vice President Frank Lorenzo, and others expressed opposition to the elimination of the holiday during the public session of the meeting.
“Columbus Day is a crucial day to Italian Americans as an apology for the terrible discrimination, denigration, and lynchings our ancestors experienced in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s,” stated DiMino addressing the Board at the meeting. "Here of all places, in Toms River, with such a large amount of Italian Americans, it was really not a good thing for you to do.”
Lorenzo stated, “A cultural holiday is significant to any group. By removing Columbus Day you're telling all the students here it doesn't mean anything.” Other IAOVC Board members and members of the public expressed their opposition to the elimination of the holiday, but the Board took no action that night.
Last week the 2023-24 school calendar was issued by the District with the Columbus Day holiday back on the schedule for Monday, October 9th, 2023.
On behalf of members across the country and the local Toms River residents who contacted them, IAOVC is publicly issuing sincere thanks to the members of the Toms River Regional Board of Education for reversing the previous decision eliminating the Columbus Day holiday and for reinstating the holiday for all students in the District. IAOVC commends the Board for listening to the concerns and for “doing the right thing.”
This victory in Toms River adds to a number of other IAOVC victories in defending and preserving Columbus Day and Columbus statues and monuments. IAOVC is actively involved with Italian American organizations and individuals across the USA in opposing the continued malevolent moves to eliminate Columbus Day. IAOVC organizes video conferences, webinars, petitions, participates in public hearings and utilizes extensive social media venues to further its defense of Columbus and Italian American civil rights. Although there were a number of places where Columbus Day was eliminated, a number of important victories were achieved. And, based on those wins, there appears to be a lessening of activity in the moves to replace Columbus Day with another group’s holiday – a violation of Italian American civil rights and the epitome of discrimination.
IAOVC is different from all other Italian American organizations in that its sole focus and objective is to foster education to fight bias, stereotyping and discrimination against Italian Americans. IAOVC is an IRS-Registered 501(c)3 non-profit.
To support IAOVC’s efforts at defending and educating about Columbus and Italian American civil rights visit iaovc.org/donate.
Italian American organizations are encouraged to join IAOVC as an IAOVC Organization Member at iaovc.org/memberships.
Andre DiMino
Italian American ONE VOICE Coalition
andre@iaovc.org
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