We are a national organization of men and women who represent the estimated 26 million Americans of Italian heritage, dedicated to promoting our culture, our traditions, our language, the legacy of our ancestors, and our contributions to the U.S. We are sons and daughters, grandmothers and grandfathers. We are corporate executives and we are union members...young students and retirees...teachers a
nd attorneys...doctors and firefighters...bakers and Wall Street brokers...and everything in between. We are philanthropists and we are model global citizens with purpose beyond ourselves. And we are proud and patriotic Americans of Italian heritage. We exemplify the very best of what it is to be Italian American.
• The Order Sons of Italy in America® (OSIA) is the largest and oldest national organization for men and women of Italian heritage in the United States.
• Founded in 1905 as a mutual aid society for the early Italian immigrants, today OSIA has hundreds of thousands of family members located in all fifty states and the District of Columbia, making it the leading service and advocacy organization for the nation's estimated 26 million people of Italian descent.
• Its missions include encouraging the study of Italian language and culture in American schools and universities; preserving Italian American traditions, culture, history and heritage; and promoting closer cultural relations between the United States and Italy.
• Women have always shared equal rights with men in OSIA, and women make up about 50% of OSIA membership. Women have held leadership positions at all levels, including state president, national trustee, national vice president and national president.
• OSIA is for people of any gender, age, religion and profession. You don't even have to be Italian to join! Whether you are of Italian heritage or simply have a love for things Italian, OSIA welcomes you as a member.
• The Sons of Italy Foundation® (SIF) is a private, philanthropic institution established by OSIA in 1959. To date, the SIF has given more than $164 million to scholarships, medical research, cultural preservation, disaster relief, and other causes.
• The Commission for Social Justice® (CSJ) is the anti-defamation arm of OSIA. The CSJ is committed to fighting racism, prejudice, and the stereotyping of all races, religions and cultures, especially Italians and Italian Americans.
• The SIF owns the Garibaldi-Meucci Museum in Staten Island, N.Y. The museum is housed in the historic home of inventor Antonio Meucci and chronicles his life as well as that of his one-time house guest, Italian unifier Giuseppe Garibaldi.
• OSIA's national headquarters is in Washington, D.C., near Capitol Hill.
