Unico National
Encyclopedia
Unico National is a service organization of Italian American
s established in Waterbury, CT in 1922 to "engage in charitable works, support higher education, and perform patriotic deeds". At that time, the trial of anarchists Sacco and Vanzetti
was in the news, and many stories fostered a belief that Italian Americans were loyal primarily to their homeland. Unico's founders wanted it understood that Italian Americans were loyal to and loved America first and that their only allegiance to Italy was one of traditions and culture.
Unico is the Italian word for "unique", chosen to represent the one-of-a-kind nature of the organization.
of Italian Americans in the media and entertainment industries. As of April 2010, he had made over 40 major media appearances in Unico's campaign against the MTV
reality show Jersey Shore
and other negative portrayals of Italian Americans. In January 2010, DiMino brought the Unico campaign against Jersey Shore to Seaside Heights, where the show was filmed, by conducting the "Summit on the Shore: Anti-Italianism - MTV's Jersey Shore and a Whole Lot More" with a panel of speakers who presented their views about bias towards Italian Americans.
After meeting with DiMino, officials of MTV's parent company Viacom
said that Jersey Shores second season would have fewer references to Italians, fewer shots of the Italian flag, and fewer uses of offensive terms such as guido
. A spokesperson for MTV said they had "made some adjustments", but added, "However, our role is to document the cast, and however they refer to themselves we don't interfere."
After viewing MTV video promos for the second season of Jersey Shore, DiMino stated that he was "...cautiously optimistic..." about the reduced references to Italian Americans but warned that he would continue to be vigilant about any further negative stereotyping or denigration of Italian Americans.
Italian American
An Italian American , is an American of Italian ancestry. The designation may also refer to someone possessing Italian and American dual citizenship...
s established in Waterbury, CT in 1922 to "engage in charitable works, support higher education, and perform patriotic deeds". At that time, the trial of anarchists Sacco and Vanzetti
Sacco and Vanzetti
Ferdinando Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were anarchists who were convicted of murdering two men during a 1920 armed robbery in South Braintree, Massachusetts, United States...
was in the news, and many stories fostered a belief that Italian Americans were loyal primarily to their homeland. Unico's founders wanted it understood that Italian Americans were loyal to and loved America first and that their only allegiance to Italy was one of traditions and culture.
Unico is the Italian word for "unique", chosen to represent the one-of-a-kind nature of the organization.
Membership and activities
Membership is open to American citizens of Italian heritage or persons married to American citizens of Italian heritage. The organization now has over 7,000 members in 140 local chapters in 19 states. The local chapters perform community service activities and fund local scholarships as well as other charitable, educational, cultural and civic programs.National charities and initiatives
In addition to local chapter initiatives, Unico supports charitable, educational, cultural and civic programs on a national level through the Unico Foundation. The Unico Foundation awards scholarships, funds cancer research, supports mental health initiatives, has established Italian Studies chairs at a number of universities, contributes to Cooley's Anemia research, and supports a number of cultural and heritage efforts on a national basis.Organization
At an annual convention held each year during July or August in different cities across the country, the membership elects an executive board of officers to conduct the activities of the national organization. There is a national president, executive vice president, 1st, 2nd and 3rd vice presidents, as well as a number of other national officers. The current national president is Glenn Pettinato from the Carbondale, PA Chapter. The organization's national headquarters is in Fairfield Township, Essex County, New Jersey.Campaign against stereotyping
Former UNICO president Andre DiMino has taken a strong stand against negative stereotypingAnti-Italianism
Anti-Italianism is a hostility toward Italian people utilizing stereotypes about them, such as the idea that the Italians are tolerant of violence, political corruption, Italy's former alliance with Nazi Germany and criminal groups such as the Mafia...
of Italian Americans in the media and entertainment industries. As of April 2010, he had made over 40 major media appearances in Unico's campaign against the MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
reality show Jersey Shore
Jersey Shore (TV series)
Jersey Shore is an American reality television series that premiered on MTV on December 3, 2009 in the United States. The series follows the lives of eight housemates spending their summer at the Jersey Shore in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Season 2 followed the cast escaping the cold northeast...
and other negative portrayals of Italian Americans. In January 2010, DiMino brought the Unico campaign against Jersey Shore to Seaside Heights, where the show was filmed, by conducting the "Summit on the Shore: Anti-Italianism - MTV's Jersey Shore and a Whole Lot More" with a panel of speakers who presented their views about bias towards Italian Americans.
After meeting with DiMino, officials of MTV's parent company Viacom
Viacom
Viacom Inc. , short for "Video & Audio Communications", is an American media conglomerate with interests primarily in, but not limited to, cinema and cable television...
said that Jersey Shores second season would have fewer references to Italians, fewer shots of the Italian flag, and fewer uses of offensive terms such as guido
Guido (slang)
Guido is a slang term for a lower-class or working-class urban Italian-American. The guido stereotype is multi-faceted. Originally, it was used as a demeaning term for Italian-Americans in general. More recently, it has come to refer to Italians who conduct themselves as thugs with an overtly...
. A spokesperson for MTV said they had "made some adjustments", but added, "However, our role is to document the cast, and however they refer to themselves we don't interfere."
After viewing MTV video promos for the second season of Jersey Shore, DiMino stated that he was "...cautiously optimistic..." about the reduced references to Italian Americans but warned that he would continue to be vigilant about any further negative stereotyping or denigration of Italian Americans.
See also
- Anti-ItalianismAnti-ItalianismAnti-Italianism is a hostility toward Italian people utilizing stereotypes about them, such as the idea that the Italians are tolerant of violence, political corruption, Italy's former alliance with Nazi Germany and criminal groups such as the Mafia...
- Controversies of Jersey Shore (TV series)Controversies of Jersey Shore (TV series)Jersey Shore is a reality television series on MTV that follows eight housemates while they live, work and party at the Jersey Shore. The show debuted amid large amounts of controversy regarding the use of the words "guido/guidette", portrayals of Italian-American stereotypes and scrutiny from...
- Jersey Shore (TV series)Jersey Shore (TV series)Jersey Shore is an American reality television series that premiered on MTV on December 3, 2009 in the United States. The series follows the lives of eight housemates spending their summer at the Jersey Shore in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Season 2 followed the cast escaping the cold northeast...
- Order Sons of Italy in AmericaOrder Sons of Italy in AmericaThe Order Sons of Italy in America is the largest and oldest Italian American fraternal organization in the United States. A similar organization also exists in Canada.-History:...