FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Contact:   Elissa Ruffino (NIAF) 202/939-3106 or elissa@niaf.org

:: MEDIA ADVISORY ::

To celebrate Italian American Heritage Month, the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF), the premier ethnic organization for Italian Americans, is hosting four free non-credit classes on the Italian American Experience. The classes are being presented by rotating scholars followed by a question and answer period.

The topics are:
October 2nd – Fred Gardaphe — The Southern Answer – Creating Italian American Cultures; 
October 9th – Mary Jo Bona — Images of Women in Italian American Culture; 
October 16 – Sal LaGumina — Italian American Political Dynasties; 
October 23 – Luigi Fontanella — The Experience of Italian and Italian American Poets in the USA. 

To reserve, call 1/800-989-NIAF ext. 160.
These classes are free and open to the public. 

The year 2003 marks the 27th anniversary of the designation of October as Italian American Heritage Month by the President. The proclamation was made in 1976 by President Jimmy Carter.

According to the United States Census 2000, New York has a population of 2,843,872 Italian Americans or 15.8 percent of the population.