Bring Back Italian!

One of the main reasons that this group was created was to advance the Italian culture in America and around the world. Unfortunately, most of the group's time has been consumed with going on the defensive...protecting the culture from attacks in the media rather than advancing the culture.

But, that's not to say there aren't any positive events occurring in the Italian American community. As many may know, the Advanced Placement Italian program and exam was discontinued from high school curricula last year, for a lack of funding.What made matters worse was that Italian American organizations could not raise enough money to keep the program viable. It was, for lack of a better term, a black eye for our culture.

All is not lost, though...the Italian government has stepped up in a big way and has guaranteed the AP program $500,000 per year (half of the required amount) with one condition: Italian American organizations need to match the Italian government's funding.

This is a personal plea: please donate whatever you can to save AP Italian in this country. Culture, history and traditions exist and thrive when they are passed on to the next generation.

To donate to the NIAF, which has pledged its support of the AP exam please visit NIAF Donations