The National Organization of Italian American Women (NOIAW) is an American Sisterhood group founded in 1980 to represent

Italian American Italian Americans ( it, italoamericani or ''italo-americani'', ) are Americans who have full or partial Italian ancestry. The largest concentrations of Italian Americans are in the urban Northeast and industrial Midwestern metropolitan areas, w ...

women of varied professional and business backgrounds. Through the invitation of Dr. Aileen Riotto Sirey and the encouragement of Geraldine A Ferraro a small group of Italian American women met at Dr. Sirey's home on July 14, 1980 to start the group. The founding members included Aileen Riotto Sirey, then-U.S. Representative from New York

Geraldine Ferraro Geraldine Anne Ferraro (August 26, 1935 March 26, 2011) was an American politician, diplomat, and attorney. She served in the United States House of Representatives from 1979 to 1985, and was the Democratic Party's vice presidential nominee ...

, Matilda Cuomo (wife of

Mario Cuomo Mario Matthew Cuomo (, ; June 15, 1932 – January 1, 2015) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 52nd governor of New York for three terms, from 1983 to 1994. A member of the Democratic Party, Cuomo previously served as ...

, then

Lieutenant Governor of New York The lieutenant governor of New York is a constitutional office in the executive branch of the Government of the State of New York. It is the second highest-ranking official in state government. The lieutenant governor is elected on a ticket w ...

), Donna deMatteo, Bonnie Mandina and Roseanne Colletti. The group sought to create a national network to support the educational and professional aspirations of its members, and to combat ethnic stereotypes by promoting positive role models. Riotto Sirey was the first President for 7 years and Chairwoman for 25 years retiring on May 5, 2012 with the title Founder and Chair Emerita. NOIAW-sponsored events are educational, cultural and social in nature and focus on issues of interest to Italian American women. The programs recognize and promote the accomplishments and contributions of women of Italian ancestry as well as acknowledge women as keepers of the culture. The group awards scholarships. In 2007 the NOIAW joined with the Italian Foreign Ministry, to establish an Exchange Program. Under this program Italian students spend two weeks as guests of the organization and on alternate years Italian American College students go to Italy. The organization awards

scholarships A scholarship is a form of financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, diversity and inclusion, athletic skill, and financial need. Scholarsh ...

each year to Italian American women for pursuit of higher education. NOIAW is committed to preserving Italian heritage,

language Language is a structured system of communication. The structure of a language is its grammar and the free components are its vocabulary. Languages are the primary means by which humans communicate, and may be conveyed through a variety of ...

, and

culture Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups ...

while simultaneously promoting and supporting the advancement of women of Italian ancestry. Through its mentor program, NOIAW matches graduate and undergraduate students and women returning to the

work force The workforce or labour force is a concept referring to the pool of human beings either in employment or in unemployment. It is generally used to describe those working for a single company or industry, but can also apply to a geographic regi ...

, with NOIAW members in the same field who provide guidance and ongoing support. NOIAW has evolved into an international organization bringing together women of Italian ancestry throughout the United States with women in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest ...

and

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

through international events and conferences.

Notable board members

Lidia Matticchio Bastianich Lidia Giuliana Matticchio Bastianich (; born February 21, 1947) is an Italian-American celebrity chef, television host, author, and restaurateur. Specializing in Italian and Italian-American cuisine, Bastianich has been a regular contributor to ...

* Margaret I. Cuomo * Matilda Raffa Cuomo *

Rosa L. DeLauro Rosa Luisa DeLauro (; born March 2, 1943) is an American politician who has been the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for since 1991. She is a member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party. The dist ...

Nancy Pelosi Nancy Patricia Pelosi (; ; born March 26, 1940) is an American politician who has served as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives since 2019 and previously from 2007 to 2011. She has represented in the United States House of ...

References

{{reflist

External links

The National Organization of Italian American Women
Diaspora organizations in the United States Italian-American organizations Women's organizations based in the United States