WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Rhode Island supports "Italian-American Heritage Month" and recognizes the contributions of Italian-Americans to the State of Rhode Island and the United States; and

WHEREAS, In April 1524, Giovanni da Verrazzano, a mariner from Florence, Italy, set foot in what is now Rhode Island. His arrival at Block Island and his observation that it was about the size of the island of Rhodes later gave Rhode Island its name; and

WHEREAS, His accounts of the islands in Narragansett Bay, its inhabitants, houses and customs were the first written records of Rhode Island by a European explorer; and

WHEREAS, Other Italians, like Amerigo Vespucci and Christopher Columbus, were some of the first explorers to discover the American continents and illustrate the geography; and

WHEREAS, Italians and Italian-Americans have made great contributions to America's society economically, artistically, culturally, scientifically and politically; and

WHEREAS, Italian-Americans have won prestigious prizes, such as the Nobel Prize, the Pritzker Award for architecture, and the Fields Medal for mathematics; and

WHEREAS, Italians and Italian-Americans invented pianos, violins, calendars, radios, telescopes, compasses, microscopes, thermometers, eye glasses, steam engines, typewriters, and batteries; and

WHEREAS, Italian-Americans have toiled and labored while helping to build our Nation's infrastructure, including railroads, tunnels, highways, and subways; and

WHEREAS, A great many Americans have enjoyed the entertainment provided by Italian-Americans, such as Hall of Fame baseball player Joe DiMaggio, singer and songwriter Frank Sinatra, world-renowned composer Henry Mancini, and Oscar-winning actor Robert DeNiro; and

WHEREAS, Great Italian-American political figures, such as Fiorello La Guardia (who was both Mayor of, then Congressman, from New York City), Anthony Celebrezze (who, in the Kennedy administration, was the first Italian-American Cabinet member), Antonin Scalia (who, in 1982, became the first Italian-American Supreme Court Justice), and Rhode Island Senator John O. Pastore (who, in 1945, became the first Italian-American governor of Rhode Island), have enriched the political process and brought national pride to our country; and

WHEREAS, Over 5.4 million Italians immigrated to the United States between 1820 and 1992, which today has resulted in over 26 million Americans of Italian descent in the United States, making them the fifth largest ethnic group; and

WHEREAS, Rhode Island's Italian-American community boasts a bountiful history and unequaled vitality, adding to the rich cultural diversity of the Ocean State and, in the process, has made so many remarkable contributions that enhance the quality of life in the community; now, therefore be it

RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations hereby declares the month of October as "Italian-American Heritage Month" and recognizes the significant contributions that Italian-Americans have made to the State of Rhode Island and the United States; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and he is hereby authorized and directed to transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to The Italian-American Heritage Commission, The Italian-American Historical Society, and The Order of the Sons of Italy, Rhode Island.