View source for Order Sons of Italy in America

{{Short description|Italian American fraternal organization}}
{{more citations needed|date=April 2010}}
{{Infobox organization
| name                = Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America
| native_name         = L’Ordine Figli d’Italia in America
| native_name_lang = it
| abbreviation        = OSDIA
| formation           = {{start date and age|1905|6|22}}
| founder             = [[Vincenzo Sellaro]]
| headquarters        = [[Washington, D.C.]]
| website             = {{URL|https://www.osdia.org/}}
}}
[[File:Sons of Italy 2320 Dunwoodie 885 Midland Av jeh.jpg|thumb|Lodge in [[Yonkers, New York]]]]
[[File:President John F. Kennedy Meets with Members of Order of Sons of Italy in America (OSIA).jpg|thumb|President [[John F. Kennedy]] meets with Members of Order of Sons of Italy in America (1961)]]
The '''Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America''', formerly the '''Order Sons of Italy in America''' ({{langx|it|Ordine Figli d’Italia in America}}, OSIA), is the largest and the oldest [[Italian American]] [[Benefit society|fraternal organization]] in the United States.{{citation needed|date=April 2023}} A similar organization exists in Canada.<ref>[http://www.ordersonsofitalycanada.com/ "Welcome to the Order Sons of Italy Website"]. ''The Order Sons of Italy of Canada is an organization of men and women devoted to a number of principals which are more specifically set out in the Mission Statement found in this web site''. Accessed on July 28, 2007.</ref>
It has more than 600,000 members and supporters. Since its founding in 1905 it has established more than 2,800 lodges in 43 states,{{citation needed|date=April 2023}} with the headquarters located near [[Capitol Hill]] in [[Washington, D.C.]]<ref>{{cite web |title= National Headquarters – Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America |url= https://www.osia.org/about/national-headquarters/ |website=OSIA }}</ref>
==History==
It was founded on June 22, 1905, by [[Vincenzo Sellaro]] to help assimilate Italians into American society during the immigration boom of the early 20th century.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.osia.org/about/founder.php|website=OSIA Founder Vincenzo Sellaro|access-date=29 June 2015|title=Order Sons of Italy in America® - About OSIA - History - Founder Vincenzo Sellaro|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120917154537/http://www.osia.org/about/founder.php|archive-date=17 September 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> In recognition of his social and medical achievements, Governor [[Alfred Emanuel Smith]] gifted Sellaro the key to the City of New York in 1928.<ref>{{Cite web |last=TWS Association |date=October 5, 2022 |title=The Contribution of Vincenzo Sellaro to Italian Americans Recalled at the Senate of the Republic |url=https://www.italyusa.org/2022/10/the-contribution-of-vincenzo-sellaro-to.html |access-date=April 19, 2024 |website=italyusa.org}}</ref>
After [[World War II]], the organization faced criticism for the "heavy involvement by the OSIA in Mussolini's Fascist propaganda campaign in the 1920s and 1930s".<ref>[http://testaae.greenwood.com/doc_print.aspx?fileID=GR2404&chapterID=GR2404-1241&path=books/greenwood "ITALIAN AMERICANS."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120227140642/http://testaae.greenwood.com/doc_print.aspx?fileID=GR2404&chapterID=GR2404-1241&path=books%2Fgreenwood |date=2012-02-27 }} ''Multiculturalism in the United States : A Comparative Guide to Acculturation and Ethnicity''. Westport, CT: GREENWOOD PRESS, 2005.</ref>
OSIA has been involved in promoting immigration legislation, assisting in the assimilation process, supporting cooperation, trade, and diplomatic relations between the United States and Italy, initiating social and fraternal events, encouraging educational achievement through scholarships, serving local communities through a variety of cultural events and raising funds for local charities, and providing low-cost group financial investments and insurance.{{citation needed|date=April 2023}}
==See also==
* [[Unico National]]
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
* [http://www.osia.org/ www.osia.org]{{snd}} Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America
* [http://www.ordersonsofitalycanada.com/ www.ordersonsofitalycanada.com]{{snd}} Order Sons of Italy of Canada
* [https://www.lib.umn.edu/ihrca www.lib.umn.edu/ihrca]{{snd}} Immigration History Research Center Archives, [[University of Minnesota Libraries]]. The [https://www.lib.umn.edu/ihrca IHRC Archives] holds the organizational records for the [http://archives.lib.umn.edu/repositories/6/resources/4375 OSIA National Office], as well as records for many Grand Lodges and Lodges.
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Order Sons Of Italy In America}}
[[Category:Italian-American organizations]]
[[Category:Organizations established in 1905]]
[[Category:Ethnic fraternal orders in the United States]]
[[Category:1905 establishments in the United States]]
[[Category:Italian language in the United States]]