Get the story behind our lawsuit below, and support this historic legal effort by donating to our GoFundMe campaign.
On April 6 the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations (COPOMIAO) filed a lawsuit in U.S. Federal District Court against Mayor Jim Kenney and the city of Philadelphia for multiple acts of intentional discrimination against the Italian American community. The most unsettling of which was Mayor Kenney’s unilateral Executive Order issued this past January that changed Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day in Philadelphia.
The mayor’s pattern of anti-Italian American acts is a violation of federal law, which allows us to request a finding that would designate the Italian American community as a protected class under the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution.
If we’re afforded that designation by the court, it would create a sweeping legal precedent that would save Columbus holidays and statues across the nation.
We support equal treatment for all Americans, and we feel the founding of an Indigenous Peoples Day is most rightly and justly deserved, but we flatly reject the idea that our history and heritage be erased in order to appease other groups.
100% of your donation will fund this legal effort, which is being spearheaded by Philadelphia attorney and litigator George Bochetto and COPOMIAO President Basil M. Russo.
This is a landmark legal fight we can win — together.
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Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations
1296 Midland Avenue
Apt. F2
Yonkers, NY 10704
(Photo credit: meshaphoto, iStock)