Draft of a speech delivered at the first Annual Dinner of the Coalition of Italo-American Organizations, New York, NY, September 14, 1984.  Includes handwritten notes.https://ir.lawnet.fordham.edu/vice_presidential_campaign_speeches_1984/1097/thumbnail.jp

Ferraro, Geraldine

English

Fordham University School of Law

Fordham Law SchoolFLASH: The Fordham Law Archive of Scholarship and HistorySpeeches 1984 Vice-Presidential Campaign9-14-1984Coalition of Italo-American Organizations Speech:DraftGeraldine FerraroFollow this and additional works at: https://ir.lawnet.fordham.edu/vice_presidential_campaign_speeches_1984Part of the Law CommonsThis Book is brought to you for free and open access by the 1984 Vice-Presidential Campaign at FLASH: The Fordham Law Archive of Scholarship andHistory. It has been accepted for inclusion in Speeches by an authorized administrator of FLASH: The Fordham Law Archive of Scholarship andHistory. For more information, please contact tmelnick@law.fordham.edu.Recommended CitationFerraro, Geraldine, "Coalition of Italo-American Organizations Speech: Draft" (1984). Speeches. 98.https://ir.lawnet.fordham.edu/vice_presidential_campaign_speeches_1984/98THANK YOU) ~~RIO) FOR THAT TERRIFIC INTRODUCTION. l'M IELIGHTED YOU WERE ABLE TO TAKE TIME OFF FROM YOUR BUSY LECTURING SCHEDULE TO BE HERE TONIGHT, Ir's GREAT TO SEE so MANY FRIENDLY FACES. THE LAST TIME I WAS WITH THE C10VERNORJ WE WENT ON A QUIET STROLL DOWN FIFTH AVENUE WITH JUST A FEW CLOSE FRIENDS, (OMING HERE TONIGHT TO BE PART OF THE FIRST ANNUAL DINNER o~ THE COALITION OF ITALO-~MERICAN nRGANIZATIONSJ YOU JUST Hl\VE TO BE EXCITED ABOUT EVERYTHING OUR PEOPLE HAVE ACCOMPLISHED IN NEW YoRK STATE. THE FACT ISJ NEW vORK'S ITALIAN-~ERICANS HAVE EXPLODED ON THE POLITICAL SCENE, 1'1HEN IT COMES TO POLITICS) VE 1 RE NOT SAYING "cIAo"J WE'RE SAYING "sIAMO ARRIVATI," l•/E 'VE GOT ALFRED DELBELLO) A GREAT LEADER FROM ~tsrcHESTER CouNTY AND AN OUT ST ANDI NG LT. to VERNOR. WE'VE GOT MARIO Cuof'IOJ A NATIONAL LEADER IN THE !1:MOCRATIC PARTY) AND A REAL PATRIARCH IN THE AMERICAN FAMILY. AND -- WE'RE BEING BIPARTISAN) AT LEAST FOR TONIGHT --VE HAVE MEw VoRK' s FIRST-EVER ITALIAN-AMERICAN LI .S, ~ENATORJ tlPHONSE D'Al'v1ATO. I HAVE A STORY ABOUT ALJ ONE I HOPE HE'LL REMEMBER. IT WAS SEVERAL f'IONTHS AGO) BEFORE I WAS NOMINATED FOR VICE ~ESIDENT, THERE WAS A NEW YoRK STATE PARTY IN 1'1ASHINGTONJ AND faL RAN INTO ONE OF THE STAFF PEOPLE FROM MY CoNGRESSIONAL OFFICE, AT THE TIML Al) YOU OFFERED SOME ADVICE FOR MY POLITICAL :CAREER. You SAID YOU THOUGHT I'D MAKE A GREAT VICE PRESIDENT. (bT A GREAT SENATOR) BUT A GREAT VICE PRESIDENT. ALJ I KNOW YOU STILL THINK so) AND AS A FELLOW ITALIAN-Piv1ERICANJ l APPRECIATE YOUR SUPPORT, CIA0/2 I OON'T MIND TELLING YOU, I'M PROUD OF THE PROGRESS WE HAVE 1"1AJ)E, IT IS EXCITING THAT WE HAVE COME SO FAR, AND ACCOMPLISHED ~ MUCH. Bur IT IS NOT SURPRISING. Ir IS THE RESULT OF A BELIEF IN 1-i\RD \\ORK AND OPPORTUNITY, LOVE OF COU'JTRY AND HOPE FOR A BETIER FUTURE, THOSE ARE THE VALUES WE LEARNED FROM OUR PARENTS, AND W-UCH WE HAVE PASSED ON TO OUR CHILDREN, MY OWN STORY IS NOT DIFFERENT FROM YOUR O~. Mv FATHER CAME HERE FROM THE SMALL TOWN OF MARCIANISE, IN CASSERTA,· HE CftME j3W e V,Ulv,.6 lD THIS LAND OF (',OLDEN OPPORTUNITY, ~~ms THAT IF YOU \\ORKED HARD . ,: , ~b ~ h4-t rn wrn1 'tout- <Dc>D, · · .AND PLAYED BY THE RULES, YOU GlJLD EARVE OUT A BETIER FUTURE FOR YOURSELF AND YOUR FAMILY. M.., B~tff.. /\., .... r ;y mTHER SHARED THAT DREAM. ffilJ WHEN SHE WAS WIOOWED WITH T\\O YOUNG CHILDREN, SHE WENT BACK TO ~K, IN TIE GARMENT DISTRICT, TO Ml\KE SURE MY BROTHER AND I \\OULD HAVE THE OPPORTlf'JITIES SHE NEVER HAD. AND BECAUSE SHE \\ORKED HARD, I \\ORKED HARD. I WASN'T - . . .. -·. - . - . . . . .. . . ABOUT TO LET HER OOWN, AFTER COLLEGE I TAUGHT IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS a= NEW YoRK BY DAY, AND WENT TO LAW SCHOOL AT NIGHT. Ir WAS HARD WJRK, BUT I LEARNED THE ONE LESSON MY mTHER AND FATHER1',tv'OST WANTED TO TEACH ME: HARD ~RK PAYS OFF, tACH OF YOU KNOWS 'f.IHAT I MEAN. YouR PARENTS AND GRANDPARENTS CAME TO THIS COUNTRY WITH DREAMS FOR A BETIER FUTURE FOR THEIR CHILDREN, THEY SACRIFICED AND STRUGGLED AND WATCHED AS THEIR KIDS GREW UP, /\tm THEY WERE REWARDED WHEN WE GREW UP AND BUILT BETIER LIVES FOR OURSELVES :'AND OUR CHILDREN. Ir IS AS TRUE TODAY AS IT EVER WAS, ~~~r11slef?~t'v:i1r111NOSTRI ~1u~T1uijN ii, E,£~N f~§u1~Dkil,~M0Bl~,b:hWfi~E QUESTI SO<iNI SI ~IZZINO, CIA0/3 nuR PARENTS CAME TO THIS NEW LAND TO M.l\KE A NEW LIFE. AND THEY CAME TO LOVE PMERICA AS THEY LOVED ITALY. l1IE HAVE NOT CUT OUR TIES TO THE OLD LAND. As .DMERICANS OF ITALIAN ANCESTRY, WE ARE PROUD TO SAY THAT THE llNITED STATES HAS NO STRONGER OR ~RE RELIABLE ALLY THAN THE REPUBLIC OF ITALY. 11HEN THERE WAS A NEED FOR A PEACE-KEEPING FORCE IN THE SINAI, ITALIAN TROOPS SERVED SIDE-BY-SIDE WITH U.S. FORCES. 14HEN THE MULTINATIONAL FORCE WAS FORMED IN REIRUT, YOUNG ~ERICAN MARINES WERE JOINED BY YOUNG ITALIAN SOLDIERS. AND WHEN THE CARTER-~NDALE ADMINISTRATION SOUGHT TO IMPLEMENT ITS TWJ-TRACK STRATEGY INVOLVING THE DEPLOYMENT OF CRUISE MISSILES IN EUROPE, ITALY PLAYED A CRITICAL ROLE IN THE SUCCESS OF THE POLI CY, AND WHEN IT CAME T W.E TO PlJT THOSE CRUISE MISSILES IN CoMISO, THE ITALIAN GOVERNMENT STUCK BY ITS COM"1ITMENT TO THE ALLIANCE. THE FACT IS THAT ITALY HAS DE~NSTRATED THAT IT IS A FRIEND AND ALLY SECOND TO NONE. IT IS TIME WE RECOGNIZE THE VALUE OF ITALY'S CONTRIBUTION TO VJESTERN SECURITY PY !'AA.l<TW~ SI.IRE ROME IS INCLUDED IN ALL CONSULTATIONS TNVn!YING THE INNER CIRCLE OF NATO POWE.RS. HE MUST ALSO RECOGNIZE THAT BEING A GOOD ALLY IS A TWJ-WAY STREET, AND INVOLVES MORE THAN MILITARY SECURITY. IT ALSO MEANS MUTUAL COOPERATION TO ACHIEVE ECONOMIC SECURITY. THE ECONOMIES OF THE WEST ARE ALL LINKED TO EACH OTHER. THE WAY WE HANDLE· OUR DJMESTIC FISCAL MATTERS HAVE IMPORTANT CONSEQUENCES FOR OUR PARTNERS, IN THE SPIRIT OF COOPERATION AND UNDERSTANDING, WE MUST SEEK TO COORDINATE OUR ECONOMIC POLICIES, CIA0/4 TO INSURE THAT ECONOMIC RECOVERY IS ACHIEVED ON BOTH SIDES OF THE ATLA.NTIC. THE VDRK OF THIS ORGANIZATION -- AND ALL YOUR MEMBER ~GANIZATIONS -- IS IN GREAT MEASURE RESPONSIBLE FOR PROfvr>TING GREATER UNDERSTANDING OF ITALIAN-AMERICANS, LIKE SO MANY OTHER ETHNIC GROUPSJ OUR PATH TO SUCCESS IN PMERICA HAS NOT ALWAYS BEEN EASY, THERE HAS BEEN DISCRIMINATIONJ AND WE HAVE HAD TO STRUGGLE TO OVERCOME IT. Bur WE HAVE OVERCOME. IT USED TO BE THAT THE ONLY IMAGE OF ITALIAN VDMEN ONE ; EVER SAW ON TELEVISION WAS OF A worm LEANING OUT A WINOOW IN AN URPAN NEIGHBORHOOD Sl-OUTINGJ ".ANTl-ONY!" Bur TODAYJ ALJV'OST EVERY NIGHT OF THE WEEKJ THE fVviERICAN PEOPLE CAN SEE AN ITALIAN WOMAN ON TELEVISION TALKING ABOUT ARMS CONTROLJ AND FEDERAL BUDGET DEFICITSJ AND THE OTHER GREAT ISSUES OF THE DAY, ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~m~~~~~· ALL OF YOUJ THROUGH THE VDRK YOU 00 EVERY DAYJ HAVE HELPED TO OPEN THE OOORS OF OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL ITALIAN-.ilMERICANS IN THIS COUNTRY, THE VICTORIES WE HAVE VDNJ WE HAVE VDN TOGETHER, THE VICTORIES WE WILL WIN IN THE FUTURE WILL BE SHARED JUST THE SAME ''WAY, I AM HONORED TO BE HERE, I SALUTE THE OUTSTANDING IND IV !DUALS YOU HONOR TON I GHT, I•/ ITH THEMJ AND WITH YOUJ I SAY J SoNO ORGOLIOSA DI ESSERE ITALIANA. 

Coalition of Italo-American Organizations Speech: Draft

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Coalition of Italo-American Organizations Speech: Draft

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