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Get to Know the Organization Celebrating Italian American Women

(Photo Credit: NOIAW)

Asia London Palomba | PUBLISHED: March 1, 2023

Asia London Palomba
March 6, 2023

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March 1 marks the beginning of Women’s History Month, a month dedicated to commemorating, observing, and celebrating the vital role women have played in American history and contemporary society. 

The National Organization of Italian American Women (NOIAW) strives to uphold the values of Women’s History Month not only during the month of March but every day. Founded in 1980, NOIAW’s purpose is to create an inclusive community that not only embraces ancestral Italian culture, but also promotes the professional advancement of Italian American women.

(Photo Credit: NOIAW)

NOIAW describes themselves as “the beneficiaries of the extraordinary cultural legacy of Italy, past and present, and have both the pleasure of and responsibility for promoting, cultivating, and preserving that legacy.” Below are 8 things to know about NOIAW, the organization behind honoring and celebrating the contributions of Italian American women to American society.

  • NOIAW’s vision is to “unite, celebrate, and empower each other.”
  • The organization was founded in 1980 in New York by a group of Italian American women who sought to create a national network of Italian American women for the support and advancement of educational and professional purposes.
  • The organization was also created with the intention of combating the stereotype that Italian women belong in the home, specifically in the kitchen.
  • NOIAW strives to promote positive role models for young girls and women to look up to.
  • The organization was founded under the leadership of Dr. Aileen Riotto Sirey, a Manhattan psychotherapist. In a New York Times article published in 1982, Sirey spoke on the impetus behind the organization’s origins, explaining that “our role was always to keep a low profile in public. We were always women in the shadows.”
  • NOIAW aims to connect women through Italian culture and heritage and celebrate the achievements of women of Italian ancestry.
  • NOIAW promotes Italian cultural programs locally, nationally, and internationally. It also organizes special events to promote the professional achievements of women of Italian heritage in both the workplace and community.
  • NOAIW sponsors mentorship, scholarship, and cultural exchange programs for young women of Italian ancestry.

Asia London Palomba

Asia London Palomba is a trilingual freelance journalist from Rome, Italy. In the past, her work on culture, travel, and history has been published in The Boston Globe, Atlas Obscura, The Christian Science Monitor, and Grub Street, New York Magazine's food section. In her free time, Asia enjoys traveling home to Italy to spend time with family and friends, drinking Hugo Spritzes, and making her nonna's homemade cavatelli.

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Asia London Palomba

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