Commission for Social Justice is fundraising
1891 NOLA Project
Memorial Statue for Italians Lynched in New Orleans - The Largest Lynching in United States History
On March 14, 1891, eleven Italians were lynched by an organized mob set on their own form of justice. Thousands of mob members stormed the Orleans Parish Prison, where these innocent men were held, broke in and savagely killed and hanged the men, setting off a national and then an international scandal.
This set back Italy-U.S. relations, but, more significantly for those Italian immigrants as well as naturalized Italians in America, the bias and vitriol deeply wounded the Italian-American fabric for many years.
Successful in helping heal that wound, the Commission for Social Justice—the anti-defamation arm of the Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America (www.osia.org)—engaged the current New Orleans Mayor for an official Proclamation of Apology, which was offered at a recent April 12, 2019, ceremony in New Orleans.
This fund drive is to support our efforts to engage an artisan to create and deliver a striking Memorial Statute, to be erected in a central location in New Orleans, with any excess funds to educate fairness, acceptance, and respect for all people.
The statue will serve not only as a memorial of those who were killed, but also as recognition of the prejudice that Italian Americans suffered upon immigrating to the United States.
Please join in and help. It WILL make a difference.
If you would like more information about this project, the lynching that occurred in 1891, or the public apology issued by the City of New Orleans, please contact the Commission for Social Justice: [email redacted]
On March 14, 1891, eleven Italians were lynched by an organized mob set on their own form of justice. Thousands of mob members stormed the Orleans Parish Prison, where these innocent men were held, broke in and savagely killed and hanged the men, setting off a national and then an international scandal.
This set back Italy-U.S. relations, but, more significantly for those Italian immigrants as well as naturalized Italians in America, the bias and vitriol deeply wounded the Italian-American fabric for many years.
Successful in helping heal that wound, the Commission for Social Justice—the anti-defamation arm of the Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America (www.osia.org)—engaged the current New Orleans Mayor for an official Proclamation of Apology, which was offered at a recent April 12, 2019, ceremony in New Orleans.
This fund drive is to support our efforts to engage an artisan to create and deliver a striking Memorial Statute, to be erected in a central location in New Orleans, with any excess funds to educate fairness, acceptance, and respect for all people.
The statue will serve not only as a memorial of those who were killed, but also as recognition of the prejudice that Italian Americans suffered upon immigrating to the United States.
Please join in and help. It WILL make a difference.
If you would like more information about this project, the lynching that occurred in 1891, or the public apology issued by the City of New Orleans, please contact the Commission for Social Justice: [email redacted]
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