The White House opened its doors to members of the Italian American community, from national leaders to social media influencers of Italian ancestry, in celebration of Italian American Heritage Month in October. Dr. Jill Biden, the country’s first First Lady of Italian descent, welcomed the large crowd to the White House by mentioning the lessons she learned about being Italian American in her grandparents’ “well-worn kitchen.”
“The most important lesson that I learned in their kitchen was that, when you’re Italian American, there’s always room for one more chair at the table … enough space in our hearts for another friend to become like family.” She said she has applied the same approach by “bringing many more people inside the historic walls of the White House … the People’s House.”
During her time as First Lady, she has thought often of her great-grandparents “leaving everything they knew behind to chase the promise of America. And then, when they arrived on Ellis Island to take their first strides into a new life, I don’t think they could ever have imagined that a group of hundreds of Italian Americans would be coming together in the White House.”
“When our roots run deep, there’s no limit to how high we can reach. So, tonight, I hope that you feel the power of our ancestors’ values beating inside of us as we carry their legacy forward; that you feel home — you feel at home, eat good food, and end up with a little something sweet together, as a family,” the First Lady said.
President Biden in his remarks noted that “It’s great to see so many friends from the National Italian American Foundation, the Sons and Daughters of Italy, and so many other Italian American leaders and organization from all across the country. You know, I can honestly say I wouldn’t be president without you. I wouldn’t be president without the Italian American community.”
The guests then enjoyed assorted Italian delicacies.
Voce Italiana November print edition.
