Photo credit: Janet Donovan
“We’re proud of our heritage, it’s what gives me my energy,” said Nancy Pelosi, Democratic Leader of the US House of Representatives. “Pat Harrison always asks me when we see each other about once a week, ‘where do you get the energy?’ [I say] being Italian American.” Pelosi was the guest of honor along with this year’s honorees at a private dinner at Cafe Milano in Georgetown, DC preceding the Annual Gala weekend now in its 43rd year.
“She previously served as the fifty-second house speaker, the only woman to do so, attaining the highest political office of any female politician in American history,” said dinner co-chair Gabriel Battista. “She is the first woman, the first Californian, and the first Italian American to lead a major party. She’s also the mother of five children. She has eight grand-children and somehow she manages to do it all and look spectacular.”
Speaker Pelosi and Gabriel Battista
“This is a very special evening,” said co-chair Pat Harrison. “in honor of the Italian American Congressional Delegation, comprising Republicans and Democrats, but tonight everyone is Italian. I have to point out that this administration has more Italian Americans serving in top positions than any other -just saying. And tonight, from the administration, we want to welcome Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway; from the Office of Management and Budget, General Counsel Mark Paoletta; Economic advisor to the Vice-President Mark Calabria; Andrew Giuliani; Associate Counselor to the President, Dina LaVerghetta; Deputy Director of the Office of Public Liaison and founder of the White House Italian American Staff Association Steve Munisteri.”
Pat Harrison (CEO CPB) and Anita McBride
Leader Pelosi took the opportunity to remind us that President Reagan said this: “This is the last speech I will make as President of The United States, and I wanna send a message to the people of the country I love.” He went on to talk about the Statue of Liberty and what it means to other people coming from other countries, seeing that welcoming statue, and then he said; “People in our country looked to the Statue of Liberty and what it means to see that their parents and their parents’ ancestors who came past that statue into our country and what that beacon means to us and to others seeing it. The vital force of America’s preeminence to the world was every new generation of immigrants coming to our country. When we fail to recognize that, we will fail to be preeminent in the world.”
