October 2026 Newsletter

Events Calendar

April 27, 2027 | Ken Burns at the DoubleTree in Manchester (Mark your calendar!)

2026 Columbus Day Celebrations

On Monday, October 12, the Friends of Italian Americans Foundation proudly welcomed community leaders, members, and friends to our annual Columbus Day breakfasts in Manchester and Portsmouth. Friends at both locations enjoyed a complimentary breakfast, warm conversations, and a great assortment of Italian cookies.

These gatherings are more than a celebration of Italian American heritage. They are an opportunity to honor the generations of immigrants who came before us, recognize those who continue to make a difference, and celebrate the traditions that connect our communities.

Manchester: Celebrating Leadership and Service

At the DoubleTree Hotel in Manchester, we were honored to welcome Governor Kelly Ayotte, who presented a proclamation recognizing Columbus Day, and Mayor Jay Ruais, who shared remarks with our attendees.

Senator Lou D’Allesandro introduced out honoree, Alex Ray, founder of the Common Man family of restaurants, recognizing his accomplishments in humanitarian efforts in support of Ukraine.

Ray’s efforts reflect an important part of FIAF’s mission; recognizing the hardships faced by those forced from their homes and standing against injustice. His dedication to helping families affected by war underscores the importance of compassion and ensures vulnerable communities are not forgotten.

Portsmouth: Remembering the North End

In Portsmouth, our celebration at the Sheraton Hotel began with Mayor Deaglan McEachern, who also presented a Italian Heritage Month proclamation.

We were especially honored to recognize Portsmouth City Councilor Beth Moreau, whose heartfelt remarks can be read in full below. Her words reminded us that preserving history is about more than remembering what was lost. It is about ensuring that the experiences, sacrifices, and contributions of earlier generations are never forgotten.

In addition, our keynote speaker Captain Geno Marconi shared his family story of how the urban renewal of Portsmouth in the 1970s impacted his family.

Lastly, we were honored to receive a glowing review from another Portsmouth City Councilor, Andrew Bagley. Please read his post by clicking the button below.

Thank you for Celebrating With Us!

Together, these stories remind us why preserving our heritage matters and why it is so important to pass these memories on to future generations.

To everyone who joined us in Manchester and Portsmouth, THANK YOU!

We extend our sincere appreciation for our distinguished guests, honorees, volunteers, and our community who make these events possible. Your participation keeps meaningful traditions alive.

Please consider donating to the Friends of Italian Americans Foundation so we can continue celebrating our heritage, preserving immigrant stories, and bringing our communities together. Every contribution helps us carry this mission forward.

Speech of Portsmouth Breakfast Honoree Beth Moreau

"As our surname suggests, both my husband and I share a French- Canadian heritage, and I also have family roots from Czechoslovakia. Like many Italian American families, both of our grandparents and great-grandparents came to our country over a century ago seeking a better life. Immigrants from this era ultimately helped to propel the United States into a period of unprecedented prosperity. However, theirs was not an easy story. While desiring to assimilate, their native language, religious beliefs and customs from their former lands created suspicion and fueled prejudice.

The story of Italian Americans in Portsmouth follows that pattern. Beginning in the early twentieth century, Italian immigrants made their homes in Portsmouth’s North End, centered around Russell, Deer, Vaughan, and other nearby streets. Many came seeking work and stability, carrying little more than determination, practical skills, and faith in the promise of new life. Some found employment at local shipyards, on the railroads, in shoe factories, or in building trades. Others opened grocery stores, restaurants, or small shops. Often, one family member arrived first and then sent for loved ones, turning individual acts of courage into a lasting chain of migration. Italian was spoken across kitchen tables and shop counters. Children played in the streets, families worshipped, neighbors looked after one another, and local clubs offered fellowship and mutual support.

By the middle of the twentieth century, the North End had become Portsmouth’s “Little Italy,” rich in memory and daily life. The homes in this neighborhood were from the 18^th and early 19^th centuries, small and closely clustered together, and by then many were showing their age. My predecessors in the City Council and other civic leaders at the time viewed the neighborhood, and the immigrant communities that called it home, as a blight upon the city. This culminated in the City Council approving the North End Urban Renewal Project on July 13^th, 1966. By 1972, using this federal funding, most of over 150 homes in the neighborhood had been demolished, and its residents displaced, often out of Portsmouth. While I have to believe those City Councilors thought that they were acting in the best interest of the city, as a city leader today I recognize the unjustness of their actions to our Italian American community, as well as the lost opportunity to preserve a neighborhood of potential workforce housing.

It is because of this injustice that is unique to Portsmouth that I am pleased that we get to continue to celebrate Italian Americans on this holiday. While declaring a holiday cannot undo the injustices done to many people, it does allow us to reflect and refocus to make our community a better place for all. Portsmouth’s Italian-American heritage is not simply a footnote in our history, it is part of the city’s living identity. Our recognition of friendship with Santarcangelo gives that legacy both a present and a future. It transforms ancestry into relationship and remembrance into exchange. Students, families, educators, and civic leaders now continue a connection first created by immigrants who could scarcely have imagined how enduring their journey would be.

As we honor them, let us remember immigration not as an abstract issue, but as a human experience: the decision to leave home, the courage to begin again, the work of building trust, and the hope that the next generation will fully belong. Portsmouth’s Italian immigrants remind us that a city becomes stronger when newcomers are given the chance to contribute, and when their contributions are remembered.



May we continue to preserve the names, places, photographs, recipes, and stories of the North End. Any may we welcome future generations of immigrants with the same neighborly spirit that allowed a group from Italy to make Portsmouth their home and, in doing so, to make Portsmouth more fully itself."

- Beth Moreau, Portsmouth City Councilor

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

More than five centuries ago, Christopher Columbus embarked westward across uncharted waters and discovered the New World — bringing with him the rich traditions of Western civilization and paving the way to the birth of the American Nation less than three centuries later. Today, we honor his life of valor, adventure, and ingenuity. We cherish his memory and pledge to safeguard his story. Above all, we remember with gratitude that the triumph of freedom and the glory of our Republic are the fruits of his faith and unrelenting devotion.

In August of 1492, Columbus departed the shores of Spain to chart a new trade route to Asia. With his crew of about 90 men aboard the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa María, for more than 2 grueling months, he pressed onward across the vast and unforgiving Atlantic Ocean — braving violent storms and treacherous waters. Through every trial, Columbus never wavered, holding his crew to the mission when most others would have turned back.

When Columbus and his crew made landfall on the islands of the present-day Bahamas, they first believed they had reached the shores of Asia. Instead, their voyage redrew the map of human possibility and opened a new chapter in the history of exploration. They unleashed a bold new age of discovery that expanded the horizons of knowledge, carried the splendors of the Western world across an ocean, and set in motion the forces that would culminate in the miracle of July 4, 1776. When they arrived, as a sign of devotion to God and respect to Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain, Columbus raised a mighty cross in the newly discovered land as a sign that “Your Highnesses hold this land for your own, but chiefly as a sign of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Ever since, this spirit of adventure has coursed through the veins of generations of patriots — from the brave settlers who established the first colonial foothold at Jamestown to the daring pioneers who pushed westward and tamed the frontier.

Today, we reaffirm that Christopher Columbus is a legend whose vision, fortitude, and perseverance unleashed a dynamic of history that led to the creation of the greatest, freest, and most just Nation in history. We are forever indebted to his courageous voyage, and we will never allow his legacy to be erased by radical extremists. For this reason, earlier this year, I was proud to install a statue of Christopher Columbus on the White House grounds — an exact replica of the statue that stood for more than three decades in Baltimore, Maryland, from its dedication by President Ronald Reagan in October 1984 until rioters tore it down and threw it into Baltimore Harbor on July 4, 2020. Now placed at the White House, this magnificent monument stands as a testament to the resilient legacy of one of history’s greatest heroes.

Columbus Day also holds special significance for our incredible Italian-American citizens. Like Columbus, they have embodied a steadfast love of country and faith in God, and they continue to strengthen our communities and propel our country to even greater heights.

In 1892, on the occasion of the 400th anniversary of Columbus’ epic voyage, Pope Leo XIII published an encyclical hailing “the greatness of his mind and heart,” which “can be compared to but few in the history of humanity.” The Pope continued: Columbus “looked for a something greater and higher than did these others.” Today, as we celebrate the anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ arrival in the New World, we honor his unrivaled greatness. We embrace our duty to prove worthy of the inheritance he left us, to match his courage with our own, and to never abandon, forsake, or forget the beauty of our faith, the glories of our culture, and the stories of our heroes.

In commemoration of Christopher Columbus’ historic voyage, the Congress, by joint resolution of April 30, 1934, and modified in 1968 (36 U.S.C. 107), as amended, has requested the President proclaim the second Monday of October of each year as “Columbus Day.”

NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim October 12, 2026, as Columbus Day. I call upon the people of the United States to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities. I also direct that the flag of the United States be displayed on all public buildings on the appointed day in honor of the great Christopher Columbus and all who have contributed to building our Nation.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this seventh day of October, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-six, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fifty-first.



                            DONALD J. TRUMP

Share your Story:

Family Immigration Stories: Each month the Friends of Italian Americans aims to share member submitted immigration stories. These personal histories help us preserve our shared culture and contribution to our American communities. If you would like to contribute a family immigration story, please reach out to shayla@friendsofia.org.

Community Cookbook:

Our community cookbook project gives our members the opportunity to share their favorite recipe with the end goal to preserve Italian American recipes for the next generation. We don't want to focus on the recipe, we want to focus on the story behind it! Send your stories, photos, and recipes to shayla@friendsofia.org