- OSDIA is for people of any gender, age, religion, race, creed, orientation and profession. You don’t even have to be Italian to join! Whether you are of Italian heritage or simply have a love for things Italian, OSDIA welcomes you as a member.
- The Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America® (OSDIA) is the largest and oldest national organization for men and women of Italian heritage in the United States.
- Founded in 1905 as a mutual aid society for the early Italian immigrants, today OSDIA has thousands of family members located in all fifty states and the District of Columbia, making it the leading service and advocacy organization for the nation’s estimated 26 million people of Italian descent.
- Its missions include encouraging the study of Italian language and culture in American schools and universities; preserving Italian American traditions, culture, history and heritage; and promoting closer cultural relations between the United States and Italy.
- Women have always shared equal rights with men in OSDIA, and women make up about 50% of OSDIA membership. Women have held leadership positions at all levels, including state president, national trustee, national vice president and national president.
- The Sons of Italy Foundation® (SIF) is a private, philanthropic institution established by OSDIA in 1959. To date, the SIF has given more than $164 million to scholarships, medical research, cultural preservation, disaster relief, and other causes.
- The Commission for Social Justice® (CSJ) is the anti-defamation arm of OSDIA. The CSJ is committed to fighting racism, prejudice, and the stereotyping of all races, religions and cultures, especially Italians and Italian Americans.
- The SIF owns the Garibaldi-Meucci Museum in Staten Island, N.Y. The museum is housed in the historic home of inventor Antonio Meucci and chronicles his life as well as that of his one-time house guest, Italian unifier Giuseppe Garibaldi.
- OSDIA’s national headquarters is in Washington, D.C., near Capitol Hill.
