The Italian American Women’s Center (IAWC) hosted its annual International Women’s Day celebration, “Festa Della Donna,” on Sunday at Umberto’s of New Hyde Park.
The event honored the contributions of women in the arts, particularly from the Italian Renaissance and Baroque periods to the present. It featured a luncheon, an art exhibition, and speeches highlighting women’s achievements and cultural heritage.
Vincenza Russo, the president of IAWC based in Bayside, emphasized the organization’s role in preserving and promoting Italian and Italian-American culture. “We spend a lot of time not only having fun and pursuing our hobbies but also learning about our culture,” Russo said. “We talk about artists, writers, and history, and we encourage young people to study the Italian language.” She also highlighted the club’s scholarship program, which supports students studying the Italian language.
This year’s event showcased artwork by several members, including Clare Stokolosa, Teresa Formato, Vincenza Russo, Maria Santalesa, and Bonnie Agalbato. Stokolosa, an artist based in Queens, expressed her excitement about the event. “I am grateful to be displaying my work here today,” she said. “It’s wonderful to celebrate women’s achievements, their many roles as mothers, workers, teachers, professors, and leaders.”
Santalesa, who discovered her passion for painting in retirement, described how art became a transformative experience for her. “It has become like therapy for me,” she said. “Meeting other women in the class and working with a 90-year-old teacher who has such passion for art has been incredibly fulfilling.”
Rita Monte, vice president of IAWC and host of the bilingual radio show “Profumi d’Italia,” provided historical context on the significance of March 8, International Women’s Day. She linked the celebration to the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in 1911, where 146 garment workers, many of them Italian and Jewish immigrants, lost their lives due to unsafe working conditions. “Women started striking for better wages and working conditions, and factory owners retaliated,” Monte explained. “The fire led to reforms, but it came at a terrible cost.”
Monte also announced an upcoming Italian musical, Camicette Bianche (White Shirts), which will be performed in New York, commemorating the lives lost in the factory fire. “In Italy, many of the victims’ hometowns named streets and plazas in their memory,” she said. “This production will bring their stories back to where it all happened.”
The event featured the symbolic yellow mimosa flower, traditionally given to women in Italy on International Women’s Day. “You’ll notice many people wearing yellow,” Stokolosa said. “The mimosa is the flower of the day—it’s a beautiful tradition.”
The celebration concluded with a call for younger generations to engage in cultural preservation and community-building. “We hope to see young women taking our place someday,” Russo said. “Understanding our past is essential to shaping the future.”
Founded in 1997, the Italian American Women’s Center is a not-for-profit organization that offers a wide range of programs. It was created to respond to the needs of women of Italian culture in the New York metropolitan area. Proceeds from the event will support IAWC’s annual scholarship program.
