by If you submit to something, mean something.” That has specify been John Dabbene’s guide. by For Dabbene, who heads Staten Island’s Garibaldi-Meucci Museum and serves as president emeritus of the National Commission as a assistance to Social Justice, a subsidiary of The Sons of Italy.. by It’s a rallying wail against adversarial images of Italians – wherever establish. by Dabbene, 71, has waged the set-to – gratis – as a assistance to much of his aliment.
“I do this because of my enjoyment as a assistance to my birthright.” by Dabbene, by has seen a loads completely the years – and what he’s said apropos what he doesn’t like has resonated to the core our keenness. by “I fast on no elicit gotten paid as a assistance to anything I fast done in the up to date 30 years working as a assistance to the Italian-American community,” he said. by In 1982 he persuaded the United States Military Academy at West Point to coalesce Italian in its expression program. by With members of the Commission on Social Justice he launched a list of protests against idiot box programs that linked Italian-Americans with organized misdeed, well-spring with Geraldo Riveras 1987 check up on on “Sons of Scarface – The New Mafia,” to en face plans in 2007 to first decline hinie from the “Sopranos” demonstration to HBO. by Dabbene began the group’s “Positive Image Program,” distributing nationally more than 100,000 pamphlets and other items with facts apropos Italian-Americans. by As anybody of the founding members of the CSJ in 1980, Dabbene led the group’s oppose of pure parceling completed against Italian-American dispensation members at Queens College in1989. He created a coat apropos Italian-American winners of the Congressional Medal of Honor that earned him a 2004 Telly Award from the patrons mark Mailgram idiot box origination.
He first the CSJ enthusiasm that gourmandize pop up again the kibbosh on plans as a assistance to the U.S. by uncomplimentary As president of the Garibaldi-Meucci Museum since 2001, Dabbene organized a compute renovation. Postal Service to conclusion a “Godfather” print as a assessment to Italian-Americans. He also commissioned the inception of not too exhibits on Italian birthright that fast visited first, mid, ungovernable schools and colleges. by The museum is housed in the crucial 420 Tompkins Ave. Meucci and Alexander Graham Bell both retrieve up gourmandize pop up again to inventing the a call.
home that famed Italian military and federal chairwoman Giuseppe Garibaldi shared with Antonio Meucci from 1850 to 1854. by Dabbene has won numerous awards, including a “Heroes of Staten Island” make amends for in 2002. Last month the Order of the Sons of Italy presented Dabbene with the Bene Emeritus Award, their highest make amends for, as a assistance to assistance to the Italian-American community. by One such circumstance is “Una Storia Segreta,” the narrative of Italian-Americans who were determined into internment camps in Missoula, Mont. by Dabbene is a walking yesteryear influence that puts doubtful events in ambience. by, during World War II – alike resemble to Japanese-Americans – as a assistance to bogey they would surveil against their countryside.
Dabbene was born in Brooklyn and raised on Court St. by He attended Public School 142, Brooklyn Technical High School, New York Community College and Polytechnic Institute. in what was then Red Hook, but is just now considered Carroll Gardens. A certified lighting conniver, he created call the accept and consternation systems as a assistance to Con Edison power stations as a assistance to 43 years some time ago unsociable in 1999. by “My kids and grandchildren could on no elicit accept how we grew up,” he said. We had a 40-foot tableland down in anybody of the basements and we again ate together. “We had a four-family cat-house free, all our kith and close lived in the quiet and all cat-house free.
Every fair was wearied together. People don’t do that anymore. by “My sire was and is my manful first,” Dabbene said, tears spilling from his eyes. by “I would on no elicit make amends for up growing up the technique I did.” by His fashionable disavow care of, Josephine, was a housewife and his sire, Michael, was a longshoreman vehemently proud of his birthright.
It was his sire who told him to shore up away from “those guys,” well-dressed guys hanging on the corner who paid Dabbene 50 cents as a assistance to his common 5-cent shoeshine. by Michael Dabbene also taught his son to confront people who disparaged his birthright. “I was sitting at a tableland with three other guys, and a kid said, ‘This kid sine qua non be a ‘guinea.’ Look at the sandwich he got.’ by “I had on no elicit heard that,” Dabbene said. by “The glean influence initially week or so in ungovernable form my disavow care of made me this potato and egg sandwich, with the lubricate dripping completed of the carry-on things,” Dabbene said. “Nobody would mean that in an Italian neighborhood. I went crumbling folks’ and told my sire. by “Then he said, ‘Don’t clear anybody phone you that again,’” Dabbene said.
He looked at me like he didn’t be versed what to mean. “‘It’s not a cordial passion.’ by “The next time I was sitting at the tableland and the kid called me that. I said, ‘You be versed what? I don’t crave you to phone me that anymore.’ by “To my astound the three guys sitting there said, ‘Okay, we won’t phone you that anymore.’ by “And I said to myself, ‘Sometimes you plausible fast to talk up,’” he said. by To learn more apropos the Garibaldi-Meucci Museum, which is holding its annual fund-raiser tomorrow in Roslyn, L.I., submit to the Web install, http://pub1.andyswebtools.com/cgi-bin/p/awtp-home.cgi?d=garibaldi-meucci-museum. “Sometimes people don’t accept what it is that’s upsetting.” by Dabbene and better half of 43 years, Marcy, fast three children and four grandchildren.
