Good evening, and welcome to the Fourth We the Italians Gala Dinner.

It is a great pleasure to see so many friends gathered here tonight. My name is Umberto Mucci, founder and president of We the Italians. Our name pays tribute to the first three words of the United States Constitution, “We the People,” while our motto is “Two Flags, One Heart,” which this year, in honor of two important anniversaries, has become “Two Anniversaries, One Heart.”

I would like to thank all the distinguished guests and authorities present this evening, and offer a special welcome to Marta Costanzo Youth, Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Rome and proudly Italian American.

My sincere thanks also go to the sponsors who made this evening possible: MADE IN ITALY EXPO, JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY, NATIONAL ITALIAN AMERICAN FOUNDATION, ENEL, FEDERAZIONE ITALIANA BASEBALL E SOFTBALL, TRANSATLANTIC INVESTMENT COMMITTEE, AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, EDITRICE EUN, and PIXARTPRINTING.

Today’s date, June 4, was chosen intentionally to celebrate together the 250th anniversary of the United States of America and the 80th anniversary of the Italian Republic. We borrowed the day from the American Fourth of July and the month from Italy’s June 2 Republic Day. Nothing was left to chance!

We the Italians is also celebrating a small but meaningful milestone. This month, with a completely renewed graphic design, we will publish the 200th issue of our magazine. In just a few years, we have become a highly active organization dedicated to strengthening the friendship between Italy and the United States, with a special focus on the Italian American community.

Today, we can count on a monthly magazine, a news aggregator featuring nearly 100,000 articles, approximately 350 interviews, 12 published books, 15 audio and video podcasts generated with artificial intelligence, six monthly newsletters reaching nearly 100,000 readers, a presence across ten social media platforms, and a network of 100 Ambassadors, including 65 in the United States and the rest in Italy.

Allow me to recognize some of the Ambassadors joining us this evening: Lorenzo Zeppa from Liguria, Maurizio Mancianti from Tuscany, Mattia Iovane from Campania, Nicola Vidali from Georgia, Edoardo Colombo for tourism, and Riccardo Buttarelli for healthcare.

Those who know me know that I think of Italy and the United States as two parents. Italy is my mother, who gave me life. The United States is my father. And when differences arise between parents, I believe it becomes even more important to show affection, closeness, and gratitude.

That is what we do every day through We the Italians, both through our work and through our online community, which includes nearly 100,000 Facebook followers and reaches approximately three million people every month.

I will not hide the fact that organizing this gala this year was not easy. To paraphrase the words of the only American President who had a little Italian DNA, we chose to do it and to launch the “Two Anniversaries, One Heart” project not because they are easy, but because they are hard.

At times, I was told that this is not the right moment to celebrate the friendship between Italy and the United States. Respectfully, I replied that today, more than ever, it is important to do exactly that. Everyone in this room knows that the history of the relationship between Italy and the United States is strong and extraordinary, and that the same will be true of its future. We are not here out of convenience. We are here because of affection and gratitude.

That is why I consider Italian Americans an even more essential community today. They are the only ethnic group that is recognized, organized, and proud to belong simultaneously to the United States and to a major European country. They are American, they are Italian, and they are Italian American. It doesn’t get better than this!

Tonight, we will honor six individuals who have dedicated their lives and achievements to strengthening the relationship between Italy and the United States in different ways.

Among them, I would especially like to recognize the Italian baseball movement, which captured the world’s attention this year during the World Baseball Classic. We are honored to have with us tonight two key figures behind that historic achievement: Marco Mazzieri, President of the Italian Baseball and Softball Federation, and Francisco Cervelli, manager of Team Italy. Through them, I ask you to join me in applauding all the athletes who helped write an important chapter in Italian sports history. In baseball, we have played for world championships in the United States – and we have come remarkably close to winning them as well!

This evening, we will also celebrate Georgia, this year’s State of Honor, recognizing the extraordinary accomplishments of its Italian community.

We will share the story of a new work of art recently unveiled in Naples dedicated to Italian migration to the United States, discuss the partnership between Rome’s First Municipality and Manhattan, and present a video dedicated to the “Two Anniversaries, One Heart” project, whose first two special inserts are already waiting for you in your gift bags.

And finally, we have a small Italian American surprise that has arrived directly from the United States.

Thank you for being here tonight. Enjoy the evening and have a wonderful time.

The future’s so bright, we gotta wear tricolor shades!