IV

107TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 141

Expressing the sense of the Congress that the entertainment industry should

stop the negative and unfair stereotyping of Italian-Americans, and

should undertake an initiative to present Italian-Americans in a more

balanced and positive manner.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

MAY 23, 2001

Mrs. ROUKEMA (for herself, Mr. LAFALCE, Mrs. MORELLA, Mr. GRUCCI, Mr.

DUNCAN, Mr. COYNE, Mr. LAMPSON, Ms. DELAURO, Mr. PASCRELL, Mr.

CAPUANO, Mr. MASCARA, Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. BONIOR, Mr.

ENGLISH, Mr. DEFAZIO, Mr. DOYLE, and Mr. MICA) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on

Energy and Commerce

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of the Congress that the entertainment

industry should stop the negative and unfair stereotyping

of Italian-Americans, and should undertake an initiative

to present Italian-Americans in a more balanced and

positive manner.

Whereas the United States entertainment industry presents

Italian-American characters and plots in a manner that

is unbalanced, unfair, and damaging to the collective reputation of an estimated 20 million Americans of Italian

heritage, the Nation’s fifth largest ethnic group;
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•HCON 141 IH

Whereas the Italic Studies Institute reviewed all films made

in Hollywood from 1928 to the beginning of the year

2000 that featured either Italian or Italian-American

characters, and found that an overwhelming 73 percent

portray Italians and Italian-Americans in a negative

light;

Whereas approximately 40 percent of Italian-American characters portrayed in film since 1928 were involved in organized crime, and since the film ‘‘The Godfather’’ was released in 1972 there have been over 300 mob movies released which portray Italians-Americans as involved in

organized crime;

Whereas television is equally unbalanced in its presentation

of Italian-Americans, and every week at least one program about Italian-American mobsters is presented on

national television, and particularly the television program ‘‘The Sopranos’’ characterizes Italian-Americans as

gangsters and profane and unlettered individuals;

Whereas, according to the Department of Justice, only about

5,000 people are involved in organized crime, including

people of all ethnic backgrounds, and even if all 5,000

criminals in organized crime were Italian-American, that

would constitute merely .0025 percent of the Nation’s estimated 20 million Americans of Italian descent;

Whereas the dearth of respectable Italian-American fictional

characters on television is matched by an equally puzzling

exclusion of Italian-Americans from documentaries about

this country’s history and culture;

Whereas persons of Italian-American heritage have contributed greatly to the history of the United States, with

such notable accomplishments as discovering the AIDS
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•HCON 141 IH

virus, founding the FBI, sculpting the Lincoln Memorial,

and establishing such major corporations as Barnes and

Noble, Planters Peanuts, Tropicana Orange Juice, and

Bank of America;

Whereas Italian-Americans have a long tradition of public

service as police officers, fire-fighters, mayors, governors,

and Members of Congress; and

Whereas despite such an admirable record of achievement,

the media continue to stereotype Italian-Americans as

gangsters or underachievers: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate

2 concurring), That it is the sense of the Congress that the

3 entertainment industry in the United States should imme4 diately stop the negative and unfair stereotyping of

5 Italian-Americans, particularly as profane criminals as

6 portrayed in the television show ‘‘The Sopranos’’, and

7 should immediately undertake a serious initiative to

8 present Italian-Americans in a more balanced and positive

9 manner.

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