IAOVC and NAGA to host August solidarity session and widen invite to heritage groups

The Italian American One Voice Coalition and the Native American Guardians Association will hold a free Zoom solidarity session on Aug. 25 and are inviting members of all heritage communities to join. The groups say the monthly meetings are meant to turn shared defense of cultural traditions into a broader coalition against erasure.

Why it matters: - The August session expands a partnership that has already linked Italian American and Native American advocates around preservation of heritage, names, holidays and traditions. - IAOVC and NAGA are trying to turn a two-group alliance into a broader model other ethnic and cultural communities could copy. - The effort comes as communities face pressure campaigns over monuments, holidays and names.

What happened: - The Italian American One Voice Coalition and the Native American Guardians Association will host their monthly Solidarity Session on Tuesday, Aug. 25, at 8:00 p.m. EDT. - The event will be held on Zoom and is free and open to the public. - Registration is available through the Zoom meeting link. - IAOVC and NAGA are extending the invitation to members of all ethnic and heritage communities.

The details: - The partnership began around a shared defense of cultural history, with NAGA backing preservation of Columbus Day and Italian Americans supporting Native American imagery, names and traditions. - The groups have also defended team names such as the Redskins and Chiefs from erasure. - Andre' DiMino, president of IAOVC, said the sessions are meant to show that communities do not have to diminish one another to protect their own heritage. - The sessions bring together Italian American organizations from across the country and NAGA officers to share strategy and build relationships. - IAOVC says the monthly gatherings are designed to show that unity across ethnic lines can be effective. - The new invitation covers Irish, Polish, Greek, Jewish, African American, Asian American, Hispanic, Middle Eastern and other heritage communities. - DiMino said the model is meant as a proof of concept, not a closed partnership.

Between the lines: - The groups are framing heritage defense as a coalition-building issue, not a competition for public recognition. - By opening the sessions to many communities at once, IAOVC and NAGA are trying to broaden the political and cultural reach of the alliance. - The message is aimed at communities that have often fought similar battles separately.

What's next: - IAOVC and NAGA will use the Aug. 25 session to continue the monthly dialogue and invite new participants into the network. - The groups are positioning the meeting as an entry point for other communities that want to explore the same mutual-defense model. - More information on NAGA is available at nagaeducation.org. - More information on IAOVC membership is available at iaovc.org/membership.