This weekend on In Focus, we open a conversation on Italian American Heritage Month and the achievements and contributions of Italian Americans across Upstate New York.

JoDee Kenney sits down with Watervliet Mayor Charles Patricelli, who raised the Italian flag this past week in the city. Patricelli said Italian American Heritage Month is just one reminder of what immigrant communities contribute to this country, even as new immigrant groups are calling the area home.

JoDee is also joined by Biagio Isgro Jr., New York State chapter president of the Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America, an organization established in New York City in 1905. In addition to promoting Italian culture and supporting Italian-owned businesses, the organization’s Commission for Social Justice works to combat stereotypes and bigotry. 

Finally, Lianna Tatman, executive director of the Centro Culturale Italiano di Buffalo, established in 2010 to promote Italian culture in Western New York, joins the show. At its building on Delaware Ave., CCI Buffalo offers Italian language and cooking classes, assistance in tracing genealogy and Italian heritage, and support in applying for Italian citizenship.

You can watch the interviews above. And be sure to tune in for a look inside the biggest issues impacting Upstate New York, on In Focus with JoDee Kenney — every Sunday on Spectrum News 1.