District Administrative Judge Hon. Andrew Crecca announced that earlier this month the Suffolk County Courts held their first annual Italian American Heritage Month Celebration.
The celebration marked the first time the Suffolk Courts honored the rich cultural contributions of Italian Americans to the legal profession and to the broader community. The theme for this year’s celebration was “Tracing Italian Immigrant History to the Italian American Present,” and the program featured a series of inspiring speeches celebrating the history, values, and achievements of Italian Americans in public service.
Organized by the District Administrative Judge’s Committee on Equal Justice in the Courts and sponsored by the Suffolk County Bar Association and Suffolk County Columbian Lawyers Association, the festive event also offered a robust buffet of authentic Italian cuisine and even included a cannoli-making table.
“Celebrations like this help remind us that justice is not only about fairness in the courtroom,” said Hon. Cheryl Joseph, Acting Supreme Court Justice. “It’s about understanding and honoring the diverse histories and experiences that shape our community.”
Crecca, a proud Italian American himself said of his own Sicilian grandparents who passed through Ellis Island and who worked in Manhattan as a barber and seamstress, “Like many Italian immigrants at the time, they took pride in their hard labor and in building their family. They believed strongly in the value of hard work and knew that achieving their dreams would require sacrifice and dedication.”
Crecca took a moment to recognize the late Supreme Court Justice Hon. Jerry Garguilo, a fellow Italian American jurist who left a lasting impact on the Suffolk legal community upon his unexpected death this Fall.
“Let us never forget: la famiglia e tutto—family is everything,” Crecca said at the close of the ceremony while the music of Frank Sinatra played in the backdrop,