The Positive Influence of an Italian Role Model

Italian-Americans have been the victims of racism and prejudice since they started coming to the United States. After prohibition and the infamy of men like Al Capone, people automatically stereotyped Italians as criminals. If you weren’t a criminal, you were his mother. However, a number of Italian-American men and women have overcome this stereotype as well.

There are a number of contributions the Italian-American has contributed to the USA. For example, Italian restaurants are one of the most sought after types of restaurants in the United States. Let us never forget the wonderful contribution of pizza. The Italian opera is one of the most sublime works of art on stage and anyone can see one almost any time in the large cities of the United States.

But I am not here to talk about opera or food today. I am here to discuss a man. This man took a trial and turned it into an opportunity. He overcame the face of adversity in his back yard and helped unite a city, and more, a country in one day. I am here to discuss a man who was asked to run for the Presidency for the people and said I will. The name of this great Italian American is Rudy Giuliani.

This man’s life reads fast. Rudy Giuliani was born a blue-collar kid in 1944, in Brooklyn, New York. He made it through school and graduated from NYU Law School magna cum laude. At the young age of 29, he was named Chief of the Narcotics Unit and thereafter became executive US Attorney. By 1975, he was named Associate Deputy Attorney General and chief of staff to the Deputy Attorney General. By 1981, Rudy Giuliani became Associate Attorney General. This is the third highest office in the Department of Justice.1

The list of goals he met as Mayor of New York City goes on forever but, let me just name a few. The New York City government website states he;

“returned accountability to City government and improved the quality of life for all New Yorkers. Under his leadership, overall crime is down 57%, murder has been reduced 65%, and New York City – once infamous around the world for its dangerous streets – has been recognized by the F.B.I. as the safest large city in America for the past five years.”1

These are the statistics, not only of a successful man, but a successful leader as well.

Rudy Guiliani was the mayor who became “internationally famous for his composed reaction to attacks on the World Trade Center buildings on 11 September 2001.”2 For a few hours on that fateful day, George W. Bush wasn’t available and Guiliani greeted the challenge with authority. He became the voice for New York City during this time and this is why he has been dubbed “America’s Mayor.”2 After the horrendous event of 2001, TIME Magazine named him “Person of the Year.” TIME Magazine has this to say about him;

“He is a hero to many, an icon of steadfastness in the midst of chaos.”3

Mr. Rudy Giuliani for President! Maybe one day he will become President. If he is sincere and honest about the mistakes he has made, he may have a chance at winning the Presidency. A man of vision and a man who picked himself up from the bootstraps and brought the rest of New York and America with him, Rudy Giuliani is a hero of our time. Heroes are hard to come by anymore. That is why I believe that Rudy Giuliani exemplifies what it is to be American before any other nationality. I also believe that he exemplifies the best in Italian-Americans throughout this great country.