Dante and DiFrisco Awards

“Our Italian American community and the Chicagoland community are infinitely richer for our Dante and Mazzei recipient contributions to journalism and public affairs.”
-Dominic DiFrisco, JCCIA President Emeritus

Annually, the JCCIA presents the coveted Dante Award to a member of the local news media who has answered Dante Alighieri’s call to be “No timid friend to truth.”

In addition, the Filippo Mazzei Public Affairs Award was also awarded.

The Mazzei Award was given annually to a person who showed extraordinary skills in the world of public affairs. In the late 1770’s Italian immigrant Mazzei’s friend and neighbor Thomas Jefferson, gave the founding father this line:

“Tutti gli uomini sono per natura egualmente liberi e indipendenti. Quest’eguaglianza è necessaria per costituire un governo libero. Bisogna che ognuno sia uguale all’altro nel diritto naturale.”

Translated by a friend and neighbor of Mazzei, it was published as follows:

“All men are by nature equally free and independent. Such equality is necessary in order to create a free government. All men must be equal to each other in natural law.”

This event is attended by over 250 representatives of the Italian American community and an impressive cross section of prominent Chicago media.

Dominic DiFrisco is the founder of the Dante/Mazzei Awards.

In 2020, the JCCIA marked the celebration of the remarkable life of one of our most valued leaders with the first annual Dominic DiFrisco Lifetime Achievement Award.

Dominic DiFrisco

Dominic was born in New York to immigrant parents from Sicily. He would make Chicago his home and embark on a journey of life that left a tremendous and lasting impact on his community and city. He began an illustrious career in public relations commencing with Alitalia airlines, and soon emerged as a voice for Chicago’s Italian-American Community.

Dominic led media campaigns, defended against unfair stereotyping and depictions of Italian-Americans, promoted civic and educational initiatives aimed at informing the populace of the endless contributions that Italy and its people have given to our globe, forged alliances with other ethnic communities to combat discrimination and promote unity and, most of all, he worked tirelessly and selflessly in coming to the aid of others; His saying, in Sicilian, was always “Sunu Scaisu per la mancansa di vostre commande” (“I am poorer for a lack of your requests”), and indeed, he never said no when called upon for help.

Honoring Dominic DiFrisco

In 2020, the JCCIA marked the celebration of the remarkable life of one of our most valued leaders and founder of the Dante Awards with the first annual Dominic DiFrisco Humanitarian Award. We present this award to an individual devoted to continuing his life’s work and mission. That is, a recipient will be chosen on the basis of their efforts towards the betterment of their community, their work in helping those in need, their thirst for knowledge and its truthful dissemination, their superb character and kind nature, and their love of what unites us all: culture, fine food and wine, family, friendship and camaraderie. May Dominic’s spirit live on forever, and may we strive always to carry his mission forward.