Explaining Falcone and Borsellino to Italian School students in NY
A special day for middle and high school students to commemorate two symbols of the fight against the mafia: Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino, on the sad anniversary of the Capaci Massacre. The event was held at the Scuola d’Italia in New York Guglielmo Marconi, led by Michael Cascianelli. Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino are not just names in Italian history, they embody values of courage, integrity, and civic engagement. To fully explain the meaning of these figures to the students of Scuola d’Italia, a meeting was organized with two experts in the field: Professor Antonio Nicaso and Professor Rosario G. Scalia.
Nicaso, a historian of mafias and author of various works on the subject, shared his vast experience and private anecdotes with the students, urging them to look to the future with high ambitions and never compromise in the face of the mafia. The meeting was moderated by Professor Scalia, a professor in the Italian department at Rutgers – State University of New Jersey, who also provided a personal testimony, recalling his childhood in Catania and the constant shadow of the mafia over the city. He highlighted how phrases like “don’t worry, the mafiosi only kill each other” used by parents to reassure their children, or “they only kill in the South” or “only in Italy” have contributed to creating an emotional and physical distance from people towards the mafia. He urged students not to turn their backs on reality, but to face it with courage and determination, never taking a step back.
The meeting, coordinated by Professor Cristiana Grassi, sparked great interest and participation from the students, demonstrating the importance of educating young minds to civic awareness and the fight against all forms of crime. The deaths of Falcone and Borsellino had a profound impact not only in Italy, but also beyond its borders. In the United States, Giovanni Falcone is remembered as a hero, even by the FBI. A statue erected in Quantico, the FBI headquarters, testifies to the respect and admiration that Americans have for him. The relationship between the United States and Falcone was solidified during the famous Pizza Connection case, during the years of the maxiprocesso in Palermo. Today, the collaboration between Italy and the United States in the fight against organized crime continues on these solid foundations, showing that the legacy of Falcone and Borsellino continues to be a source of inspiration in the path towards global justice and closer international cooperation.
Falcone e Borsellino spiegati agli studenti della Scuola italiana di New York
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