"We're the people who work for the city, who take care of our families, who put up the street signs, patrol the streets, put out the fires . . . and one or two of us have even been mayors of this great city," said Michael DeMarco Oct. 19 as he welcomed hundreds of union members, family and friends to the DC 37 Italian Heritage Committee's seventh annual dinner-dance.

"Italian Americans are traditionally proud of their heritage," said DeMarco, who is president of Traffic Device Maintainers Local 1455 and chair of the Committee. He thanked Co-chair Diane Savino, a vice president of SSEU Local 371, and the entire group for the hard work that made the event a tremendous success.

The great food at Russo's on the Bay was matched by gala performances of the tarantella and other traditional Italian folk dances by a troupe from the Federation of Italian American Organizations of Brooklyn. Committee member Rose Rizzo pointed out that the dancers included three members of Board of Education Employees Local 372: Rosa DeGuida, Graziella Lugara and Rosalia Tritto.

DC 37 Executive Director Lillian Roberts said that within DC 37, people from diverse ethnic groups had "learned to live together, because we represent the entire earth. We respect each other and focus on our common goals."

DC 37: Working people sticking together

"When you get right down to it, we are all working people trying to make it in the world, and we have to stick together to get our share. Otherwise, the people on top will keep it all," she said.

The committee kicked off Italian Heritage Month on Oct. 1 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, opening an informative display of posters on the Italian cultural heritage. Lent by the Sons of Italy in America, the show included posters of some of the first Europeans to find North America as well as world-famed composers, inventors and athletes.