Carmela (Millie) Montalto and Antonio (Tony) Aspromonte

Santina Haemmerle (1942-2019), daughter of Millie and Tony Aspromonte, was a long-time member and officer of the Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America, the largest and oldest Italian-American fraternal organization in America. In the 2000s, she served two terms as President of the organization’s Commission on Social Justice, where she led a national effort to combat the stereotyping of Italian-Americans. This article provides a short history of the Commission, mentioning Santina’s role in persuading the producers of the “Jersey Shore” TV series to eliminate Italian imagery from the program.