History
Every day there’s a bit of magic
“Originally founded as a mutual-aid society for Italian immigrants…In 1966, the society’s members pooled their money to buy a property in Highland Park. They broke ground in 1967, and the Garibaldina has remained in the same location ever since.”
Società Garibaldina di Mutua Beneficenza of Los Angeles
Our society was named in commemoration of General Giuseppe Garibaldi, whose portrait hangs in our lobby. Garibaldi is the most distinguished of all the Italian heroes, who battled for Italian unification in the mid 1800s. He is known around the world as one of the makers of Modern Italy.
Between around 1880 and 1924, more than four million Italians immigrated to the United States. Today there are 20 million Italian-Americans in the United States making us the nation's fifth-largest ethnic group.
Our ancestors formed Italian societies across America as Italian immigrants gathered together in their newly adopted homeland. Though they came from distinct regions of Italy and spoke their own dialects, they eventually united under a new identity as Italian Americans.
The original aim of these societies was to create a support system for Italian immigrants that would provide health/death benefits, jobs, education, assistance with assimilation and help them in becoming U.S. citizens. As mutual benefit societies grew they also had social events for their members in order to help generate interest among other Italian Americans.
In this context, in November 1877 La Società di Mutua Beneficenza (The Society of Mutual Benevolence)of Los Angeles was organized and incorporated by a small group of Italian immigrants for the purpose of continuing and promoting the culture and traditions of their homeland.
Eleven years later a group from the Society, organized another society with the same purpose under a different name: La Società Unione e Fratellanza Garibaldina (The Garibaldina Union and Brotherhood Society).
However, it became clear that the division had undermined the unity of the Italian community in Los Angeles.
So the two oldest and respected Italian societies of LA put aside their differences, merged and became one Società in July 1916 under the new name: Società Garibaldina di Mutua Beneficenza.
Fast forward to 1945. Following Italy granting full suffrage rights to women, the society extended membership to women. After 50 years of incorporation it was re-incorporated in 1966 as a 501(c)4 promoting our Italian cultural heritage.
By our centennial in 1977 we were 900 members strong with 195 junior members and a very long waiting list.
Then in 2017, continuing to change and adapt with a new era, an amendment was added to our by-laws to include people of non-Italian descent in order to embrace and welcome all cultures into our society.
