Celebrate the life of one of Italy's most important political and military leaders at a free forum Sept. 20 and two-day exhibit Sept. 20 and 21 at Anne Arundel Community College.

             "Happy 200th Birthday Giuseppe Garibaldi" begins at 6 p.m. in the Pascal Center for Performing Arts on the Arnold campus. Join presenters Emily Gear, curator of the Garibaldi-Meucci Museum in New York, and Frank Alduino, Ph.D., of Centreville, AACC professor of history and political science, as they detail the accomplishments of Garibaldi (1807-1882). The 90-minute event includes an audience question-and-answer session.

            The son of a fisherman, Garibaldi's military feats won him the popular title, "Hero of Two Worlds." Gear and Alduino will cover Garibaldi's role in a failed coup against the King of Italy, involvement in the Brazilian Civil War, two exiles from Italy and time spent in New York. Garibaldi worked for and lived with his friend, inventor Antonio Meucci, making candles in Meucci's factory before returning to Italy to fight for his homeland. The guerrilla leader rallied an army of 1,000 volunteer soldiers, known as the "Red Shirts" because of their bright red attire, and they traveled to Sicily in 1860.

            "Leading one of the most spectacular military campaigns in modern European warfare, Garibaldi and his Red Shirts, outnumbered and outgunned, defeated the Spanish occupiers in Sicily and Napes," Alduino said. "In a legendary act of magnanimity, Garibaldi turned the area over to the king of Italy. His brilliant campaign played a huge role in creating the modern Italian state."

            Alduino is co-author of "Sons of Garibaldi in Blue and Gray: Italians in the American Civil War," which is being published in October by Campria Press. Winner of the 2006 Teaching Excellence Award for full-time faculty members from the AACC Student Association, he has authored or co-authored several articles on the Italian American experience for publications including The Italian American Review. On July 21, he was the keynote speaker at the Garibaldi-Meucci Museum's 200th birthday celebration for Garibaldi.

            The exhibit in the Pascal Center for Performing Arts will contain artifacts related to Garibaldi, including his red shirt. Exhibit hours are 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 20, and 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday, Sept. 21.

            For information on the forum or exhibit, contact Alduino at 410-777-2469 or e-mail fwalduino@aacc.edu. The Arnold campus is at 101 College Parkway. Call Disability Support Services, 410-777-2306 or Maryland Relay 711, 72 hours in advance to request special accommodations.

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