The local Italian community has teamed up with the Irish in New Jersey in a battle to keep 19th century illustrator Thomas Nast out of the New Jersey Hall of Fame. The illustrator’s cartoons are considered racist, showing Irish Catholics to be drunken miscreants who look like apes.
 
New Jersey’s Ancient Order of the Hibernians, the Catholic League, the Irish Anti-Defamation League, and state legislators from both political parties have raised objections to the idea that Nast, who seemed to be virulently anti-Irish and anti-Catholic be afforded this honor.
 
An Italian American organization, One Voice Coalitions, is stepping in to help block Nast. This group is the largest Italian American group who speak “out with one voice against negative stereotyping”.
 
They are joining the Irish community in asking the New Jersey Hall of Fame, Executive Director Don Smith, to take Nast’s name from this year’s list of nominees due to his prejudice towards Italians, Irish Catholics, and other ethnicities. Nast’s cartoons show Italians as criminals and malcontents.
 
In a statement, Andre DiMino, the group’s president said, “We should not be glorifying such a clearly bigoted and prejudiced person in a list of prominent New Jerseyans”
 
“This is supposed to be a list of New Jersey people who are ‘role models of excellence,’ not those that spewed hate speech.”
 
The group leader said they were in joining in the AOH’s fight to have Nast excluded from the Hall of Fame.
 
He continued “We support our brother and sisters in the Irish American community and their campaign against Nash’s inclusion. While the cartoonist depicted negative cartoons about Italians, Nast was especially blatant in his hostility and bigotry towards Irish Catholics.”
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Another public figure has stepped up calling for the removal of 19th century cartoonist Thomas Nast to be removed from consideration for induction into the New Jersey Hall of Fame. Assemblyman and Irish-American Scott Rudder (R-Burlington) called Nast’s representations of Irish-Catholics as “deplorable.”

The Irish anti defamation league has attacked the New Jersey Hall of Fame for even considering Thomas Nast for their Hall of Fame. Nast was notoriously anti irish and anti Catholic.

An editorial in the Asbury Park Press, a New Jersey newspaper, says there is "no justification for blasting" Thomas Nast, the 19th century cartoonist whose nomination for the New Jersey Hall of Fame has been heavily criticized by Irish and Catholic groups.

A New Jersey assembly man has requested that Thomas Nast be excluded from the State’s Hall of Fame nominations.