The Parthenon Viewed from Participants at 2021 AHEPA Convention

“Earth proudly wears the Parthenon as the best gem upon her zone.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson¹

Photos of this immortal gem were shared with me on Facebook by Angela Maragos, and the  13^th Comptroller of Nassau County NY George Maragos from the 2021 AHEPA Convention in Athens, Greece. Covid 19 and its variant did not stop the international community. Everyone supported the mission of AHEPA. Mr. and Mrs. George Maragos are supporters of Greek language, culture, and Greek Orthodoxy. They supported me when I taught the Greek language at an NYC university.  Their down-to-earth, humble personality greeting persons of all backgrounds and economic classes is legendary.

AHEPA is instrumental in aiding all Greek Americans in government, business, education, and the arts. In times of crisis, the Greek American community stands by its young, old, and especially the middle class. AHEPA is a service organization founded on July 26, 1922, in Atlanta, Georgia. It was formed because of growing attacks on Greek Americans and Greek American businesses by the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) and others. Its initial mission was to promote the image of Greeks in America, assist them with citizenship and fight against KKK attacks. With the full assimilation of Greek Americans, AHEPA’s mission evolved toward philanthropy, education, promoting and preserving the Hellenic identity of the Greek Americans.  It works closely with the Greek Orthodox Church. As Elia Kazan said, “that he was ‘a Greek by blood… and an American because my uncle made a journey’.”²

1.     https://sofiaadventures.com/quotes-about-athens-instagram-captions

2.     https://www.qgazette.com/articles/scholars-honored-at-ahepa-chapter-349-program/