AHEPA was founded on July 26, 1922 in response to the evils of
bigotry and racism that emerged in early 20th century American society.
It also helped Greek immigrants assimilate into society.
Today, AHEPA brings the ideals of ancient Greece, which
includes philanthropy, education, civic responsibility, and family and
individual excellence to the community.
Although a majority of the membership is composed of
Americans of Greek descent, application for membership is open to anyone
who believes in the mission of the organization.
AHEPA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
MISSION: The mission of the AHEPA Family is to promote Hellenism,
Education, Philanthropy, Civic Responsibility, and Family and Individual
Excellence.
Hellenism
An important component of AHEPA's mission is to create an
awareness of the principles of Hellenism to society. These principles
include a commitment to humanity, freedom, and democracy. The
preservation and promotion of these ideals is where AHEPA has, and
always will be, deeply committed.
AHEPA educates the community on these matters through symposia, forums, and conferences.
Education
AHEPA's commitment to education has been well documented
throughout its history. Over $4 million is endowed at the local,
district and national levels toward the use of scholarships and a
half-million dollars is awarded annually. Thousands of young men and
women have benefited as recipients of AHEPA scholarships at these
various levels. The most famous recipient, perhaps, is ABC News' Host of
This Week George Stephanopoulos.
The scholarship program at the national level is administered by the AHEPA National Educational Foundation.
It offers scholarships to a wide variety of students. Recipients are:
traditional and non-traditional students; seminarians, including those
entering Holy Cross Greek School of Theology; and high school seniors,
college and post-graduate students who are looking to become tomorrow's
leaders.
The preservation of Hellenic or Classical Studies programs
on college campuses is an important issue for the AHEPA Educational
Foundation. A subcommittee of the Foundation, the Hellenic Cultural
Commission, actively works to support the study of the Classics at
universities.
In addition, educational programs such as "Journey to Greece" and Washington Internships are sponsored by the Foundation.
Philanthropy
Philanthropy and volunteer-ism have been pillars of strength
for AHEPA. From natural disaster relief to raising funds for the
elimination of life-threatening diseases to making significant
contributions to our local neighborhoods, AHEPA is at the forefront of
charitable giving.
AHEPA's philanthropic deeds are evident in the restoration
of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island; in the Halls of St. Basil
Academy, a childcare facility in Garrison, N.Y.; in the care packages we
sent to our troops in cooperation with the USO; and in the building of
healthcare facilities in Greece. Yet this only scratches the surface of
the numerous philanthropic works of the association. In addition,
countless charitable projects are undertaken every year by AHEPA's
chapters and districts. Civic Responsibility
Our grassroots has a strong voice. With chapters in every
major metropolitan city and in rural areas of North America, AHEPA
communicates the positions of the Greek-American community to elected
representatives at the federal, state, and local levels, as well as to
our diplomatic leaders. These issues pertain to Greece, Cyprus, and
Turkey; however, our constituents are also interested in domestic policy
areas affecting the philanthropic, civic, and community service-based
programs in which they are involved. These positions are based upon our
American heritage and ideals with the best interest of the United States
in mind.
AHEPA educates its constituents about these issues
through seminars and conferences, providing expert panelists from the
U.S. government, prominent Washington, DC Think-Tank organizations, and
the business world.
Furthermore, AHEPA keeps a watchful eye on Congress with
its Congressional Scorecard, a tool that evaluates each member of
Congress on Greek-American issues. Family and Individual Excellence
What makes AHEPA unique from other organizations is the
creation of the AHEPA Family. Together with three affiliated
organizations, the AHEPA Family works as a unit toward the fulfillment
of a common mission. Combined, the four organizations have contributed
well over a billion dollars to national projects throughout their
history.
History of the Dallas #20 (Texas) chapter:
Our Dallas Chapter 20 has also traditionally been a
great supporter of the ministries and activities of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Dallas, through both
donations and hard work. AHEPA recently donated the railing around our church's
solea and contributed towards the church's iconography project. The brothers of
Chapter 20 sponsor the church's annual Easter Agape Picnic and are the hosts of
a brunch prior to the church's two general assembly meetings each year.
The chapter also nurtures an active Sons of Pericles
group.
The Dallas Chapter 20 was
organized and received its Texas Charter on May 12, 1923.
The Daughters of Penelopewas
established November 16, 1929 as the Women's Affiliate of AHEPA. It is
the first Greek-American women's organization in the United States. One
of its crowning achievements is Penelope House, a shelter for battered
women in Mobile, Alabama. It is the first shelter for battered women and
their children in that state.
The Sons of Pericles was established February 3, 1926, and was officially recognized as the Junior Order of AHEPA in 1928.
Finally, theMaids of Athena was
founded July 5, 1930 as the Junior Women's Auxiliary of AHEPA. The two
youth groups have combined to contribute to such worthy causes as:
Muscular Dystrophy, Deborah Heart and Lung Foundation, the Special
Olympics, St. Basil Academy and Cooley's Anemia research.
The Ideals of Ancient Greece Important to All
AHEPA members are proud of the
contributions the ancient Greeks gifted to Western Civilization. As
Americans, we share many of the values put forth by them: civic
responsibility, philanthropy, education, family and individual
excellence, and the ideals of democracy. This is the essence of our
heritage. This is the core of our mission.
Moreover, throughout the span of its history, AHEPA has
served as a vital vehicle for the progressive development and emergence
of American citizens of Greek heritage into every facet of society:
government, business, education, and the arts. This fulfillment
illustrates the promise of the American Dream and symbolizes the hard
work ethic of our immigrant for-bearers who labored to achieve that
dream with the principles of Hellenism rooted deep in their hearts.
Forgotten History: The Klan vs. Americans of
Hellenic Heritage in an Era of Hate
(BY JAMES S. SCOFIELD) AHEPA EMERGES 75 YEARS AGO TO WIN BATTLE AGAINST BIGOTRY
It was
1922, Americans of Hellenic heritage were suffering personal and
economic intimidation orchestrated by the revived Ku Klux Klan. It was
time for them to unify and organize, to protect and defend life and
livelihood.
The
widespread and often violent discrimination against immigrants from
Greece is an almost forgotten page of American history. This is probably
because of their subsequent success and the great accomplishments of
their descendants. Very fewpersons today, Hellenic or not, are even
vaguely aware of the massive continental strength of the Klan of the
1920s and its intensive persecution of foreign-born Greeks, including
those who had chosen to become American citizens.
They do
not know how deeply the evil shadows of bigotry, hatred and intolerance
cast their malignant darkness over North America. Perhaps it is time to
remind them.
The
newly-reorganized KKK rampaged against frightened immigrants and
helpless minorities throughout the U.S. It dominated politics in states
in both the North and South. In Canada, its dangerous wicked ways were
transplanted and flourished, especially in the western provinces.
An
estimated three million militant hooded Klansmen stalked across our
continent, burning crosses and spawning terror.
During its
reign of power, the Klan elected sixteen U.S. Senators, eleven
Governors and an undetermined large number of Congressmen, both
Republican and Democrat. It reportedly exerted considerable influence in
the White House.
Klan
organizations ruled local politics in the major cities of Dallas,
Denver, Indianapolis and Portland, Oregon, as well as in such smaller
communities as Anaheim, California; El Paso, Texas; Youngstown, Ohio and
Portland, Maine.
In 1922,
California and Oregon voters elected Klan-endorsed gubernatorial
candidates. Then in 1924, a Klan candidate won the governorship in
Kansas. The same year, the Klan endorsed U.S. Senate winners in Alabama,
Colorado, Georgia, Indiana, Oklahoma and Texas. It also won the
gubernatorial contests in five of these six states, barely losing in
Texas.
At U.S.
election polls, Klansmen passed out cards which crudely and defiantly
declared:
When cotton grows on the fig tree
And alfalfa hangs on the rose
When the aliens run the United States
And the Jews grow a straight nose
When the Pope is praised by every one
In the land of Uncle Sam
And a Greek is elected President
THEN--the Ku Klux won't be worth a damn.
Meanshile,
embattled but visionary Greek immigrant leaders met on July 26, 1922,
in Atlanta to form the American Hellenic Educational Progressive
Association, now better known as the Order of Ahepa. Not by coincidence,
Atlanta was the home of the national Imperial Headquarters of the Klan.
The most
important goal of the Ahepa founders was to quickly and solidly
establish better relations with non-Greeks. They agreed to do this by
taking the positive high road of reason emphasizing assimilation,
cooperation, persuasion and unlike their marked foes, non-violence.
Their main
discussion was how to best contain the wave of hostility which had
almost drowned them. The ominous specters of twisted Americanism and KKK
aggression spurred them to create a patriotic fraternal order espousing
undivided loyalty to the United States. American citizenship,
proficiency in English, active participation in the civic mainstream,
economic stability, social unity and the pursuit of education. The
latter was considered vital for its obvious gifts of knowledge and as
the essential key to upward mobility.
The Ahepa
founders were profoundly disturbed and alarmed by their bitter
experiences with Klan prejudice and by reports of worse bigotry
elsewhere. Even before the Klan reappeared, there had been senseless
attacks on foreign-born Greeks, some fatal. However, the new Klan
expertly and abrasively honed intolerance with brutal efficiency to
silence and subdue all of its alleged inferiors.
Many
Greek-owned confectioneries and restaurants failed financially or were
sold at sacrificial prices to non-Greeks because of boycotts instigated
by the Klan. Greek establishments doing as much as $500 to $1,000 a day
business, especially in the South and Midwest, dropped to as little as
$25 a day. The only recourse was to sell or close. The Klan often
bolstered its boycotts by openly threatening or attacking customers
entering and leaving.
A Klan
Imperial Lecturer told Klansmen in Spokane that Mexicans and Greeks
should be sent back to where they came from so that white supremacy and
the purity of Americans be preserved. Meanwhile, in Palatka, Florida, a
Greek immigrant was flogged for dating a `white' woman.
The Royal
Riders of the Red Robe was a Klan affiliate assembled `as a real
patriotic organization' for approved naturalized citizens unluckily born
outside the United States. However, in the ultimate snub of exclusion,
immigrants from Greece, Italy and the Balkans were not eligible to join.
In
Indiana, the state most politically controlled by the 1920s Klan,
burning crosses were ignited in the yards of outspoken Hellenes.
Unprovoked beatings of Greeks were not reported to police lest another
beating soon follow. Others were warned of dire consequences if they
spoke Greek in public, even in their own business establishments.
Hoosier
Democrat and Republican leaders actively discouraged naturalized
Hellenes from filing for public office, forcing them to run as Socialist
Party candidates. Fearful Greek Orthodox Christians indefinitely
postponed impending plans to organize parishes. To avoid constant
confrontation, long and difficult to pronounce first and last names of
Greek origin were shortened or changed to more acceptable Americanized
versions. False rumors spread by the Klan about supposed unsolved
murders of Greeks in other states produced the desired dread.
The
Klan Grand Dragon of Oregon said in a spirited speech in Atlanta: `The
Klan in the western states has a great mission to perform. The rapid
growth of the Japanese population and the great influx of foreign
laborers, mostly Greeks, is threatening our American institutions; and,
Klans in Washington, Oregon and Idaho are actively at work to combat
these foreign and un-American influences.'
Probably
the most blatant hard-line bullying, almost humorous, occurred in
Pensacola, Florida. A Klansman handed a note to a Greek restaurateur
which read: `You are an undesirable citizen. You violate the Federal
Prohibition Laws and laws of decency and are a running sore on society.
Several trains are leaving Pensacola daily. Take your choice but do not
take too much time. Sincerely in earnest, KKK.'
Today,
according to sociologist Charles C. Moskos, Jr., of Northwestern
University, American Hellenes proudly rank first among all ethnic groups
in individual educational attainment and second in individual
educational attainment and second in individual wealth. They have
succeeded in every facet of American life. The Order of Ahepa has played
the prime historic role in this ascent.
True to
its original mission, Ahepa financially supports scholarships,
educational chairs, housing for the elderly, medical research, community
programs, charitable projects and other worthy endeavors through
contributions of more than two million dollars a year from its chapter,
district and national levels.
Ahepa
validated its patriotic roots during World War II by selling over five
hundred million dollars of U.S. War Bonds, more than any organization in
America. Meanwhile, Ahepa officials first visited the White House to
meet with President Calvin Coolidge in 1924 and have conferred with all
twelve Presidents since Presidents Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman and
Gerald Ford became Ahepa members.
More
recently, Ahepa raised $400,000 for the restoration of Ellis Island and
the Statue of Liberty and $775,000 for a sculpture commemorating the
Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta. Ahepa has received congressional
and presidential recognition for promoting friendship and goodwill among
the people of the United States, Canada, Greece and Cyprus. President
George Bush hailed Ahepa as one of `the thousand points of light.'
Ahepa
moved its headquarters to Washington DC in 1924 and later expanded its
scope by adding three auxiliaries to complete the Ahepa Family: the
Daughters of Penelope for women, the Sons of Pericles for young men and
the Maids of Athena for young women. Its combined eight hundred
chapters, consisting of about 35,000 members, cover the United States
and Canada and have planted successful units in Australia and Greece. It
held its 75th annual convention in Atlanta in August.
In 1990,
Ahepa filed an amicus curiae (friend of the court) brief in the Georgia
Supreme Court. It backed the legal position of the National Association
for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the Anti-Defamation
League (ADL) of B'nai B'rith in support of a state law banning masks in
public which was challenged by the KKK. The court ruled 6 to 1 to uphold
the constitutionality of the anti-mask statute.
The
significance of the favorable decision to a jubilant Ahepa was that it
came in the city of its founding and helped seal the doom of another
failed Klan revival. Moreover, it enabled Hellenes to join in victorious
celebration with fellow black and Jewish Americans whose forbearers
also were sadistically harmed physically, mentally and economically by
the KKK of yesteryear.
Along
with Roman Catholics, Asians and other immigrants considered
unacceptable by the Klan, they were targeted separately and together
then because they did not fit the rigidly narrow KKK concept of what
constitutes a good and loyal American.
For
Hellenes, it is supremely ironic that the six organizers of the original
Klan in 1865 created the words Ku Klux from kuklos, a variation of the
Greek kyklos meaning cycle or circle, and applied it to their own little
circle.
Today
the 1920s version of the KKK is long gone--and its flickering
reincarnations are virtual nonentities. The Klan deserved to die--and
died.
The Order
of Ahepa thrives three quarters of a century after its historic birth
amid the fiery heat of hate--generated by the toxic Klan cauldron of
insane fanaticism. Ahepa deserves to live--and lives.