ABSTRACT
Commemorating the Greek Revolution of 1821 has been an important annual activity of the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association (AHEPA) since its founding in 1922. This was true even in the 1920s when the order was more focused on promoting the Americanization of Greek immigrants in the United States. After that formative period, AHEPA gradually shifted away from its exclusive focus on assimilation and integration in American society and began acknowledging and celebrating Greek American ties with the homeland. By the same token, AHEPA’s commemorations of 1821 reflected that shift, even though, unlike other such tributes by Greek American organizations, AHEPA dwelt primarily on the actions of the American Philhellenes. It was a way in which it wished to underscore the affinities between American and Greek values. Nonetheless, as it became more and more involved with Greece over the next decades, AHEPA’s events linked to 1821 became increasingly more diverse. This chapter charts the trajectory of AHEPA’s relationship with 1821 over its 100-year history and explores the ways it reflected the changes in Greek American identity.
