Projects

The Greek Immigrant Archives Project (GIAP)

The Center has initiated a new project, the Greek Immigrant Archives Project. The objective is to create a university-based archive by collecting archival material that is necessary to preserve the history of the Greek immigrant in America. The focus of the Center's archives is on the experience of the Greek immigrants in New York. After all, Ellis Island was the port of entry of Greek Immigrants to America. Furthermore, New York has been and still is the region with the largest concentration of Greeks in the United States. Furthermore, New York was and still is the epicenter of Greek culture in America, without underestimating at all, other regions where Greek education and culture have succeeded in making great strides. Still, the experience of the Greek immigrant in the New York region constitutes a major chapter in the century old history of the Greek American community. On the same token, this history cannot be complete without including the experience of the Greek immigrant in other areas, New England, the mid-West and Chicago, the West and the American South.

 As the older generation passes away, a lot of archival material is lost and such a loss is a loss for the whole community. One simple reason behind the loss of this most valuable source of information on the history of our community is the following: Many Greek immigrants, who would have liked to give their archives (correspondence, private papers, old family photographs, minutes of associations, old newspapers and periodicals) that have been accumulated over the years and are forgotten in their basements or attics, do not know where to give them. 

 The Center aims at collecting archival material that originates from two main sources: Private collections and records of community institutions. As such, this archival material includes:

· Private papers : Diaries, Correspondence, Photographs. For instance, these papers could pertain to the phenomenal Greek American mobilization in 1974 due to the Cyprus crisis or the mobilization in the early 1990s due to the Macedonian question. Or they could refer to the Greek American role in presidential campaigns, such as the campaign of Michael Dukakis or Bill Clinton.

· Public papers:  Such as the records of Greek American public officials, speeches by political personalities, community leaders.

· The Archives of fraternal associations ( topika somateia ): Minutes, Correspondence, Newsletters, Yearbooks, Photographs

· The Archives of Professional, Business, Political and Athletic organizations: Minutes, Correspondence, Newsletters, Yearbooks, Photographs.

· Press and Media Archives that include a collection of:

· Old New York newspapers e.g. Atlantis or Ethnikos Kyrex that started publication at the beginning of the 20 th century. There are also other older Greek newspapers that have been published in New York, some of them were published weekly or monthly and are no longer in existence. Still they constitute valuable resource on the Greek community of New York.

· More contemporary Greek American press (newspapers, periodicals) during several historical periods:  During the Second World War and the Greek civil war, the junta and post-junta periods. For instance, the newspapers Ethnikos Kyrex and Proini provide a useful source for those who would like to conduct research on Greek American politics in the post-1974 era, especially in the tri-state area.

· Audio (tapes, radio archives) and film/video.

· The New York Times Greek archive: Includes all articles in the NYT pertaining to Greek American and Greek affairs (politics, society, arts, culture, food, tourism, sciences).

· Photographs: Family albums, refugee photographs, laborers' experience before WWII such as fur workers, factory workers, waiters, dishwashers, cart-pushers, black boot boys, longshoremen, sailors, grocery owners, restaurant and diner owners.

Overall, the creation of an archival collection at the Center will become an important primary source for research on the history of the Greek immigrant experience in New York and the history of the Greek American community in general. This will be an acknowledgement and a tribute to the Greek immigrant generation as well as a contribution to ethnic studies in our region.

 In turn, as the project evolves, and a substantial body of data is collected, it will allow a publication or a series of publications on the history of the Greeks in America focusing on the New York area.

Tax-deductible donation of Archival Material : If you believe that the archives you wish to donate to the Center have a certain monetary value, the Center will provide an assessment of these archives so their Fair Market Value (FMV) is determined. This FMV of the archival material you donate to the Center is Tax-deductible because the Center enjoys a non-profit status through the Queens College Foundation.

Contact us : If you have any of the above archival material you wish to donate to the Center , please contact us at:

               Greek Immigrant Archives Project
               Center for Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies
               Jefferson Hall #302
               Queens College, CUNY
               35-60 Kissena Blvd
               Flushing, NY 11367-1597
               Tel: (718) 997-4520
               Fax: (718) 997-4529
               E-mail: byzgreek@qc.edu

Useful Links : You may find useful information in this website re: to demographics, archives, local Greek American communities, by clicking on the section: Greek Americans