July 4, 2026, is a special celebration of this federal holiday-the Semiquincentennial, the 250th anniversary of the United States Declaration of Independence. By adopting the Declaration on July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress broke away from Great Britain, and the 13 American colonies became an independent nation.
There are many publications and events that speak to the 250th anniversary. All one has to do is search online to find historical articles and schedules of celebrations throughout the country.
But here, I want to share my impressions from a young immigrant’s perspective. My view from the eyes of an eleven-year-old who arrived from Greece to the unknown, America. Once I had adjusted and assimilated, I formed my opinion about my new country.
Although I arrived decades after the early immigrants whose contributions shaped the new country from agrarian colonies to a powerful industrialized nation.
Whether they survived genocide or escaped communism or poverty, the early Greek immigrants arrived bringing with them unskilled labor, a thirst for work which would better their lives, and their culture. They, along with other ethnic groups from similar backgrounds, offered the same set of benefits to their new country. At the same time, foreign-born soldiers, statesmen, and intellectuals also arrived and brought their own sets of skills.
By the time I arrived in Boston in 1959, the Greeks had established themselves all over the United States. My young ears heard the adults around me talking about the successful restaurant owners. Actually, the food industry: diners, pizza places, coffee shops, and Greek produce markets identified the Greeks.
I heard stories of a young man who harvested clams in Ipswich and eventually built an empire which exists even today-Ipswich Shellfish Group, a national and international company.
Another company started out with a man and his pushcart. Yello-O-Glow is in its fourth generation of family leadership. It is quite amazing to see the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of that one man running this successful company.
Back in the sixties, dinner conversations included stories of Greeks who were making a name for themselves in the educational, political, entertainment, financial, and business areas. The stories were repeated with a sense of pride at gatherings. The adults would stress to us the importance of going to college so that we too could be successful.
Achieving the American Dream was the goal of every immigrant. At least that’s what I came away with from those conversations. In my blue-collar environment of seamstresses, shoe cobblers, tailors, barbers, cooks, and chefs, even at a young age I knew America was the land of opportunity where one can dream and achieve if one will put the work into it.
The gratitude and appreciation the adult immigrants felt for the opportunities America offered spilled over to our young minds for sure. We were in awe when we heard a Greek name in the news or read about a Greek accomplishing something important enough to be in a newspaper. And so, it began early on; as young immigrants, we dreamed about our future in terms of desires, goals, and successes.
In celebration of America’s Semiquincentennial, I say I am blessed and grateful for the opportunities I found to carve into and live the American Dream.
🇺🇸Thank you, America!🇺🇸