Elaine Thomopoulos
Issues in Greek America
Last night I could not sleep. My thoughts about the Greek American community and what it means to be Greek American bounced around my head like a dozen ping-pong balls. I thought about how we are stereotyped. I relived the hateful talk I heard from Greeks about immigrants, Black people, and the gay community. I struggled with my role in the church, something that has worried me for years.
I am not very religious. I question many of the beliefs of the church, which are too numerous to list here. I am especially uneasy with a church that does not allow females to serve as altar girls or priests, and that will never recognize gay marriage. The antipathy against homosexuality revealed itself in the wrath of congregants after Archbishop Elpidophoros, on a visit to Greece, baptized two children whose parents were a gay couple.
Why then do I continue to belong to the Greek Orthodox Church? Because it is part of my Greek identity. I grew up in the church, attending Sunday School every week, serving as a Sunday School teacher and camp counselor, and baptizing all my children there. The service conducted in Greek, the Byzantine melodies sung by the choir, the chanting, and the lyrical voice of our priest bring a sense of peace. I especially enjoy getting together with friends for coffee, Greek pastry, and fellowship after church. The people at church are an important part of my social network—close friends, cousins, and koumbaroi.
The stereotype portrayed by the Greek American media, the Greek American organizations, the Greek Orthodox Church, as well as the wider American community, is that we are Greek Orthodox, family-oriented, rich, and successful in business and the professions.
Many of us tell ourselves that we, as an ethnic group, have “brought ourselves up by our bootstraps” from the poverty experienced in Greece. My father, an immigrant from a poor village in Arcadia, exemplifies this “rags-to-riches” story. He worked twelve-hour days, arising before dawn to go to the South Water Market to select the best fruit and vegetables for his grocery store, taking a short nap on our living room floor every afternoon. After years of hard work and no vacations, he achieved the American dream: a large home in the suburbs, a mink coat for his wife, trips to Europe, and a college education for his children.
The children and grandchildren of both the first wave and the second wave of immigrants wear the “rags to riches” accomplishments of their parents and grandparents like they were bright red cordelas (ribbons) draped across their necks. No doubt they have reason to be proud of what has been accomplished, but there is more to the story.
I discovered the darker side of the Greek immigrant experience while working at the Hellenic Foundation as director of social services, serving immigrants and their children. There, I encountered a variety of problems, including depression, alcohol, drug, and gambling addiction, child, spouse, and elderly abuse, as well as poverty.
Contrary to the prevailing image, we are not all rich and in business or the professions. We are laborers, musicians, artists, and gangsters as well. Some speak Greek, others don’t; some go to Greece every year, others have never visited; some are Greek immigrants, others may have only one Greek grandparent; and not all of us are Greek Orthodox. We are all Americans of Greek descent, even though we don’t fit into the prevailing stereotype.
I think one of the reasons we continue the charade of being the model ethnic group is that we feel we have to present a good front to be accepted. The Greek community continues to ask, Ti tha pei o cosmos (what will people say)?
No matter how hard we try to be model Americans, will it work? With the present Trump administration, which is supported by a large segment of Greeks, prejudice against us might rear its ugly head again. Who knows if some of us will be the next target? Those Greeks who have an accent may be targeted. Those Greeks who are dark-skinned may be targeted. Those Greeks with long, funny-sounding names may be targeted. Will we need to change our names, like earlier immigrants did, to really belong?
In view of our own history, the contemporary debate I hear among Greeks at church or see posted on social media regarding new immigrants concerns me. These immigrants face the same kind of prejudice Greek immigrants encountered in the past. Yet many Greeks show little compassion for them, especially those who are undocumented. But do they know their history? Do they realize that many Greek immigrants also came here as undocumented? The National Hellenic Museum features Stephen Pisanos, an aviation hero who “jumped ship.” Chris Tomaras, a successful businessman, community leader, and philanthropist, is another example.
I am also troubled that many Greek Americans look down on those with black or brown skin living in poverty. They think, “We could do it. Why can’t they?” These Greek Americans do not understand the prejudice those with dark-colored skin have faced. Early in the twentieth century, Greek immigrants were discriminated and targeted by the Ku Klux Klan. This is a painful history which needs to be recognized and understood. But Greeks were eventually seen as whites and allowed to flourish. The history of dark-skinned people is different than that of European Americans. They have faced greater and more difficult obstacles in education, employment, and home ownership. They need our support, not our criticism.
Can we not demonstrate the Greek value of philotimo by being kind and tolerant of others? This includes working toward social justice regarding racism, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, patriarchy, and sexism. We need to confront prejudice wherever it is found, especially within the Greek community itself. STOP
January 30, 2026
Elaine Thomopoulos is the author of History of Greece, the Greeks of Berrien County, Michigan, and the editor of Modern Greece and Greek-American Pioneer Women of Illinois. She served as managing editor of “Books” and “Greek American Scientists,” supplements of The National Herald. She was project director of “The Greeks of Berrien County, Michigan” and “Greek-American Women of Illinois” both of which featured lectures, oral histories, and exhibits.