By Alexander Mizan

Every year, for the last 35 years, the American Hellenic Council of California has been hosting its Annual Awards Dinner recognizing and honoring community benefactors & leaders, politicians who live up to a high standard of integrity and exceptional achievers of Greek decent. On April 17, at the Omni Hotel, downtown Los Angeles, the AHC will honor Mr. George Marcus, who was born in a little village in Evvoia, Greece, but yet managed to found and run one of the largest and thriving commercial real estate firms in America. The Council will also honor Congresswoman Dina Titus, a first-term Representative from Nevada and longtime university professor who is proud of her Hellenic identity and one who recognizes and vocally supports the truth of our positions. The other two honorees are Mr. Demetrios Liappas and Ms. Zoye Marino Fidler, who have both tirelessly served the local and national Greek-American community with the promotion of our Heritage and cultural identity.

I have been the director of the American Hellenic Council for almost a year and during this time I have had the pleasure of working with numerous people in the community who care not only about Greece, Cyprus and our Hellenic heritage but also about the ideals of truth, justice & freedom & productive prosperity; ideals that have their roots in the Athens of Pericles but that also gave rise to the modern American republic.

During this time, I have had the opportunity to find out about the people who are associated with the AHC; its Board Members, the people who financially support our efforts, other associates that work with us on a regular basis as well as political figures that are proponents of our causes on the national stage. But it is not until recently that I fully understood the history behind the organization and its deep roots after reviewing older documents and speaking to some of the Council’s founding members.

The AHC was founded more than 35 years ago (long before I was born) in an era substantially different from ours at a location and community that have experienced tectonic changes since that day. It was originally formed as the “Save Cyprus Council” in reaction to the July and August 1974 twin invasions of Turkey into the northern part of Cyprus. It came to life as a grass roots movement within the Greek-American and Cypriot-American communities of Southern California during an era of no email, social media and text messaging. It was a product of pure idealism and motivation to fight injustice in a remote part of the world but one that remains close to our hearts. In late July 1974, several groups of restless Greek & Cypriots came together to form a united voice against the invasions and subsequent illegal occupation of the island.

The task was not for the faint of heart. The founding members of the Council worked tirelessly to fight the interests of Realpolitik policy by calling and writing to their Congressional Representatives about the fait accompli in Cyprus and how it did not represent what the United States was supposed to stand for: peace, democracy and freedom. Peaceful protests were organized and carried through on several occasions. As part of a nationwide effort, the AHC did its part in bringing about sanctions against Turkey and several UN resolutions that condemned the invaders & occupiers.

More importantly, the founding and operation of the Council exemplified that the Greek-American and Cypriot-American community in California had come of age. From an unorganized group of immigrants, they had become an active voice in the American political establishment and an overreaching community organizer.

Over the years, the Council transformed with the times and took on additional Hellenic causes as it renamed itself to American Hellenic Council to reflect its broader orientation.

Ever since, it has been supporting politicians who stand for the ideals of justice, peace and truth and subsequently promote our causes in the political stage. It has aided in several domestic political campaigns of Greek-American candidates, from being a longtime supporter of Former Senator Paul Sarbanes to organizing behind Phil Angelides’ bid for Governor of California. The largest mobilization of the community was probably Mike Dukakis’ Presidential Campaign of 1988, where the AHC spearheaded the effort in Southern California. Our members have and continue to promote our positions and educate the American political establishment through meetings with our elected representatives or with members of the administration who influence decision-making. As part of the Coordinated Effort of Hellenes, the AHC has joined in the attempt to making a larger impact in Washington by uniting with other organizations in the country who share common goals and interests.

The Council helped organize visits of Greek and Cypriot politicians to Los Angeles therefore strengthening the ties between the diaspora with the motherland. Some prominent names include the Cypriot Head of State Spyros Kyprianou and Greek President Costis Stephanopoulos as well as Melina Mercouri and Margaret Papandreou.

Finally, in more recent years, as the older guard started handing over the reins to the younger generation, the AHC via its Charitable Foundation has remained active in educating and informing the community internally, in transforming itself into a vehicle of networking and cultural activities while at the same time maintaining its original message. In today’s age of continued budgetary crisis and of disillusionment with politics (both here and in Greece), the AHC remains active in promoting the original causes that brought it to life and those who are the champions of these very causes.

In closing, the largest honor is mine for being a part of and contributing to this historic organization in company of people who have done so much over the years. The fact that the AHC not only survived but thrived and grew in an era of overall decline in political and community involvement, shows that its causes are worth pursuing.

For gala event tickets or more info on the AHC of California the phone number is (323) 651-3507 and the website www.americanhellenic.org