Don't Miss

Selma to Montgomery Marches for Civil Rights and Archbishop Iakovos

By NEO Magazine on April 11, 2015

Iconic image of Archbishop Iakovos with Martin Luther King, Jr. in Selma, Alabama, March 15, 1965

The Greek American Community commemorated in March the pivotal role of the late Archbishop Iakovos on the 50^th Anniversary of the historic Selma to Montgomery Marches for Civil Rights in 1965. The courageous decision of the Archbishop to join Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. demonstrated his belief that all human beings are created in the image of God and so are entitled to human and civil rights. In doing so, he once again elevated the Greek Orthodox Church in America to national prominence. As such, he was awarded with the Medal of Freedom in 1980 by President Jimmy Carter for his many contributions.

Archbishop Demetrios with President Barack Obama in Selma, Alabama, March 7, 2015

In acknowledgement of his role and of these historic events, Archbishop Demetrios joined President Obama and leaders of the Civil Rights Movement in Selma, Alabama on March 7, 2015, the 50th anniversary of the first Selma March led by John Lewis, now a member of the United States House of Representatives.

Archbishop Demetrios with Rep. John Lewis in Selma

Displayed here is the iconic Life magazine image of Archbishop Iakovos with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. from the March 15, 1965 Selma March, along with pictures of Archbishop Demetrios in Selma on March 7, 2015 – 50 years later – illustrating the continuing commitment of Greek Orthodox to the critical cause of civil rights, which draws on the Orthodox Faith and Hellenic Heritage.

Archbishop Demetrios crossing Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma Alabama, March 7, 2015

Archimandrite Dr. Nathanael Symeonides, Director of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese Department of Inter-Orthodox, Ecumenical & Interfaith Relations, organized a historical overview of these events through printed materials, videos, lectures and a special section of the Archdiocesan website, civilrights.goarch.org. He was able to do this in part with funding from Leadership 100.

featured