Statements from State Representatives Nicole Klarides-Ditria, Eleni Kavros DeGraw and Chris Poulos on Greek Independence Day
As proud Greek Americans, State Representatives Nicole Klarides-Ditria (R-105), Eleni Kavros DeGraw (D-17) and Chris Poulos (D-81) invite everyone to Hartford on Saturday, March 25, 2023, to recognize and celebrate Greek Independence Day.
The Center for Hellenic Studies Paideia will mark the 202nd anniversary of a peaceful, Democratic Greece and its independence from authoritarian rulers with a celebration at 4:30 p.m. at the Legislative Office Building located at 300 Capitol Ave. in Hartford.
“As a Greek American, every day is a celebration of my heritage and my heart is full of love for two amazing countries that are inextricably linked by the shared principles of freedom and democracy,” Rep. Klarides-Ditria said. “It is my honor, and I hope you’ll join me, to celebrate the persistence of the Greek people who clamored for independence and stood resolutely in the face of their oppressors.”
“While the very birth of democracy has its roots in Greece, it was the American Revolution and the experiment of our own democracy that inspired the fight for Greek Independence,” Rep. Kavros DeGraw said. “Even Thomas Jefferson in a correspondence with Adamatios Coray, a philosopher who helped encourage the Greek revolution, wrote, ‘Possessing ourselves the combined blessing of liberty and order, we wish the same to other countries, and to none more than yours, which, the first of civilised nations, presented examples of what man should be.’”
“As Greek Americans, we commemorate and celebrate not only the freedom of Greece on this Independence Day, but all it has offered us, including aspirational contributions to American democracy regularly cited by our founding fathers,” Rep. Poulos said. “Greek immigrants embrace America and inspire Greek Americans to maintain cultural traditions, so let’s celebrate Greece’s Independence and all the gifts it has brought us.”