Nicholas Calamaras and the Archive of the Greek-American League: A Glimpse into the Greek Immigration Experience in New York
An intriguing archive — lost for a century! Recently discovered documents! Revealed for the first time: the role of the Greek-American League as advocate for New York’s Greek immigrant community – and the man who led it. Greek immigration hit New York City like one more plague of locusts. Like all new immigrants, they were considered, crude, uncouth, dirty, uneducated … and also dark skinned! Not Protestant, Roman Catholic, or Jewish. Discriminated against at every turn, they had to organize to survive. Nicholas Calamaras – was League founder, president and tireless advocate for Greek political and economic interests. Yet, mention his name to a family member and the immediate response would be a description of his wife: “… a beautiful woman.” To them, Nicholas merely owned a tiny candy shop. If any family member knew about his role in the League, nobody cared. But to politicians, he represented the interests of hundreds of thousands of Greek individuals, businesses, churches and publications. They actively sought League endorsements. He used that leverage to influence law enforcement, employment, issuing of business permits, immigration and deportation issues, export approvals, and more. Nicholas Calamaras not only did well for himself in America. He did a lot for many people. Now he’s finally being recognized for it – 100 years later! This book provides fresh insights into the early Greek presence in America: It contains the entire extant Archive of GAL activities, described in social, historical and political context, and includes indexes of all documents and Greek surnames listed, plus numerous pictures highlighting Nicholas’ life. A great opportunity to peruse primary sources documenting the early Greek presence in America!
