PROCLAMATION from Fred Camillo, First Selectman
WHEREAS, Nearly two centuries ago, on March 25, 1821 Bishop Germanos of Patras in Greece raised the flag of revolution over the Monastery of Agia Lavra in the Peloponnese and the people of Greece laid claim to their independence and began a long struggle to restore democracy to its birthplace; and
WHEREAS, Many leading intellectuals of the time, including the English poet Lord Byram, sympathized with the Greek struggle against the Ottoman Empire; and
WHEREAS, Great Britain, France and Russia assisted the Greek people in their revolution; and
WHEREAS, The Greek revolution ended in 1829 when the Treaty of Edirne established an independent Greek state; and
WHEREAS, Greeks have been present in the United States since the arrival of the first immigrant in 1528; and
WHEREAS, The Greece inspired the democratic principles upon which the United States was founded; and
WHEREAS, Greek culture and Greek antiquity has inspired generations of individuals in their work and in the discovery of new ideas, including those in the arts, sciences and in government; and
WHEREAS, Greek-Americans have contributed as leaders of culture, community, business and government in Greenwich, the State of Connecticut and throughout the United States.
NOW, THEREFORE, l, Fred Camillo, FIRST SELECTMAN OF THE TOWN OF GREENWICH, do
hereby proclaim March 25, 2020 as
Greek Independence Day
in the Town of Greenwich and encourage all residents to recognize the contributions of Greek
Americans to our Town, our State and our Country.