The Greek Independence Day Parade took place in May of 1980 on State Street, Chicago. The sun was shining; the crowds filled both sides of the street while the Greek schools marched in uniform and the onlookers cheered them on. Sponsored floats featured Greek heroes and ancient Greek costumes. In #06A-09A are photos of Helen C. Georgopoulos-Panagakis who taught me in at Koraes Greek School at Sts. Constantine and Helen Church on Stony Island Avenue, Chicago in the 1960s. She appears in a large mural in my exhibit called Gather Together: Street Photography by Diane Alexander White at the National Hellenic Museum. The Hellenic flag was waved vigorously by the children in #11A, 12A & 13A while Mayor Jane Bryne spoke at the reviewing stand as Archbishop Iakovos looks on in #22A. Frame #23A features Bishop Iakovos with Archbishop Iakovos to his right. Art Andros is dressed as an Evzone in #26A. In frame #2A and #27A are Koraes Greek School children that include my cousin Phillip Apostolou wearing a moptop. I am reflected in the mirror in #28A and #29A. My Aunt Dorothy and her sister ho is my mother Georgia Alexander are in #33A and finally in #34 is my cousin Maria Mavros Kochilas. Her mother is my Aunt Dorothy in #33A. Cousin Phillip is Dorothy's grandson and nephew to Maria K. You can see why we were drawn to watch the parade. Your family and friends marched and the participants were invested in their future as Hellenes holding up the culture and flags proudly overhead. The National Hellenic Museum has featured many of these historic photos in an exhibit called, "GATHER TOGETHER: STREET PHOTOGRAPHY BY DIANE ALEXANDER WHITE", that opened in 2022 and is still going strong in 2025. The National Hellenic Museum has featured many of these historic photos in an exhibit called, "GATHER TOGETHER: STREET PHOTOGRAPHY BY DIANE ALEXANDER WHITE", that opened in 2022 and is still going strong in 2025. In addition to having photos on all three floors at the National Hellenic Museum, my photos of Greek life in Chicago and from my backpacking trip to Greece in 1977 can be seen at the Greek Consulate in Chicago. I am indebted to Emmanuel Koubarakis, the Consul General of Greece in Chicago, Georgia Tasiopoulou, the Consul of Greece in Chicago and the GREEK-AMERICAN RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION (GARC) for their generosity in funding the project. The past is present in these photos where the National Hellenic Museum visitors have been able to identify many of the people that they recognize in a notebook in the "Gather Together: Street Photography by Diane Alexander White."
As life-long Chicagoan of Greek descent the camera has given me a unique perspective behind the lens to capture what it means to identify with Hellenic culture and history. The past is present in these photos where National Hellenic Museum visitors have been able to identify many of the people that they recognize in a notebook in the "Gather Together: Street Photography by Diane Alexander White." Now that is history!
