Oral History Project Fact Sheet

What would happen if the personal stories of the Greeks who immigrated to America were not recorded? People would be denied the chance to learn about their heritage, and the stories and traditions would be erased, almost as if these experiences never occurred. The National Hellenic Museum’s Oral History Project, located in the Frank S. Kamberos Oral History Center, keeps these precious family stories alive for future generations of Greek Americans.

• The NHM’s Oral History Project celebrates the history of Greek Americans by building upon the Greek tradition of storytelling.
• Launched by the National Hellenic Museum in 2004, Oral History project was developed with the assistance of Columbia College, whose students conducted interviews as part of a Growing Up Greek in Chicago project.
• Museum visitors can interact and explore the oral histories using HOMER, an interactive digital archive named after the famed first oral historian of antiquity whose works The Iliad and The Odyssey led him to be known as the greatest Greek epic poet.
• More than 200 oral histories have already been captured.
• HOMER was designed by sand_box, an award winning multi-disciplinary design firm, as an interactive module for people to immerse themselves in first-hand accounts of Greek Americans describing their journey to the United States.
• Interviews and recordings with individuals and groups, along with photos and donated archives, create an interactive, multi-media repository for Greek American histories.
• Persons of Greek descent, and the spouses and relatives of Greeks are all eligible to provide an oral history. The process involves completing a biographic data form, taping an audio and/or video interview, and providing pictures and documents that enhance the story. The materials produced will be deposited into NHM archives and could be included in the oral history module. Materials supplied to the Museum may be used for research by the public, students or scholars; documentaries or movie productions; public presentations; publication in books, journals, magazines and on the internet. Every person’s story provides additional documentation and significantly enriches the scope, depth and accuracy of the record of the Greek American community, and preserves a family’s history for generations to come.
• Some of the most compelling stories focus on adjusting to a new way of life in a new country while still preserving and celebrating Greek culture.

Collaborations: The expertise of renowned oral history scholars from the University of Michigan, Department of Modern Greek Studies and the Head of Reference Services at the Statue of Liberty National Monument and Ellis Island Immigration Museum in New York contributed to this project’s development.

Support: The Oral History Project is made possible through the generosity of Frank S. Kamberos, the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, the National Hellenic Society and the Hellenic American Leadership Council (HALC). In-kind support is provided by the John & Stephanie Vlahakis Family, sand_box, Haworth and Allsteel.

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Media Contacts:
Veronica Jackson
PCI
312/558-1770, ext. 128
vjackson@pcipr.com