In a bid to reach even more readers and give the changing Greek-American community what it deserved, Antonis Diamataris founded The National Herald 24 years ago this week. The National Herald seems like a very obvious creation right now, but back in the 90s it was anything but obvious. At that time, the vast majority of Greek immigrants from the great Greek migration of the mid-twentieth century were still alive and their first language was Greek and it was the language that they felt most comfortable with. It would be a few more years before their children and grandchildren who were born largely in the United States would come of age to impact society.

It may sound biased due to the fact that Antonis Diamataris happens to be my father, but speaking as objectively as I can, the decision to cater to a new generation gave Greek-Americans the language of their home, the United States – it was both revolutionary and practical at the same time, and it is something that continues to be of service to our community at large. The English-language sister newspaper of Ethnikos Kirikas has gone from an afterthought to becoming a national and international English language phenomenon in a relatively short period of time, rendering that vision in 1997 not merely a success, but a resounding one at that.

Every year that we celebrate a milestone, whether it be for Ethnikos Kirikas, or for The National Herald, it is not so that we can pat ourselves on the back and revel in complacency. It is fundamentally impossible to last for 106 and 24 years respectively if one allows complacency to creep in. Milestones year in and year out can only occur if the hunger and the desire is there to not only improve the products but to listen to our readers and understand their needs and meet them. Continuous Improvement happens due to our readers and advertisers supporting us and because our dedicated staff devotes endless hours because they believe in the mission, they believe in the Community, and they believe in a better future as well as in the legendary past.

Everyone here at The National Herald cherishes the fact that you, our readers and our advertisers, make us a part of your everyday lives and that you believe in our mission, which is none other than providing balanced, honest reporting and being the historical repository of the Hellenic Diaspora. It is an honor every day to serve you, as it has been for the last 24 years, and here’s to the next 24!