NASHVILLE, ΤΝ – With a special event organized by the Hellenic Institute of Cultural Diplomacy – U.S.A. and the illumination of iconic buildings of the city in Greek colors, Nashville, TN – the ‘Athens of the South’ – celebrated the 203rd anniversary of Greek Independence.

The National Herald had an opportunity to speak with DeeGee Lester, President of HICD-U.S.A. about the auspicious occasion. “Having felt the love and the lure of Nashville’s iconic Parthenon since my first school visit in 1962, and following two decades as Director of Education there, interacting with youthful curiosity and wonder as well as adult interest, or through special memories associated with the Parthenon, I am keenly aware of the unique heart-bond Nashvillians have for Greece. It has been embraced through two centuries by the entire population of a city with only a small number with Greek ancestry,” said Lester.

“This was all on full-display on Monday, March 25th as HICD hosted Greek Consul Theodoros Dimopoulos in ceremonies honoring the 203rd Anniversary of Greek Independence and the Bicentennial of one man’s vision – that of Dr. Phlip Lindsley – that frontier Nashville, then on the outer edge of a new nation, could rise to become ‘A New Athens dedicated to education and the arts.’”

At the event, the keynote speaker was the Consul General of Greece in Atlanta, Theodoros Dimopoulos. Also present, among others, were local politicians, former mayor John Cooper, and members of the community.

“I was mindful, while listening to Consul Dimopoulos speak of his own sense of wonder, standing before Nashville’s full-scale Parthenon, that just inside, as in ancient Athens, a massive gold-gilded statue of Athena was keeping watch over the city. And as one of our docents is fond of saying, ‘Athena Remembers’,” Lester added, referring to the March 25th ceremony which honored and celebrated the unique bonds between the American nation and the city of Nashville with Greece.

As was previously mentioned, the celebrations for the national anniversary of March 25th included the illumination of Nashville’s iconic buildings in blue and white in honor of Greece, an initiative of the Institute. “Beginning in our inaugural year of 2021,” Lester said, “the U.S. branch of the Hellenic Institute of Cultural Diplomacy has honored Greek Independence Day by sponsoring the March 25th illuminations in Greek blue and white lighting of iconic Nashville sites: the Parthenon, the cupula of the Tennessee State Capitol (based on the Choragic Monument of Lysicrates in Athens), the Metro Nashville Courthouse, and the Korean Veterans Bridge. These beautiful annual illuminations are a visual reminder of the eternal Greek gifts to us all; the light of freedom, beauty, and knowledge.”