We both greatly enjoyed the process of meeting and chatting with Berkshire County’s lively Greek community. Getting to meet them at their places of work and of worship was especially rewarding, as it gave an authentic and meaningful backdrop for each of the oral histories. We were particularly struck by a theme that came up in all of our conversations: the greatness of the American experience. All of the interviewees had great appreciation for the opportunities available to people in this country. They all expressed gratitude for the American Dream, for the fact that with hard work and dedication, anything is possible. They also made note of how so many Americans do not fully recognize how lucky we all are in live in such a free, prosperous country, where people enjoy rights and opportunities that are nonexistent in so much of the world. In fact, every single one of the interviewees, or their ancestors, came to the United States in search of economic opportunity.
We also appreciated how open and honest our interviewees were throughout the conversations. They gave detailed and sincere answers to our questions, and they enthusiastically offered additional information and anecdotes. We are both very thankful to the interviewees for being so generous with their time and with their stories, and this was such a rewarding and incredibly interesting project to undertake. Getting to hear in-person the stories and perspectives of Greek immigrants and their children was a new, fascinating experience that has been invaluable to us as history and education majors. Thank you for taking the time to learn about the Greek community in Berkshire County, and we hope you will get as much out of these oral histories as we did.
Ryan Psutka
Morrison Robblee