John Korachis, July 20th, 2017
In this interview, Korachis recalls his childhood memories of growing up in Greece and his initial impressions of the city of Detroit. He talks about his time in the Detroit Public School system and his memories of interactions with fellow students. He was picked up by police during the week of July 23, 1967 for a curfew violation but never officially charged. He loves the city and is optimistic about the future.
Detroit Historical Society
04/20/2018
Detroit Historical Society, Detroit, MI
Audio/WAV
en-US
Oral History
Father Michael Varlamos, June 25th, 2015
1967 riot—Detroit—Michigan
Greek American community—Detroit—Michigan
Assumption Greek Orthodox Church—St. Clair Shores—Michigan
Niko’s Party Store—Detroit—Michigan
Archbishop Iakovos
Civil rights movement
In this interview Varlamos discusses his parents’ migration from Greece to Detroit, growing up in an integrated neighborhood on Detroit’s Westside and his father’s business, Niko's Party Store, at the corner of Mack Avenue and Lemay, which was forced to close after the 1967 civil unrest. He also discusses his family’s move from Detroit to Livonia around 1970 after he was assaulted by four teenage girls in his neighborhood. Varlamos discusses the move of his current congregation, Assumption Greek Orthodox Church from Beniteau Street in Detroit to St. Clair Shores after the civil unrest of 1967. He also explains how the church on Beniteau suffered damage, including a bullet hole through an icon, in July 1967. He concludes by discussing his dissertation on Greek Orthodox priest Archbishop Iakovos who participated in the 1965 march in Selma, Alabama with Martin Luther King, Jr.