Join us for EMBCA's “Hellenic/Philhellenic Women and Their Effect on the Hellenic Revolution” Panel Discussion Webinar on Sunday, December 13 at 2 P.M. EST (11 A.M. PST, 9 P.M. Athens EEST). The panel discussion is in Commemoration of the Anniversary of the "Dance of Zalongo" the mass suicide of the women of Souli and their children during the Souliote War on December 16, 1803 against Ali Pasha. Lou Katsos EMBCA's President/ Founder and Chairman of AHEPA's Hellenic Cultural Commission will Introduce the panel discussion as well as internationally known cross over classical soprano Anastasia Zannis who will join us from Athens and sing A cappella a couple of songs including Oi Souliotises and The Battle Hymn of the Republic for this special occasion.

The panel for this unique event will be moderated by EMBCA’s EVP Marina A. Belessis Casoria. The distinguished panel will include Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney the Co-Chair of the Congressional Hellenic Caucus, Prof. Emeritus Eleni Angelomatis- Tsougarakis of the Dept. of History at Ionian University, History Prof. Maureen Santelli at NVCC, and Maria Kaliambou Senior Lector at the Hellenic Studies Program at Yale University. The focus of the panel discussion will be on the brave and heroic Hellenic women of the revolution which included among many others Laskarina Bouboulina, Manto Mavrogenou, the Mesolongitises, the Maniatises as well as precursors such Moscho Tzavella and the Souliotises, and will also include historic Hellenic folktales around warrior women. In addition the discussion in this event will also incorporate the history of the philhellenic women of the various Greek Committees in America that supported the Revolution during the period and later cross generationally became active and affected the Abolitionist and Women’s Suffrage Movement in the United States. As an example one of those cross generational women affected by the revolution was Julia Ward Howe who was an advocate for abolitionism (along with her husband Samuel Gridley Howe who fought in the Hellenic Revolution) and a social activist particularly for women’s suffrage. She later wrote The Battle Hymn of the Republic and the 1870 pacifist Mother’s Day Proclamation. The Hellenic Revolution's effects on the American Abolitionist Movement and Women's Suffrage Movement will be further elaborated on in two EMBCA events, one in February during Black History Month and the other in March during Women's History Month.

This event and others we have had, and are being planned are part of EMBCA’s American Hellenic Revolution of 1821 Bicentennial Committee series of events focusing not only on the Revolution but also importantly on the American, Diaspora and International aspects and influences of the Revolution for its upcoming 200 Year Anniversary.