At only 12 years old, my great-grandfather traveled all the way from Greece, to Ellis Island by himself on a boat. The family was only allowed to send one person, and he was selected as being the oldest son. They did this because they believed that there are better job and income opportunities in America. With the few dollars he had in his pocket, he made his way to Chicago. In Chicago, he found a community of other Greeks. The community gave him his first job as a dishwasher. He would earn money at his job. The money would be saved, and sent to Greece to help the family. When he was in his early twenties, he learned English, and earned enough money to migrate back to Greece to find a bride. The evil-eye pendant is a symbol to ward off any spirits, and protect from negative tensions. His mother had pinned the evil-eye to his shirt (which was very common in Greece). This truly helped him in the migration process because it gave him protection from anything negative. Without the evil-eye, my family believes we would’ve never made it to America. We have evil-eyes throughout my house. We believe it is a sacred, protecting pendant that keeps us safe.

– Niko Brown

Relationship:  Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more