Oxi Day begins with a refusal. Its wider story is filled with people who chose to act: soldiers defending their country, women moving supplies, volunteers sewing clothing and neighbors collecting donations an ocean away.
For October 28, the Greek America Foundation brings together photographs, a diary image and political cartoons from Gregory C. Pappas’s historical collection. These records invite us to look beyond the familiar anniversary and consider the people whose choices gave it meaning.
A small word. A whole people behind it.
Before dawn on October 28, 1940, Italy delivered an ultimatum demanding permission to occupy strategic positions in Greece. Greece refused, and Italian troops invaded from Albania. The refusal became known as Oxi—No.
According to Italian ambassador Emanuele Grazzi’s account, Ioannis Metaxas replied in French: “Then it is war.” The familiar word Oxi expresses the rejection remembered by generations; it should not be confused with a verbatim transcript of that exchange.
Greek forces pushed the Italian army back into Albania. Germany’s invasion followed in April 1941, and occupation brought famine, persecution and resistance. Commemoration honors both the courage and the cost. Metaxas himself ruled a dictatorship; recognizing that context does not diminish the sacrifices of the Greek people.
“May God help us”: a private record of a public turning point
The diary records an urgent sequence: the ambassador’s arrival, calls to officials, a request for British help, fighting at the border, bombardments and sirens. It closes with three words: “Ο Θεός βοηθός”—“May God help us.”
The phrase gives this anniversary a quieter dimension. The entry was written before the outcome was known. Alongside the public language of defiance, it preserves a personal appeal for help.
The wording is available in the published transcription of the October 28 diary entry. The English rendering here follows the exhibition caption preserved in the archive.
When a pencil became a powerful voice
Two cartoonists gave Greece’s resistance a powerful visual voice. Herblock turns Mussolini’s ambition into a picture of retreat, with a Greek soldier in pursuit. Fitzpatrick places a modern soldier beneath the Acropolis, connecting living courage to ancient glory. Together, their drawings show how Greece’s struggle captured imaginations far beyond its borders.
Across an ocean, people said yes
The photographs of relief work bring the story down to the scale of a human gesture: a donation collected, a garment prepared, a young person volunteering. Original press captions preserved with these images identify three scenes from late 1940.
In Kansas City, Josephine Danubio was one of nine Italian-American women helping collect funds for Greek War Relief. Her involvement is a reminder that compassion could cross national and community lines even during a war.
In Washington, Greek-American women worked in American Red Cross sewing rooms, preparing garments and surgical dressings for shipment to Greece. Their contribution was practical, patient work—care made tangible.
In Chicago, young women of Greek descent helped rally support in traditional dress. Heritage and service appeared together: a visible connection to Greece and a shared commitment to helping its people.
10 ways to say yes
To service. To culture. To the next generation. The generosity in these photographs belongs to another era, but the invitation to care for one another is ours today. Find your way to give, belong and make a difference through the Greek America Foundation.
1. Bring your children. Help New Yorkers in need.
Join us in Manhattan on November 18 for Project Philotimo. Bring your children to help prepare meals for New Yorkers in need and share the joy of doing something kind together. Let’s turn a family afternoon into an act of care for our neighbors.
Sign up your family for November 18 →
2. Offer more than a meal.
A meal prepared with care carries a simple message: you matter. Help our Project Philotimo families bring that care to New Yorkers facing hardship. Your $20 gift sponsors one meal; $40 puts two meals on the table.
3. Come home to community.
There is something special about a room filled with people who share a love for our community. Join us in New York on November 20 to celebrate our Gabby honorees and Forty Under 40—and the families, friendships and traditions that helped shape them.
Tickets, tables & sponsorships →
4. Donate an auction item or experience.
A memorable dinner, a special getaway or a treasured gift can become an act of generosity. Donate an item or experience to the Our Greektown auction and help turn someone’s winning bid into support for the Foundation’s work in service, education and culture.
Donate an item or experience →
5. Belong to something meaningful.
A community grows through the people who choose to care for it. Your Foundation membership helps sustain opportunities for young people, keeps our heritage close and supports service that brings people together. We would love to have you with us.
6. Help send them to serve.
A young volunteer arrives in Greece ready to help—and finds people whose stories stay with them. Support those encounters through Greek America Corps. Our $50,000 challenge matches eligible gifts dollar for dollar while matching funds remain, extending the reach of your generosity.
Give to the matching challenge →
7. Honor someone in our November 20 program book.
Celebrate an honoree, honor your family’s story or share your business’s support in the commemorative program book for Greek America Honors on November 20 in New York City. Your tribute becomes part of the Our Greektown celebration—a keepsake of the people and community we are gathering to honor.
Reserve your program book tribute →
8. Bid in support of our community.
An Aegean escape at The Duchess, a beautiful meal at Delos or a vintage Hermès scarf: find something you love in our online auction. Place a bid and turn a special experience or treasured gift into support for the Greek America Foundation.
9. Put a little Greece in a child’s hands.
Open Dressed in Greece together and let the questions begin. Through colorful clothing, stories and traditions from twelve Greek regions, a child can discover a world worth knowing—and you can share a little of the heritage you love.
10. Keep kindness going.
Generosity can be a quiet, steady part of our lives. A monthly gift helps keep service, education and culture at the heart of our Foundation’s work. Start with $5 a month and become part of the care that continues beyond a single day.
History asks us to remember. Community asks us to act. Whether you volunteer with your family, support a meal, share a cultural gift or join us in New York, your participation helps carry the Foundation’s work forward.
Archival images: Gregory C. Pappas collection. Photograph dates and agency credits follow the original press captions. The cartoon caption identifies a documented newspaper appearance. The diary photograph, published transcription and English translation are distinct sources.