MEET THE SPEAKERS

Ari Danikas was born in Amaliada, Peloponnesus, Greece, the cradle of democracy, and he noted, “racial discrimination was non-existent in my family roots, religion and culture.” His parents were fine, upstanding Greeks, and Danikas described his mother as “living for her family, dedicated to serving and protecting the family,” and giving Danikas “the fundamental principles of humanity, kindness and devotion.” Danikas sees her as ”healthy, adorable and under [his] protection as she was left alone in life.” His mother, a housewife, was dedicated to her family, and is very proud of Danikas. His father was a “hardworking man whose specialty was welding ships.” He trained shipyard workers on the island of Syros and gave Danikas “his skills of perfection, never giving up, always telling the truth, being fair to others, and always working hard until the job is done to high standards, and be polite and respectful of others.” Law enforcement runs in the Danikas family, as his grandfather, as well as many other family members were police officers in Greece.