THE ARMENIAN WEEKLY

Wednesday, December 04, 2013

Recent Articles from the Armenian Weekly... Karabakh Freedom Celebrated on Capitol Hill Yegparian: Come Home Lowell ARS Community Center Celebrates 50th Letter: Accepting Who I am AUA Launches Summer 2014 Program Sassounian: WikiLeaks Discloses Confidential US Report on Armenian-Americans AYF Participates in First BDP Youth Congress in Diyarbakir Search Armenian Weekly Karabakh Freedom Celebrated on Capitol Hill House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce Leads Bipartisan Congressional Tribute to 22 Years of Artsakh Independence WASHINGTON—Republic of Nagorno Karabakh Parliament Speaker Ashot Ghulian headlined a Congressional celebration of 22 years of Artsakh’s independence, featuring remarks by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA) and other leading U.S. legislators, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA). (L-R) Chairman Royce and Speaker Ghoulian “With the wind of human freedom at our backs, we marked today, on Capitol Hill, a generation of liberty for the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “It’s fitting that, as heirs to the American Revolution, we were joined together in our U.S. Capitol—the seat of our nation’s liberty—to celebrate the democratic victory of another free people over foreign rule.” The Capitol Hill program, moderated by Congressional... Read More »      • Email to a friend • Article Search • Yegparian: Come Home There are those who seek it, and know it not. There are those who once were there and should return. There are those who deny it, yet in truth, belong. I am speaking of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation. I have encountered countless people who are ideologically a perfect fit in the ARF. They get together and have heated, heartfelt discussions with others like themselves. They are active politically or societally. They care deeply about Armenian issues. They are motivated by the impulse to improve the human condition. There are even people who know full well what the ARF is about and know they would mesh with it very smoothly. Yet somehow, these people who are every bit as much a Tashnagtsagan in heart, soul, and thought as I am, have not found their way in. The number of those who were once in the ARF, and now are not, is legion. The causes are varied, some reasonable and understandable, others not. Some are still out due to the emigration rules of the 1970’s and 1980’s.... Read More »      • Email to a friend • Article Search • Lowell ARS Community Center Celebrates 50th LOWELL, Mass.—For 50 years, the Lowell ARS Community Center has maintained a venerable presence at 142 Liberty St. AYF members gathered for a New England Conference at the Lowell ARS Community Center in 1976. The center just celebrated its 50th anniversary with three generations attending. It has served as the gateway for AYF members and its parent organizations, the ARS to which it belongs, and the ARF. It has been the focal point for special Armenian anniversaries, tributes, engagement parties, even showers. Through desperate times, like the earthquake in 1988, and good times, like the 20th anniversary of the New Independence Republic, it has answered its diligent call from one generation to the next. They are people like Sona (Dulgarian) Gevorkian who attended AYF meetings here, conferences and festivals. Today, she maintains her clubhouse tradition as president of the Lowell “Lousintak” ARS Chapter. Gevorkian paid tribute to those responsible for purchasing the building... Read More »      • Email to a friend • Article Search • Letter: Accepting Who I am Dear Editor, After New Year’s last year, I decided to come out to my parents as a lesbian. I had already revealed my preferences to a few friends both in and out of my AYF chapter; however, it was still a subject that I needed to discuss with my parents. Envisioning my parents’ refusal to accept me for who I am was the main obstacle in figuring out how to talk to them. But immediately after telling them, they assured me that they would fully support who I am, and that, regardless of anything else, they would always be there for me. While I am lucky to have accepting parents, for most Armenian teenagers the pressures of being lesbian, gay, bi, or transgender are awfully intimidating. Affirming my identity as a lesbian Armenian teenager was not easy. You might assume that being born in Armenia, growing up in an Armenian family, and molding to the strict customs of our people would have affected my decision to openly express my sexuality, but it didn’t. The bonds that Armenians... Read More »      • Email to a friend • Article Search • AUA Launches Summer 2014 Program YEREVAN—The American University of Armenia (AUA) recently announced its three-week Summer 2014 Program, which will take place from June 9-27, 2014. The flyer of the program The program is an opportunity to become acquainted with the legacy and culture of the Armenian people in an American-accredited institution, while at the same time getting in touch with modern-day Armenia. Lectures and presentations on Armenian heritage and culture, Armenian music, and Armenian art and architecture will be interspersed with excursions to concerts or the theatre, to historical sites, as well as to museums and galleries. The program is open both to current students and to individuals generally interested in the topic areas covered by the courses. The deadline for applying is Jan. 15, 2014. Because of AUA’s American accreditation, the courses will carry units that may be transferable. For more information, visit summer2014.aua.am or e-mail summer2014@aua.am.      • Email to a friend • Article Search • Sassounian: WikiLeaks Discloses Confidential US Report on Armenian-Americans It is always interesting to see how the Armenian community is viewed by outsiders. That perspective becomes even more fascinating when it is made by a U.S. diplomat in an internal report. The large number of classified U.S. government documents released by WikiLeaks include cables sent by the American Embassy in Armenia to the U.S. State Department. One of those dispatches, dated Nov. 17, 2009, is a “Confidential” report by then-Ambassador Marie L. Yovanovitch covering her 2009 tour of Los Angeles, Boston, New York City, and Washington, D.C. Here are highlights from the ambassador’s report, which was titled, “Experience Engaging Diaspora Communities: Armenia.” 1) The Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church “is under the authority of the Holy See of Etchmiadzin,” she writes, while the Prelacy “recognizes the jurisdictional authority of the Armenian Catholicos (head of the Armenian Church) based in Antelias, Lebanon. This is only for administrative purposes though, as,... Read More »      • Email to a friend • Article Search • AYF Participates in First BDP Youth Congress in Diyarbakir DIYARBAKIR, Turkey—On Sat., Nov. 30, an AYF (ARF-Dashnaktsutyun Youth Organization) delegation comprised of Sarkis Degirmenjian and Rupen Janbazian participated in the first youth congress of Turkey’s pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP). The congress was organized by the Youth Assembly of the BDP and was held in Diyarbakir’s Seyrantepe Sport Hall. The invitation was extended to the AYF as well as all other member youth organizations of the International Union of Socialist Youth (IUSY). The AYF in Diyarbakir The conference was attended by more than 30,000 BDP members and supporters, as well as several representatives of socialist youth organizations from around the world. The AYF representatives addressed the crowd, outlining their views on a number of regional and international issues faced by both the Armenian and Kurdish people. The speech, which was delivered first in Armenian and then in Turkish, focused on the shared history of the two peoples and how cooperation... Read More »      • Email to a friend • Article Search •