"To Flag, or Not To Flag..."

I started to comment on Hagop's blog, but I realized I had a lot more to say than the space given. So I thought I'd comment here. :)

At first, I was not just disturbed with the whole flag thing, but sort of disgusted too. But then I realized something. AT LEAST these young Armenians are out of their homes, doing SOMETHING (perhaps in their minds THIS is the right thing to do) but in my opinion it's a form of activism... and it's better than being "chezok" or idle. Would it be better if these guys were sitting in their living rooms... or perhaps taking a trip to Palm Springs or Las Vegas? (Because in reality, that's what a lot of Armenians do... oh, and what about the family who uses that day off from school to take their kids to Disneyland???)

Yes, I doubt the guys driving those cars (which are probably paid for by our tax dollars) are active in the Armenian community, let alone working on Genocide Recognition the rest of the 364 days. I reallyyyyy hope I'm wrong... and if I am, I'd reallyyyy appreciate it if someone corrected me.

I think it's also somewhat our faults, because maybe instead of watching them and shaking our heads, we should educate and motivate them!

That's all for now...

TSUH! :)~

90th Anniversary Commemorations

The last 7 days have been a gust of events, media, political battles and personal. It all started with the Capitol Hill Observance of the Armenian Genocide.

Last Wednesday, over 500 Armenians from all over the US, Cali to Boston, attended the all-organization sponsored event hosted by the Armenian Caucus co-chairs Cong. Frank Pallone and Cong. Joe Knollenberg. An enless line of Senators and Congressmen dropped by to share their support. But something interesting began to happen that night. I noticed more language coming from Congressmen on reparations. It was subtle at first, but noted. I covered the floor taking shots all night and my legs felt the effects the next day... wanna keep your legs in shape? Become a photographer.

As I mentioned before, Senator John Kerry was the highlight of the evening as he swept in, delivered a passionate speech, and received a roaring standing ovation for his support. But there were quite a few other appearances that moved me. First, Senator Sarbanes spoke from the heart while the crowd shared their appreciation for his long support throughout his terms. House Minority leader Nancy Pelosi also spoke reaffirming the importance of genocide recognition.

I was also very moved by Henry Morgenthau III's speech as he opened expressing that he believes his is an honorary Armenian. There's no doubt in my mind he is. Of course, he is the grandson of Ambassador Morgenthau who wrote extensively about the Genocide while it was taking place. The entire family was there, kids and all, and they were very respectful to everyone there.

The night ended on a positive note with the promise of all our Congressmen to continue the fight with us and that our involvement is key to nailing it home.

The 90 hour vigil began on Thursday as ACYOA gathered volunteers to sit infront of the Turkish Embassy around the clock. The entire community joined them on Friday afternoon for our annual demonstration.



From there, everyone continued to the Armenian Embassy for a wreath-laying ceremony. As the rain wrapped up the events for us a bit early, we rushed over to church for a family madagh dinner... not a real madagh, but symbolic. Throughout all the events that took place, we met a couple guys working on a documentary for PBS that tagged along.

But the big event of course was the Rally in Times Square. They say about 10,000 people filled the intersection of the world. I remember my younger days when we used to go to this event. The streets were filled with Armenians, you recognized every other person in the crowd, and there were big huge signs the size of every other billboard with the words: "RECOGNIZE THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE!" There we were in the center of the world, where eyes around the world are watching 24/7 and we filled every corner with signs and people.



The speeches were notable again, as I saw the trend continue. Senator Schumer started the rally with strong messages of genocide recognition and punishment for Turkey's crimes. Pallone continued to nail home the point of recognition, reparations and restitution. I had a tear in my eye.

But unfortunately it wasn't all positive on Sunday. Simultaneously, Turks were gathered in Washington, DC to protest us back, making reduculous statements that Armenians and Greeks killed 3 million Turks and that Armenia is connected to Al Qaeda. Come on guys, are you serious? Take a look at Patrick Sarkissians very important website: http://www.sarkissianmason.com/denial/

But on a brighter note, 6000 people, mostly non-Armenian, gathered in LA for the Souls 2005 concert: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1500738/20050425/index.jhtml?headlines=true

I do have to say that I'm very disappointed on the lack of news coverage of all the events that took place around the world with the participation of millions of Armenians everyone. The next day, I was listening to NPR expecting some mention. Instead they started talking about the battle of Gallipoli on April 25, 1915 where 150,000 British and French troops died, which by the way got WAY more media coverage than the Armenian Genocide where 1,5000,000 PEOPLE WERE SYSTEMATICALLY SLAUGHTERED! http://www.turks.us/article.php?story=20050427060739389

Needless to say, I sent my complaints, but this is rediculous. My co-workers were asking me why they haven't heard anything about it. I'm not sure if they would have believed me that so many people were in Times Square if I didn't show them the photos. But I'm not sure why I expect so much from media when it's obvious that reporting has lost its credibility in this country.

Though all the events came to an end, it's becoming more evident that this is a significant year in the turn of America's policy on this issue. Rep. Radonovich said himself that he sees hope for the recognition of the Armenian Genocide as the US is slowly turning away from its dependency on Turkey. As Iraq stabilizes and the need for Turkish bases deminishes, the day for recognition will come. There's also concern that this issue is being used as a political tool... that's the sick reality of it all, but the worst part is that the US is getting what they want out of waving this issue in Turkey's face. Sure I'm disgusted, but no more than I am that it happened in the first place and has been denied for 90 years.

Now some personal reflection. I've never felt so strongly about the need for Armenia to gain the three "R"s (recognition, etc.). This feeling is not just reaffirmed by the unified sentiment of the Armenian community, but also by the support of the world... Superman marched with us in LA (Dean Cain), more politicians are coming forward with strong statements, the world (despite media's lack of coverage) is paying attention as Turkey's need to join the EU is revealing it's dirty secrets. As events repeat themselves in Darfur, it's more evident today that this is a neccessary problem we need to address. Our neglect to intervene in Genocide is costing the human race and denial will only lead to a future of repeated crimes against humanity. On a more personal note, I want to go to Van one day and feel that I am on my homeland where my grandfather was born... it's that simple.

I will be posting all my photos on my website this weekend and will post a reminder.

Staying home

This year, I decided to spend April 24th at home. As a kid, I would attend demonstrations in Chicago with my family and the local community in front of the Turkish Embassy. "We demand justice", "Turks are murderers", and slogans such as that would be seen by a few passersby. Sometimes the Turkish flag would be lit on fire with a bunch of older men stomping on it. Stuff like that. Looking back, I remember being thrilled at such a community bonding/venting event. But, I also reflect back and have concluded it didn't really buy us a whole lot of our "15 minutes". Often times, the news was buried on the back section of the Local/City sections of the paper, if that. And, TV? Once in 5 years if lucky. But still, hanging out with my fellow AYF'ers and members of the church, it was a strong communal experience that taught me to respect those who perished, tell myself I am lucky to be alive, and manufacture and create a hatred against the Turk for what they did- what they all did.

As I migrated to Boston, I would either organize stuff through our Armenian Club on go to the ACEC in Watertown for a lecture by Hovhanessian, Dadrian, etc. Again, the bonding and communal experience was strong. Community events would be earnest in commemorating the dead, if not somewhat predictable. Selfless organizers always did a great job in putting together programs and such.

These days, Genocide recognition should be more subtle in using the press and media to tell OUR story while putting pressure on Turkey. The internal commemoration should stay our business, but, utilizing all our resources in using the media to tell the story is now at a crucial state. The Boston Globe had an extraordinary expose on 4 Genocide survivors on the April 24th issue of their paper. It was oral history as told by the survivors themselves with no narration from the Boston Globe. it was raw, chilling, and very effective. Haunting, really. And, the use of the term "Armenian Genocide" was used, something banned from the pages of the Globe and Times for years. Times are changing.

April 24 in Times Sqaure

Here's another teaser. Give me a few days, I'll write a thorough log, add a few photos, and all my best shots from this last week will be up on my photo website. Enjoy this one for now.

Thought I'd Share...

Hayasdan Aselis


Enjoy! :)

Armenian Genocide Observance on Capitol Hill

The events in DC began last Saturday, but I'll get an overall log in later. For now, here's a nice shot from last night's Observance. It was very successful and many Senators and Representatives came and spoke on the importance of Genocide recognition. Sen. John Kerry was the highlight of the evening as he got a standing ovation (the others did, too, but he came in like a rock star). Too bad he wasn't speaking as President last night.

More later.

90 Years... and me

I don't know about other people, but when April hits I feel my blood pressure rises. So many genocide related events, I'm reminded of all the details that get lost in our every day hustle-bustle of life. Especially since I'm having my students read "The Road From Home" by David Kherdian. It's a story about a little girl and her experience surviving the genocide. My students completely relate with the little girl... which makes it easier for them to understand the atrocious acts. But when we get into discussions about the importance of knowing all that information... that's when I start to worry.

The other day I was sitting and thinking about it, seriously. I look at my students, and I try to imagine what the generation they raise will be like. I reallyyyyy wonder how they will relate with that little girl's experience... if they will relate with it at all. Sometimes I think that even my students are sitting there and thinking.. "how stupid that we're learning about something in such detail that took place almost a 100 years ago". I'm hoping most don't think it.

Other than that, there are soooooooo many Genocide Events in the L.A. area. It's crazy! I will for sure be attending the biggest ones. I won't miss the Youth Rally (see flier below) at the Glendale Ararat Gym, because Dr. Samantha Powers will be speaking! (If you don't know who she is, she's a genocide historian from Harvard... very interesting!) I'll also be going to the march-protest from Arshak Dikranyan school to the Turkish Consulate. And of course, the new event organized this year at Glendale High School's field. There'll be a few other events here and there I'll go to, but these are the ones I think most people should attend.

One more thing... Sometimes I think about what all this means. I wonder why we do all this stuff. I think about what other things we could be doing instead. But reading this novel with my students, listening to stories of survivors on video, and having various discussions with my students (among other things) always bring me to the realization that we, as Armenians, really AREEEE awesome. We really HAVE come a long way. We WILL rise again. Turkey WILL recognize the genocide and pay reparations. We WILL live on the shores of Van again.

TSUH :)~

System on SNL

I'm overwhelming everyone with Systemania, but this is cool. Grabbed this from their website:

"System of a Down has been confirmed as the musical guest on 'Saturday Night Live' on Saturday, May 7. This will be the band's first-ever appearance on the show, and they'll perform two songs - "B.Y.O.B." and "Chop Suey." Johnny Knoxville will be hosting, so be sure and tune into your local NBC station."

April Mourning

There have been so many projects on my plate, I found myself looking at a friend in the face the other day and realized how much detail exists in reality that you don't see on a computer screen. Ladies and gents, when you start getting mezmorized by the details of real objects and people infront of you because you haven't seen anything but monitors or the back of your eyelids in a while, it's time to unplug yourself. But I am proud of my accomplishments. I have become the official April 24th event flyer designer. I'm happy I have that to contribute. But I did something else that I think may be my proudest work for so many reasons. Last year I worked on a booklet that was handed out at the Souls concert that gave background on the Armenian genocide. this was distributed to thousands of System of a Down fans educating them on the history in a quick 12 pages. But I always thought it was a bit short. This year I did the same thing, but longer and more in-depth. But we made it so that it can be used time and time again, with the goal of distributing it through the school systems everywhere, etc. It's also going to be on their website just in case people don't make it to the show. I say this not to brag, but because I think this is the coolest freakin' thing I've done, and I realized this through an experience.

I started my new design job in January, and since, I know my co-workers had lingering questions about my secret life of hard core activism and political drive (not just Armenian things, but everything. It's not common that designers are so politically involved). They saw hints of crazy in me, but I'm pretty private otherwise (aside from publishing all my life experiences on a web blog). Generally, I keep to myself at work unless they pry, and I think they are afraid to discover too much. Well, the subject came up with one of my co-workers who has a Turkish friend, and wondered why Armenians hate Turks so much. I tried to tell her it's because they commit a genocide and deny it to this day, but it didn't register. She said, well, today's Turks didn't do it, so why do you guys hate them? How do you go into that without scaring them off? Mind you, I normally wouldn't care, but I work in an office with 5 other people, so I need to keep some balance.

Weeks later, I was sharing my stories of working on this project with her (and my God, the last few weeks have been a rollercoaster of 16 hour days, 7 days a week), about the concert, about the cause, and the design I did for them. It initiated more conversation and she simply asked to read the booklet for more information. Half an hour later, it seemed like she learned everything she needed to know. She was sad and disturbed, but sympathetic and understanding just by reading a short 20 page booklet. She asked some questions about the political battle in the US and why the US sides with Turkey. At this point, it was so much easier to explain without having to find the words from something so personal.

Why do I bring this up? This moment helped me realize why this booklet was so important to me. We (at least I) are SO saturated with this subject that we don't even know how the rest of the world reacts when they learn of it. It hit me when she came back so sad... a reasonable reaction, but when you spend 27 years of your life fighting for genocide recognition, looking at genocide photos and reading the stories all the time, you sort of become used to it. I wouldn't say numb because I still cry if I sit and think about it.

Anyway, the idea is that I realized how powerful a tool this simple booklet became.. What System is doing is incredibly smart. They have found a way to break the barrier of the Armenian community to the "odar" world through their talent and success. Granted, the depth of the genocide can't be wrapped up in a 20 page booklet, but if it's enough to grab someone who otherwise is just there for a good show, we just educated 6000 people in one night.

Last year someone else came to the ANCA office with an incredible idea of using his very convenient placement in the design community to encourage the best designers in the world to design posters on the Armenian Genocide for a major show, drawing attention of the entire design community and the art world to the subject. I think logistics got in the way, but the idea was important. There are so many of us spread out in the world in so many different fields and industries that have more power than we use. I appreciate that System took the unprecedented step of having the guts to bring this message forward through their success. We shouldn't be afraid to do this in every aspect of our lives. We aren't wrong for wanting justice.

Tomorrow is the local DC community program commemorating the 90th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Wednesday is the Genocide Observance on Capitol Hill with participation of ALL organizations and organized by the Armenian Caucus Co-chairs. A few individuals will stand infront of the Turkish Embassy every day around rush hour next week with signs. ACYOA is also having a 90 hour vigil throughout the weekend. Of course, the expected demonstration will be taking place, but this time RIGHT infront of the Turkish Embassy, after which everyone will continue to the Armenian Embassy for a wreath laying ceremony. And last but absolutely not least, we have 4, maybe 5 busload of Armenians going up to NYC for all the events taking place there in Time Square and St Patrick's Cathedral. I'm sure there will be more driving up themselves.

And to end on a sad note, to bring it back to what this is all about, I'm sad to report that another Genocide survivor in the DC area just passed away. May her soul rest in peace.