Karin Oruncakciel (second from left) pictured alongside her siblings Bedros and Sarin and maternal grandmother, Dr. Hasmig Baran, at the 2025 Armenian Genocide commemoration march in L.A.
Being Proud to Be Armenian is Not Enough
BY KARIN ORUNCAKCIEL
Our grandparents gave us a community to inherit. Our generation has to decide whether we will simply celebrate it or actually sustain it.
Ever since I can remember I have spent part of my summers in Armenia. And every time I return home, back to Los Angeles, I am reminded that I belong to two Armenian worlds.
In Los Angeles, we intentionally send our kids to Armenian schools, sign them up for Armenian sleepaway camps, and encourage them to spend time with other Armenian youth, all for the purpose of preserving our Armenian-ness. We have become very good at declaring how proud we are to be Armenian. But pride without participation is only symbolism. If our generation wants Armenian identity to survive, we cannot simply inherit the community our grandparents built. We have to take responsibility for what happens to it next.
For many families, diaspora was not an idea. It was their new life, what they needed to learn to live. On my mother’s side, they escaped Lebanon under bombs, briefly lived in Saudi Arabia, before moving to the United States. And on my father’s side, they learned to be Armenian in Istanbul, Turkey. With these life – changing decisions came the expectation to learn how to fit in. Armenian identity was not something they had to rediscover or consciously choose. It was the framework that let them hold onto familiarity from what they knew, in new spaces that were unfamiliar to them.
On the other hand, our generation—my generation—grew up with a very different kind of Armenian diaspora. We were born into Armenian schools, churches, camps, and communities, with new arrivals from Armenia, Lebanon, Turkey, and other parts of the diaspora continuing to join them. We did not have to create these communities; we were simply born into them. We live surrounded by the language, the culture, and other Armenians, often without realizing how much effort was invested to make that possible. But that comfort can also make us take it for granted. We are no longer only fighting to protect our Armenian identity from assimilation. Our challenge is also making sure we do not become complacent about what we inherited and stop contributing to it.
My generation has also become very good at displaying our Armenian identity. We post the flag on Armenian Independence Day, share messages on April 24, wear Armenian jewelry, listen to Armenian music, and show up to dances and community events. All of this is important, but it will not suffice. Armenian identity is not something that should be performed one holiday, or commemoration at a time. If we only show up as Armenians on certain days, then what does our identity mean the rest of the year? Our pride is important, but what will keep our culture alive is the work we do when no one is looking.
Modern participation also means confronting the divisions within our own community. Armenians are often separated by where we come from, the dialect we speak, the organizations we belong to, and even by how we define what it means to be Armenian. In Los Angeles, students can attend different Armenian schools, belong to different churches and organizations, and live only a few miles apart while still moving in completely separate circles. Eastern and Western Armenian speakers can grow up in the same city and still feel like they belong to different worlds, while homeland and diaspora Armenians can approach identity through very different experiences. If our generation wants to strengthen the community, we cannot keep inheriting every division along with every tradition. Preserving Armenian identity should mean bringing these circles closer together and building a community less divided than the one we inherited.
Our grandparents gave us an Armenian community to inherit. What we leave behind will determine whether the next generation has one too.
Karin Oruncakciel is a student at the University of Southern California.
—
Disclaimer: This article was contributed and translated into English by Torgomian Varazdat. While we strive for quality, the views and accuracy of the content remain the responsibility of the contributor. Please verify all facts independently before reposting or citing.
Direct link to this article: https://www.armenianclub.com/2026/10/14/asbarez-a-generation-fluent-in-pride-silent-in-participation/