Category: 2019

SANTA MONICA – The 10th annual “Cycle Against Denial” bike rally for genocide awareness will be held on Saturday, April 13 in Santa Monica, CA. The event will be hosted by the Armenian Youth Federation – Western United States San Fernando Valley “Sardarabad” Chapter.

“Cycle Against Denial” is an annual bike rally held not only to commemorate the Armenian Genocide, but to also raise awareness for all genocides in a creative and public display. This is the fourth time the event will be held in Santa Monica. In previous years, the bike rally took place in the San Fernando Valley, with the starting point being Holy Martyrs Ferrahian High School in Encino, CA.

This year, the organizers have allowed donations to be made in the name of bike rally participants, where proceeds will go toward the Armenian-American Museum. The Museum will be built in Glendale, and will include a permanent exhibition on the topic of the Armenian-American experience. This will include the history of Armenia, the Armenian Genocide, and Armenians living in the United States.

“Cycle Against Denial is a community-wide event meant to bring attention to the atrocities that were committed against the Armenian people and the genocides that have followed since,” said Harut Minasyan, a member of the organizing committee. “Riders of all ages gather in the form of a peaceful protest to inform the public of the events that occurred and to make sure that the victims that paid the ultimate price will not be forgotten. The goal of the bike rally is to demand accountability for the injustice and to highlight that such crimes against humanity will not be tolerated,” added Minasyan.

Following their registration for the “Cycle Against Denial” bike rally, participants are encouraged to ask friends, family and other potential supporters for donations. Donations can be made under the name of the participant, on the AYF-WUS website. The participant with the largest amount of donations will win a complimentary bike. Individuals interested in participating in the rally can register on the website beforehand.

If unable to register online, participants may register on the day of the rally. In-person registration begins at 11a.m, while the ride itself is scheduled to begin at 1p.m. Registration cost is $10 per person, which includes both participation and a commemorative t-shirt. Instructions and context for the event will be delivered by the event organizers before the cycling begins.

The registration table and start of the rally will be located at 1640 Appian Way, Santa Monica, California 90401, on the southern side of the Santa Monica Pier.

• Participants may bring their own bikes, and those who need to rent a bike may do so from rental locations within walking distance of the registration point. These include:
• Sea Mist Rentals: 1619 Ocean Front Walk, Santa Monica, CA 90401;
• Santa Monica Bike Center: 1555 2nd St, Santa Monica, CA 90401;
• Breeze BikeShare: Santa Monica City-hosted bike share, located at Palisades Park.
• For any questions, please feel free to email [email protected], or visit the Facebook event page.

The Armenian-American Museum and Cultural Center of California is a developing project in Glendale, CA with a mission to promote understanding and appreciation of America’s ethnic and cultural diversity by sharing the Armenian-American experience. The Museum will serve as a cultural campus that enriches the community, educates the public on the Armenia- American story, and empowers individuals to embrace cultural diversity and speak out against prejudice.

Founded in 1933, the Armenian Youth Federation is the largest and most influential Armenian-American youth organization in the world, working to advance the social, political, educational and cultural awareness of Armenian youth.

On the occasion of World Council of Churches General Secretary Rev. Dr. Olav Fyske Tveit’s visit to Los Angeles, on Tuesday, April 2 and Wednesday, April 3, where two events were held. These events were organized in order to offer religious leaders and the Christian community the opportunity to meet and interact with the General Secretary.

By the invitation of Father Alexei Smith, Ecumenical and Interreligious Officer for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, on Wednesday, April 3, Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate, participated in a reception and conversation with Rev. Dr. Tveit at Hollywood United Methodist Church. The event was organized by the Southern California Christian Forum in partnership with Hollywood United Methodist Church. Dr. Tveit spoke on the WCC’s current and future endeavors and projects, followed by a question and answer session.

On the evening of Tuesday, April 2nd, Dr. Tveit delivered a lecture at the Huffington Ecumenical Institute of Loyola Marymount University on the theme for the 2021 WCC Assembly, “Christ’s love moves the world to reconciliation and unity.” Rev. Movses Shannakian represented the Prelate. The lecture was followed by a panel discussion with Dr. Tveit and three respondents: Bishop Mary Ann Swenson, United Methodist Church Bishop and Vice-Moderator of the World Council of Churches; Michael Huffington of the Huffington Ecumenical Institute, and Fr. Alexei Smith.

BY TALINE JERMAKIAN

The Armenian Revolutionary Federation “Armen Karo” Gomideh ran a full day seminar titled “100 Years of Activism and the Road Ahead,” on Saturday, March 23, presented by  Dr. Khatchig Mouradian of Columbia University. In cooperation with AYF “Ashod Yergat,”ARF “Shant” and UCI Armenian Students Association, the seminar was open to the community with the goal of reaching out to the youth.

The Orange County Armenian Center opened its doors at 9 a.m. that day. The morning started out with registration and breakfast for those attending. Attendees were handed folders, which included pen and paper, in order to jot down thoughts and notes throughout the discussions. Alique Cherchian of AYF “Ashod Yergat” welcomed guests and introduced Dr. Mouradian, reading aloud his accomplishments and professional background. Soon after, Dr. Mouradian took the stage, lecturing through an open dialogue discussion. He covered a range of topics with the community, most based on the interests and dynamic of the 40 attendees present. The sessions flowed and focused on those interests accordingly. Dr. Mouradian and the attendees were actively listening and engaging with one another—shedding light to certain topics that were unfamiliar to some.

The topic that was focused on, and stood out to me the most, was that of Armenian Identity. What defines an Armenian? Is it the Armenian language, or our Christian religion? Dr. Mouradian explained that, Armenians in the Diaspora, and those in the homeland, each have their own views, traditions, and “Armenian-ness.” With this in mind, who can say what constitutes being a true Armenian? Must we all fit on a certain check list?

Dr. Mouradian gave an example from his own personal experience, from a time when he was traveling through Western Armenia—in modern day Turkey. He described the many Islamized Armenians he came across, who were raised knowing they have Armenian lineage, but are Turkish or Kurdish by nationality. Many of these individuals thirst for the knowledge of their Armenian past, searching for extended family, for stories about their ancestors. We learned that some of these individuals even changed their names to Armenian ones, in an attempt to reconnect with their lost past. This was such an interesting and enlightening topic to discuss. It brought an image of a day where more of these individuals embraced their Armenian past, and came forward with their true identity, how things could potentially positively change, furthering the Armenian Cause.
A key argument made by Dr. Mouradian was that as the youth becomes further engaged through activism, the older generation must allow them to make mistakes so that they can learn from them. They must fully support the youth, in order for them to be successful in their future endeavors. As the final discussion of the day drew near, Taline Jermakian of the Armen Karo Gomideh relayed the Gomideh’s message for the youth—as youth activism has been the focus for the Gomideh this past year.

Taline Jermakian’s message:

“The great writer of prose, Shavarsh Nartouni said ‘shame on those peoples who think that, even in their land, they can have a fatherland when they have no youth. All nations die when they have no youth.’

Our Armenian youth has been the central focus for the Armen Karo Gomideh this year. You see here today an event organized for the community in coordination with the youth organizations of AYF Ashod Yergat, ARF Shant, and UCI ASA. This maybe one of the firsts, but it certainly won’t be the last. Our goal is to set up the younger community members with the tools they need to carry on all while supporting their ambitions along the way.

To engage with the Armenian youth, to encourage their activism, to celebrate their accomplishments, to promote their new ideas, to ease their concerns, to guide them in the right direction, and to give them the means to push toward the future all while remembering and honoring their past…there is no greater insurance against the threat of assimilation of the Armenian diaspora. It’s in the hands of every generation to pass on the cause to the next generation so that the Armenian Identity and homeland both survive and thrive. This is not an easy task. Quite frankly, it’s filled with difficulties and obstacles. Life gets busy. Our priorities shift with time. But as someone who is not that many years past her days of youth, I can tell you, our activism matters. Our dedication matters. You matter.

On behalf of the Armen Karo Gomideh I would like to thank Ung. Dr. Khatchig Mouradian for making the trip out here to be with us today. On a personal note, I grew up on the East Coast and had the pleasure of seeing Dr. Mouradian’s lectures on a variety of topics all of which helped shaped me into becoming the Armenian and Ungerouhi I am today. I have no doubt all of you will leave here today feeling just as encouraged and enlightened. Thank you.”

The seminar was brought to an end with the singing of “Mer Hyrenik,” and Dr. Mouradian invited attendees to come forward with their thoughts or questions. Medii Kitchen provided a delightful dinner for the mixer event, where the community was given space to converse, eat, and share their thoughts on the day’s discussions. All in all, Dr. Khatchig Mouradian’s perspectives and discussions truly resonated with those that attended. It was a successful event for the mind, for the heart, for the youth, and for the community as a whole.

Encouraged by the reported “positive” results of last week’s meeting between Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan on the Karabakh conflict resolution process, the European Union and Russia voiced optimism and pledged to support efforts to resolve the conflict.

Federica Mogherinim the EU’s High Commissioner for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, said the results of the meeting inspired hope for a lasting resolution to the conflict.

“The recent meeting of the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders in Vienna was positive. In line with the Paris agreement in January, the high-level contacts and significant reduction in ceasefire violations, it gives us certain hope that the process will move forward, and the two countries will fulfill their commitments and will hold negotiations without preconditions,” Mogherini said at a press conference in Brussels after a session of the EU-Azerbaijan Association Council.

The European Union fully supports the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs in the resolution process of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, Ambassador Piotr Świtalski, Head of the EU Delegation to Armenia, told reporters Wednesday.

“The mediation mission over the resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict is being carried out by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, and they completely guide this process. As for the European Union, we fully support the efforts of the Minsk Group Co-Chairs,” he added.

Following the March 29 Pashinyan-Aliyev meeting in Vienna, both leaders announced that they deemed the meeting a “success” and directed their foreign ministers to continue talks for the resolution of the Karabakh conflict.

Also on Wednesday, Moscow pledged to provide the necessary support to Baku and Yerevan to implement the results of the recent Pashinyan-Aliyev meeting, said Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, according to TASS.

“Supporting the sides in the Karabakh conflict resolution process is one of the key foreign policy priorities for Russia. This fact attaches specific importance to the ongoing mediation activities, determines great attention to its results,” said Zakharova.

“The negotiation process for the resolution of the Karabakh conflict continues. The sides have shown intent to continue the work aimed at reaching the peaceful settlement,” added Zakharova.

“We welcome the prevailing constructive approach in the negotiations. We will provide necessary support to the sides in order to implement the ideas over which a consensus was reached in the capital of Austria,” explained Zakharova. “However, as it has been repeatedly stated by the presidents of the co-chair countries, the responsibility to put an end to the conflict lies on the sides to the conflict. The most important aspect is to demonstrate political will.