By Nareg Aghjayan
California State University of Northridge, Class of 2011

Leo Sarkisian Interns at work in the Conference Room

Let me start off my piece with a disclaimer.  I’ve heard for years that “grassroots makes the difference” – seen ANCA videos making the point, heard speeches on the topic – perhaps to the point of cliché.  And, for the record, when I get that ANCA email that includes a link to an action alert urging us to contact our Representative in support of the Armenian Genocide Resolution, or self-determination for Karabagh, or aid to Armenia – I click it and send it.  It only takes a minute.

But honestly, there is always that little question in the back of my mind.  “Did my phone call REALLY make a difference?  Does that ANCA WebFax I sent to Congress ACTUALLY get to my Congressman or Senator? And, frankly, do they pay attention?”

So when I arrived at the ANCA Leo Sarkisian Internship program, I wanted to get some answers and see first hand how it all comes together. And, that’s exactly what has happened.

Take for example the latest effort to secure Congressional support for a letter to President Obama urging him to separate Armenian Genocide recognition from the current Armenia-Turkey dialogue efforts (or non-efforts, but that is a different story.)  The goal was simple enough – educate and encourage as many Members of Congress as possible to support the initiative spearheaded by Congressional Armenian Caucus co-Chairs Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Mark Kirk (R-IL) along with Reps. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and George Radanovich (R-CA).  By the time we were done, all the components that go into it turned into an intricate maze and showed the critical role of constituents participating in the political process.

First there was the Congressional staff from the lead offices sending “Dear Colleague” letters to Members of Congress alerting them about the initiative and encouraging them to co-sign the letter. They have the Congressional e-Dear Colleague system that makes it easy to distribute.  Of course, there are tons of “Dear Colleagues” and emails in general being sent all the time to staffers (just imagine your daily inbox times 10).  So somehow, your issue needs to be prioritized.

And nothing says “priority” like constituents contacting the office and urging their Congressman to make it a priority.

So the ANCA had sent out an action alert last week – asking constituents to email their Representatives to cosign the letter.  As interns, we saw the emails pouring in. And they helped – but we had to think of ways to get additional attention to the issue.  After all, Congress is in the middle of discussing health care, foreign aid, Iraq, China, Afghanistan, etc. – all important issues, of course, but so is ensuring stability in the Caucasus.

So our Government Affairs Director Kate Nahapetian sent emails to activists encouraging them to call their Congressman in support of the effort and let us know how the call went.  The interns ended up fielding tons of calls from activists looking forward to speaking with Kate to give an update.  She fielded just as many emails.

Then, the personal touch.  The intern group teamed up with the ANCA Eastern Region Interim Executive Director Raffi Karakashian and ANCA Legislative Affairs Director Garo Manjikian and headed to Capitol Hill to speak to the relevant staffers and pass out fact sheets and background information on the letter to President Obama.  Staff members were clearly busy – but were willing to take the time to review the packet.

But the numbers on the letter were still not high enough.  So, Garo tasked the interns to coordinate with our regional offices and local chapters to call activists in key districts and encourage them to call their Congressman.  We all made call after call – and most folks were really friendly and appreciative that we contacted them.

And this is where we saw the shear power of grassroots.  The number of cosigners began to expand much faster as the constituent calls and emails increased.  It was no longer just another “Dear Colleague” letter in the staff email box, but something that actually needed to be reviewed and a decision taken.  And I could tell when constituents had contacted their Representative, because when I called a Congressional office and mentioned my affiliation with the “Armenian National Committee,” the staffer’s response was “Are you calling about the letter?”  And when I called an office which had not been contacted by constituents, I had to start the conversation from scratch – explain the letter, the history, the deadline, etc.  And, I could tell, it was less likely we would get support from that office.

So there it was right in front of me.  The answers I was seeking.  Do phone calls make a difference?  Do those emails get someone’s attention?

Yes.  Yes they do.

In the end, there were 82 signatories on the letter to the President.  A strong number which would have been even higher with more constituent support.  And that just makes it all the more important to increase Armenian American civic involvement.

In the end, we all need each other.  We need to raise our collective voices and through our community, grassroots achieve our goals.

By Tamar Thomassian
UC Berkeley, Class of 2011

They say that time flies especially when you’re keeping busy. Never the same project – always a new challenge. And it’s just one thing – its fifty things.

Leo Sarkisian Interns at the Bethesda Chevron Station Protesting

Take for example last Friday. Our program coordinator Garo Manjikian had organized a trip to one of the most beautiful and historic buildings Washington DC has to offer, the Library of Congress. There, we met with Dr. Levon Avdoyan who is the Armenian and Georgian Area Specialist. Dr Avdoyan took us through the Library showing us a series of Armenian collections that the Library has collected over the years. There are over 26,000 items in the Armenian collection, which is housed in the Near East section of the African and Middle Eastern division. Dr. Avdoyan was kind to share a series of items from the collection. Ancient manuscripts, books written in Armeno-Turkish — a series of books written in Armenian lettering but Turkish text. Letters that were dated during the Armenian Genocide, including one sent by Talat Pasha to the American Ambassador Henry Morgenthau – thanking him for a lovely dinner together held on April 24th, 1915. We saw the first printed bible – the “Oskan” bible, Geographical maps during Wilsonian Armenia, important cartographic, visual, and legal materials many unpublished and some that have not, as yet, been studied. The Armenian collection in the Library of Congress is entering into the modern era of technology; many documents have been digitized and published on the website of the Library of Congress.

Others, you need to visit the Library of Congress to view – with approval from Dr. Avdoyan and a library card (which each of us got before we left). One of the surprises that Dr. Avdoyan showed us was a song taped back in 1930 featuring Armenian music sung by immigrants from Western Armenia.

On Monday, we shifted gears to urging Members of Congress to cosign a letter to President Obama urging him to separate Armenian Genocide recognition from the so-called Armenia-Turkey “roadmap.” Since April 22nd, Turkey has been nothing but an obstacle to efforts to normalize Armenia-Turkey relations. In fact, it has become obvious that the whole effort was a scheme to block international recognition of the Armenian Genocide. So we called, and called and continue to call to spread the word about Turkey’s stall tactics and how the U.S. should not continue its complicity in genocide denial.

On Tuesday, we had a surprise visit from Pasadena-area Assemblyman Anthony Portantino (D-Pasadena). The Assemblyman, who was in Washington, DC on state business, happened to be staying just doors away from our office – and when he saw the Armenian Flag and the ANCA sign – was gracious enough to take time out of his busy schedule to give our team a pep-talk about the virtues of civic participation.

That fit in nicely with our evening activity – Pizza and Insights from alumni of the ANCA Capital Gateway Program. For those who aren’t aware, the ANCA Capital Gateway program encourages youth to come to Washington DC in search of a career in public service. The former Gateway’s shared their experiences of the job search and the rewards of DC living. The one thing in common in all their presentations – was the message to be confident, persevere, and never be scared to start small and work your way to the top.

And on Wednesday, we switched gears again to protest Chevron’s campaign of Genocide denial. We had been working with AYF chapters around the country on this for weeks. Finally, the day of the protest had arrived. We were all excited the night before and couldn’t sleep, just anxious about the results. We came into the office at 8 a.m. and began making calls to media making sure they will cover the story. At 11 a.m. we were at the Chevron gas station in 5001 Bradley Blvd Chevy Chase, Maryland. Over there we met with local AYF members with posters and banners – and we protested. We first went inside the Chevron station and introduced ourselves letting them know we would be conducting a protest. In true Corporate efficiency, the Chevron headquarters had sent out a memo to their franchises alerting them about the effort.

Leo Sarkisian Interns at Library of Congress with Dr. Levon Avdoyan

The interest-level kept escalating as the day went on, with cars pulling over to speak to us – asking all sorts of questions, including WHY Chevron would lobby against Genocide in the first place. We even had a gentleman of Turkish origin stop by, who told that when he came to the U.S. at age 19 he knew nothing about the Genocide – and has learned since. He argued however, that as a “modern Turk,” he wanted to look forward (how convenient). We had another supporter drop by who expressed dismay at U.S. policy of genocide denial – and supported our education campaign regarding Chevron. We even got the attention of Chevron’s own media team – photographing protesters for their files (Note to Chevron team – my name is spelled T-A-M-A-R T-H-O-M-A-S-S-I-A-N).

By Tatev Oganyan

University of California, Los Angeles Class of 2011

With the fourth week of our internship program coming to a close, we have grown accustomed to DC’s fast pace lifestyle, a city filled with thousands of interns and the inevitable possibilities of running into Members of Congress and government officials anywhere in the city.

Last week, for example, as we were headed to the Senate Appropriations Committee markup of the foreign aid bill, we ran into former Secretary of State and leader of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Colin Powell.  In true Washington DC fashion, we introduced ourselves as ANCA interns and chatted briefly.  That encounter was captured on film by a photographer for Roll Call, a Capitol Hill newspaper, and promptly posted online (with appropriate ANCA caption).  All in a day’s work.

This week, we had the chance to visit the Armenian Embassy and meet with the Ambassador of Armenia, Tatoul Markarian as well as have lunch with the former U.S. Ambassador to Armenia, John Evans.

The walk from the ANCA offices took about 15 minutes and as soon as we went into the Embassy, I felt like I was at an Armenian home – warm, nicely decorated and reminiscent of our rich history and culture.  Frankly, it was much nicer than the White House, which we had toured just a week before – but I may be biased.

The Ambassador told us about the Embassy’s involvement in economic, political, cultural, and scientific issues related to the Republic of Armenia. He encouraged Armenian-American students to maintain their activism in pushing for Armenian issues within legislative affairs.

Now, it is no secret that, as we walked into the Embassy that day, our group was worried about the Armenian Government’s actions – the “roadmap” fiasco, the upcoming talks between Presidents Sargisyan and Aliyev regarding Karabagh.

The open dialogue with the Ambassador allowed us to express our many concerns and questions regarding Armenia-Turkey relations, Armenia-Azerbaijan relations, and Nagorno-Karabakh Republic’s independence. We pointed out that the “roadmap” appeared to be simply a Turkish double-cross and that we can’t fall into the same trap with Azerbaijan regarding Nagorno Karabagh.

Ambassador Markarian stressed the importance of working on Genocide recognition and opening borders between Armenia and Turkey.  He noted that open dialogue between Turkey, Armenia, and Azerbaijan is vital as communication avoids the many possibilities of war.  On many occasions, Amb. Markarian reassured us that the right to self-determination of the people of Karabagh would always be protected

After our talk with the Ambassador, we discussed internship opportunities in Armenia and within the embassy and took a mini-tour of the embassy as we observed a museum-like room filled with old documents and gifts addressed to the Armenian embassy.

On our return to the office, we received news that President Obama, Russian President Medvedev, and French President Sarkozy released a Joint Statement on the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict in which they urged the “return of the territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijani control.” I was shocked and ashamed of the Presidents of the OSCE Minsk Group’s unreasonable pressure on Armenia and it’s lack of concern to include NKR representatives in the peace process.  Just hours prior to this news I was discussing the same issues with the Armenia Ambassador and more than ever I hoped that Armenia would stand firm in it’s position to protect Nagorno-Karabakh’s independence. I was motivated to take action as I began circulating news about the joint statement to my friends and family nationwide.  Everyone I spoke to expressed concern.  Everyone I spoke to asked how they can take action.

The next day, we began to distribute ANCA action alerts strongly recommending President Obama and the French and Russian Federation Ambassadors in the U.S. to urge the Minsk Group Co-Chairs to include NKR Reps. in the peace process and to cease unreasonable pressure on Armenia.  The response was overwhelming – and great to see.

Later on in the week, we scheduled a brown bag lunch with former U.S. Ambassador to Armenia, John Evans.  We discussed the current economic issues in Armenia, the democratization process in Armenia, and the security issues of the region. Amb. Evans noted what our community has felt all along – that until Turkey, as well as other nations, recognize the Armenian Genocide, Armenia will not feel safe in the region. The fact that Turkey continues to deny the truth, presents an unstated threat to Armenia’s security.  I agree with him on the notion that recognition and Turkish consciousness of the Armenian Genocide is key to lasting Armenian diplomatic relations with Turkey.

It was great to meet with the Armenian Ambassador and the former U.S. Ambassador to Armenia and get their perspectives on the region.  These opportunities to share views with leaders from all braches of government – executive, legislative, Armenian, U.S. – gives you an opportunity to really look at the issues that we care about from all different vantage points – and hopefully make us better advocates for the Cause.

By Taleen Mekhjavakian
University of Central Florida, Class of 2010

Not all ANCA Leo Sarkisian Internship work is done in Washington, DC. The summer offers the opportunity to spread the Hai Tahd message across the U.S.

Leo Sarkisian Interns at the Homenetment Olympics

Take, for example, our trip to Providence and Boston this past weekend. The intern team attended the Homenetmen Eastern Region Olympics — supporting the athletes and the organization and having a good time with the friends. But, our main purpose was to spread the word about our latest effort to battle Armenian Genocide denial.

As most people already know, the Associated Press recently reported that five major energy and defense contractors are currently lobbying against Armenian Genocide legislation (H.Res.252) – complicit in Turkey’s international campaign of genocide denial. We decided to focus on one of those companies – Chevron. Chevron CEO Dave O’Reilly brags about running his corporation “the Chevron Way: responsibly, ethically, and with respect for human rights”. How can a company have respect for human rights and yet lobby against Genocide Recognition. With this campaign we hope to bring awareness to the public on what Chevron and the other corporations – Goodrich, United Technologies, BAE Systems, Northrop Grumman — are doing through a nationwide protest on July 22nd, 2009.

We knew that a group of seven interns in DC did not have the manpower alone to take on a corporation like Chevron. When hearing about Chevron’s lobbying, the Armenian Youth Federation was ready to take a joint leadership role. Our first step was to reach out to the Armenian American Community to educate them on the issue and activate them to make a difference.

Which brings us to our road trip to Providence – and all the logistics associated with that – reasonable car rentals, hotel stay, gas prices (not-Chevron or Texaco, of course.)

And on Saturday July 4, 2009 we set up a table at the Homenetmen Olympics hotel and began our campaign (the AYF Western Region spread the word at the Navasartian Games, so we knew we were covered there).

When we first got to the Welcome Desk in Providence, it was nice to see how active the Homenetmen participants were. They were all willing to send out ANCA Action Alerts to Dave O’Reilly (www.anca.org/chevron), sign up to the ANCA fan page on facebook, send an Action Alert to their Congressman so they can co-sponsor the HR 252, and signed up to help participate in the protest. Although there were people who were hesitant to send the Action Alert to Mr. O’Reilly at first, we explained the situation to them, which just made people angry and determined to attend the protest. With enough word of mouth and the AYF / ANCA’s push we’ll get a strong showing at the protest.

With our tabling done, we headed to Watertown, MA to visit the Hairenik Building. We made an appointment with Armenian Relief Society Executive Director Jirayr Beugekian to give us at tour of the building. Being from Florida it was such a different experience for me to drive through an American city and see so many Armenian flags and Armenian stores – it was nice to see. Unger Jirayr first gave us a tour of the Hairenik office then we went to the Armenian Revolutionary Federation’s Archives. It was so interesting to see all the history in the archives, the fact that you can trace back the first Armenians that moved to the US, how they tried to send help during the Genocide, all the activism they did, and the letters that went back and forth between ARF members was so interesting.

After the tour of the Archives we went to the Armenian Relief Society’s office where Unger Jirayr explained to us all the work the ARS does and all it’s history. The ARS is currently working on bettering the health care system in Armenia, improving schools in Armenia, created a Mother and Child program which takes care of pregnant mothers until their child is born and vaccinated also it provides free dental care. ARS also is working on helping orphans in Armenia. They created a program to make sure after an orphan leaves the orphanage they are able to assimilate into the outside world through finding them a job and apartment. There is also a scholarship program for one orphan from Armenia and one from Javakhk per year that pays for their tuition and housing at Lebanon’s Haigazian University.

Our road trip this past weekend had a little bit of everything –  Hai Tahd activism, history, education, and, of course – camaraderie and good times. We got more people to send an action alert in one day than we do in a week. And we set the stage for a successful campaign, exposing Chevron for “fueling Genocide denial.”

Sosse Beugekian
Suffolk University, Class of 2012

Leo Sarkisian Interns with Amb. Yovanovitch following her Library of Congress presentation

United States Ambassador to Armenia Marie Yovanovitch has been touring Armenian American communities throughout the U.S. – providing the State Department view on U.S.-Armenia relations, the situation in the Caucasus, and reasons for the Obama Administration’s NON-affirmation of the Armenian Genocide.

Her Washington, DC stop took place at the Library of Congress on June 30th. And, like every other “town hall” she hosted – her remarks and responses were genial yet disappointing and frustrating.

She began by giving an update of the situation in Armenia -
discussing many different issue areas from democracy to security to
the economy etc. I won’t go into those. You can read the talking
points on the U.S. Embassy website – www.usa.am . The more
interesting part arrived when the audience had a chance to ask
questions.

When it came to the Armenian Genocide issue, Yovanovitch mentioned
it briefly saying “the killings” shouldn’t be forgotten and we
should work towards a better future. She also mentioned that she
“understands the anger and frustration of the Armenian community”
when it comes to this issue. She talked about the importance of
opening borders with Turkey and about the importance of Armenia
being at peace with its neighbors. Unfortunately she only made the
public more frustrated with her broad answers and constant
mentioning of the fact that she only follows U.S. policy – which
apparently means dodging questions related to the Genocide.

The ANCA’s Kate Nahapetian asked if Ambassador Yovanovitch feared
for her job if she properly characterized the events of 1915-1923
as ‘genocide’ – noting the presence of former U.S. Ambassador to
Armenia John Evans, who had been fired for just that reason.
Ambassador Yovanovitch reduced a fundamental human rights concern
to mere employment policy, answering that she cannot comment on
“personnel issues.” Is that where human rights and complicity in
genocide denial rank in today’s State Department?

The Ambassador spoke about the importance of U.S. aid to Armenia in
assisting in democracy building and helping the rural poor, among
other things – basic issues of fundamental importance most would
agree on. But when ANCA Leo Sarkisian intern Hovanes Gasparian
asked why then the Obama Administration had called for a 38%
reduction in aid to Armenia in the FY 2010 budget, her response was
Washington double-talk. Apparently, according to the Obama
Administration, we should compare the FY2010 proposed Armenia aid
figure ($30 million) to that which had been proposed by Pres. Bush
last year ($24 million) – and not the actual money that went to
Armenia ($48 million). In that convoluted formulation, there would
be an “increase” in aid to Armenia (of $6 million).

A couple of questions come to mind here. First of all, is Pres.
Bush the benchmark the Obama Administration really wants to compare
itself to? Secondly, say Armenia were to get Obama’s request of $30
million – do they think the folks on the ground won’t notice that
there would be 38% less money for programs? The House
Appropriations Committee, understanding the Armenian American
community’s concerns and the needs in Armenia, has put forward $48
million for Armenia and $10 million for Nagorno Karabagh. Now we
need to get that approved in the House of Representatives and get
similar legislation in the Senate.

All of this reminds me of a lecture we had earlier in the week,
jointly with the Armenian Assembly interns, given by Raffi Balian.
Balian provided excellent insight on careers and internship /
fellowship opportunities at the State Department and spoke of his
years serving our country in U.S. Embassies in Bulgaria and Syria.
The bottom line realization was that to change U.S. policy, there
need to be more voices of reason, committed to ending U.S.
complicity in Armenian Genocide denial – not to mention stopping
genocide overall – WITHIN the State Department, Capitol Hill, in
think tanks — wherever foreign policy is shaped. The need is out
there – and the opportunities are out there as well (Check out the
ANCA Capital Gateway Program). We just need to prioritize and take
advantage of them – or continue to be frustrated by Ambassadors
toeing a flawed company line.

The ANCA Leo Sarkisian Interns posing with U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Maria Yovanovitch

#####

Photo Caption: U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Marie Yovanovitch with
(from left to right): ANCA Legislative Affairs Director Garo
Manikian and Leo Sarkisian Interns Sosse Beugekian, Taleen
Mekhdjavakian, Tatev Oganyan, Savada Simounian-Khygani, Nareg
Aghjayan, Tamar Thomassian, and Hovanes Gasparian.

By Savada Simounian-Khygani
UCLA Class of 2009

The nation’s capital moves at an amazing pace — hundreds of foreign and domestic policy issues being addressed simultaneously at record speed. For the ANCA Leo Sarkisian interns, who just recently arrived in Washington DC, this past weekend has been an educational journey.

ANCA Leo Sarkisian Interns with Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Mark Kirk (R-IL)

 This was a lesson learned on our second day at the ANCA offices. No intern knew when walking to our internship that morning we would be headed for Capitol Hill that afternoon to watch the House Appropriations Committee adopt legislation that would specifically affect Armenia and Nagorno Karabagh. But before discussing the Committee “mark-up” of the foreign aid bill, let me say that just getting to Capitol Hill was an adventure.

Walking to the metro from the office was the first leg of our journey. Stepping outside it was clear and several of us were still adjusting to the humid and warm weather. The continuous walking from place to place just adds to the unpleasant feeling of always sweating. The metro and walking are our main means of transportation in the Capital. I feel a sense of excitement and civic involvement knowing that I share these roads and metros with legislative and elected officials. Getting on the metro is a refreshing feeling due to the cool climate under the city. Some of us experienced the annoying reminder that the ticket purchased to Capitol Hill wasn’t enough — there was additional exit fare required.

Getting out of the Capitol South station, we caught a glimpse of the Capitol up close. Majestic, austere, breathtaking.

We headed toward the first Congressional office building — Cannon. Inside the building there was the usual procedure of going through a security check, walking through endless halls, going up and down stairs, passing by historic pictures and statues inside. The ANCA’s Raffi Karakashian and Garo Manjikian were our official tour guides through the series of buildings – Cannon, Longworth and finally Rayburn – our final destination. Raffi began to tell us little insights of how the buildings are designed — the numerical system for each building, etc. What was surprising to some of us was the ameneties offered to our elected officials: an amazing cafeteria in each building, shoe shining stalls, special elevators for Members (to ensure they get to their votes on time), and a U.S. post office in the middle of the building. Officials could basically live inside there offices if one desired to with all the accommodations provided for them (and 50 Members do, including Utah Republican Freshman Jason Chaffetz. See his story)

Then there are the constant alarms ringing everywhere – which for the outsider sounds like an evacuation notice, but they are simply reminders that there is a vote in progress.

Ending our tour we made it to the doors of the House Appropriation Committee — and two long lines of folks just as interested as we were in the process. We opted to join the shorter line, only to find out that it was the staff line and we needed to move to the longer line at the end of the hall for public viewing.

As we moved to the end of the line, we started getting “looks” from a group of gentlemen in black suits clearly eyeing our ANCA pins. Raffi explained that this was the usual cast of characters lobbying for Turkey and Azerbaijan. As we moved ahead, we saw representatives from the Armenian Embassy and the Nagorno Karabagh Office and chatted about the provisions in the foreign aid bill — $48 million for Armenia, and unprecedented $10 million for Nagorno Karabagh and maintaining military assistance parity between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

As we waited for the mark-up to begin, Members of Congress rushed ahead to set up for the meeting. We caught up with Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Mark Kirk from Illinois — who serves on the Foreign Operations Subcommittee and along with Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), Chairwoman Nita Lowey, Steve Rothman (D-NJ) and many others, fight for the foreign aid provisions Armenian Americans are concerned with. Despite being in a hurry, Rep. Kirk took a moment to speak to each of us and encouraged us in our efforts to get more involved in the political process — and at our request, took a moment to snap a photo.

The wait was frustrating — made it all the more so when we found out that we would not be able to get in to see the actual mark-up because the room was too small. Despite this dilemma, the process was educational. We found out later to our satisfaction, that the Armenian provisions, adopted by the Subcommittee the previous week, were left unchanged. The provisions are now passed to the full House for consideration.