ANC NJ co-chair James Sahagian and local team member, Mrs. Maral Sahagian.
About five years ago, I got an e-mail about a conference the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) was organizing in Washington DC. It was a 3-day event open to everyone, regardless of what part of the Armenian community one originated from or currently belonged to, in which a series of distinguished speakers and workshops were organized, along with trips to the Armenian Embassy and the Capitol to meet with members of Congress. It was an opportunity to get an up-close look at the advocacy work of the ANCA. Although married with a 2 year old, my wife and I made the childcare arrangements, and booked the trip to DC not knowing exactly what to expect.
ANC NJ co-chair James Sahagian and local team member, Mrs. Maral Sahagian.
It was a fantastic experience, and I’m so glad I made the effort to attend. About 80 activists from around the country gathered in what proved to be a wonderful opportunity to network with a diverse group of educated and motivated fellow Armenians. The age group of the attendees ranged from people in their 20’s to 60’s. There were Armenian-Americans from all over the United States, but one thing brought us all together for three days: learning more about the US political process and how to become a more effective advocate for the Armenian Cause. I have kept in-touch with several of the participants from this conference through these past 5 years, and suspect we’ll be in communication for many years to come.
Guest contributions to the Armenian Weekly are informative articles or press releases written and submitted by members of the community.
2 Comments
James, Maral and I took the trip to DC together down I-95 from NJ that weekend in 2006 which was an unforgettable experience. The ANCA had put together an array of captivating speakers there; ranging from Charles Mahtesian (who is slated to Keynote next month’s ANCA 2.0 Conference) along with officials from the Armenian Govt and US State Dept, among many others. Aside from great speakers, the opportunities to network and discuss important issues relating to the Armenian cause were engaging in a highly “enthused” environment. We also had opportunities to enjoy an “insider’s tour” of the US Capitol, which was memorable as well as an elegant evening at the Armenian Embassy in DC. My personal favorite was an evening reception hosted at the ANCA National HQ Building.
The upcoming event in June will certainly contain the same if not greater level of excitement for Armenian cause activists and enthusiasts. This time around the topic shifts forward to the future of activism; Social Networks, Grassroots Power and Smart Advocacy. Attending will be an energized group of participants from across the USA and beyond– therefore, if you have the opportunity to travel to DC on June 24-27th, TAKE IT and revel with fellow Armenians at the ANCA 2.0 Conference. It may become the best weekend of your summer!!!
The ANC and the Assembly have done a good job of reaching out to representatives of Congress in Washington to lobby and advocate for the Armenian cause.
But we need more.
It is time to reach for the hearts and minds of the American public so that the Armenian Genocide becomes an incontrovertible and incontestable fact of history among the general public in the US.
Of course, there would always be people who would question it, like there are people who question the Jewish Holocaust, but remember that these people are always portrayed and dismissed in the media as cuckoos, lunatics, on the fringe of the society so not worth listening to. That’s how the Armenian genocide deniers should be treated by the US media as well. We need to make it an indelible part of the American society, and yes even the American psyche that the Genocide took place in the way we know it did and there is no denying that.
It has been the mandate and mission of the ANC and the Assembly to concentrate on a particular segment of the society, namely elected representatives or would-be representatives, and by focusing on them to try to bring about the acceptance of the Armenian Genocide by the federal government of the United States. And that’s fine.
But we need more.
We need to establish the fact of the Armenian Genocide and spread its truthfulness and definiteness in such a way that it is the base and starting point for the average Joe or the average reporter in the country when thinking about issues remotely or closely related to the Genocide.
The Turkish lobby has been successful in establishing and convincing the average reporter in the land to always qualify any thinking or inquiry with the words like “the alleged” or phrases like “both sides suffered”.
We need to change that.
We need to conceive and establish a new narrative to counter Turkey’s efforts. This narrative has to be devised in a smart way so that it sticks (like the narrative that Turks have perpetuated which has stuck). We have to be clever, crafty and effective about this, not ideological or haughty, always keeping in mind the final goal of the acceptance of the Genocide by all Americans as fact.
This may require a new organization, an entity separate from the ANC or the Assembly. This calls for a public relations type of effort rather than a government lobbying one. We don’t even have to create one from scratch but taking a page from the United States government’s playbook, which in the past, to help support certain policies, has employed private PR firms, can hire private PR consulting firms to advise and conduct PR campaigns.
We need new approaches to our old problems because our adversaries are gaining ground and our old ways have run their course and are not effective anymore.
James, Maral and I took the trip to DC together down I-95 from NJ that weekend in 2006 which was an unforgettable experience. The ANCA had put together an array of captivating speakers there; ranging from Charles Mahtesian (who is slated to Keynote next month’s ANCA 2.0 Conference) along with officials from the Armenian Govt and US State Dept, among many others. Aside from great speakers, the opportunities to network and discuss important issues relating to the Armenian cause were engaging in a highly “enthused” environment. We also had opportunities to enjoy an “insider’s tour” of the US Capitol, which was memorable as well as an elegant evening at the Armenian Embassy in DC. My personal favorite was an evening reception hosted at the ANCA National HQ Building.
The upcoming event in June will certainly contain the same if not greater level of excitement for Armenian cause activists and enthusiasts. This time around the topic shifts forward to the future of activism; Social Networks, Grassroots Power and Smart Advocacy. Attending will be an energized group of participants from across the USA and beyond– therefore, if you have the opportunity to travel to DC on June 24-27th, TAKE IT and revel with fellow Armenians at the ANCA 2.0 Conference. It may become the best weekend of your summer!!!
The ANC and the Assembly have done a good job of reaching out to representatives of Congress in Washington to lobby and advocate for the Armenian cause.
But we need more.
It is time to reach for the hearts and minds of the American public so that the Armenian Genocide becomes an incontrovertible and incontestable fact of history among the general public in the US.
Of course, there would always be people who would question it, like there are people who question the Jewish Holocaust, but remember that these people are always portrayed and dismissed in the media as cuckoos, lunatics, on the fringe of the society so not worth listening to. That’s how the Armenian genocide deniers should be treated by the US media as well. We need to make it an indelible part of the American society, and yes even the American psyche that the Genocide took place in the way we know it did and there is no denying that.
It has been the mandate and mission of the ANC and the Assembly to concentrate on a particular segment of the society, namely elected representatives or would-be representatives, and by focusing on them to try to bring about the acceptance of the Armenian Genocide by the federal government of the United States. And that’s fine.
But we need more.
We need to establish the fact of the Armenian Genocide and spread its truthfulness and definiteness in such a way that it is the base and starting point for the average Joe or the average reporter in the country when thinking about issues remotely or closely related to the Genocide.
The Turkish lobby has been successful in establishing and convincing the average reporter in the land to always qualify any thinking or inquiry with the words like “the alleged” or phrases like “both sides suffered”.
We need to change that.
We need to conceive and establish a new narrative to counter Turkey’s efforts. This narrative has to be devised in a smart way so that it sticks (like the narrative that Turks have perpetuated which has stuck). We have to be clever, crafty and effective about this, not ideological or haughty, always keeping in mind the final goal of the acceptance of the Genocide by all Americans as fact.
This may require a new organization, an entity separate from the ANC or the Assembly. This calls for a public relations type of effort rather than a government lobbying one. We don’t even have to create one from scratch but taking a page from the United States government’s playbook, which in the past, to help support certain policies, has employed private PR firms, can hire private PR consulting firms to advise and conduct PR campaigns.
We need new approaches to our old problems because our adversaries are gaining ground and our old ways have run their course and are not effective anymore.