WASHINGTON—Colorado Armenian activists continue to expand their reach to elected officials in support of a broad range of community concerns from Armenian Genocide affirmation to building a stronger U.S.-Armenia relationship, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).
Most recently, local activists Pam Barsam Brown and Vi Bashian, the founders of the Rocky Mountain Hye Advocates (RMHA), hosted a community outreach event honoring Rosemary Rodriguez, the state director for Colorado Senator Michael Bennett. Just last month, in a letter to local community leader Jirair Christianian, Sen. Bennett once again affirmed the Armenian Genocide, stating, “The Ottoman Empire’s systematic killing of Armenians during the close of World War I can only be described as genocide. Between 1915 and 1922, 1.5 million Armenians were brutally deported, marched to their death, and systematically killed in camps—policies that were often sponsored and promoted by Ottoman authorities.”
“Pamela, Vi, Jirair, and all of our community’s great Colorado Armenian activists have been at the forefront in educating elected officials about the Armenian Genocide and urging an end to U.S. complicity in its denial,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “It is this type of consistent and ongoing grassroots activism that is the cornerstone of the success of Armenian advocacy efforts across the U.S.”
Complete coverage of the event with Rodriguez, provided by the RMHA, is provided below.
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BOULDER, Colo.—On Sept. 20, Armenian Americans, through the auspices of the RMHA, hosted a luncheon for Rosemary Rodriguez, state director for Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), at the home of Pamela Barsam Brown. Guests represented a host of Colorado interests and included state elected officials, educators, small business owners, artists, and leaders from political, community, human rights, and environmental organizations.
“Rosemary first met with a small group of Colorado Armenians at my home in July 2009,” said Barsam Brown, just months after assuming charge of Senator Bennet’s Colorado offices. Our group’s collective interest was to secure a firm Armenian Genocide position statement from our newly appointed Senator. From that point forward, Rosemary actively assisted us in promoting our position with Senator Bennet. The final result of this truly united Colorado Armenian and genocide community effort came last month in a letter from our newest elected Senator to Jirair Christianian.”
Vi Bashian Cooper, who helped organize the event, added, “Pamela and I both felt this gathering was a perfect way to express our appreciation to Rosemary, who is a very special person and truly dedicated to representing Colorado citizens.”
“I was delighted to have been able to assemble such an extraordinarily diverse group of engaged Colorado women. We had a Boulder-perfect afternoon and guests had the opportunity to discuss
a broad range of topics with Rosemary,” said Barsam Brown.
The Rocky Mountain High Advocates is a wholly volunteer organization, focusing its attention on Colorado-elected Members of Congress. It has assumed three distinct roles since its founding in 2005: to actively engage candidates to offer Armenian Genocide pledge statements; urge Members of Congress to end U.S. complicity in Armenian Genocide denial; and offer a free community service e-newsletter addressing Armenian issues from a Colorado perspective.
In April the organization solicited commemoration statements from the Colorado Delegation. Both Senators and five House Members released testimonials exclusively to the RMHA. In 2005, Colorado had one House Member on the Armenian Genocide Resolution and no Armenian Caucus members. Today, Colorado boasts five House Members on the Armenian Genocide resolution; one House Member on the Return of Churches resolution; and five on the Armenian Caucus.
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