Taking action for Artsakh

I first decided to start this fundraiser while I was at work. The store was pretty quiet that day, so I was just sitting behind the counter scrolling through Instagram. Like other Armenians my age, a lot of my feed consists of Armenian news outlets. So many different accounts, but the headlines were all the same: Azerbaijan breaks ceasefire. Azerbaijan opens fire on civilians. 

The most heartbreaking part comes when you read the Azeri comments. Their usernames all fall somewhere around “death_to_armenians.” There are seas of comments like, “these are your easy days” and “karabakh is azerbaijan.” I recently found one that was more disturbing than the others: “it’s just a matter of time, we are closing in.” All of these messages are followed by the flag of Azerbaijan and other Azeris ganging up in the comments section. 

As I sat at work looking through my Instagram feed, I realized how desensitized I have become to it. I can’t even bring myself to react, or else I might get upset, frustrated or even start crying. That’s when I snapped out of it. It finally hit me that this is not normal—it’s horrifying, and it should make me upset. I should be angry, and that is okay. I decided at that very moment I would take action. No more simply reposting things on my Instagram story.

I was going to work the system and directly get aid to those people.

Earlier that week I had been messaging a friend of mine in Yerevan. She said that she could get me contacts for families she knew who were trying to seek refuge and a safe place to live. 

That very day at work, I decided that I would take her up on that offer, and I made a GoFundMe. I sent it to a few friends and put it on my Instagram story. Some of my Armenian friends reposted it, and I contacted the Armenian Weekly. I knew I had to get the word out there. 

My family is from Armenia, and this cause is very close to my heart. I am asking that other Armenians have the same epiphany that I did and donate money to the cause. All those times I thought about doing something, I didn’t, and I knew I would regret it if I didn’t make good on the promises that I made to the Armenian people.

Grace Asbedian

Grace Asbedian

Grace Asbedian is a 17-year-old senior in high school and an active member of the AYF Greater Boston Nejdeh chapter. She has attended Camp Haiastan for the past 10 years as a camper and staff member. She prioritizes her Armenian identity and is currently raising money for displaced families from Artsakh.
Grace Asbedian

Latest posts by Grace Asbedian (see all)

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.