ANCA Grassroots Conference

ANCA Grassroots Conference

By: Soseh Hovasapian

Excited about the panels being presented, I eagerly awoke early in the morning to attend the 2017 ANCA Grassroots Conference. The doors opened at 8:00 A.M., and the convention started off with the “ANCA ON THE MOVE: The Power of Grassroots” panel, featuring Raffi Hamparian, Nora Hovsepian, and Stephen Mesrobian. Mr. Hamparian, Chair of ANCA, spoke about the three signatures of the organization–its grassroots nature, the serious issues that are dealt with through the organization, and its active role in the community. The ANCA’s “կամաւոր բանակ” is what makes up the organization itself. Secondly, ANCA is funded by a multitude of sources, none of which control it. Finally, the organization deals with serious present-day issues that have a powerful impact in the world we live in. With programs like the Leo Sarkissian, Capital Gateway Program, the ANCA invests in the bright minds of the future. And with projects like Artsakh resolution bills and genocide education being implemented as secondary school programs, the ANCA reaches all aspects of the community. As mentioned, the ANCA’s motto is “educate, motivate, activate,” a slogan they have clearly lived up to with their incredible accomplishments as a result of the efforts of so many people across the country.

During the second panel, “Transnational Justice: The Road to Reparations,” the speakers were Kate Nahapetian, Asli Bali, and Jessica Peake, all three of whom are powerful women with immeasurable influence in their communities. Kate Nahapetian spoke mainly about the Property Documentation Project, which collects all the property records, the significance of which lies in the fact that the more documentation that exists, the stronger the negotiation for reparations is. Asli Bali mentioned a variety of topics ranging from what reparation means (legal spectrum of it) and societal reconciliation to domestic courts, conditions in Turkey (human rights violations still occurring), and the AKP offering some measure of justice for Kurds and Armenians and framing minority rights as the major issue that it is. Jessica Peake discussed the Promise Institute for Human Rights, which hopes to ensure protection of human rights, its overarching goal being prevention of violations and accountability; its four pillars are public programming and awareness raising, curricular offerings, student support, and funding for research grants.

The third panel’s, “Politics in Action: Congress on Our Side,” speakers were Ed Royce and Adam Schiff. The attack outside the Turkish embassy that took place in May is what started off this panel; Royce and Schiff both expressed the change in perception of Turkey and its government in the eyes of the administration and American public. “If Erdogan feels comfortable doing this on American soil, what does he feel comfortable doing in his own home,” said Adam Schiff. Royce sent a letter to the Secretary of State calling for an end to diplomatic immunity for the Turks involved in the attack. This event was eye opening to many Americans. Royce passed the first Armenian Resolution as State Senate. As he said, “You can’t get the future right if you don’t get the past right.” He also mentioned that the inability to speak bluntly about the Armenian genocide is, in so many ways, condoning it. Schiff brought up the point of how not being able to openly call it a genocide is not because a lack of understanding history, but because of the fear of the Turkish government’s unpredictable reaction. They concluded the panel, by talking about future plans in recognition of the Armenian genocide and in keeping peace between Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh.

The “Film and the Arts: The Power of the Big Screen” panel, the fourth one of the day, included the speaker Montel Williams. “Be the voice for those who have no voice,” said Mr. Williams. He talked about how the genocide being recognized by humanity carries much more weight than it being recognized by a government, which almost the entire room agreed with.

During the final panel of the day, “A Profile in Courage,” Garo Paylan spoke about HDP (the People’s Democratic Party) and conditions in Turkey. He was suspended from attending Parliament meetings, and many HDP members were arrested. He said how being called an Armenian in Turkey is the equivalent of an insult. He also shared his plans of going to Armenia for the first time as a member of the Turkish Parliament in September. In the concluding moments, he passed along some messages, saying that we, as Armenians, are stuck on 1915 (an occurrence that we allow to define us as a nation and as a group of people) and our wound must heal; a step towards justice for the genocide is confrontation of the human rights violations in Turkey; and we need to establish a strategy and engage with our prehistoric lands.

Nora Hovsepian gave some closing remarks. The ANCA Grassroots Conference of 2017 ended at around 6:00 P.M., and I have to say how incredibly amazing it was to hear so many inspiring words coming from these brave and brilliant leaders of the Armenian community. It was truly a phenomenal experience, and I eagerly await for the next conference.