PRESS RELEASE
Date: July 23, 2007
Armenian National Committee of S. Florida
931 NE 48th Street, Oakland Park, FL 33334
Contact: Albert Mazmanian
Tel: 561-628-8982
FLORIDA SUN, FUN AND POLITICS TO FURTHER EDUCATE ON ARMENIAN
CONCERNS IN THE SUNSHINE STATE
ANC of S. Florida Hosting Upcoming Community Gathering with ANCA ER
Director Karine Birazian, Author Margaret Ajemian Ahnert, and
Congressional Candidate Ben Graber
Fort Lauderdale, FL ` With the anticipation of the arrival of
Karine Birazian, Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA),
Eastern Region Executive Director to South Florida in August, the
ANC of S. Florida’s creative initiative of sun, fun, and politics
aims to bring a greater involvement of the Florida Armenian youth
and increased awareness of Armenian-American politics both on the
national and state level.
On Friday, August 3rd, a town-hall style meeting in Deerfield Beach
is expected to draw a large crowd as Benjamin Graber, a former
Broward County Commissioner and State Representative, and Margaret
Ajemian Ahnert, author of best-selling The Knock at the Door rally
the audience for increased civic involvement and to further the
concerns of Armenian-Americans.
"This will be a wonderful opportunity for Armenians living around
the area to become acquainted with the various activities the ANCA
is involved with. We look forward to an exciting evening and
opportunity to further involve ourselves with the Armenian cause,"
commented Albert Mazmanian, ANC of S. Florida Chairman.
Benjamin Graber’s unusual early start for the 2008 primary poses a
direct threat to the incumbency of Rep. Robert Wexler (D-FL) who
chairs the Congressional Turkish Caucus and an adamant opponent of
Armenian Genocide recognition.
His public criticism of Wexler’s stance on the Armenian Genocide
has been dubbed as "an issue splitting the Jewish Community" by the
Palm Beach Post, and calling his opponent "an embarrassment to the
Jewish Community." Graber, like Wexler, is of Jewish ancestry but
is also the son of a Holocaust survivor.
Audiences will also have a rare opportunity for a book signing by
the author of The Knock at the Door, Margaret Ahnert. Mrs. Ahnert’s
book is based on her personal encounter with her mother who
survived the Armenian Genocide. The Publisher’s Weekly hailed
Anhert’s book as "a force [that] lies in the interplay between the
narratives of mother and daughter."
The town hall style meeting is among the first in a series of
activities and meetings involving Members of Congress and the
Florida Armenian community during a 7-day trip to the state by ANCA
Eastern Region Director Karine Birazian.
On August 4th, South Florida Armenians will drive four hours north
to Orlando for a weekend getaway before schools open the following
week; a trip organized by the Armenian Students’ Association of
South Florida, and collaborated by the ANC of Florida. "Karine’s
presence and participation among the vacationers will immensely
give a human face to the ANCA," said Michael Toumayan, a former Leo
Sarkisian ANCA intern and president of the South Florida ASA.
Birazian will give a brief lecture at the Doubletree Castle Hotel
in Orland, Florida at 7pm on youth activism and meet and greet
college students and families enabling her to build a dynamic
relationship between the community members and the ANCA.
During the week of August 6th, Birazian will be traveling throughout
Florida meeting with Members of Congress and local Armenian
American activists in an effort to strengthen the community’s
political advocacy efforts in Florida.
The Armenian National Committee is the largest Armenian American
grassroots political organization in Florida and nationwide. The
ANCA actively advances a broad range of issues of concern to the
Armenian American community.
The August 3rd meeting will take place at 910 East Hillsboro Blvd.,
Deerfield Beach, FL at 8:30pm. For more information on the August
4-5th trip in Orlando, FL, go to myspace.com/asa_fla or email
ancflorida@gmail.com.
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