GATHERING IN FLORIDA TO EDUCATE COMMUNITY ON ARMENIAN ISSUES
armradio.am
13.08.2007 17:06
Over one hundred South Florida activists rallied behind Ben Graber,
the former Broward County Commissioner who will run against Rep. Robert
Wexler (D-FL-19), Chairman of the Congressional Turkish Caucus and
fierce opponent of Armenian Genocide recognition, reported the Armenian
National Committee of South Florida.
The growing Armenian community in South Florida warmly welcomed Ben
Graber and his family, Margaret Ajemian Ahnert, author of "The Knock
at the Door," and Karine Birazian, Executive Director of the ANCA
Eastern Region.
"This was a wonderful opportunity for Armenian activists throughout
the area to learn more about what the ANCA does and how they can get
involved," commented ANC of S. Florida Chairman Albert Mazmanian.
"We plan to continue to have functions like this and invite all those
interested to attend."
During the function, Birazian updated the community on H. Res. 106,
legislation recognizing the Armenian Genocide, as well as shared with
them the recent victory of the withdrawal of the Hoagland nomination,
which took place hours before.
The 19th district, running from West Palm Beach to Fort Lauderdale,
boasts one of the largest concentrations of Armenians in the state of
Florida. Ben Graber’s opposition to Wexler’s policies on the Armenian
Genocide was well publicized by the local press and welcomed by
the Armenian-American community prior to his meeting with community
members and leaders.
During his speech, Graber proclaimed, "The American people cannot
and should not allow any state that commits genocide to erase it
from history, otherwise we will be setting the course for it to
happen again."
Additionally, he stated, "Their horrific experience opened the door
to the Jewish Holocaust and other genocides of that century."
Although Rep. Robert Wexler, Jewish himself, has been a leading
advocate against genocides such as Darfur, his opposition to the
Armenian Genocide resolution pending in Congress has puzzled community
leaders.
The second half of the night, the audience was honored with the
presence of Margaret Anhert who wrote a book on the Armenian Genocide
based on the accounts of her mother, a survivor of the genocide. Unlike
other scholarly books, Anhert’s charm and conversation with her mother
captivated and awed everyone.
Present at the function was community activist Hasmig Eskandarian who
recently relocated to southern Florida from Washington, DC. Eskandarian
commented: "The S. Florida ANC put together a very informative event.
Having recently relocated to southern Florida from Washington, DC,
I have been pleasantly surprised given the size of the local Armenian
community at the quality and organization of the local ANC events. This
proves that quality not quantity makes the difference."
Every Friday night, the Armenian Cultural Association of Florida
(ACAF) organizes a gathering at the Armenian Center in Deerfield Beach
allowing for Armenians from all over to maintain their Armenian
heritage through social and educational events. "The Armenian
community is becoming quite active down in South Florida. We plan to
have more gatherings like this in the near future," commented Bedros
Der-Bedrossian, ACAF Chairman.