ARMENIAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE OF AMERICA
1711 N Street NW
Washington, DC 20036
Tel: (202) 775-1918
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PRESS RELEASE
July 10, 2008
Contact: Nieri Avanessian
Tel: (202) 775-1918
Email: [email protected]
GREEK AMERICAN HOUSE MEMBERS SHARE THEIR CONGRESSIONAL EXPERIENCES
WITH ARMENIAN AND GREEK AMERICAN YOUTH
WASHINGTON, DC – Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) Leo
Sarkisian Internship participants joined with Greek American
interns, yesterday, in a roundtable discussion with Representatives
Niki Tsongas (D-MA-5), John Sarbanes (D-MD-3) and Zack Space (D-OH-
18) to gain first-hand insight on their experience in Congress.
During the hour-long session, organized by the Hellenext
Organization, Greek American Representatives Sarbanes and Space and
Rep. Tsongas, who describes herself as "Greek by osmosis," answered
a myriad of questions on a broad range of issues from their day-to-
day activities in Congress to more ethnically sensitive issues.
ANCA Leo Sarkisian intern Rita Astoor poignantly asked "Does it
become more difficult, after coming to the Hill, to continue to
meet expectations from the ethnic community?" Rep. Sarbanes spoke
eloquently about the sharing of information among Representatives
about issues of personal importance to them, essentially becoming a
"repository of information" on key concerns. He added that ethnic
communities value their efforts and are proud of the successes of
Representatives of shared ancestry.
In response to a question regarding challenges to women in
politics, Rep. Tsongas summarized her motivation to run for office
with "Women won’t win if women don’t run." As a person who has
spent her whole life among people in public service – her father was
in the Air Force, and her husband, the late Paul Tsongas, was a
House Member, a Senator, and later ran for President – moving into
the public eye herself was not as difficult for her as it may be
for others. In fact, she was surprised by the ease of the actual
act of voting, and said that she, and other members of Congress
must "always remind ourselves never to make it too easy" and to
remember the millions of people that they affect with each vote. In
office for only nine months, after winning a special election, her
first vote was to override the President’s veto of children’s
health insurance. Among her first actions was to cosponsor the
Armenian Genocide resolution, (H.Res.106), an issue she feels
passionately about.
Rep. Sarbanes, in office for 17 months, also comes from a family
deeply involved in politics. His father, Paul Sarbanes was a US
Senator representing Maryland from 1977-2007, and an outspoken
leader on Greek and Armenian American concerns. He commented that
an advantage of living in Maryland is the ability to go home every
night, which helps keep him in touch with his family and his
constituency.
Rep. Zack Space, who rushed to the event following a town hall
meeting-by-phone with his constituents gave fascinating insight
about his district in Southern Appalachian Ohio. He spoke of the
hardships facing his district, including high unemployment and
poverty, and the importance of his Greek culture and Greek Orthodox
faith to taking on these challenges.
The Hellenext Organization, which hosted the "Master Class on
Capitol Hill," runs a variety of programs to help the young men and
women of the next generation prepare to face the great challenges
that lie ahead of them. For more information on the Hellenext
Organization, visit
The ANCA Leo Sarkisian Internship Program, now in its 24th year, is
an eight week intensive program designed to give student leaders
and activists the tools necessary to effectively advance Armenian
American concerns on campus and in their communities. It is an
integral part of the ANCA Capital Gateway program, a year-round
internship / job placement service which provides Armenian
Americans greater opportunities to explore careers on Capitol Hill,
in the U.S. Foreign Service and key Washington, DC foreign policy
think tanks. To learn more about the ANCA Capital Gateway Program,
visit:
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sarbanes.jpg: Representative John Sarbanes of Maryland 3rd
district.
tsongas.jpg: Representative Niki Tsongas of Massachusetts 5th
district.
group_photo.jpg: The ANCA Leo Sarkisian Interns with
Representative Zack Space (D-OH). L to R: Razmig Nalpatian, Zori
Eurdekian, Nieri Avanessian, Rep. Space, Rita Astoor, Arbi Vartan
and Razmik Tchakmakian.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
