ANCA EASTERN REGION ANNOUNCES HONOREES FOR 2ND ANNUAL PROGRAM, WHO CONTRIBUTED TO ARMENIAN CAUSE
DeFacto Agency
July 23 2008
Armenia
The Armenian National Committee of America, Eastern Region (ANCA-ER),
announced the honorees for its Second Annual Banquet and Awards
Program, to take place on Saturday, September 13, 2008, at the Grand
Hyatt Hotel in New York City.
As announced previously, the ANCA-ER will present the ANCA Freedom
Award to Harvard University professor and human rights activist
Dr. Samantha Power. A leading voice on genocide awareness, Power won
the Pulitzer Prize for her book A Problem from Hell: America and the
Age of Genocide. She teaches at the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy
at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government and was a senior
adviser to U.S. Democratic Party presidential candidate Barack Obama.
The Vahan Cardashian Award will be presented to Martha Aramian
of Providence, Rhode Island, a long-standing active member of the
Armenian community. Aramian has been a strong activist in her local
Providence community and supporter of the ANCA’s efforts at a national
level. In 2006, on the occasion of the ANCA’s Capital Campaign, she
donated $200,000, greatly facilitating the purchase of the ANCA’s
new national headquarters in Washington DC. Aramian has sponsored
the establishment of a child care center, senior center, and youth
camp in Vanadzor, a city devastated by the 1988 earthquake.
"We are pleased to honor Samantha Power and Martha Aramian," commented
Banquet Committee Chair Stephen Mesrobian. "These are two individuals
who have had a lasting impact and made a real difference in the
Armenian Cause through their dedication and support."
To note, the ANCA Freedom Award honors individuals who have succeeded
in bringing the history of the Armenian people and the truth about
the Armenian Genocide to the mainstream public consciousness. Recent
recipients have included U.S. Ambassador to Armenia John Evans,
U.S. Senator Robert Menendez and musical band System of a Down.
The Vahan Cardashian Award is given annually to an ANC activist or
supporter who demonstrates longstanding accomplishments on behalf
of the Armenian Cause. The award is named for Yale-educated lawyer
Vahan Cardashian who set aside his successful New York practice
to dedicate himself to the establishment of the American Committee
for the Independence of Armenia (ACIA), predecessor organization to
the Armenian National Committee and advocate for the plight of the
Armenian nation. The 2007 Cardashian Award was presented to Vahe
Amirian of New Jersey.