ANCA ADVOCACY DAYS: MY UNFORGETTABLE TRIP TO D.C.
By Arev Hovsepian

Asbarez
a-advocacy-days-my-unforgettable-trip-to-dc/
May 8th, 2009

On April 21, I had the privilege of flying to Washington D.C. from
Los Angeles to lobby Members of Congress to support House Resolution
252 which officially recognizes the Armenian Genocide. As part of
the ANCA Advocacy Days, our mission started the next morning, when
about 50 ANCA volunteers from all over the country came together
to try to increase the number of co-sponsors in Congress for the
resolution. At 14 years old, I was the youngest of the volunteers,
so naturally I was nervous. We were first taught how to address the
issue and what to say to the representatives.

My team consisted of my mother and my cousin. On the first day we
worked from 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m., and approached 13 different offices. We
talked to Representatives and their staffers from the states of
California, Nevada, Oklahoma, Arizona, Nebraska, and Hawaii. Nine of
the 13 Congressmen supported us, and the other 4 were either against
the resolution or undecided. One of the most memorable offices of the
day was that of Congressman Dean Heller, a Republican from Nevada. We
were pleasantly surprised when we saw that one of the Congressman’s
staff members was Armenian. We asked to speak to her and had a nice
conversation about the issue.

She promised us that she would try her very best to persuade her
Congressman to vote for our resolution. We were the most impressed
by Rep. Jim Costa’s office. As soon as we walked in, his secretary
showed us a video of Rep. Costa’s speech that day on the floor of
Congress talking about the Armenian Genocide and urging passage of
the resolution. He is a big supporter. Two other offices were also
very memorable because each of their staffers had a personal interest
in our cause, including one who had personally done his own research
and had given his Turkish landlord a copy of the DVD "Screamers."

The ending to our first day was incredible. All of us volunteers
went to the Congressional Armenian Caucus Genocide commemoration
ceremony. It was truly inspiring to listen to about two dozen
supporters from Congress speak for recognition of the Armenian
Genocide. These speakers included Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi
and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer. This was the most incredible
experience for me. I think this was the first time in my life that I
had seen so many non-Armenians support the cause and the resolution. It
really touched me and made me even prouder than I already was to be
Armenian. I even had the opportunity to meet three actual Genocide
survivors, one of whom was 105 years old! They were happy and proud
to see that even my generation was working for justice 94 years after
the Genocide.

Our second advocacy day consisted of walking the halls of Congress
again, but was much more disappointing because we faced many more
offices that were against us. I would have to say that the highlight
of our day was when we talked to a foreign affairs staffer from Texas
Republican Congressman Ralph Hall’s office. He sat down with us for
over an hour and talked about the issue. He was extremely knowledgeable
about the issue from both sides. After we returned to the ANCA office,
I had the coolest part of that day when my mother, cousin, and I were
interviewed for 20 minutes by an Armenian documentary filmmaker.

The next morning, the long-anticipated day had finally come: April 24,
2009. I had been living this day ever since I could remember. However,
I must say that the mood toward this day is completely different
when you are in Washington D.C. Of course, we were all devastated
when President Obama failed to use the word "genocide" in his
statement. However, we didn’t let this stop us. We immediately rushed
to the protest in front of the Turkish Embassy. There were about 250
Armenian protesters there and about 50 Turkish counter-protestors. My
cousin and I were interviewed by Voice of America. The protest got
pretty intense. After all, you get much more into it when you’re
staring at the faces of the people who want you to fail and who hold
signs claiming that the Genocide never happened. After the protest
ended, we were taken by buses to the Armenian Church for a memorial
service and then had a gathering in the church hall, where we all
sang patriotic songs.

On April 25, about 300 Armenians gathered at the Kennedy Center to
watch a musical play called "The Georgetown Boys." This musical was
absolutely fantastic. It was a true story about 109 Armenian orphans
who survived the Genocide. They were all gathered in a Canadian
orphanage and raised there, but they refused to give up their
Armenian identities. The musical tells the story of these patriotic
and inspiring Armenian boys. This was an emotional play for all of
us which ended with a standing ovation.

It was our last night in D.C., and it was very hard to say goodbye to
everyone. We had made new friends from all over the country including
Tennessee, Michigan, New York, California, and Georgia. This was truly
an indescribable experience for me. I met several Members of Congress
and their staffers, and I got to talk to them about the importance of
recognizing the Armenian Genocide. Leaving L.A., I thought that there
wasn’t much a 14 year-old Armenian girl can do. However, leaving D.C.,
I learned that it doesn’t matter how old you are, where you’re from,
how you’re raised, whether you are full Armenian, or whether you’re
Armenian at all. Anybody can make a difference.

Sure, we didn’t get what we wanted from the U.S. Administration this
year, but we are still working hard to pass House Resolution 252 in
the Congress. Most people may have thought we failed. But the only way
we can truly fail is if we forget who we are and what we are working
for. I learned that the Armenian spirit can survive anything. I grew
up hearing the tragic stories of the Genocide. I would always hear
and learn about all of those people who gave up their lives to try
to achieve justice. But, for the first time, I am proud to say that I
am finally not just talking about that one amazing day when the world
stops denying justice, but working hard to do everything in my power
to make sure that that day comes as soon as it possibly can. That is
why I will be back in D.C. next year, and I would encourage everyone
who can to do the same and to work hard for our Cause whether it is
in D.C. or here.