Amid war, Queens’ Armenian-American community fi nds strength
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TIMESLEDGER | QNS.COM | OCT. 16-OCT. 22, 2020 13
BY GOHAR CHICHIAN
Hailed as the “World’s Borough,” one of the beauties
of growing up in Queens has been the exposure
to over 160 languages and cultures.
Did you know that Queens is home to over 50,000
Armenians? Armenia is a land-locked country bordered
by Turkey, Georgia, the independent Republic
of Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh), Azerbaijan and
Iran.
In 2018, the corner of 210th Street and Horace
Harding Expressway was renamed “Armenia Way”
to commemorate the contributions of the Armenian
community in Bayside, where the Armenian Church
of the Holy Martyrs serves as a cultural center for
the community.
And now, the community has come together again
for much darker times. On Sept. 27, Armenian-Americans
woke up to a war. Azerbaijan, with the military
assistance of Turkey, executed a premeditated attack
on the Republic of Artsakh, including the civilian
capital of Stepanakert. Ethnic Armenians have lived
in Artsakh for over 3,000 years.
Eyewitness reports and photographs have confirmed
the presence of Syrian and Libyan mercenaries,
recruited by Turkey, as well as Turkish military
weapons and warplanes sent to attack civilians in
Artsakh. The targeting of civilian infrastructure
— schools, churches, hospitals — and blatant violation
of international human rights has led to an international
outcry over the war crimes of Azerbaijan
and Turkey. On Oct. 10, a temporary humanitarian
ceasefire was brokered to exchange bodies, but it
was violated by Azerbaijan five minutes in as they
expanded their shelling to towns in Armenia.
As the violence escalates, the Armenian-American
community has rallied together to do what they
can for their families back home. In one week alone,
Holy Martyrs became a daily donation drop-off site
as the community collected medical items, clothing,
food and diapers to send to families in Artsakh and
Armenia. They not only held a rally in front of the
UN to demand justice, but had thousands from the
community take to the streets in a march from NBC
News to ABC News on Oct. 10 to demand fair and accurate
media coverage.
For Armenians, this is not a “territorial conflict”
— it is a very real existential threat. Comparisons
are being drawn to the 1915 Armenian Genocide,
when Turkey executed a mass killing of 1.5 million
Armenians. Armenian-Americans grew up hearing
the stories of survival from their great-grandparents,
and now, the threat has reared its head once
again. For many, the past two weeks have been a living
nightmare.
But in that nightmare comes a tragic beauty. The
diaspora has come together like never before to donate,
sign petitions, make calls to elected representatives,
and email media outlets to demand justice and
immediate action. The diaspora is instrumental to
the preservation of Armenia.
As Armenian-American novelist William Saroyan
wrote, “Go ahead, destroy Armenia. See if you
can do it. Send them into the desert without bread or
water. Burn their homes and churches. Then see if
they will not laugh, sing and pray again. For when
two of them meet anywhere in the world, see if they
will not create a New Armenia.”
In the aftermath of 1915, Saroyan’s words rang
true. I call on my Queens neighbors to stand with us
and lend their support to our community. Queens is a
celebration of culture — help Armenian-Americans
preserve theirs.
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