WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES OCTOBER 15, 2020 13
Amid war, Queens’ Armenian-American community finds strength
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
OP-ED
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 confi rmed 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 ceasefi re
was brokered to exchange bodies, but it
was violated by Azerbaijan fi ve 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
confl ict” — 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 aft ermath 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.
SNAPS
HANGING OUT AT THE QUEENS COUNTY FARM MUSEUM
PHOTO SUBMITTED BY LORRAINE D. HEANEY
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