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June 24, 2013
Hetq.am
The Armenian Lion Awakens in Los Angeles
The emerging political power of the immigrant population from Armenia
By Harout Harry Semerdjian
Greater Los Angeles has been a mecca for Armenian immigration for more
than one hundred years, as early as the Turkish massacres of Armenians in
1895-96 and the Armenian Genocide of 1915.
In the last four decades, the city has attracted an increasingly large
number of immigrants from the Middle East as well as from the former Soviet
Republic of Armenia, which gained its independence after the fall of the
Soviet Union in 1991.
This complex yet vibrant community of `Hayastanci' - Armenians from
Armenia proper ` have been notably absent from politics and public service,
albeit for understandable reasons. Emigrating from the harsh politics and
government policies of a Communist regime, they learned not to rely on
government for even to their most basic needs. Their presence in the U.S. has
focused on rebuilding their lives and consolidating their presence through
diligence and hard work. Embracing their freedoms in their newly adopted
homeland, politics became a baggage of the past. Until late last year, that is.
When one of their own decided to run for public office in East Hollywood, the
show of unity and force became unprecedented for this community.
When Sam Kbushyan, a former Board Member of the East Hollywood Neighborhood
Council and Executive Director of the IC Foundation, decided to run for
L.A. City Council District 13, he registered thousands of Armenians in the
District within several months. Perhaps even Kbushyan did not realize the
far-reaching implications of his personal initiative, which became a powerful
drive not only for voter registration but also for community empowerment
and democracy-building.
Even though Kbushyan lost in the primary election, he came in an
impressive 3rd place to the surprise of residents and City Hall power-brokers
alike.
Kbushyan soon endorsed local candidate Mitch O'Farrell over newcomer John
Choi, and his loyal Armenian supporters helped secure Mitch O'Farrell's
victory on May 21. About a quarter of the approximately 20,000 voters in the
election were Armenians, mostly registered by Sam Kbushyan.
With the elections over, L.A.'s Council District 13 and its neighborhood
of Little Armenia inherited a politically-energized and newly-registered
immigrant population from Armenia proper - a victorious community that almost
overnight gained the respect that it once did not have, even amongst its
own.
The impact of Hollywood's immigrant Armenian community on Council District
13 is quickly becoming a benchmark for other parts of Los Angeles,
particularly in the San Fernando Valley, where large communities of Armenians
reside. For many, the half a million-strong Armenian community in the greater
L.A. area represents an electoral goldmine which could sway many local
elections.
With continued community organizing and voter registration, the immigrant
Armenian communities from Armenia could quickly become a powerful voting
block within Los Angeles that will have national and even international
implications.
The 100th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide is fast approaching, along
with numerous important local, state and national elections. The newly
empowered population of immigrants from Armenia may hold the key to the success
of the highly regarded Armenian lobby in the United States, including their
ability to further influence Congress as well as the President on critical
issues such as the official recognition of the Armenian Genocide and a
peaceful and just solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict grounded in the
principle of self-determination for its native Armenian population. Already
considered by many to be the second most influential ethnic lobby after the
Jewish lobby in Washington D.C., Armenian prominence at the national level
has serious potential to grow considering their new successes in California
` the nation's most populous and most powerful state.
Given the internal feuds amongst the different Armenian factions in Los
Angeles and beyond ` which once again surfaced during the May elections - the
bigger question is whether Armenians will transcend their differences and
the interests of a few personal fiefdoms to collaborate for the benefit of
their national cause? This will serve as a test of the community's maturity
and fortitude during this significant time in the history of this ancient
nation.
Harout Harry Semerdjian is a PhD Candidate at the University of Oxford. He
holds advanced M.A. degrees from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy
at Tufts University and the University of California, Los Angeles. He is
also a Council Member of the East Hollywood Neighborhood Council.
From: Baghdasarian
Hetq.am
The Armenian Lion Awakens in Los Angeles
The emerging political power of the immigrant population from Armenia
By Harout Harry Semerdjian
Greater Los Angeles has been a mecca for Armenian immigration for more
than one hundred years, as early as the Turkish massacres of Armenians in
1895-96 and the Armenian Genocide of 1915.
In the last four decades, the city has attracted an increasingly large
number of immigrants from the Middle East as well as from the former Soviet
Republic of Armenia, which gained its independence after the fall of the
Soviet Union in 1991.
This complex yet vibrant community of `Hayastanci' - Armenians from
Armenia proper ` have been notably absent from politics and public service,
albeit for understandable reasons. Emigrating from the harsh politics and
government policies of a Communist regime, they learned not to rely on
government for even to their most basic needs. Their presence in the U.S. has
focused on rebuilding their lives and consolidating their presence through
diligence and hard work. Embracing their freedoms in their newly adopted
homeland, politics became a baggage of the past. Until late last year, that is.
When one of their own decided to run for public office in East Hollywood, the
show of unity and force became unprecedented for this community.
When Sam Kbushyan, a former Board Member of the East Hollywood Neighborhood
Council and Executive Director of the IC Foundation, decided to run for
L.A. City Council District 13, he registered thousands of Armenians in the
District within several months. Perhaps even Kbushyan did not realize the
far-reaching implications of his personal initiative, which became a powerful
drive not only for voter registration but also for community empowerment
and democracy-building.
Even though Kbushyan lost in the primary election, he came in an
impressive 3rd place to the surprise of residents and City Hall power-brokers
alike.
Kbushyan soon endorsed local candidate Mitch O'Farrell over newcomer John
Choi, and his loyal Armenian supporters helped secure Mitch O'Farrell's
victory on May 21. About a quarter of the approximately 20,000 voters in the
election were Armenians, mostly registered by Sam Kbushyan.
With the elections over, L.A.'s Council District 13 and its neighborhood
of Little Armenia inherited a politically-energized and newly-registered
immigrant population from Armenia proper - a victorious community that almost
overnight gained the respect that it once did not have, even amongst its
own.
The impact of Hollywood's immigrant Armenian community on Council District
13 is quickly becoming a benchmark for other parts of Los Angeles,
particularly in the San Fernando Valley, where large communities of Armenians
reside. For many, the half a million-strong Armenian community in the greater
L.A. area represents an electoral goldmine which could sway many local
elections.
With continued community organizing and voter registration, the immigrant
Armenian communities from Armenia could quickly become a powerful voting
block within Los Angeles that will have national and even international
implications.
The 100th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide is fast approaching, along
with numerous important local, state and national elections. The newly
empowered population of immigrants from Armenia may hold the key to the success
of the highly regarded Armenian lobby in the United States, including their
ability to further influence Congress as well as the President on critical
issues such as the official recognition of the Armenian Genocide and a
peaceful and just solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict grounded in the
principle of self-determination for its native Armenian population. Already
considered by many to be the second most influential ethnic lobby after the
Jewish lobby in Washington D.C., Armenian prominence at the national level
has serious potential to grow considering their new successes in California
` the nation's most populous and most powerful state.
Given the internal feuds amongst the different Armenian factions in Los
Angeles and beyond ` which once again surfaced during the May elections - the
bigger question is whether Armenians will transcend their differences and
the interests of a few personal fiefdoms to collaborate for the benefit of
their national cause? This will serve as a test of the community's maturity
and fortitude during this significant time in the history of this ancient
nation.
Harout Harry Semerdjian is a PhD Candidate at the University of Oxford. He
holds advanced M.A. degrees from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy
at Tufts University and the University of California, Los Angeles. He is
also a Council Member of the East Hollywood Neighborhood Council.
From: Baghdasarian