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RELIGIOUS AND COMMUNITY LEADERS DECRY WHITE HOUSE BAN OF 'ORPHAN RUG'
[ Part 2.2: "Attached Text" ]
Tuesday, November 26th, 2013 | Posted by Contributor
[communitybriefing.jpg]
ANCA-Glendale chair Berdj Karapetian kicks off community briefing
Tuesday
Ahead of Obama's visit to Glendale Armenian religious and community
leaders gather to send clear message to White House.
Glendale Councilman Zareh Sinanyan to deliver protest letter to Obama
during his visit.
GLENDALE--As President Obama began his visit to Glendale, religious
and community leaders held a briefing to call on the President to
stop blocking the display of an Armenian Genocide-era rug woven by
orphans of that crime against humanity.
The rug, which took Armenian orphans 10 months to weave and has
4,404,206 individual knots, was presented to President Calvin Coolidge
in 1925.
Armenian National Committee of America Glendale Chapter Chairman
Berdj Karapetian opened the press conference and welcomed a broad
array of U.S. and Armenian print, television and online media to the
community-wide forum urging concrete White House action regarding
the historic rug.
"Today we pause, reflect and act," remarked ANCA National Board member
Raffi Hamparian. "We pause to remember the remarkable generosity of the
American people during the Armenian Genocide. We reflect on the little
orphans of the genocide who carefully wove a rug that was presented to
President Coolidge. And finally, we act, by demanding that President
Obama stop his Administration's unusual policy of placing the orphan
rug under quarantine. This is an exceedingly unusual way to treat a
piece of American history - especially a piece of American history
that speaks to our nation's greatness in responding to a crime against
all humanity," Hamparian added.
Western Primate Hovnan Derderian spoke eloquently about the integral
part the Armenian Genocide orphan rug plays in American history and
the need for the White House to arrange its permanent display.
Western Prelate Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian noted, "The rug was
a gracious gesture symbolizing the friendship between the American
and Armenian peoples. It is part of American history.
Keeping it locked away in storage is not only insulting to the
orphaned girls who painstakingly crafted this beautiful work of art,
it also represents a shameful effort to cover up, at the urging of
genocide-deniers in Ankara, a truly proud chapter of American history."
Congressman Adam Schiff (D-CA), released a statement declaring
that the [orphan] rug "is not only a symbol of the resilience of
the Armenian people through their darkest days, but also serves as a
tangible expression of the inherent truth that 1.5 million people were
killed in the first genocide of the 20th Century." The Congressman,
long a champion on human rights issues, added, "It is my intention
to host an event in the Capitol featuring the rug, shedding light on
the efforts made by American diplomats and charitable organizations
to call attention to, and provide relief for, the victims of the
genocide. I will be urging the Administration to make the rug available
for display at that time and hope for a favorable response."
Schiff's statement was read by ANCA-WR chairwoman Nora Hovsepian,
who emphasized the community's frustration at the White House's
posturing on the issue.
In a November 8th Congressional letter to President Obama,
Representatives Schiff and David Valadao (R-CA) were joined by a
bipartisan group of over 30 U.S. Representatives - including House
Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA) - in calling upon
the White House to reverse its decision to block the public display
of the rug.
The press conference ended with participants signing a letter to
President Obama welcoming him to Glendale and urging him to "permit
the public display of the Armenian Genocide-era rug woven by orphans
of that crime against humanity."
The letter referenced an earlier White House statement to LA Times
reporter Richard Simon, noting that displaying the rug "for only half a
day in connection with a private book launch event, as proposed, would
have been an inappropriate use of U.S. government property, would have
required the White House to undertake the risk of transporting the
rug for limited public exposure, and was not viewed as commensurate
with the rug's historical significance."
The petitioners wrote that they were "pleased that the White House
acknowledges the historical significance of this Armenian Genocide-era
rug. Therefore, we urge you to permit its prominent exhibition and
eventual permanent display at a location accessible to the public
in Washington, D.C." Joining the religious and community leaders in
signing the letter were Glendale Unified School Board President Nayiri
Nahabedian, Glendale City College Board of Trustees Vice President
Dr. Vahe Peroomian, and representatives from the Armenian Relief
Society, Homenetmen Armenian Scouting and Athletic Association, All
Armenian Students Association, Armenian Youth Federation, Armenian
Rug Association, United Young Armenians, Armenian American Council
on Aging, Hamazkayin Armenian Educational and Cultural Association,
among a broad array or community supporters.
"I look forward to presenting the letter to President Obama to honor
American history by displaying the rug," said Councilmember Zareh
Sinanyan, who was scheduled to attend the Obama event at Dreamworks
Animation.
The briefing also featured remarks by Chamlian Armenian School
Principal Vazken Madenlian and Executive Director of the Los Angeles
committee for the Genocide Centennial Aroutin Hartunian.
The Armenian National Committee of America launched a nationwide
campaign last month on the orphan rug issue after The Washington Post
reported that a planned December 16th Smithsonian Institution exhibit
featuring the rug, organized in conjunction with the Armenian Cultural
Foundation and the Armenian Rug Society, was abruptly cancelled when
the White House, reversing an earlier affirmative decision, refused
to lend the iconic symbol of American and Armenian shared heritage
to the museum.
Washington Post staff writer and Pulitzer Prize winning journalist
Philip Kennicott, reported "There was hope that the carpet, which has
been in storage for almost 20 years, might be displayed December 16th
as part of a Smithsonian event that would include a book launch for
Hagop Martin Deranian's 'President Calvin Coolidge and the Armenian
Orphan Rug.' But on September 12th, the Smithsonian scholar who helped
organize the event canceled it, citing the White House's decision not
to loan the carpet. In a letter to two Armenian American organizations,
Paul Michael Taylor, director of the institution's Asian cultural
history program, had no explanation for the White House's refusal to
allow the rug to be seen and said that efforts by the U.S. ambassador
to Armenia, John A. Heffern, to intervene had also been unavailing."
Kennicott described the controversy as "a sign of the Obama
administration's dismal reputation in the Armenian American community
that everyone assumes... must be yet another slap in the face for
Armenians seeking to promote understanding of one of the darkest
chapters in 20th-century history."
The White House response thus far has been vague - with National
Security Staff Assistant Press Secretary Laura Magnuson initially
offering the following comment to the Asbarez Armenian Newspaper:
"The Ghazir rug is a reminder of the close relationship between the
peoples of Armenia and the United States. We regret that it is not
possible to loan it out at this time." A statement with the same
exact wording was released by the White House last week and included
in Kennicott's article.
The Armenian orphan rug measures 11â~@² 7â~@³ x 18â~@² 5â~@³ and
is comprised of 4,404,206 individual knots. It took Armenian girls
in the Ghazir Orphanage of Near East Relief 10 months to weave. The
rug was delivered to the President Coolidge on December 4, 1925, in
time for Christmas, with a label on the back of the rug, which reads
"IN GOLDEN RULE GRATITUDE TO PRESIDENT COOLIDGE."
According to Missak Kelechian, an expert on this topic, the gift of
the Armenian Orphan rug was widely covered in U.S. media, including
in the New York Times in 1925 and the Washington Post in 1926.
Additional information about the history of the Armenian Orphan Rug
is available in Dr. Hagop Martin Deranian's book, "President Coolidge
and the Armenian Orphan Rug," published on October 20, 2013, by the
Armenian Cultural Foundation and soon to be available on Amazon.com.
http://asbarez.com/116678/religious-and-community-leaders-decry-white-house-
ban-of-%E2%80%98orphan-rug%E2%80%99/
[ Part 2.2: "Attached Text" ]
Tuesday, November 26th, 2013 | Posted by Contributor
[communitybriefing.jpg]
ANCA-Glendale chair Berdj Karapetian kicks off community briefing
Tuesday
Ahead of Obama's visit to Glendale Armenian religious and community
leaders gather to send clear message to White House.
Glendale Councilman Zareh Sinanyan to deliver protest letter to Obama
during his visit.
GLENDALE--As President Obama began his visit to Glendale, religious
and community leaders held a briefing to call on the President to
stop blocking the display of an Armenian Genocide-era rug woven by
orphans of that crime against humanity.
The rug, which took Armenian orphans 10 months to weave and has
4,404,206 individual knots, was presented to President Calvin Coolidge
in 1925.
Armenian National Committee of America Glendale Chapter Chairman
Berdj Karapetian opened the press conference and welcomed a broad
array of U.S. and Armenian print, television and online media to the
community-wide forum urging concrete White House action regarding
the historic rug.
"Today we pause, reflect and act," remarked ANCA National Board member
Raffi Hamparian. "We pause to remember the remarkable generosity of the
American people during the Armenian Genocide. We reflect on the little
orphans of the genocide who carefully wove a rug that was presented to
President Coolidge. And finally, we act, by demanding that President
Obama stop his Administration's unusual policy of placing the orphan
rug under quarantine. This is an exceedingly unusual way to treat a
piece of American history - especially a piece of American history
that speaks to our nation's greatness in responding to a crime against
all humanity," Hamparian added.
Western Primate Hovnan Derderian spoke eloquently about the integral
part the Armenian Genocide orphan rug plays in American history and
the need for the White House to arrange its permanent display.
Western Prelate Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian noted, "The rug was
a gracious gesture symbolizing the friendship between the American
and Armenian peoples. It is part of American history.
Keeping it locked away in storage is not only insulting to the
orphaned girls who painstakingly crafted this beautiful work of art,
it also represents a shameful effort to cover up, at the urging of
genocide-deniers in Ankara, a truly proud chapter of American history."
Congressman Adam Schiff (D-CA), released a statement declaring
that the [orphan] rug "is not only a symbol of the resilience of
the Armenian people through their darkest days, but also serves as a
tangible expression of the inherent truth that 1.5 million people were
killed in the first genocide of the 20th Century." The Congressman,
long a champion on human rights issues, added, "It is my intention
to host an event in the Capitol featuring the rug, shedding light on
the efforts made by American diplomats and charitable organizations
to call attention to, and provide relief for, the victims of the
genocide. I will be urging the Administration to make the rug available
for display at that time and hope for a favorable response."
Schiff's statement was read by ANCA-WR chairwoman Nora Hovsepian,
who emphasized the community's frustration at the White House's
posturing on the issue.
In a November 8th Congressional letter to President Obama,
Representatives Schiff and David Valadao (R-CA) were joined by a
bipartisan group of over 30 U.S. Representatives - including House
Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA) - in calling upon
the White House to reverse its decision to block the public display
of the rug.
The press conference ended with participants signing a letter to
President Obama welcoming him to Glendale and urging him to "permit
the public display of the Armenian Genocide-era rug woven by orphans
of that crime against humanity."
The letter referenced an earlier White House statement to LA Times
reporter Richard Simon, noting that displaying the rug "for only half a
day in connection with a private book launch event, as proposed, would
have been an inappropriate use of U.S. government property, would have
required the White House to undertake the risk of transporting the
rug for limited public exposure, and was not viewed as commensurate
with the rug's historical significance."
The petitioners wrote that they were "pleased that the White House
acknowledges the historical significance of this Armenian Genocide-era
rug. Therefore, we urge you to permit its prominent exhibition and
eventual permanent display at a location accessible to the public
in Washington, D.C." Joining the religious and community leaders in
signing the letter were Glendale Unified School Board President Nayiri
Nahabedian, Glendale City College Board of Trustees Vice President
Dr. Vahe Peroomian, and representatives from the Armenian Relief
Society, Homenetmen Armenian Scouting and Athletic Association, All
Armenian Students Association, Armenian Youth Federation, Armenian
Rug Association, United Young Armenians, Armenian American Council
on Aging, Hamazkayin Armenian Educational and Cultural Association,
among a broad array or community supporters.
"I look forward to presenting the letter to President Obama to honor
American history by displaying the rug," said Councilmember Zareh
Sinanyan, who was scheduled to attend the Obama event at Dreamworks
Animation.
The briefing also featured remarks by Chamlian Armenian School
Principal Vazken Madenlian and Executive Director of the Los Angeles
committee for the Genocide Centennial Aroutin Hartunian.
The Armenian National Committee of America launched a nationwide
campaign last month on the orphan rug issue after The Washington Post
reported that a planned December 16th Smithsonian Institution exhibit
featuring the rug, organized in conjunction with the Armenian Cultural
Foundation and the Armenian Rug Society, was abruptly cancelled when
the White House, reversing an earlier affirmative decision, refused
to lend the iconic symbol of American and Armenian shared heritage
to the museum.
Washington Post staff writer and Pulitzer Prize winning journalist
Philip Kennicott, reported "There was hope that the carpet, which has
been in storage for almost 20 years, might be displayed December 16th
as part of a Smithsonian event that would include a book launch for
Hagop Martin Deranian's 'President Calvin Coolidge and the Armenian
Orphan Rug.' But on September 12th, the Smithsonian scholar who helped
organize the event canceled it, citing the White House's decision not
to loan the carpet. In a letter to two Armenian American organizations,
Paul Michael Taylor, director of the institution's Asian cultural
history program, had no explanation for the White House's refusal to
allow the rug to be seen and said that efforts by the U.S. ambassador
to Armenia, John A. Heffern, to intervene had also been unavailing."
Kennicott described the controversy as "a sign of the Obama
administration's dismal reputation in the Armenian American community
that everyone assumes... must be yet another slap in the face for
Armenians seeking to promote understanding of one of the darkest
chapters in 20th-century history."
The White House response thus far has been vague - with National
Security Staff Assistant Press Secretary Laura Magnuson initially
offering the following comment to the Asbarez Armenian Newspaper:
"The Ghazir rug is a reminder of the close relationship between the
peoples of Armenia and the United States. We regret that it is not
possible to loan it out at this time." A statement with the same
exact wording was released by the White House last week and included
in Kennicott's article.
The Armenian orphan rug measures 11â~@² 7â~@³ x 18â~@² 5â~@³ and
is comprised of 4,404,206 individual knots. It took Armenian girls
in the Ghazir Orphanage of Near East Relief 10 months to weave. The
rug was delivered to the President Coolidge on December 4, 1925, in
time for Christmas, with a label on the back of the rug, which reads
"IN GOLDEN RULE GRATITUDE TO PRESIDENT COOLIDGE."
According to Missak Kelechian, an expert on this topic, the gift of
the Armenian Orphan rug was widely covered in U.S. media, including
in the New York Times in 1925 and the Washington Post in 1926.
Additional information about the history of the Armenian Orphan Rug
is available in Dr. Hagop Martin Deranian's book, "President Coolidge
and the Armenian Orphan Rug," published on October 20, 2013, by the
Armenian Cultural Foundation and soon to be available on Amazon.com.
http://asbarez.com/116678/religious-and-community-leaders-decry-white-house-
ban-of-%E2%80%98orphan-rug%E2%80%99/