Under the Sponsorship of Homenetmen Western USA Region, the Iraqi Armenians Cultural Committee – California is delighted to invite you to a captivating event dedicated to celebrating the rich history and achievements of the Iraqi Armenian Scouts and the values they uphold.

Since its founding, Iraqi Homenetmen Scouts has shaped the lives of countless young individuals and prepared them to be physically young, solid Armenians and exemplary citizens with the highest intellectual and spiritual virtues. In addition, it has developed young Armenians’ intellect, sense of duty, responsibility, and honor, along with their character and integrity in leadership, by teaching endurance and courage, nationalism and patriotism, obedience to the law, and orderliness.

Dear Friends, we are pleased to invite you to take part of this beautiful event that will highlight the history and contribution of the Iraqi Homenetmen Scouts to the community’s cultural heritage and preservation of the Armenian identity. The event will include an exhibition of historical photographs and a PowerPoint presentation of inspiring scout members’ stories, followed by a speech delivered by Homenetmen Western USA Region, in addition to group Armenian dance performances and poetry.

Date: Sunday, January 21, 2024

Time: 4:30 p.m.

Location: St. Gregory Armenian Catholic Cathedral’s Hall, 1510 E Mountain St., Glendale, CA 91207

Inspire Iraqi youth scouts who have relocated to the United States to participate actively in local scout chapters, ensuring their continued contribution to the community’s scouting endeavors.

This event is open to all, so bring your friends and family to this unforgettable journey to honor and celebrate the vibrant history of Iraqi Armenian Scouts—a reception to follow.

Iraqi Armenians Cultural Committee – California

Location: SOLAR STUDIOS, 3909 San Fernando Rd. Suite 114, Glendale, CA 91204

Armenian Fashion Takes Stage in the Heart of California!

Date: December 2 & 3, 2023

Location: SOLAR STUDIOS, 3909 San Fernando Rd. Suite 114, Glendale, CA 91204

We are excited to announce the much-anticipated return of an interactive high-fashion experience that is set to captivate fashion enthusiasts from LA for the second year in a row. From the heart of Armenia to the lively streets of Glendale, we invite you to join us for an unbelievable two-day event that promises to be bigger, bolder, and more beautiful than ever before. Mark your calendars for December 2nd and 3rd, 2023, as we expose the latest and most attractive creations from Armenia, showcased at Pop Up fashion extravaganza.

This event, organized by the Fashion and Design Chamber, Armenia Empowered and Buy Armenian, will unite over 35 of Armenia’s most talented designers. Whether you’re a passionate fashionista or simply looking for a unique shopping experience, this event promises to be a visual feast for all.

Meet your favorite designers and make unforgettable memories during this weekend.

Tickets are available here:

For information visit our social media @fdc_armenia for the latest updates

Email:  armfashion.designchamber@gmail.com  Website: https://fdc.am/ Mob: +374 91500862 

ՄԱՄԼՈ ՀԱՂՈՐԴԱԳՐՈՒԹՅՈՒՆ

Հայկական նորաձևությունը բեմ է բարձրանում Կալիֆորնիայի սրտում.

Դեկտեմբերի 2 և 3, 2023թ

SOLAR STUDIOS միջոցառումների սրահ, 3909 San Fernando Rd. Suite 114, Glendale, CA 91204

Ուրախ ենք տեղեկացնել սպասված միջոցառման վերադարձի մասին, որը պատրաստվում է գրավել Լոս Անջելեսի նորաձևության սիրահարներին երկրորդ տարին անընդմեջ: Հրավիրում ենք ձեզ միանալ հայկանան նորաձևության ինտերակտիվ երկօրյա միջոցառմանը, որը խոստանում է լինել ավելի մեծ, ավելի հետաքրքիր և ավելի գեղեցիկ, քան երբևէ:

Այս միջոցառումը համախմբել է ավելի քան 35 հայ տաղանդավոր դիզայներների, ովքեր կներկայացնեն իրենց լավագույն հավաքածուները ԱՄՆ-ում:  Միջոցառումը հարթակ է հայկական բիզնեսների համար՝ ձեռք բերել ԱՄՆ շուկայում պոտենցիալ հաճախորդներ, ներդրողներ, գործարար կապեր, ինրպես նաև շփվել հաճախորդների հետ և իրականացնել ներկայացված սահմանափակ տեսականու վաճառք:

Անկախ նրանից, թե դուք նորաձևության սիրահար, թե պարզապես փնտրում եք գնումների յուրահատուկ փորձ, այս միջոցառումը խոստանում է լինել հաճելի տոն բոլորի համար:

Միջոցառումը կազմակերպել են Նորաձևության և դիզայնի պալատը, Armenia Empowered և Buy Armenian:

Տոմսերը հասանելի են այստեղ՝

Documenting Atrocities and Saluting Heroes,

By Vic Gerami,

If you think that no one is keeping a record of Azerbaijan’s crimes against humanity, violations of international law, and war crimes, then you are in for a surprise.

The Center for Truth and Justice was established in November 2020 in response to the invasion of Artsakh (formerly Nagorno-Karabakh) to do just that. They are a group of lawyers overseeing the collection of firsthand testimonial evidence from war survivors via in-depth, recorded interviews. The attorneys run two law clinics, one in Armenia and one in Artsakh, which are the first of their kind. Through their clinics, they train Armenian law students and young lawyers to interview survivors of the war and record their testimonies. They have conducted hundreds of interviews and trained nearly one-hundred current or future lawyers. By being a permanent home for the testimonials, CFTJ is a resource for academic and legal practitioners who seek to use the evidence for education and/or legal action.

On October 13, 2023, the Center for Truth and Justice (CFTJ) will hold its third annual gala titled ‘Raise Their Voices: Break the Blockade’ in Los Angeles, with guest of honor Garo Paylan. In no uncertain terms, the CFTJ and Paylan do God’s work, making this union and the event much more significant.

The recognition of the Armenian Genocide of 1915 was possible due to the overwhelming evidence collected by experts, including testimonies, photographs, interviews, and other sources. Given Azerbaijan’s track record of practicing revisionist history, disinformation, and propaganda, the evidence that the CFTJ collects is invaluable.

The mission of the CFTJ is to be a living memorial to crimes against humanity. By being a permanent home for testimonials, the Center makes eyewitness accounts available for study, education, and legal action to foster education, empathy, justice, and change. They preserve evidence and make it accessible for current or future proceedings in Armenia or abroad.

Garo Paylan, An Armenian born in Turkey, was among the few Armenians elected to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey and served for two consecutive terms in 2015-2018 and 2018-2023, representing Istanbul and Diyarbakir. Though a politician, Paylan is also a leading democracy activist in Turkey. He is a founding member of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) and, since 2016, was the first Armenian in the history of the Republic of Turkey to publicly discuss the Armenian genocide of 1915 from the podium of the Turkish parliament. Paylan is recognized for his activism on human rights and minority rights in Turkey. He has received several awards, including the Grand Vermeil Medal, and has twice been nominated for the Nobel peace prize.

Artsakh is finally getting some attention after nearly three years of deafening silence from the international community and the media, following the report by the founding prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Luis Moreno Ocampo, who classified the situation in Artsakh as Genocide. Meanwhile, Armenia requested an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council to address the ‘deterioration of the humanitarian situation’ in Artsakh due to Azerbaijan’s illegal blockade of the Lachin Corridor, the only road connecting the Republic of Artsakh to Armenia and the rest of the world.

The attendance of Paylan at the CFTJ’s event is significant and a rare occurrence for a public servant who isn’t about self-promotion and rarely travels to the United States. In addition to Paylan’s speech and the Center presenting their last year’s achievements, their new initiatives will be announced at the gala. The event aims to collect funds for the CFTJ’s initiatives of collecting evidence of war crimes, preparing public reports and confidential filings, and offering the facts that international law experts need to hold Azerbaijan accountable.

To learn more about the gala and the CFTJ and to purchase tickets, please visit cftjustice.org

BIO: Vic Gerami

Vic Gerami is an award-winning journalist and the editor + publisher of The Blunt Post. Gerami is also the host and co-producer of the national headline news + politics program, THE BLUNT POST with VIC on KPFK 90.7 FM (Pacifica Network). 

Sarkis Balkhian,

WHAT:

The Pan Armenian Council of Western USA is organizing a press conference featuring Congressman Adam Schiff, Congressman Brad Sherman, LA City Council President Paul Krekorian, Mayor of Glendale Dan Brotman, and other public officials to launch a 24-Hour nationwide hunger strike to demonstrate unity with the 120,000 residents of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) victimized by a dire humanitarian catastrophe caused by the 8-month ongoing illegal blockade of the Lachin Corridor by Azerbaijan.

WHO:

Pan Armenian Council of Western USA (PAC WUSA)

Congressman Adam Schiff

Congressman Brad Sherman

LA City Council President Paul Krekorian

Mayor of Glendale Dan Brotman

WHEN:

Wednesday, August 23, 2023

Starting at 5:00 P.M. PST

WHERE:

Consulate of Azerbaijan in Los Angeles

11766 Wilshire Blvd,

Los Angeles, CA 90025

WHY:

The Pan Armenian Council of Western USA (PAC WUSA) will launch a 24-hour nationwide hunger strike at a press conference featuring public officials, including Rep. Adam Schiff, Rep. Brad Sherman, LA City Council President Paul Krekorian, Mayor of Glendale Dan Brotman and other public officials to demand tangible action by President Biden’s Administration to end the illegal blockade of the Lachin Corridor by Azerbaijan’s tyrannical regime, ensuring security and stability for Artsakh, as well as invigorating a recommitment for its right to self-determination. The strike, themed “Unity With Artsakh, End the Blockade” especially aims to raise national awareness about the rapidly unfolding humanitarian crisis in the region, which has left 120,000 civilians on the brink of starvation and genocide.

Pan Armenian Council of Western USA Calls Upon the Biden Administration to Take All Measures to End Azerbaijan’s Illegal Blockade of Artsakh

With the lives of 30,000 Armenian Children, 20,000 elderly, and 9,000 persons with disabilities hanging in the balance, we demand affirmative action by President Biden and the U.S. Department of State, to prevent a new Armenian Genocide at the hands of the Aliyev regime by:

1. Ensuring the immediate re-opening of the Lachin Corridor by introducing and facilitating the passage of a UN Security Council Resolution requiring Azerbaijan to adhere to the February 22, 2023, preliminary measure of the ICJ ordering Azerbaijan to open the Lachin Corridor;
2. Immediately halting all U.S. military assistance to Azerbaijan in light of the illegal humanitarian blockade imposed on the Armenians of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), consistent with Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act;
3. Sanctioning members of the Aliyev regime under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act for ongoing war crimes and crimes against humanity perpetrated by individual members of the Aliyev regime;
4. Delivering $100 million in USAID humanitarian assistance to Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) through the Lachin Corridor to ensure the survival of the 120,000 civilians who have been completely blockaded since June 15, 2023;
5. Introducing a UN Security Council resolution to establish a United Nations Mission in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) [UNMINK] consisting of 5,000 international military personnel to ensure the physical security of the population.

PAC-WUSA will use the following hashtags for promotional purposes–

#selfdetermination #security #endtheblockade

(Los Angeles, CA) – The Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region (ANCA-WR) HyeVotes initiative hosted a candidate forum on Wednesday, June, 7th, 2023 for the Los Angeles City Council District 6 special election.

The panel, which was attended by nearly 100 community activists, was held at the Vatican Banquet Hall in Van Nuys (in CD 6) and featured the final two candidates facing each other in a run-off election on June 27: Marisa Alcaraz, who is Deputy Chief of Staff for standing LA City Councilmember Curren Price, and Imelda Padilla, a community organizer who advocates for community development in the San Fernando Valley.

LA City Council District 6 is a diverse and dynamic area in the San Fernando Valley that includes the neighborhoods of Arleta, Lake Balboa, Panorama City, and portions of  Van Nuys and Sun Valley. District 6 has been without a representative since October 2022, when former council president Nury Martinez resigned following the leaked audio recordings of L.A. City Council in late 2022. The vacancy triggered a special election that took place on April 4, 2023, where a total of seven candidates competed for the seat. Alcaraz and Padilla garnered the two highest percentages of votes in the April 2023 special election (21.1% and 25.7%, respectively). With neither candidate surpassing the majority threshold, a special runoff election was set for June 27, 2023.

Prior to scheduling the Candidate Forum, ANCA-Western Region sent candidate questionnaires to the seven individuals who were running for the Los Angeles City Council District 6. Following the submission of the local candidate questionnaires, the ANCA- Western Region invited the two runoff candidates, Ms. Alcaraz and Ms. Padilla, to meet with the ANCA Western Region Board to discuss their candidacy and issues of concern.

The Candidate Forum was jointly moderated by ANCA-Western Region Government Affairs Director Ruben Karapetian and Editor-in-Chief of Asbarez, Ara Khachatourian. The candidates were asked questions about their positions on issues of importance to the constituents of CD6, which includes a growing population of Armenian-Americans, such as homelessness and housing, community safety, economic development, and support for small businesses. Moreover, the candidates also addressed their positions on a host of issues specific to the Armenian-American community, including Artsakh’s right to self-determination, promotion of Armenian culture, community visibility, and representation, and ensuring the safety of the Armenian-American community in light of the unprecedented rise of Armenophobic hate crimes which have troubled the community in recent years.

“The hate crimes are just unacceptable, period [….] These kinds of things cannot be tolerated. We have to prosecute them to the full extent of the law,” said Candidate Alacaraz when prompted with a question regarding the recent string of hate crimes and incidents aimed at the Armenian-American community and its institutions. Candidate Padilla responded to the same question, stating “If I am granted the opportunity to be your city council person, not only will I fight against the hate crimes that happen in your community, but you can see me as an ally that is willing to use my bully pulpit […] to support you.”

“Armenian-Americans are a growing constituency base here in CD6, and we sought to give the community an opportunity to meet the candidates and hear about issues that concern them both as Armenian-Americans and as constituents in the district,” said Nora Hovsepian, Esq., Chair of the ANCA-WR. “Armenian-Americans share common concerns with their neighbors in CD6, but we also experience unique challenges when it comes to the crisis our people are facing as a nation here and in our homeland. Our aim as a grassroots public affairs organization is to ensure that those elected to represent our communities are aware of these issues and are vocal about them, on all levels of government. We are grateful that the two candidates took the time to participate in our Candidate Forum and hear from our community, and we look forward to working closely in the future both with the candidate who prevails as the next City Councilmember, as well as maintaining our constructive relationship with both candidates regardless of the election outcome,” she concluded.

Registered voters in CD6 will have already received their mail ballots, which are due to be postmarked no later than June 27, 2023, or hand delivered to a polling station on June 27 by 8 PM. Voters who would prefer to cast their ballots in person may do so on June 27th.  Armenian-American voters are encouraged to make their collective voice heard by exercising their right to vote and participating in the civic process. For more voter information visit HyeVotes.org.

The HyeVotes Candidate Forum for Los Angeles City Council District 6 – Click the link to view the candidate forum.

The HyeVotes initiative is the only Armenian-American campaign dedicated to educating community members about elections, empowering community members to cast their ballots, and ensuring that Armenian-Americans are represented and accommodated in all aspects of civic engagement.

The Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region is the largest and most influential Armenian-American grassroots advocacy organization in the Western United States. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the Western United States and affiliated organizations around the country, the ANCA-WR advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.