Armenians march to raise awareness about Genocide, while USC students educate their campus.

On Friday, April 24th, thousands of Armenians from Southern California came together in front of the Turkish Consulate on Wilshire Blvd. in protest against the Turkey's denial of the Armenian Genocide.

This year marks the 94th anniversary of the first genocide of the 2oth century where the Ottoman Turks killed 1.5 million Armenians.

Armenians around the world commemorate those who were lost on April 24, the day the Ottoman Turks systematically killed Armenian leaders who were seen as a threat.

USC students from various Armenian organizations came together to raise awareness about the genocide.

Beginning the week with a lecture by celebrated attorney Mark Geragos, students enrolled in an Armenian studies colloquium course engaged in discussion about the legal actions taken by the families of victims.

In the evening, filmmaker and genocide survivor J. Michael Hagopian presented his work, “The River Ran Red”, a documentary of 400 testimonies of Armenian genocide survivors.

“Trojans Against Genocide” was a weeklong effort that was brought together by the Armenian Students’ Association, the Armenian Graduate Students’ Association, the International Students’ Assembly, and the Armenian fraternity and sorority Alpha Epsilon Omega and Alpha Gamma Alpha.

In the week prior to “Trojans Against Genocide”, Fight On for Darfur, an event that raises money and awareness for the ongoing genocide in Africa, pitched several tents in a campus courtyard—each one dedicated to a genocide that occurred in the 20^th Century.

Inside the tent that represented the Armenian genocide were several fact sheets and photos, all of which exposed students to the history and illustrated visually that ignoring the first genocide subsequently lead to many more including Darfur.

Many students participated Tuesday in “Starving to Stop Genocide”, a daylong fast to acknowledge all genocides to date.

The International Students’ Assembly hosted a food fair Wednesday that featured food from several countries. The Armenian food served to students was an exposure to the culture and demonstrated the rebirth of its people after genocide.

Educating USC about the events of April 24, 1915, the Armenian Graduate Students’ Association dispersed 1,500 white carnations—each one representing 1,000 deaths— on

McCarthy Quad, one of the busiest sites on campus.

In addition to the flowers and the fact sheets, Alpha Epsilon Omega erected an 8-foot tall sign that had pictures and information about the genocide within large numbers “1915”.

In the peak of the afternoon a group of four Armenian students marched peacefully through campus wearing all black and red bandanas over their eyes. The organizer of the march, undergraduate Mhair Zeitounian, held up a sign that read “Instead of walking to class, Imagine walking to your death. Recognize the Armenian Genocide.”

The following day, the image of the students marching was on the front page of the Daily Trojan.

On April 24^th students, parents and community members came together in the center of campus around Tommy Trojan and listened to the Element band perform music and USC’s ASA chaplain Father Vazken Movsesian speak.

Many non-Armenian students participated by watching and buying memorabilia such as t-shirts sold by Alpha Epsilon Omega that have the word “genocide” written in the languages of country’s that have fallen victim to the crime. Proceeds went to educational programs that teach genocide.

The Los Angeles Times quoted USC senior Artak Arakelian as he sold shirts and pins in front of the Turkish consulate that day. As a response to President Obama not using the word “genocide” he said, “It just makes us work harder to make sure he fulfills his promise the next time."

Alpha Gamma Alpha held a daylong blood drive where several dozen students gave their blood to the USC/ Norris Cancer Hospitals. The message of the sorority was to give blood to honor those who gave their blood unwillingly in the Armenian genocide.

In the evening, the Glendale congregations of St. Peter Armenian Church and St. Mark Episcopal Church held its 4^th annual Armenian genocide commemorative service that featured clergy and choirs from both congregations. The service led by Father Vazken, donated its offerings to providing food for the refugees of the Darfur Genocide.

Photo taken from latimes.com

The culture of USC and its place in Los Angeles

Los Angeles is the sum of many ethnic pockets. Some of its cultures intermingle and give birth to things such as the Korean Taco Truck and other cultures rest easy within their city's borders where learning English isn't a necessity. 

With 88 cities there are people from more than 140 countries speaking 224 different identified languages. 

Some ethnic enclaves are clearly outlined: Chinatown, Koreatown, Little Ethiopia and Little Armenia. Whereas, subcultures exist throughout the city. 

One culture that is not spoken about is that of the University of Southern California.

 

USC students can be easily identified in the surrounding neighborhood of the main campus. 

USC rests between downtown and South Central Los Angeles in its own bubble with its own culture. 

Beyond the stereotypical looks from The Row and Greek life, the members of the Trojan Family have distinct features that make them easy to spot once they step off campus. 

It's not about blonde hair, blue eyes, expensive cars or fancy clothes. That's a thing of the past. Was is relevant today is that Trojans who walk and bike down Hoover have an aura of confidence and ownership of the streets. 

And when they're not confident they're clinching to their pepper spray and remaining armed in the event that they have to interact with the outsiders who pose a threat to the USC community. 

The truth is that before any student attends their first class at USC they are told to be careful of the surrounding community. 

On the other hand, students are encouraged to use education as a bridge and participate through programs such as the Joint Educational Project where they can teach students at surrounding schools about various topics. 

After attending the training for the JEP program I witnessed program directors trying to convince USC students that the students in the surrounding schools have a lot of potential despite stereotypes about inner-city lifestyles and education. 

From the get-go USC students are taught to believe that the kids will learn from them and not the other way around. In this case, USC is not speaking with it's surrounding community, however, they're speaking to the surrounding community.

I just have one question: 

Is USC's culture one that can create fusions like the Korean Taco Truck or do its members stick to their own kind and not learn the language in order to create dialogue with others? 

One Los Angeles, Two Germanys

In one week the exhibit which contains photos, paintings and pieces of the Berlin wall, will be taken down from LACMA.
Not attending would be a mistake.

"Art of Two Germanys/Cold War Cultures" opened on January 25, 2009 and is the first major exhibition in the United States to capture the variety of art created during the Cold War years.

It is bold and politically charged, but the issues are easily understood by visitors that are not well-researched in German history.



I went to see the exhibit last Saturday when the museum was holding its "Late Night Art" show. It was an LA I've never seen before-- hundreds of art enthusiasts, images projected onto a white screen while unbearably loud music was spun live by two German DJs--I felt like I was in another world.

There were two great lines--one lead to the authentic German food and drink and the other to the main exhibit. After entering the building, we filed into an elevator the size of classroom and watched a slideshow on a flat screen TV which was part of the exhibit.

Overall "Art of Two Germanys" was a great import into Los Angeles and it taught the community about a part of world history through amazing illustrations and artifacts.

Eating Your Way to Diplomacy

In the cultural buffet that is America, many use food as a passport to get to know their neighbor. While some may argue that it is self-pleasing and passive, eating is a form of cultural diplomacy.

Los Angeles has it's fair share of eateries that are implants to the city. Along Fairfax Avenue, south of Whilshire, there are about a half dozen of Ethiopian restaurants which are owned by natives of the country but are often frequented by curious Angelenos with bold stomachs. 

As they take in the spices, their ears get filled with Ethiopian pop music and eyes take in the vibrant colors of the printed linen that often line the walls which are adorned with pictures of the homeland. 

Digging into the textured dishes with nothing but their bare hands and a slab of enjera (Ethiopian flat bread), visitors often will find a picture Haile Selassie, the beloved Emperor of Ethiopia, staring at them like a hungry Mona Lisa. 

Consumers of the Ethiopian food in L.A. are not only blessed with a great meal but are able to explore a foreign culture and learn about their ritual of eating all in an hour's time. 

In the same way, Angelenos are being turned on to Korean BBQ and the practice of making their own food from raw goods delivered by waiters.

Uncooked beef, pork and chicken are presented to food enthusiast

and in order to eat the food they must barbeque it on a small grill. Much like the Ethiopian presentation of food, the art of Korean BBQ promotes interaction between its guests and is a definite break from normal eating habits. 

Visiting new spices, the pallete gets educated about goods 

available to the Korean people. 

The incorporation of garlic, red peppers, buckwheat noodles, boiled and salted eggs act as ambassadors to their culture. 

It is clear that the exploration of a new culture often begins with tasting foreign food  but it should not end with digestion. In this way, food is only the gateway--a safe invitation to a new world. 

Please click on photo to find its origin.