Following years of unprecedented turmoil and dispute along the Artsakh border with Azerbaijan, the aggression by the Azerbaijani regime has prompted overwhelming activism and decisive work in paving a path toward a more peaceful, stable condition in the region. In the face of civilian bombings, Syrian mercenaries, and authoritarian propaganda, the Armenian people and their undying spirit have proven more resilient and steadfast than any opposing force.
In the diaspora, I am met with faces of concern and prayer, but more optimistically, I’ve been enlightened and inspired by the courage and determination my classmates, teachers, friends, and family have shown. My classmates and I have taken on the initiative of putting together necessary action to overcome the current hardships we face in the homeland. Within the last few days, students, teachers, faculty, and parents have come together in unprecedented fashion to host medical supply drop-offs, social media awareness calls, Congressional text banks and petitioning, and even a car wash fundraiser that generated thousands of dollars for our soldiers fighting for their ancestral homeland.
Our community united immediately to give generously and work peacefully. Over the last three weeks, we’ve proven our strength, humility and capacity to outlive the cruel and inhumane aggression of the Azeri regime. Internationally, the Armenian community has and will continue to persevere beyond financial, social, or political downturn, because ultimately, the Armenian spirit is one of inherent determination, passion, and optimism. The work I’ve been proud to share is testament to that reality, and from it comes a certainty and an open-mindedness that is unique to the Armenian people. A certainty that ancestry, culture, diversity, and history will always overcome hatred, greed, and evil.
As a Diaspora made up of inspired, passionate Armenians, this work defines us, and the contributions we make to the homeland are both necessary and incredibly valued. Petitioning Congress, raising funds, employing social media, and inspiring the international community will prove the difference in this horrific exposal of indecency, and ultimately, there is an abundant faith and sincerity that permeates throughout the Armenian diaspora and Armenian homeland, and that sincerity and optimism is certainly an extension of the fighting spirit we are never to abandon.
We remain committed to our efforts, individually and collectively. Continue your activism through the Armenian National Committee of America. Be inspired by our schools and churches and the thousands of volunteers dedicated to the Armenian Relief Society, ArmeniaFund and other humanitarian aid organizations. Remain active. Remain committed. Remain spirited.
Alec Minassian is a senior at Holy Martyrs Ferrahian Armenian School.
aNagoroKarabakh was never a port of Azwebaijan and had been 90% populated by Armenian foe over 2,000 years. until in 1920 oir 1921 it was made a part of Azerbaijan by Joseph Stalin, a communmist dictator. In fact before 1918 there was no Azerbaijan, just an area populated by Tatars, a Turkic people who moved into the Caucuses in the 10th or 11th Century AD. Stalin did this in order break up what was left of the strength of the Armenians after the genocide of more than 1.5 million Zrmenians by the Ottoman Turk in 1915. Stalin also gave Nakhicevan, another part of Armenia to Azwerbaijan, at that time. Once the USSR started breaking up in 1988 or 1989,the Soviet
republic of Armenia requested that Nagoro-Karabakh be returned to Armenia. The reation to this, was proroms agaiunst the Arenia citizen of Baku and Simgait in the Soviet Republicof Azerbaijan whereby more than 400,000 Armenian were driven from their homes in those cities, many of them were killed. Then, Nagoro-Karabakh, at that time still populated by more than 80% Armenians mere bombarded by grad Grad missles, especially those in the capital of Stephanagerd, by the Azeri army which were stationed in Shushi, a bombardment against a civilian population which had no way to defend themselves. It wasn’t until many month of thiis bombardment, that theArmenians of Karabakh took it upon thenselves to conduct a suprise attackupon the heights of Shushi, the Azeri troops ran like hell, and left all sorts arms and ammunition with they then used to remove the Azeri army from Karabakh. Then when the Azeri army continued bombarding the Armenians of Karabakh from the surrouding areas around Karabakh, the Armenian forces occupied those areas to provide a security zone aroud it. The Armenians are prepared to return som of these properties once peace is established but for 30 years Azerbaijan has refused to sign a peace treaty. Here they area a nation of more than 6 million people with oil wealth galore that can’t do its own fighting, and after 30 years ofsabotaging the truce agreements,is depending upon help from Turkey a nation of 80million people and ISIS fighters to do its fighting for.What more can you expect from a nation of cowards. What no one seems to realize is that Nagoro-
Karabakh is the one section Armenian from which Armenians were never removed nad are determined to stay.Througout history, most of the military leaders of the Armenian nation have been from Karabakh. I believe that during WW II, one or two of the Marshalls of the Soviet Army were
karabagh Armenians.