San Jose, CA – Armenian American issues were brought center stage
at the California Democratic Party Convention held in San Jose last
weekend. For the fourth consecutive year, the ANCA-WR had a major
display at the Democratic Convention, which drew over 1,500
delegates and public officials. The ANCA-WR will also be hosting a
major display at the upcoming California Republican Party
Convention next month in Burlingame.

A Presidential candidate, Members of Congress, State Legislators,
and political activists from across the State of California visited
the ANCA-WR exhibit at the Convention, which included information
on Armenian history and culture, as well as material on several
ongoing ANC public policy initiatives. The ANCA-WR exhibit was
staffed by Executive Director Ardashes Kassakhian and over a dozen
volunteers from the San Francisco-Bay Area and Central California
ANC Chapters.

“It is encouraging to know that our ANC staff and volunteers had a
positive impact at the Convention in educating California Democrats
on issues important to Armenian American voters,” explained ANCA-WR
Chairman Raffi Hamparian. “As the State’s largest, most organized,
most efficient Armenian-American public affairs organization, the
ANC has an obligation to be at marquee political events, like State
Party Conventions,” he added.

Among those who visited the ANCA-WR exhibit at the Convention were US Representative Zoe Lofgren, Mike Honda, Nancy Pelosi, State
Treasurer Phil Angelides, State Controller Steve Westly, and dozens
of California State Legislators, local officials and prominent
political activists.

Democratic Presidential Candidate Congressman Dennis Kucinich made
a point of visiting the ANCA-WR exhibit. In remarks to ANCA-WR
Executive Director Ardashes Kassakhian, he thanked the ANC for
keeping people’s memory aware of the tragedy of the Armenian
Genocide. “We need to live in a world where we can get past events
like this. But the only way we can is to acknowledge that they
happened,” Kucinich remarked.

ANCA-WR activists also interacted with the son of Presidential
Candidate Wesley Clark, who reiterated his father’s support for
full US recognition of the Armenian Genocide. Wesley Clark, Jr. was
at the Convention in lieu of his father, who was campaigning in New
Hampshire in advance of that state’s January 27 Presidential
Primary.

While at the California Democratic Party Convention, ANC activists
participated in a number of workshops, which included focused
seminars on campaigning, campaign finance regulations, among other
important topics.

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