A placard displayed by a protester at LAX, one of many such actions that took place across US airports over the weekend
BY ARA KHACHATOURIAN
Imagine for a moment that an executive order, similar to the one signed by President Donald J. Trump on Friday that curbs the entry of foreigners into the United States was in effect in the aftermath of the Armenian Genocide.
Armenian-Americans who passionately boast about their ancestors being survivors of the Genocide who were welcomed by the United States and were allowed a second chance in this country would probably not have been born to recount their family’s story of survival and the opportunities through which they established themselves as responsible Americans and torchbearers of the Armenian Cause.
The same United States, which has progressed into the 21st century, also welcomed Russian-Armenians displaced by the Nazis after World War II; Armenians who were impacted by the Lebanese Civil War and the Iranian Revolution; as well as those who endured hardship in Iraq (before and after the US invasion) and Syria. Let’s not forget that some of the aforementioned countries, especially Syria, Lebanon and Iraq, became safe havens for hundreds of thousands of the Armenians fleeing the Armenian Genocide, who for generations called those countries home.
Our more than century-old existence as a vibrant and active community in the Unites States has become possible due to the American brand of acceptance and opportunity that has allowed us to prosper and flourish in this country.
In 2014, the Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region launched the “America We Thank Youâ€
