A group of protesters during Armenia’s People’s Movement
BY JOSEPH KAZAZIAN
Special to Asbarez
For my generation of Armenian-Americans, the Armenian part usually stands out. Fierce patriotism, love of the nation, love of our culture and music, and love of our history all usually take their rightful place in our identity. The American part does its duty as well. It adds something that some might perceive to be a western cliché, yet at the same time, the hallmarks are always present: the love for democracy, the rule of law, institutional patriotism, and love of the Constitution of these United States of America. In my beloved Glendale, Armenian-American activism has made for a unique, inseparable blend of local affairs and Armenian issues effectuating change. Ask anyone in California’s 28th Congressional District if you don’t believe me.
In the United States, we hold our personal rights and freedoms in the same vein as Holy Scripture. We learn about our system of governmental checks and balances by the time we are in elementary school, and some of us further study how that interplay regulates our “imperfect union,â€
