Building on the successes of its outreach initiatives, the Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region (ANCA-WR) has initiated a series of Centennial-focused Town Hall Meetings and mini-Advocacy Days throughout the Western United States. The first of these meetings will take place in Texas and Arizona. The Texas Town Hall meeting will convene on Sunday, March 1, 2015, 1:00pm at Tcholakian Hall (St. Kevork Armenian Church) located at 3211 Synott Road in Houston, followed by one in Arizona on Saturday, March 14, 2015, 5:30pm, at the Armenian Center located at 13043 N. Cave Creek Road in Phoenix.

“With the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide less than 3 months away, we are eager and excited to regroup and continue working with our grassroots through our focused Town Hall meetings where we can help guide and solidify their community and legislative plans with their respective Genocide Commemoration Resolutions,” commented ANCA-WR Executive Director Elen Asatryan. “ In addition to the town halls, we will be hosting interactive workshops on civic engagement and forums to impart strategies and provide the necessary tools for continued organizing and activism. Our momentous work continues at full-speed as we approach April 24, 2015, but we must be prepared to continue our fight on the morning of April 25 and beyond. We will bolster our collective readiness through engaging and further mobilizing our grassroots,” added Asatryan.

Since assuming his position as ANCA-WR Coordinator of Community Development less than 6 weeks ago, Simon Maghakyan has been fervently finalizing Town Hall meeting details, providing resources and tailoring specialized workshops to meet the needs of the various communities he and Asatryan will be visiting. “I am thrilled to meet, work with and learn from our invaluable grassroots activists whose individual passion and dedication comprise our collective successes,” remarked Maghakyan. “I had the pleasure of meeting several members from the ANCA Arizona chapter a few weeks ago when we made our voices heard at a denialist lecture organized by local and national Turkish groups held at Arizona State University. I left Phoenix inspired and motivated by our grassroots’ resoluteness to counter Genocide denialist rhetoric wherever it may lurk and am happy to be returning for a longer visit with the community. This Town Hall Series affords me my first visit to meet with our activists in Houston with whom I’ve been working closely in preparation for our meetings,” added Maghakyan.

“We greatly appreciate the ANCA-WR’s diligent work in getting all Armenian communities connected, and are especially grateful for their assistance in helping us mobilize our communities so that they in turn are able to educate our local and state representatives on important issues that often require immediate and firm action. On the eve of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, Houston should lead by example to promote Genocide Recognition from the State of Texas,” expressed ANCA Houston Representative Vrouir Frankian.

“Now more than ever, we need to make our voices heard. Town hall meetings are an excellent way for members of our community to not only acquire knowledge about recent developments in Armenia, Artsakh and issues affecting Armenian-American communities, but how to also become more involved in the advancement of addressing and resolving these issues through working with our local ANCA chapters. I look forward to seeing new faces on March 14 amidst those of our most loyal compatriots,” stated ANCA-Arizona activist Zaroug Susie Baltajian.

The ANCA-WR Town Hall series was implemented to activate and engage Armenian American communities throughout the Western United States. Previous years’ town hall meetings have spanned the cities of Boise, Houston, Seattle, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Fresno, and San Francisco.

The meetings are led by ANCA-WR senior staff and Executive Board members who provide attendees with an overview of the organization and its priorities. After the presentation, community members have an opportunity to ask questions, discuss issues of concern, make recommendations, and learn about ways to get involved with ANCA efforts locally.

For more information about the upcoming ANCA Town Hall meetings individuals are encouraged to contact the ANCA-WR office by emailing info@ancawr.org or by calling 818.500.1918.

The Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region is the largest and most influential Armenian American grassroots advocacy organization in the Western United States. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the Western United States and affiliated organizations around the country, the ANCA-WR advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.