A blink of an eye and it was already week 3 of the ANCA  - Western Region Summer Internship. Another week filled with many new educational opportunities, and I was ready to take all that knowledge in. I, as an Armenian, have felt the effects of the Armenian Genocide. I know it as a tragedy that ended the lives of 1.5 million Armenians just because they were Armenians. But during this week I got to learn that, not only the genocide happen more than once, but I got to perceive it as not only a distant historical fact with statistical numbers, but real people with lives lost, with stories that were never told, bright futures that never had the chance of blooming.

This week I discovered what proof requires. Proof, I learned, has a very specific and narrow definition – and meeting it is its own kind of labor. Armenians have carried the truth of what happened to us for over a century – but truth and legal proof are not the same thing. This week showed me just how much distance sits between these two. I grasped that although the 2020 Artsakh war was not labeled as a genocide, it was. The Armenians of Artsakh were subjected to  ethnic cleansing and everyone got kicked out of their own homes. This so-called peace that was signed, is not peace. Peace would mean Artsakhtsies having the right to return to their homes, which they do not. The International Criminal Court (ICC) can convict individuals of genocide, an event can also be legally labeled as genocide by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) regarding state responsibility, or recognized politically by UN bodies and sovereign governments. In order to get that ruling we need to prove intent. Proof that the Azerbaijan force had the intent to ethnically cleanse Artsaktsies. That is why our activism is important. We need to raise awareness, we need to be louder to get more people to investigate and research the recognition, to get that justice we deserve. This so-called peace is only silence, Armenians did not get justice with this peace agreement. 

This week distinguished civil litigation attorney and human rights advocate from Keosian law firm Dr. Kevork Hagopjian, Esq. spoke to us  about the Legal Avenues to Pursue Justice for the Armenian Cause. It was an eye opening experience for me because I got to explore the process to get an ethnic cleansing to be recognized as a genocide. And just like any other criminal case, it needs a trial, and needs to be proven the criminal intent. Proving a genocide, it turns out, is a trial like any other – evidence, standard, burden.

Here's what a different kind of proof looked like. During the week, I got the chance to hear Steve Dadaian speak about Armenians in the Western USA. How the Western Armenian community traces its roots to Fresno in 1874. It was not an easy thing to form a community in a foreign place, it took the efforts of many great intellectuals, highlighting The Seropian Brothers as the first Armenian pioneers that settled in Fresno and promoted it as a prime agricultural hub. They got to convince many other families to relocate as well. Another intellectual to highlight is Levon Hagopian who was the creator of the famous Armenian newspaper, Asbarez, established in 1908. This newspaper was an important tool in growing and uniting the Armenian community. This publication was often given out in Armenian churches in Fresno. This educational presentation made me realise how hard it is to start a community in a foreign place. It takes the efforts of many strong minded people, to be able to promote growth, and unity in order to be able to expand and maintain an identity. To not lose our identities, we need schools and churches that teach the younger generation about our history, language and culture. And getting Armenian schools and churches in a country that knows nothing about Armenians is extremely hard, but not impossible. I realized that everything is possible through hard work and dedication. As proven by our early settlers in Fresno. The Seropian brothers didn't have a court to rule in their favor.They had to prove, harvest by harvest, letter by letter, that an Armenian community could take root in a place that had never heard of one.

Being in this internship taught me that, one may not see all the results from the effort that was put in, but it does not mean that those efforts were in vain. Every work, every effort in getting recognition helps. I won't get a courtroom this weekend. But at Navasartian, registering people to vote is its own kind of proof – proof that this community is still here, still organizing, still building. I will be giving my efforts in getting people to register to vote through Hye Votes, and encourage the youth to join this internship and answer any questions regarding the Armenian community.