The month of April is widely recognized as Armenian History Month in Los Angeles County. Since the Armenian Genocide memorial was on April 24th this seemed like the best time time to highlight Armenia and the Armenian community at Golden Valley High School.

A little about Armenian History

Armenia is a small country in the mountainous Caucasus region between Asia and Europe. The country is home to one of the oldest civilizations in the world, dating back to 3,500 years ago. Armenia was also the first civilization to adopt Christianity as a national religion. Armenia has a prosperous and exuberant culture filled with magnificent music, lively dances, and a melodic beautiful language.

Unfortunately, because of the Armenian Genocide of 1915, the Armenian people have been displaced and now have a diaspora of people living throughout the world. The 1915 Armenian Genocide was the physical annihilation and massacre of Armenian Christians by the Ottoman Empire.

1.5 million Armenians were killed by massacres, extreme starvation, exposure, and systematic ill-treatment while forced to march through the desert of Der Zor (Syrian Desert). These massacres are some of the many reasons why Armenians were forced to escape to different places in the world for their safety, hence why now there are a larger number of Armenians living outside of Armenia.

There are currently 385,488 Armenians living in the United States and about 155,237 of them live in California, mostly in the Los Angeles area. Los Angeles County Recognizes April as Armenian History Month. In honor of the Armenian Genocide, every year on April 24th Armenians will visit the Montebello Genocide Monument in Montebello, California, and in Armenia, many will visit The Tsitsernakaberd Armenian Genocide Memorial Complex to memorialize the 1.5 million lost souls.

This being said, April for the Armenian community is about celebrating the Armenian people and culture. I asked a few Armenian students here at Golden Valley to celebrate our diverse ethnicity.

Armenians At Golden Valley

The Armenian identity is important to preserve.Chris Melkonian, a senior student here at Golden Valley who continues to celebrate his Armenian identity, says, “It’s a big part of my life. I accept it as my culture and traditions.” Melkonian also mentioned that although he was born here he still attends Armenian camp every summer and enjoys it expressing, “Going there is a great experience to meet new people and meet people who are also Armenian.”

For Armenians, our faith is most important to us. It has saved us and given us hope through years of pain and suffering. Our faith has held us strong for generations and it unified us even distances apart. “Going to church and being with other Armenians and celebrating our culture and our values, makes me feel like we’re one big family,” Melkonian mentioned.

Another student attending school in the Los Angeles area, who wishes to remain anonymous, stateds “Being Armenian is one of the greatest gifts and blessings for me. It is my culture and my life.” They have been in Armenian class at their school since freshman year and have been learning more and more every year even though they already knew the language. “To me, it means that I am strong and I hold my head up high,” they added.

Armenians are everywhere and although it has been hard at times, I am happy and proud to be an Armenian. This being said, by the beginning of next year, I hope to start an Armenian club here at Golden Valley to include, unite, and represent the little community of Armenians we have here at Golden Valley.