Armenian-Americans: Strangers in a Strange Land

My ethnic roots have played a significant role in my upbringing. Although immigrating to America, neither of my parents ever let the globalizing or assimilating forces of this country strip them of their heritage and culture. For our fourth assignment, I am choosing to dive in the past of my own ethnic group and research the mass immigration of Armenians to America during the 1940s and 1950s. In my essay, I will discuss how, despite many adversities, the Armenian people were able to stay steadfast to their cultural and religious heritage.

After researching the different sources found in the end of the “California Dreams and Realities” book, I was unable to find a significant amount of data regarding Armenian immigration to California or Los Angeles. As a result, similar to our third assignment, I used Proquest and other similar library databases to investigate the reasons and effects of the mass immigration. I share a few of my sources below:

Dermenjian, Adriana. "L.A. = Little Armenia: The Story of the Armenian Diaspora in Los Angeles Today." Journalism (Online Journalism), 2010. United States -- California: ProQuest. Web. 30 Oct. 2011.

This source is actually a Thesis prepared for the Faculty of the USC Graduate School in partial fulfillment for a Master’s Degree. In her Thesis, Dermenjian discusses the different motives of the immigration, citing the socialization of Asia and the enforcement of Communism in Armenia as the two chief reasons that drove the mass migration. This source fails, however, in discussing the immigration patterns of Armenian-Americans before the 1960s. This source is particularly useful in chronicling different significant events that occurred within the Armenian-American community including the opening of the first school, church, and community center.

Garabed, C. K. "Armenian Culture in America: Dead Or Alive? Part I of III." Armenian Reporter: 6. Ethnic NewsWatch. Apr 28 2001. Web. 30 Oct. 2011 < http://search.proquest.com/docview/371409374?accountid=14749>.

This source is a newspaper article discussing the conservation of culture and heritage within the Armenian-American population in great detail. This author takes the perspective of a former teacher and journalist. The article discusses the number of institutions that were established in an attempt to foster Armenian cultural activity, including language schools, literary societies, religious institutions, dance groups, and community centers. This article is also unique in discussing the different methods on how the immigrants attempted to seek the American dream, including the drive to purchase property and the encouraging of higher education within the younger generation.

"Slide Presentation of First Armenians in Calif. Now Available." Armenian Reporter International (1967-1988): 10. Ethnic NewsWatch. Mar 03 1983. Web. 31 Oct. 2011 <http://search.proquest.com/docview/363101905?accountid=14749>. 

 This source discusses the Armenian-American presence in Central-California, particularly Bakersfield and Fresno. The author sites the 1920s as the “Golden Years” in Fresno as the agricultural and farming industries attracted immigrants from across the world. The author, however, does not discuss the reasons or motives behind the exodus of Armenians from Central-California to Los Angeles. The article concludes with a discussion on prominent Armenian-Americans including Governor George Deukmejian and Chip Pashayan.

An Evening with Tracy Kidder

Tracy Kidder

As always, Visions and Voices did not disappoint in providing an exhilarating evening of discussion, debate, and dialogue. The speaker on October 19, 2011 was Tracy Kidder, a Pulitzer-Prize winning American writer. During his presentation, Kidder discussed his biography of Dr. Paul Farmer, entitled Mountains Beyond Mountains. Dr. Paul Farmer is a medical anthropologist, physician, and founder of Partners in health, an organization that provides medical care in Peru, Siberia, and rural Haiti (A link to Partners in Health can be found here). Kidder presented Dr. Farmer as a humanitarian that has devoted his life to providing needed care to disadvantaged communities in these countries.



Rural Haiti

In terms of writing and rhetoric, Kidder discussed how he organized his book on presenting short stories, or anecdotes, about Dr. Farmer interacting with patients in these countries. Also, Kidder used photos he took himself to effectively display the disparity and turmoil that the countries had fallen into. Kidder also discussed the different projects undertaken by Partners in health in attempting to provide better healthcare in the rural villages, including the building of hospitals and health centers. Kidder finished his presentation by answering a few questions from the audience and providing an address where students could send donations to assist Partners in Health. The evening turned out to be fairly interesting and provided an exciting opportunity for students to communicate with an award winning author. I look forward to finding his book and immersing myself into his creative genius.



The Chinese Massacre of 1871

Los Angeles has seen many different riots and racial conflicts throughout the ages. All of them have ended in death, tragedy, and destruction. The Chinese Massacre of 1871 is one such example that has left unbearable wounds on the Asian-American population of Los Angeles. On October 24, 1871, a mob of over 500 white men entered the Los Angeles Chinatown to attack, rob, and brutally murder the Chinese residents of the city. This racially motivated massacre left more than 80 Chinese residents dead. Of the 500 men who attacked and ransacked the city, only eight were ever convicted of manslaughter.

This event is important to study because it is an event rarely studied in Los Angeles history. I had never even heard of this massacre before doing research for this class. I chose this topic because I found it fascinating how only eight out of the 500 white men were convicted of the massacre. In my research I will be looking for particular events that triggered the great riot. I will also be looking for information on how this event affected the Chinese American and Asian-American population of Los Angeles in the future. My essay will focus on the effects of this massacre and the different lessons it teaches the Los Angeles community.