Armenian diaspora discussion held in Monarch Hall

The three-hour event featured a student panel of Armenian Student Association members followed by a discussion between Armenian leaders in a variety of fields.

By Isaac Dektor, Editor-in-Chief

Serj Tankian, vocalist for heavy metal band System of a Down, participated in a panel discussing the Armenian diaspora at Valley College. (Isaac Dektor | Valley Star)

A priest, a politician, a scholar, a tech CEO and a heavy metal singer make for an unlikely panel, but their overarching Armenian identity trumped any occupational differences as the group discussed what ultimately brought them to Monarch Hall on a Friday night — the diaspora.

Lily Sarafian, a staff member in Assemblyman Adrin Nazarian’s office, moderated the first panel, which consisted of Armenian Student Association members from various colleges. Moderated by Elliana Abovian of KTLA, the second panel of the night featured Nazarian, who represents the east San Fernando Valley through district 46 of the state assembly. Seated beside the assemblyman were four influential Armenian leaders: System of a Down vocalist Serj Tankin, Service Titan Co-founder and President Vahe Kuzoyan, Father Mesrop Ash of the St. John Armenian Apostolic Church and Shushan Karapetian, who holds a doctorate degree in Armenian studies from USC. Fifty audience members attended the event, which was part of a series entitled “Hyetalks,” using the Armenian word “hye” that literally translates to “Armenia.”

“As we all melt into one another, right here in California and Los Angeles, that's gonna make us so much more powerful,” said Nazarian. “That’s what makes us very distinct and different. Some of those things that may have contributed to minor alienations or traumas or whatever else, I think are going to make us profoundly even stronger.”

Having been born in Iran and emigrated to the U.S., the assemblymember’s childhood diverged from his wife’s, who was born in the U.S. and raised in Venezuela by her Turkish-Armenian family.

(L-R) Elliana Abovian of KTLA, Assemblyman Adrin Nazarian, Father Mesrop Ash, Vahe Kuzoyan; President of Service Titan, Shushan Karapetian and Serj Tankian.

The discussion highlighted the variety of ways of thinking about Armenian identity as a result of the physical and cultural displacement of an entire people. Each panelist spoke of their individual experiences as Armenians growing up away from their homeland, which highlighted the impact of the diaspora on fragmenting and displacing a historically unified group of people.

Tankian, who advocated for the U.S. to recognize the Armenian genocide decades before President Joe Biden ultimately did so, spoke about learning how different Armenian communities experienced immigration to the U.S.

“I haven't been alienated nor experienced racism,” said Tankian. “I learned about Fresno Armenians and how they experienced racism many years ago when the community was moving there and how horrible and difficult it was.”

The Armenian exodus created tight-knit communities all over the world throughout the last 100 years, largely as a result of the 1915 Armenian genocide perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire. Two panels, one of ASA members and the other made up of Armenian leaders in a wide range of fields, discussed the diaspora, identity and the recent Nagorno-Karabakh War.

“My mouth goes everywhere; my justice goes everywhere, including to my own people,” said the singer and activist.