Category Archives: General Update
General Status Updates/News of Our Website
St. Hagop Armenian Church Benefit Concert Featuring Local Pianist Haig Yaghoobian
PINELLAS PARK, FL – On Sunday, March 14, 2021, St. Hagop Armenian Church will present a Benefit Concert in celebration of Beethoven’s 250th Birthday. The program will consist of several of Beethoven’s works such as Kleinigkeitin (“little things”), six Lieder, Op. 48 (sacred songs based on a poem by Christian Gellert), and Sonata Pathetique (Op. 13, No. 8).
Parish Council member and accomplished recital pianist Haig Yaghoobian will perform along with acclaimed soprano Suzanna Hovhannisian.
The concert will start after Badarak (Holy Service) at 1:00pm in Shahnasarian Hall and will begin with a strawberry & champagne reception. Admission is $10 at the door.
AGBU Launches Artsakh Research Grants
In response to the Artsakh war, the subsequent media conflict, and the imperative need for incontestable scholarly research and analysis, AGBU is announcing the Artsakh Research Grants. This newly established initiative will raise awareness and enhance knowledge of Artsakh by expanding both mainstream and scholarly access to the region’s history, culture, and current affairs and disseminate this array of information to the public. The AGBU grant will enrich assets on Artsakh studies by adding original published work to a greater pool of primary resources and accurate accountings based on pioneering research and other existing publications.
“The genesis of this grant was the concept of knowledge-based identity formation,” said AGBU Central Board Member and Education Specialist Lena Sarkissian. “We established the grant to enhance the skills and research methods that help shape the Armenian identity to further understand the Armenian reality, promote awareness, and build reliable knowledge of Armenia and Artsakh. We want to control and spread our narrative to the world with quality data, verifiable sources, and on-the-ground research that will withstand the test of time.”
The grant is open to students and scholars of all heritages. Graduate students, academics, researchers, post-doctoral scholars, independent writers, freelance journalists, and others interested in developing an expertise and understanding of Artsakh are encouraged to apply.
Research may include but is not limited to historical and/or contemporary work examining social, cultural, psychological, legal, economic, technological, humanitarian, and environmental issues of the region’s past, present and future. Published work may include articles, reports, papers, as well as high-quality videos and podcasts.
Grant proposals must include samples of previously published work, a resume/CV, and a proposed budget with strategy for the on-the-ground research project. Proposals and completed works can be submitted in English, French, Spanish, or Russian.
Applications are in English and will be accepted on a rolling basis until April 30, 2021.
To learn more about the AGBU Artsakh Research Grants, visit www.agbu.org/artsakhgrants.
Rep. David Valadao Named Armenian Caucus Co-Chair for 117th Congress
WASHINGTON DC – On January 26, 2021, Congressman David G. Valadao was named a co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues.
“Armenia is a nation so many of my constituents know and love,” said Congressman Valadao. “During my time in Congress, I introduced several resolutions formally recognizing the Ottoman Empire’s deportation and extermination of over two million Armenian people and, after years of Armenian-American advocacy for this cause, the House and the Senate finally passed H.Res.296, Affirming the United States record on the Armenian Genocide. However, my fight on behalf of my Armenian-American constituents must continue. Armenians living in Nagorno Karabakh recently faced attacks from Azerbaijani forces in violation of their decade-old ceasefire agreement. This kind of aggression is unacceptable and must end immediately. I am committed to working with my colleagues in Congress on this issue and other issues of importance to the Armenian-American community as co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues. We must continue to advocate for the Armenian people and encourage the new Administration to maintain and strengthen relationships between the United States, Armenia, and Artsakh [Nagorno Karabakh].”
“The Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues has always operated in a bipartisan fashion, and I know our current co-chairs will continue this tradition,” stated Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ). “I’m confident we will work together to ensure the United States strengthens its relationship with Armenia and supports its young, democratically elected government that was shaken by last year’s devastating aggressions by Azeri and Turkish forces in the region. I look forward to working with my colleagues on the Caucus to ensure the incoming Secretaries of State and Defense are focused on reassessing our strategic relationships in the Caucasus region, upholding the principle of human rights, and holding bad actors like Turkish President Erdogan accountable.”
“We’re very pleased to welcome Congressman Valadao back to Congress and even more excited that he is rejoining the leadership of the Congressional Armenian Caucus. His deep knowledge of the history of the Armenian people and of the current challenges the young Republics of Armenia and Artsakh face will do well in representing his Armenian American constituents and the broader community in the years ahead,” stated FLArmenians.com Editor Taniel Koushakjian.
Congressman Valadao joins Armenian Caucus co-chairs Reps. Frank Pallone Jr., Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Jackie Speier (D-CA), and Vice-Chair Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA).
Florida Armenians 