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I recently had the privilege of speaking about journalism and Armenian media at a panel discussion hosted at the AGBU Manoogian-Demirjian school in Canoga Park. The panel also included longtime journalist and Horizon TV anchor Paul Chaderjian and freelance writer and ianyanmag.com editor Liana Aghajanian.

Recently a stream of Armenian-on-Armenian violence has captured headlines in Southern California. Among the most tragic is the story of Mike Yepremyan, a 19 year old Armenian who was shot to death in a Sears parking lot in North Hollywood by another Armenian after they argued about a text message.

Several dozen youth gathered at AYF Camp this past weekend for the Armenian Youth Federation’s annual Educational Seminar, where the issues of assimilation and repatriation were explored through lectures, discussions, debates, and other group activities. The seminar kicked off Friday night with Director Elizabeth Chouljian, ANCA's Communications Director and an AYF alumna herself, presenting the opening remarks and asking the campers to introduce themselves individually. Chouldjian created a welcoming environment, insisting that everyone call her Ungerouhi Yeghso.

As another April comes and goes, and we mourn the loss of our ancestors almost a century ago, we again look toward recognition. States, counties, cities and municipalities will pass resolutions in their legislative bodies acknowledging truth, paying homage to social justice and international human rights. Rallies will assemble, protests will emerge and we will unite with our brothers and sisters around the world demanding that the Republic of Turkey accept guilt for its atrocities beginning in 1915. Such has been the case for decades and we have made inroads in our battle for justice. With that said, there are still many milestones toward recognition which the Armenian community is still looking to accomplish.

The horrendous crimes of genocide committed by the Ottoman Government against the Armenians in 1915 will forever be a bitter truth in Armenian history, but it does not identify us as a people. We have much to celebrate in our few thousand years of existence and, most importantly, we must feel proud to have survived through what I hope was the worst of it. However, our existence today does not mean that our fight for survival is unnecessary; on the contrary, every day we are fighting for the survival of our language, our faith, our homeland, and especially the survival of our future.