Glendale’s Armenian Genocide Monument: An Unrealized Dream worth Pursuing

A call to action: We need to act for sake of the victims, the next generation, and the City of Glendale

Glendale, the second or third most Armenian-populated city in the world (after Armenian Capital Yerevan and perhaps Moscow), is considered the heart of the Armenian Diaspora. Apart from sheer numbers, this city is the hometown of many famous Americans of Armenian descent who have contributed a great amount to this country.

With the year 2015 just around the corner, and nearly a decade after City of Glendale (and it’s Armenian as well as Non-Armenian residents) were considerate and generous enough to dedicate a parcel of land to this very purpose (of immortalization of the memory of millions of victims), we still do NOT have an Armenian Genocide monument in this great City. The dedicated land is located on the cross street of Mountain Ave. and Verdugo Rd., across from Glendale Community College (GCC).

Procedurally, a committee was setup, meetings were held, a design competition was put together and its winner was declared (and awarded). And then everything stopped.

While there surely ought to be legitimate reasons for such a shortcoming, we owe it to ourselves, the memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide, the next generations, and most importantly to the great City of Glendale to speed up this process and finally complete this so desired monument.

Why do we owe it to the City of Glendale to finish this project as soon as possible? While the value of this monument to the Armenian residence of the City might be of educational and commemorative in nature and to a large degree symbolic, a well designed and built monument (and educational complex discussed further below) has the real potential of becoming a regional landmark which will also boost tourism to our City and revive its hospitality and food sectors which have suffered greatly in the last few years. While scale of the current project are smaller in size and projected cost, the Holocaust Memorial in Germany attracted 3.5 million visitors each year which is equivalent to about 10,000 visitors every day. That monument was called a “tourist magnet” on a national and international level. At worst, the Glendale project will boost Glendale’s tourism value on a state and national level. At best, City of Glendale will become the Human Rights capital of the region. Building of this monument will also mean creation of coveted new construction jobs in the City.

What has been missing in the previous design is an educational center. While understanding the difficulties of creating such a center, we would like to suggest the inclusion a virtual museum in form of interactive learning kiosks which will allow visitors to not only visit the site, but also learn about the Armenian Genocide. These kiosks can be wifi-enabled to connect to a number of virtual museums (example:http://www.memcosoft.com/genocidemuseum/) on the Armenian Genocide which are currently operational. While periodic maintenance would be an issue, many such kiosks are already operational without direct manpower requirement at thousands of metro stations across the world which provide route information, vend tickets and stubs, and perform many other functions.

The first question to ask is why the monument hasn’t been built almost a decade after the dedication of the land parcel?

Once this question is answered, we might be able to find ways to overcome this issue.

Financial Considerations

Some have claimed that finances are the issue keeping this project from moving forward. Of course, finances play an important part in every project, program, or event. However, considering the importance of this project both to the Armenian public at large, and to the City of Glendale and its businesses, building of such an important landmark should not be hindered by any financing issues. Just from speaking to local residents, young and old, business and labor, one can see that such a project enjoys the support of all echelons of the society. Therefore, funding will not (and SHALL NOT) be an issue. The community can fundraise for two years and begin the construction phase of the project in the third year just in time to unveil the project for the 100 years anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

Political and Other Considerations

Some have attempted to reserve the exclusive right to monument building while others have questioned the wisdom of building a second monument while "there is already a monument in Montebello, California." Both such claims are destined to fail.

This project cannot and should not be a showdown of who can take the credit for such an important project. A decade is a long time. Now, it is up to the community, the people, and the City to move this project forward.

Secondly, such monuments and reminders of man’s inhumanity to man should be many; they should be everywhere. Having a chapter of an organization doesn’t preclude that organization from having yet another chapter. Why should having a monument preclude having a second, third, or forth one?

Timing and Location

Timing

Maybe the timing and the location is an issue for some. But, if not now, with three years remaining to 2015, then when?

With the year 2015 fast approaching, such a monument will be the greatest gift to the public at large. Be it Armenian or non-Armenian, every citizen of Glendale would benefit from having a landmark in its backyard.  Every visitor and tourist to Los Angeles would consider Glendale as a must see location in their travel itinerary. These tourists would spend money in Glendale and our businesses would also benefit. In turn, our City’s coffers would be fuller than ever.

Location

If not in Glendale, in a parcel dedicated to this very purpose near Glendale Community College (where thousands of Armenian and Non-Armenian residents visit on a daily basis), then where?

If the location is not to the liking of the naysayers of the project, they are more than able to go out and purchase another land (extra cost), obtain the necessary permits (extra cost), and yet again wait another 10 years or so. We need to move beyond holding a meeting after another meeting. It is interesting to hold them, but we need to act. Time is running out and we owe a duty to the victims, ourselves, and most importantly to the City of Glendale and its residents.

Conclusion

It is time to move beyond eloquent words and speeches. It is time to act. The Armenian Genocide monument in Glendale has the potential of being a regional landmark, one which would benefit all concerned parties. From job creation, to promoting tourism, from immortalization of victims’ memories to reaching one step further in condemning Genocides, this monument will do it all. Years after our generation is gone, this landmark will stay. It will stay and serve as a symbol of our City’s commitment to universal human rights, justice, and compassion. It will serve as the symbol of our generation’s will to stand up against oppression everywhere.