Latinos, Armenians take first step

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Latinos, Armenians take first step

The two groups have formed a committee to bridge social, political and cultural gaps.

 

By GREGORY ARROYO

 

 

MONTEBELLO -- Like two decks of cards waiting to be shuffled together,

Armenian and Latino leaders met last week to discuss the formation of an organization

that aims to build bridges between two of the biggest ethnic groups in the city of

Montebello.

With recent clashes between Armenian and Latino youths in Glendale that led to one

death, the leaders are taking an active approach to the problem. Both sides admit there

are parallels to their historical progress in these communities but acknowledge they have

done little to cross paths.

"Some of us have been living in this community for 40 years and we know nothing

about each other," said Leon Kirakosian, an attorney and chairman of the San Gabriel

National Armenian Committee. "Shame on us, but that's what it is."

The meeting was held at the Tumanjan Youth Center at the Armenian Holy Cross

Cathedral on Lincoln Boulevard in Montebello. Gathered around a table were

educators, political leaders and Latino and Armenian activists. Among those attending

were the Mesrobian Armenian School Student Council, along with a student advisor

and the principal.

The group's next meeting, where the topic will be an action plan for the committee,

is scheduled for Wednesday at the Mesrobian Armenian School, 8420 Beverly Road in

Pico Rivera.

Serving as interim chair until the organization is officially formed is Ray Cordova,

district director for Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-Montebello). Napolitano is expected to

attend meetings in the future.

"We don't want what happened in Glendale to spill over into this community,"

Cordova said. "And we want to use this entity for a role model for others."

The plan is to open communication lines between the two groups, which would be

highlighted, they hope, by a joint festival in the future that would honor both cultures.

A short debate took place over a tentative mission statement, which stated the

group would act as a problem-solver, pushing a positive agenda toward linking both

sides politically, socially and culturally. Some members said the word youth should be

added; others said any negative connotations should be struck from the statement, such

as the description of the group as a problem-solver.

Also discussed was the possibility of including other cultural groups in Montebello,

such as the Asian community. The group, however, said building links between Latinos

and Armenians should come before expanding. But they did agree that other ethnic

groups would be added in the future.

The group also talked about bringing leaders from Glendale who have been working

to bring the two cultures together. Gus Frias, a safe schools coordinator for the Los

Angeles Unified School District, said he is part of a team that went to Glendale's

Hoover High School to try to reduce tensions there after a Latino student was stabbed

to death by Armenian youths.

"We knew what the problems were in Glendale six months prior to the incident at

Hoover High School but went wrong," Frias said. "We're going to have growing pains,

but we need to be proactive."

Raffi Kassabian, student body president at the Mesrobian School, agreed. He said

there are a lot of things he doesn't know about Latino culture and that it's critical that

both communities coexist in such a diverse city.

"I would like to see what other student bodies think," Kassabian said. "This is a

good idea because there are a lot of stereotypes out there. And we need to get across

that we're all one."