Why I’m Not White
And this Azerbaijani / Turkish offensive is the latest in a history of ethnic cleansing
I’m an ethnic Armenian, but I was born in the US, where I’ve studied politics, philosophy and social justice and was raised by quadrilingual Armenian grandparents in a Latino neighborhood.
I was born here because my ancestors were slaughtered on their homeland during the 20th Century’s first modern genocide, perpetrated by Ottoman Turks under the cover of World War I.
Though my complexion is light, I identify more with people of color. Here’s why.
Have you seen the news?
We are under attack.
Where are your signs, your hashtags?
As of a few minutes ago, it’s become clear that Azerbaijan, in violation of the humanitarian cease-fire, has persisted in trying to infiltrate Armenian forces.
Manipulating a cease-fire to cause more damage: Move #13 in The Barbarian Playbook, my imaginary handbook on Azerbaijan and Turkey’s war crimes and acts of toxic hostility against the Republic of Armenia and the independent territory we call the Republic of Artsakh.
Leaving scores of dead bodies on the border was move #12. Perhaps Azerbaijan should stop attacking civilian targets with illegal weapons now and finally begin taking account of and burying dead Azeri soldiers left on the border? The cruelty.
The Azerbaijani military, backed by Turkey, rather than “regaining territorial integrity,” as has been the stated purpose of this 2-week military offensive, only continues to rain down terror and fire (including Israeli-made cluster bombs) on the civilian population in Nagorno-Karabakh (NK), which is precisely the sort of inhumanity that started the first Nagorno-Karabakh liberation war — a war that Armenians won handily to claim independence from this genocidal oppressor.
This is why Azerbaijan and Turkey’s joint offensive is an existential threat to the Armenian people, and why standing down, for the Armenian people, is not an option.
Disarming NK is a first step toward ethnic cleansing, which has consistently been the policy of the Turkic states (Azerbaijan and Turkey) who, for a century, have engaged in denialist propaganda, historical revisionism and the desecration of historic sites designed to eliminate any trace of the Armenian people off of their historic homelands (see: The Armenian Genocide).
Discussions of international treaty agreements are a smoke screen. The real agenda is claiming more Armenian land and eliminating more Armenians. With that, the elimination of heritage — most recently evidenced by the targeted bombing of an ancient Armenian cathedral in Nagorno-Karabakh. Again, this is an unprovoked war based not on “territorial integrity,” but a renewed attempt to destroy cultural heritage and deny our place in the world by a familiar oppressor — one driven by the same toxic ideology (pan-Turkism / Turkish Nationalism), and armed with far more sophisticated weapons of death than their Ottoman forefathers.
Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh today are fighting as defensive a war as war can ever be; as just a war as war can ever be. And we’re doing it with humanity, civility and boundless courage. Alas, as always, we’re also doing it mostly alone and against immense odds. Such has been our destiny — the destiny of the world’s first Christian nation, the destiny of a small but resilient and creative people.
My heart is with our defense, with our soldiers. Incidentally, as others have said this week, this why I — as an Armenian — do not identify as “white.” “White people” do not live their lives in fear of eradication.
White is a shade on the color spectrum, not a heritage. And most who identify as white today do not defend themselves against ethnic cleansing; do not fight truly defensive wars for their survival.
So when Armenians put up signs and hashtags saying #BlackLivesMatter and #ArmeniansForBlackLives, that shit really means something — whether or not many know the history. Now we’re under attack. Where are your signs, your hashtags?
We need your awareness today.
This isn’t only about color. Armenian-Americans today, particularly among the social justice-minded youth, have stood up alongside many — from the plight of Chinese, Tibetans and Burmese to those in Palestine and Sudan; from denouncing Holocaust denial to supporting people of color amidst American racial tensions. Armenians have joined American progressives in solidarity against countless illegal wars, and supported many victims of genocide past and present.
Ten years ago at the United Nations, following a talk I gave on healing and reconciliation between Armenians and Turks, a Native American woman approached me. She had been so touched, she said, that while introducing my ideas, I mentioned the plight of her people on this land. By my mention, she had felt seen, held, acknowledged.
Now, as Armenians witness this renewed assault on our existence — mired as it is in distortion, misinformation and irresponsibly partial media reporting — I understand that Native American woman ever more deeply.
We need your acknowledgement today.
While some of you may be new to this issue and region, the fog of this hostility brings up ghosts of the past. And to all who seem disinterested and uncaring — in the media, our classrooms, places of work or community — your silence stings.
Where are your signs, your hashtags?
Now is the time. Give us your wokeness.
Now more than ever: on behalf of my Armenian brothers and sisters in Armenia and abroad, I ask for human solidarity.
Please. Share this with your friends, contact me about credible organizations to donate to, contact your legislators and let them know you know.
#StopAzerbaijaniAgression #StopAliyev #SanctionTurkey #DefendArtsakh #DefendArmenia #StopErdogan
This is not an accusation, but an invitation: bring those signs! ✊🏼🙏🏼 Join us today, in Manhattan, for a peaceful march to demand accurate media coverage of this universal human rights issue.
