Armenian community, by the numbers

ANI AMIRKHANIAN

A local Armenian activist, business owner and someone who I consider

an inspiration recently hosted an event titled “Dynamics of the

Armenian Community.” I attended the event, curious to hear what would

be said and left having absorbed a good deal of information.

The purpose of this event was to inform the public about the 2000

demographic characteristics of the Armenian populations in the United

States as reported and compiled by the U.S. Census Bureau.

After the presentation, I left with my mind boggled with

statistics that were crucial for the understanding of the Armenian

community and informative for the city’s public officials, other key

players and the public at large. I was delighted to see Armenians and

non-Armenians taking part to learn about the changing dynamics of the

Glendale community.

Now the task at hand is for the city to continue to accommodate

and better meet the needs of the ever-changing Armenian and other

ethnic communities.

I left the event having absorbed a lot of numbers, some of which

took me by surprise. Then I thought to myself that even though the

Armenian community has established an identity in Glendale -- with so

much in transition -- there is still room for progress.

There is no doubt that there was an influx in immigration between

1990-2000 and in this 10-year period, the Armenian population in Los

Angeles county experienced a growth rate of 45.2%, as reported by the

U.S. Census. In those 10 years, the Armenian Glendale population

increased by 71.5%. These numbers are astounding considering how

rapidly the population grew.

I can remember back when people didn’t know whom Armenians were

and where they came from.

Then gradually as the Armenian community grew in size,

non-Armenians and other ethnic groups alike began learning more about

the culture, language and the disparities in the sub-cultures. Little

did many people know about the Diaspora Armenians or the long history

of Armenians in the United States and around the world.

Even though more people are knowledgeable, there is still a need

to continue educating others, or “odars” as Armenians refer to them,

about the ethnic Armenian diversity. I can honestly say that I was

actually caught off guard when I heard some of the statistics

pertaining to the Armenian community in Glendale.

According to the Census bureau, the per capita income for

Armenians living in Glendale is $14,033 and the median household

income is $28,505. A lot of people at this event who were also

surprised at these numbers let out a chuckle or laughed when these

numbers were read. One of the guest speakers pointed out that the

numbers were suspect and jokingly said, “Armenians drive fancy cars

like Mercedes’ and BMWs” but still have the lowest per capita income

compared to other groups.

The per capita income comes as a surprise due mostly because of

the nature of careers and line of work Armenians attempt to pursue.

After having lived in the community for almost my entire life, I can

say that a lot of Armenians like to dabble in business and invest

their time and income and become entrepreneurs where they can earn

profits without having to work for anyone else.

Not too long ago, acquaintances of mine who happen to be community

leaders said that by venturing into private business, Armenians enjoy

a sense of independence by “being their own boss.” The feeling of

accomplishing and succeeding at a business brings a sense of pride to

the community.

But then again the Census statistics show that 21.9% of Armenians,

or roughly 3,734 of the Armenian population, receive public

assistance such as welfare, Section 8 housing and other social

services. Whether these numbers are really suspect or somewhat skewed

depends upon how people of Armenian ancestry identify themselves on

the Census surveys, according to the Census Los Angeles regional

bureau.

Some people with Armenian ancestry may check-off “white,” on paper

while others specify “Armenian” as an ethnic origin.

Do the numbers compiled by the Census reflect the way Armenians

identify themselves? So does this mean that ethnic identity is a

matter of personal preference? I don’t think there is a right or

wrong answer to any of these questions.

Whatever the case may be, the Armenian community is one of

multiple identities and numbers can tell a lot about the way people

adapt, embrace and accept their ever-evolving culture.

* ANI AMIRKHANIAN is a resident of Glendale, a graduate of USC and

a freelance writer. Reach her at anisaccount@yahoo.com.