‘There is No Place for Hate,’ Says GUSD Board Member Krikorian
BY GREGORY S. KRIKORIAN
I am deeply disturbed and concerned by the hateful, anti-Armenian material recently found in the neighborhood surrounding Glenoaks Elementary School.
As a member of the Glendale Unified School District Board of Education and as an Armenian American who has spent over two decades working to strengthen Armenian language and GUSD Foreign Language programs (FLAG) and cultural education within our schools, this incident is deeply personal to me.
Glendale Unified serves one of the largest concentrations of Armenian-American students and families in the world outside of Armenia. For generations, our community has worked alongside Glendale Unified to ensure that our students have the opportunity to learn their language, understand their history and celebrate their heritage.
That makes the timing and location of this incident particularly painful.
This year, Glendale Unified School District will be launching the nation’s first Western Armenian Dual Language Immersion Program at Glenoaks Elementary school — a historic accomplishment made possible through years of advocacy, commitment and partnership among parents, educators, community leaders and Glendale Unified.
At a moment when our children should be celebrating their language, culture and heritage, hateful material was found in the very neighborhood where many of these students walk to and from school.
There is absolutely no place for hate, racism, bigotry, discrimination or intimidation in our schools, neighborhoods or community.
I appreciate Principal Christine Aroyan and the Glenoaks Elementary staff for their prompt response, and for making clear that hate speech and culturally insensitive language will not be tolerated. I also support the District and Glendale Police Department in their efforts to investigate where this material came from and to determine who may be responsible.
Since learning of this incident, I have been in communication with parents, educators, community leaders, representatives of the Armenian National Committee of America – Glendale Chapter, and members of our Glendale Unified community. I will continue listening to their concerns and advocating for an appropriate and meaningful response.
Our responsibility cannot end with simply condemning hate.
We must demonstrate through our actions that every student, employee and family in Glendale Unified is welcome, respected, supported and safe. Our children should never have to question whether they belong because of their heritage, language, culture or identity.
What happened near Glenoaks Elementary will not diminish what our community has accomplished. If anything, it reinforces why programs like Western Armenian Dual Language Immersion are so important.
Our children deserve to grow up knowing their language, understanding their history, embracing their heritage and feeling proud of who they are. They also deserve to know that their schools and their community will stand with them when they are targeted by hate.
When one community is targeted, it is incumbent upon all of us to speak up.
Our silence should not be the message. Our unified voice should be.
Gregory S. Krikorian is a members of Glendale Unified School District Board of Education Member, Area B.
