Ethnic Groups

In the book, ?Invisible China: A Journey Through Ethnic Borderlands,? former Glendale resident Colin Legerton and Jacob Rawson turn a trip to the rural edges of the world?s most populous nation ? to study ethnic minority linguistics of all things ? into a fun experience for themselves and the reader. The book begins and ends with short, informative essays on the People?s Republic of China and its history of assimilating the 56 classified ethnic groups within its borders. After the introduction, however, the authors jump into a journal-like style that invites the reader to take the journey along with them.

We thank the News-Press for the Community Forum page. Born and raised in Los Angeles amid all of its ethnic groups, (I have been a) Glendale resident since 1964, and things do change. We are accused of "spewing hate" because we oppose any city funds being allocated for the monument. Flag dipping is another issue, and we did not care for that, either. Put the monument issue on the ballot and let the chips fall. We love all mankind as children of God, but some people, along with their related issues, are difficult to like.

The letter from Marineh Khachadour ("Recall effort is really about the loss of power," Community Forum, Aug. 31) seems to propose having the different ethnic groups, each in its own community, not blended in with others. This is frightening. What has made this nation so strong is the blending of many nationalities and languages into one. Note the motto "E pluribus unum" ("From many, one"). Our weaknesses are where this does not happen. Those who refuse this merging weaken the nation.

Judy Seckler Fremont Elementary School fifth-grade teacher Sherri Downer asked herself what she could do to make history come alive for her students. The answer came in the form of a historical play titled "How the West was Really Won." The humorous musical, which was performed Thursday, follows the journey of all the ethnic groups and the women who helped settle the West. Parent Johnny Barner designed and built the main prop: a Conestoga wagon in proportion to the fifth-grade students.

I have lived all but seven years of my life in Glendale and am of Armenian descent. Many kudos to Thomas Dixon's very well-written ("Create a special memorial flag," April 17) response to the lowering of the American flag. As he mentioned, "We have a very diverse group of residents of all nationalities living in Glendale." The City Council is really opening up a can of worms by recognizing only one ethnic group and lowering our American flag. This should have never happened in the first place, as it has only increased tensions between the various ethnic groups.

Ani Amirkhanian's [column] ("Hey ... you've got the 'look,' " Feb. 27) about stereotyping of and by Armenians started well, but ended poorly. Ani fell into the common mistake of confusing ethnic and racial divisions when she tried to differentiate between Armenians and Caucasians. Armenians are most definitely Caucasians, since Armenia is in the heart of the Caucasus region. Armenian is an ethnic or national designation, like Norwegian or Italian.

In the wake of Tuesday's terrorist attacks, many of us are asking how we can help. In addition to donating blood and money, each one of us can commit to one very important job: treating others as we ourselves wish to be treated. Our country has a sad history of discrimination against ethnic groups, and all the monetary restitution and heartfelt apologies cannot later make up for injustices committed against fellow human beings. Do not allow yourself to repeat our mistakes against the Asian population 60 years ago. Every person treated well by you today is one more who will stand shoulder to shoulder with us when we need everyone's support.

Darleene Barrientos Academic Performance Index results will be released by the state today after 10 a.m., detailing which public schools have met their growth targets. The API is the state's way of measuring a public school's academic growth. The API is based on test scores from the Standard Testing and Reporting program, which includes the California Standards Test (CST), the California Achievement Test (CAT-6) and the California High School Exit Exam.

Anne Louise Bannon, Enjoy! GLENDALE -- For an ethnic group that has been in this country since the early 1900s, little information has been available on the history of Armenians and their experiences of blending into American society. So when producers Terrel Cass and Roy Hammond were considering the next subject for their documentary series about the ethnic groups that make up the nation's population, they thought Armenians would be a good choice.

Judy Seckler With a little added help from the school band and chorus, the stage at Rosemont Middle School auditorium came alive Thursday as the story of immigration in America unfolded. Costumed students, part of teacher Shannon Estrada's seventh-grade English class, dressed as everything from American Indians and African Americans up to present-day Armenian Americans. The class also recreated Ellis Island. Each group explained their identity and the reasons for their immigration.

Glendale Community College has commissioned a $35,000 study exploring the possibility of moving from an at-large process for electing trustees to a district system. The decision comes six weeks after Cerritos Community College was sued by voters who claim its at-large structure violates the California Voting Rights Act by diluting the Latino vote. “One of the reasons that you do a study like this is for self reflection, to determine whether or not you need to look at making a change in the way that your elections are held,” said Mary Dowell, legal counsel for Glendale Community College.

Celebrating Armenian Independence Day is a little tricky. There is more than one Fourth of July equivalent for a nation that was ruled or invaded by Assyrians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Mongols, Persians, Ottoman Turks and Russians. More than 8,000 people of varying ethnicities were estimated to have danced, picnicked and celebrated the most recent declaration of independence when Armenia became the first non-Baltic republic to break away from the Soviet Union in 1991.

Youth centers needed in the area I am so happy to read your article on the new Armenian Youth Center (“Kids learn about Armenian culture,” Aug. 10). How fortunate those young people must feel having such a wonderful new center and the ability to learn about their culture. I come from Scotland, which has a long history of wars and fighting to enable the Scots to keep their country, and I am proud to be able to tell my son all about the history and have many books on the subject.

In the book, ?Invisible China: A Journey Through Ethnic Borderlands,? former Glendale resident Colin Legerton and Jacob Rawson turn a trip to the rural edges of the world?s most populous nation ? to study ethnic minority linguistics of all things ? into a fun experience for themselves and the reader. The book begins and ends with short, informative essays on the People?s Republic of China and its history of assimilating the 56 classified ethnic groups within its borders. After the introduction, however, the authors jump into a journal-like style that invites the reader to take the journey along with them.

I’m not going to sit here and tear apart Dan Kimber’s original column and his subsequent comments on this touchy subject (“A few clarifications, if you please,” May 15), though I can do so very easily. What’s more important here is that we all take a moment to realize what an incredibly wasted opportunity this was on Kimber’s part to begin a progressive and insightful dialogue with the Armenian Youth Federation and/or his scholarship applicant, or even the Armenian community at large.

The board heard a report on school performance during the Great Southern California Shakeout, the statewide disaster drill that took place last week. Deputy Fire Chief Steve Howard and Hank Paz, coordinator of student support services, told the board about minor communications problems and a need for more runners to increase efficiency and coordination, among other things. WHAT IT MEANS The district will continue to review findings from the shakeout exercise, hoping to improve any problems in its disaster response procedures, which functioned well overall, officials said.