Our Story - Part 7
February 2020 – The ANA Plant Starts to Blossom
On February 3, 2020, the US Declared COVID-19 a Public Health Emergency.
Three days later, on February 6, 2020, the Armenian National Association hosted their first public event at the Glen Arden Social Club in Glendale, California: literally, a black-tie affair. Kristine Halajyan, Margarita Khlghatyan and Hermine Mnatsakanyan Bush attended the event, but they did not stay for the official photo, so it was just the guys in the picture (lol!).
The ANA group took a break the following week, and continued meeting irregularly on Thursday evening for six consecutive weeks after that, only to suspend their weekly schedule completely when California Governor Gavin Newsom ordered a statewide lockdown on March 20, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It was really a crazy time for all of us as COVID warnings continued to spread,” Gurgen Mkrtchyan explained. “Just when we had a little bit of momentum with our first successful ANA event, everything in LA quickly came to a dead stop.”
“It was really a crazy time for all of us as COVID warnings continued to spread,” Gurgen Mkrtchyan explained. “Just when we had a little bit of momentum with our first successful ANA event, everything in LA slowly came to a dead stop.”
March 11, 2020World Health Organization (WHO) Declared COVID-19 a Global Pandemic.
March 13, 2020US President Donald Trump Declared COVID-19 a National Emergency.
March 20, 2020California became first state to order COVID-19 lockdown, with the City of Los Angeles issuing mandatory curfews and homebound restrictions except for groceries and other essential services.
March 20, 2020ANA – Went DARK with no meetings until October 3, 2020.
“The COVID lockdown had the most profound effect on the ANA after our first public event,” Donald Wilson Bush said. “I don’t think I got three phone calls about the ANA in almost five months.”
“And then the war hit!”
September 27, 2020On the morning of September 27, 2020 fighting began along the southeastern border separating the independent Republic of Artsakh from Azerbaijan when Azeri troops initiated an unprovoked military offensive against the peaceful people of Artsakh.