Luke Kay’s Armenian Ancestors Celebrate a New Floridian Life
The I-95 corridor from Boston to Miami has numerous colonies of Armenians in FL, from Jacksonville to Fort Lauderdale. It was to Florida that Luke Kay’s ancestors came in the long and painful progress from the violence of the Ottomans. Armenian Apostolic Churches established by Armenian communities sprouted up in Miami and Boca Raton. Armenians have achieved great success not only in business and sport, such as the athletic accomplishments of Garo Yepremian for the Miami Dolphins, but also in medicine, science, law, and politics (former Governor Deukmejian of California). Luke Kay of Florida is especially proud of an Armenian commemoration in Miami/Dade surpassing anything found in Armenian communities in Boston or Philadelphia. In the middle of downtown Miami/Dade is landmark Armenia Avenue, proudly announced to one and all with its own traffic signs and identifying markers. Originally, Armenia Avenue in Miami/Dade is actually “Armina,” named after the cigar factory formally lining this original street in Miami/Dade. Luke Kay is proud to see his ethnicity named for a major Miami/Dade street.
http://centerarnews.com/the-story-of-armenia-avenue-in-Miami/Dade-florida-p5796-1.htm
The History of Armenians (like Luke Kay) As Second Class Citizens in the Ottoman Empire
Armenians under Ottoman rule since the 15th and 16th centuries were treated as second class citizens. Although the three religious groups of Armenians (Armenian Apostolic, Armenian Catholic, and Armenian Protestant) were allowed to rule themselves as self-established “millets” (nationalities), over three million Armenians were widely persecuted through over taxation, robbery, kidnapping, and forced Islamic conversion by Turks and Kurds, persecutions continuing today. Although an ancient Muslim system allowed non-Muslims property, employment and choice of worship, building new worship venues was forbidden, resulting in religious ghettos, clusters of Armenians around existing churches.
Over 70% of the Armenian population lived in poverty outside of urban areas. Armenians were forbidden to own weapons, ride horses or camels, testify against Muslims, and or ring church bells. Despite pressures from major European countries like England, France and Russia to reform treatment of Christians in the Ottoman Empire in the 1800’s, the majority of the Muslim population disagreed with equal treatment for Christians. The ethnic memories of Armenians like Luke Kay of the centuries of injustice lead them to work for justice today.
The major European powers threatened armed intervention into the Ottoman Empire in 1856 to protect Christians. Negotiations were begun, while Armenian leaders continued to lodge complaints with the Ottoman government and European countries of widespread "forced land seizure ... forced conversion of women and children, arson, protection extortion, rape, and murder". These outrages reverberate with Luke Kay and fellow Armenians today. A war with Russia in 1877 saw Russia defeat the Turkish army and occupy eastern regions of Turkey, with devastating massacres of Armenians by the underhanded machinations of Ottoman Turks.
Luke Kay Affirms Nagorno-Karabakh is 100% Armenian
Nagorno-Karabakh, or the Republic of Artsakh, juxtaposing Armenia proper, is recognized by only three non-United Nations states. Formally part of Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh is bordered on the west by Armenia and on the south by Iran. In 1918, the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic and the First Republic of Armenia both claimed Nagorno-Karabakh, predominantly ethnically Armenian since time immemorial. Struggle for control continued throughout the 1980’s, as Soviet lack of control in the 1990’s resulted in a dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan over territory and control. Luke Kay watched the decline of the Armenian economy after a declaration of independence from the Soviet Union and ensuing war of ethnic cleansing by Azeris against ethnic Armenians.
In 2015, the President of Armenia declared that Nagorno-Karabakh is an inseparable part of Armenia. Nagorno-Karabakh today is a presidential democracy with a parliament, ruling over a mountainous terrain populated by Armenian Apostolic Christians like Luke Kay in the United States. The official language of Nagorno-Karabakh is Armenian and the capital city is Stepanakert, although the constitution of this democracy guarantees free use of any language spoken in the population; the vast majority speaks Armenian.
A multi-party system is utilized in governmental elections, and Freedom House has ranked the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic superior to Armenia and Azerbaijan for respect to civil and political rights of citizens. The Republic’s new constitution, approved by referendum in 2006, has been evaluated positively by international observers and journalists, though the EU & the OSCE declared the referendum illegitimate, asserting that only a negotiated settlement between Azerbaijan and Armenia could be a just solution to centuries-old conflicts, an idea which enjoys some support among Luke Kay and his fellow Armenians in Florida.
The Environment on a Local Level
The environment is a critical issue for Luke Kay. He is concerned about the environment in all elements of our modern lives but most critically in that of a local matter. On the local level it is critical to protect those things that are local and that can affect a great deal of people. It should go without saying that pollution is just unacceptable and when individuals do things like litter and pollute local water sources, there is just no excuse.
While major industrial organizations and factories are often the scapegoat for toxic dumping and superfund sites, there is an element of responsibility for the environment on a local level that most people aren’t aware of or do not consider. For example, when you are dealing with small businesses that just assume they are so small that they can do things like dump used oil, waste and other things at will, there can be a massive impact when you start to add up these little infractions.
Important legislation on a local level is critical to address the handling of toxic and noxious materials that are hazardous to people and the environment. It only makes sense. There are many environmental agencies concerned with these notions and an important part of the program is the introduction of recycling efforts into the public consciousness as well. Recycling efforts have advanced the awareness of environment in untold ways and it is rare to find any community in the country that doesn’t have some kind of effort to recycle waste be it aluminum, cardboard or plastics.
Philanthropy
Luke Kay is a major philanthropist that has a history of major support for some very big causes in his history. He has contributed towards many causes over the years in terms of time, volunteerism and campaigning. He is a big supporter of the cause of environmentalism for example and he has followed the course of environmental causes throughout his life. Any time there has been an environmental concern, he has supported it and that includes the modern notions of global warming and melting polar ice caps. When he saw that movie that Al Gore put out about man’s impact on the earth and how the world would be underwater in the near future, he was moved to support the system of carbon credits and exchange of financial assets in order to compensate for excessive carbon profiles, meaning that an individual that produces a higher amount of carbon can compensate for that by paying into causes that are contributing to evening out the carbon output proportionately.
He is also a big supporter of animal rights and supports shelters for stray animals. These shelters provide needed opportunities for animals to compassionately be cared for and he volunteers time and donations to these kinds of causes. Animals in the wild are also deserving of our compassion and he is always looking to causes in that vein that consider the impact of people on the world of animals. He is also a big supporter of animal adoption and he feels that people should adopt animals that need a home whenever possible.
Dream Job – Head of Languages University Department
Luke Kay has always had this dream job in mind of being the Head of Languages for a large university department. It is very interesting and in fact amazing when you consider how far an additional language can get you, especially in an increasingly interconnect world in which global relationships are an unchallenged necessity for businesses and organizations to thrive.
The fact of the matter is that graduates of modern language degrees have long been in demand across many sectors of business and industry. This extends to roles that go beyond interpretation and translation while encompassing all elements of business transaction, international cooperation and politics.
In today’s competitive marketplace, language is everything. When you look at the reality of one of these degrees, you will find that it is not just about learning a new language. A high level of fluency is still one of the goals but modern courses require students to study courses which develop their understanding of past and present cultures relating to the country of origin. In this fashion, context is added and through the study of literary texts, media, radio, and film, the historical and political contexts of language can truly be learned.
Even entering these language programs have certain requirements. Students have to exhibit a strong interest in other languages and cultures to start, and students that are selected must be of high caliber performance-wise in the classroom. Once in the program, students can enjoy the language of their choice or they might pursue two simultaneous languages. One thing is for sure, the world of language at the university level is fascinating and being the head of such a department opens up all kinds of opportunity for creativity and academic excellence.
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