For Armenian Americans, Congress' recognition of their genocide is just part of the battle
LOS ANGELES - For three generations, Sophia Armen's family has fought for recognition of the massacre that drove their ancestors to the United States.
A community organizer, Armen grew up attending rallies that advocated for U.S. acknowledgment of the 1915-1923 Armenian genocide carried out by Turkey's Ottoman Empire - the violence that her great-grandparents survived.
As a child she frequented recognition events in Los Angeles with her family and helped gather signatures for petitions. In high school, she and her friends sent letters to their representatives with pictures of their families. In college, she organized events with other communities through the Armenian Student Association.
Picking at a tray of manti at an Armenian shop in Tujunga one recent afternoon, Armen lamented that many still see the fight for recognition as a passing annual event
