It was on Reine Hanna’s birthday in 2015 that she learned the Islamic State had invaded Syria’s Khabour region, the birthplace of her parents.
“My coworkers surprised me with a birthday cake and I saw it and started crying,” Hanna said. “I couldn’t understand why I get to live in a place where I’m safe, where I have all of these opportunities, and somebody that’s just like me, everything is uprooted: their work, their dreams, their jobs, and their families separated.”
Hanna shared this story at the welcoming session of the Assyrian Policy Institute’s (API) inaugural Washington conference. The three-day event, which began on June 16, included meetings with state representatives, exhibits on ancient and modern artwork, panels on language preservation, and discussions on the future of Assyrians and other minorities in the Middle East and diaspora.
The conference comes amid growing pressures on Assyrians to leave their homeland, confronted with growing attacks by IS sleeper cells, government efforts to silence critics, and threats from outsiders seeking to seize Assyrian lands with impunity.
“The stakes are higher than ever,” Hanna said. “We’re at a turning point for our community and we have to assess the broader situation for what it is. We have to understand what’s worked in the past and what we need to do differently.”
While Washington had largely lifted coronavirus restrictions, lingering guidelines required API to adopt hybrid meeting formats on Capitol Hill, limiting attendance for some tlaks while holding others outdoors.
The first day gathered nearly 50 attendees to meet with members of Congress, sharing personal stories and community priorities. Modesto City Planning Commissioner Carmen Morad emphasized the importance of community-led advocacy. Participants also met with Reps. Jan Schakowsky (IL) and Anna Eshoo (CA).
During an outdoor session, Rep. Josh Harder (CA) announced the relaunch of the Assyrian Congressional Caucus. Originally formed in 2018 and chaired by Harder’s predecessor, Rep. Jeff Denham, the caucus now includes Eshoo — the only Assyrian-American in Congress — and Schakowsky, representing one of the largest Assyrian communities in the U.S.
“We’re here to be as strong an advocate for Assyrian issues as we can,” Harder said. “We’re going to get more folks involved to make sure that the Assyrian voice is heard.”
The second day welcomed over 100 more attendees and featured a screening of the Assyrian short film “Grace,” which tells the story of a father living in Iraq trying to protect his daughter from IS extremists through a game of hide and seek. The film was nominated for a Short Form Drama prize at the Australian Academy Cinema Television Arts (AACTA) awards.
Bedril Diril, an Assyrian from Turkey, spoke about his family’s fight for justice following the murder of his parents in southeast Turkey. Other presentations explored the future of Assyrians, the impact of genocide on Assyrian identity, and language preservation. Dr. Alda Benjamen discussed her new book, “Assyrians in Modern Iraq.”
A separate room offered a virtual reality experience by Yazda, a global Yazidi organization, called Nobody’s Listening Exhibition. Participants could choose one of three storylines: a young girl or boy abducted by extremists, or a perspective through the eyes of an IS fighter, highlighting the suffereing of Yazidis during IS rule.
In the evening, a pop-up video exhibition by Diaspora in Bloom curators Akadina Yadegar and Nardin Sarkis featured films, television, music videos, and contemporary video art by Assyrians in the diaspora, illustrating what the curators called “the evolution of Assyrian society and popular culture.”
Isa Yaramis, president of the Assyro-Chaldean Association of France, welcomed guests on the final day. Panels led by Joseph Hermiz, Dr. Arianne Ishaya, Dr. Ruth Kamber, and Dr. Sargon Donabed explored the early history of Assyrian-Americans. Attendees also participated in roundtable workshops discussing the future of Assyrians in the Middle East and the diaspora’s role in sustaining these communities.
Donabed noted the conference addressed issues tied to the Assyrian Studies Association, which he co-founded in 2019 and now serves as a board member.
The question becomes “who gets to create, participate and propagate the narrative or narratives of Assyrians and their history and culture,” Donabed said. “The conference is a good example of the ways in which people can utilize their own power to affect positive change.”
Yet despite these efforts, the outlook remains challenging. Security and economic instability persist in Iraq, Iran, Turkey, and Syria, pressuring Assyrians to leave their homes. Land theft cases drag families into lengthy legal battles with little resolution, while reported electoral injustices deny proper local and national political representation.
In the diaspora, Hanna noted, Assyrians face the dual challenge of preserving culture and maintaining a sense of community depite being scattered.
For now, she added, prospects are bleak.
“We need to recalibrate and also start expanding our focus and tackling issues that are relevant to Assyrians in the United States and wider diaspora,” she said.
API, founded in 2018, advocates for the rights of Assyrians and other minorities in the Middle East, including Yazidis and Mandeans. The organizaiton, guided by 12 board members, is now revamping its focus. Hanna said API will continue amplifying the voices of Assyrians in the homeland while expanding programs for the diaspora, including improving access to cultural resources and preserving the language.
“Wherever we can help fill the gaps and speak to legislators and emphasize the importance of cultural preservation, we’ll be doing that,” she said.
For Berta Kaisr, an Assyrian living in Canada, the conference refreshed her desire to speak on Assyrian issues.
“Being at the conference and simply belonging under the name of Assyrians/Atouraye without needing to prove myself was a priceless feeling,” she said. “Living in a city now where I don’t have an Assyrian community, I need to speak louder and insert our people in conversations we are often left out of.”
