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Over 200 Armenian Americans from South Florida’s Tri-County area (Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties) donned “Armenians for Kerry” & “Armenstock 2004” t-shirts and danced the evening away at the Las Olas Riverfront Sunday, in support of John Kerry’s presidential bid.

The concert, organized as part of the nationwide “Kef for Kerry Tour of Battleground States”, featured the Cascade Folk Trio and included special guests, Massachusetts State Representative Peter Koutoujian, Ms. Gwen Graham, daughter of U.S. Senator Bob Graham (D-FL), representing the Kerry/Edwards Campaign, and ANCA Government Affairs Director Abraham Niziblian.

Between musical sets, Gwen Graham reminded the attendees about the Democratic Presidential candidate’s strong record on Armenian American concerns and read a special message from Sen. Kerry to the Florida Armenian community. In the letter Sen. Kerry restated his commitment to proper recognition of the Armenian Genocide. “I want to assure you, as President, I will continue to fight against denial of the Armenian Genocide,” explained Sen. Kerry.

Following cheers from the crowd, Graham went a step further to announce that her father, Sen. Bob Graham, has also pledged to co-sponsor the Genocide resolution, S.Res.164, making him the first Florida Senator to support a similar initiative. Introduced by Senators John Ensign (R-NV) and Jon Corzine (D-NJ), S.Res.164 marks the 15th anniversary of the U.S. implementation of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. With the addition of Sen. Graham, the legislation will have 41 cosponsors.

State Representative Peter Koutoujian (D-MA) electrified the crowd by making a compelling case for Armenian-Americans and all Americans to cast their vote for the Kerry/Edwards ticket. “John Kerry has been a true friend to Armenian-Americans. Whether it has been fighting for recognition of the Armenian Genocide or providing for Karabagh’s security, Senator Kerry deserves our vote based on his impeccable record,” said Koutoujian. Koutoujian charismatically emphasized the importance of voting and especially voting for Senator John Kerry, whose twenty years of support for Armenian issues earned him an unequivocal endorsement from the Armenian National Committee of America.

Community support for the evening concern was tremendous, primarily due to a far-reaching internet and e-mail campaign and traditional canvassing by Florida ANC activists. Armenian Americans throughout South Florida, both active and new to community affairs, attended the gathering. "I am very happy you found my name," said Florida Atlantic University student Karina Azrumova.

"We were thrilled by the turnout of this wonderful event and look forward to expanding our outreach to all facets of the Florida Armenian community as we work to advance the issues of concern dear to our hearts," stated Bedo Der-Bedrossian, chairman of the ANC of Florida. "We also greatly appreciate Representative Koutoujian's extraordinary
presence at our Kef for Kerry event. During his two day stay dedicated to rallying Armenian-Americans behind John Kerry, he has attended numerous community events and significantly sharpened the ANC of South Florida's effort to get out the Armenian vote."

The Kef for Kerry Tour is made possible by a generous contribution from Dr. Carolann and K. George Najarian.