Episode 25 – Racism and the Armenian Community with Sonia & Brandon Pierce, Part 1

When we talk about marriage in Armenian culture, we tread on sacred ground. Most of us grow up knowing we are expected to marry one of our own, another Armenian. We are told this is the only way to preserve our bloodline, our heritage, our history — and to fail in this simple task is to complete the job the Turks set out to accomplish during the Armenian Genocide. It’s a compelling argument on one level, but we humans are complicated, fallible beings with hearts and yearnings all our own. And calls for racial or ethnic purity cannot simply wrap themselves in a flag and be transformed into patriotism. Sonia & Brandon Pierce tell the story of their love for one another, and in doing so, reveal the true nature of what it means to be a proud Armenian in today’s diaspora.