The Archdiocesan Executive Council (AEC) Presents its 2011 Fall Lecture
From Diyarbakir to Bergen County
The Experience of Three Generations of a Suryoyo Family in America
By: Jack C. Darakjy, Esq.
November 27th, 2011 at 6 PM
Virgin Mary Church, Paramus
In defining what it means to grow up an immigrant Suryoyo in the United States in the 1960s and 1970s, and the challenges faced in a society that still did not accept, indeed even fully understand multi-culturalism, it is important to briefly describe a family whose origins began in the plains of Diyarbakir, Turkey, at the turn of the 20th century. A family that witnessed the Seyfo, its escape to the relative peacefulness of Syria under the post-World I mandate, and the events that ultimately led to each member of the generation of the family preceding mine to eventually emigrate to the U.S. I will then trace the period of growing up and coming of age, from high school, to college, to law school and ultimately into the workforce. I also want to review the difficulties I faced, whether through explicit or covert discrimination because of my origins. Finally, I wish to briefly touch upon the legacy that has passed to my children, who are the first generation Suryoye-Americans.
Refreshments will be served.