Avedis Hadjian, author of 'SECRET NATION: THE HIDDEN ARMENIANS OF TURKEY', spoke at the Innovate Armenia event held at the University of Southern California on May 18. The event, organized by the USC Institute of Armenian Studies, focused on the experiences of hidden Armenians in Turkey. Innovate Armenia featured fifty participants from six countries and attracted nearly 4,000 attendees. This was the fourth iteration of the event in five years, emphasizing its unique nature and the importance of discussing Armenian identity and history.

Due to the war in Nagorno-Karabakh, the village of Tagavard has been split in two, with Armenians living in one part called Kaller Tagavard, while Azerbaijani forces occupied the other. About 400 Armenian residents, including Susanna Shahramanyan, were forced to flee their homes and become refugees. Life has drastically changed for those who remained, with Armenian and Azerbaijani checkpoints only tens of meters apart. Samvel Atayan returned to his native village with his family, feeling significantly less safe than before the war. A 30-meter boundary marked by a Russian flag now divides Tagavard, and the local cemetery has become inaccessible to the Armenian villagers.