Students Commemorate April 24 with Campus Activities

Careen Derkalousdian
Staff Writer

On Thursday, April 24, 2025, the Armenian Students Organization (ASO) gathered at noon in front of the Armenian Genocide Monument at Fresno State to remember and honor the innocent lives lost during the Genocide. As students and community members gathered and took their seats, local musicians Philip and Andrew Hagopian played somber music on the oud.

ASO Vice President Careen Derkalousdian began the program with an opening prayer. “Dear God, we pray for Your comfort and healing on this difficult day,” she said. “May we understand that in this world we will have trouble but let us take heart because You have overcome the world… We praise You that there is still a strong Armenian presence in this world and ask for Your protection and Your blessing to grow and multiply. In Your Mighty Name we pray, Lord Jesus. Amen.”

Dr. David Zakarian, Haig and Isabel Berberian Professor of Armenian Studies, was then introduced by ASO President Harutyun Amirkhanyan. Dr. Zakarian gave a powerful speech, urging that the atrocity which began in 1915 is called by its true name: Genocide.

“Every Armenian family has its own unique path of survival… But also, let us not forget those whose paths ended in silence,” Dr. Zakarian said. “They fell, and they cannot raise their voice, and it is our responsibility and duty to speak for them, to remember them.”

David Ashkharian, President of the Marketing Club and an active ASO member spoke next. He described the significance of remembering the Armenian Genocide and achieving the justice Armenians have so greatly deserved for these past 110 years.

“When we forget the past – or worse, ignore it, we allow injustice to continue,” said Ashkharian. “Denial is not just silence, it is violence… We are “Generation Justice,” and justice is not just about punishment, it is about truth, healing, and dignity.”

ASO President Harutyun Amirkhanyan then spoke, chronicling Armenia’s history, beginning with its peak prosperity under King Tigran the Great and then the gradual trend towards subjugation as empires and kingdoms desecrated Armenia and its people. He referred to Armenia’s long history of genocide and the recent ethnic cleansing of Artsakh.

“Why are most Armenians sad? Does the tragedy pass on to the next generations?” asked Amirkhanyan. “What can be done to shake this unjust status quo?” He concluded his remarks with a vision of hope for the future.

“Let us take an oath,” said Amirkhanyan. “If we are bound by blood and united by cause, our goal is to see Armenia prospering and independent, and as long as our hearts beat, we shall contribute to our nation and demand justice.”

Audience members were then invited to lay flowers at the Armenian Genocide Monument and to pay their respects.

The ceremony concluded with a silent march across the Fresno State campus, where participants held posters and marched in solidarity to honor the lives lost during the Genocide and to raise awareness of its continued denial.

May we persist in lifting up our voices and working towards recognition and healing as we unite to demand justice for our ancestors.

In the words of Armenian poet Baruyr Sevag:

Կանք, պիտի լինենք ու դեռ շատանանք: (Gank bidi leenenk ou ter shadanank)

“We exist, we will exist, and we will continue to grow.”