Hye Sharzhoom Armenian Action
By John Jabagchourian
Editor
Continuing to remember and pushing for international recognition, students at California State University, Fresno along with faculty, the community and civic leaders commemorated the 85th anniversary of the 1915 Armenian Genocide at the Free Speech area on campus at noon on April 24, 2000.
he Armenian Genocide committed by the Ottoman Turkish Government was the first genocide of the twentieth century resulting in the planned and systematic murder of two million Armenian citizens of the Ottoman Empire and the total destruction of their homeland. Those who survived the massacres and death marches through the desert emigrated to other countries in an attempt to reconstruct lives ravaged by the trauma and scarred for a generation to come.
Until today the Turkish government denies the Genocide ever occurred; however, Armenians across the world fight the cover-up by reaffirming the facts and telling their stories and stories of their parents, grandparents and great grandparents, each of which could be a book in its own.
“In telling and retelling of the horror, a couple of things become very clear, first of all it did happen and it should be recognized, and there is no excuse for the Turkish government not to recognize what happened,” Fresno Mayor Jim Patterson said to the crowd which welcomed his remarks with applause. Armenian students gathered around a scale model of the Armenian Martyrs Monument built by the Armenian Students Organization three years ago and pinned black ribbons on the shirts of the two hundred plus in attendance.
The students were out to commemorate and honor the memories of those tortured and killed in the Genocide. The students also strove to bring out awareness of the Genocide to those who knew little about it. A graceful ballet performance by the Anoush dancers opened the program. Dressed all in black, these seven young ladies holding candles woefully moved in coordinated steps in a dedication to those who died in the Genocide.
After the performance, Fresno Mayor Jim Patterson gave a speech that stressed the importance of remembrance. Speaking on behalf of the Fresno community he said, “It is an encouragement for you to continue to tell the stories, to play the music, to speak the language, to dance the dance, so that we will never forget.”
“We are here today so that what happened in 1915 will never ever happen again,” Patterson said. Associated Students president, Arakel Arisian, read a resolution unanimously passed on April 6, 2000 by the Associated Students Senate that describes the planned acts of destruction, torture, starvation and murder committed by the Young Turk government and designated April 24, 2000 as the “CSU, Fresno Student Day of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide.”
“This resolution represents another step towards official recognition of the Armenian Genocide,” Arisian said. City Council President Tom Boyajian who spoke at last year’s commemoration welcomed the invitation to speak again, “I’ll support anything that commemorates and acknowledges what happened and reflects on the sacrifices of the Armenian people.”
“This was a dark age for the Armenians,” Boyajian said. “It is one of the most detrimental things that happened to our culture, but you know what, we did not turn it into a negative, we turned it into a positive, we turned it into the traits that mark us as Armenians.” Boyajian described survival, good citizenship, strong family and sacrifice for ones children as those traits that make Armenians a vibrant ethnic group. Boyajian closed his remarks by thanking the students for their hard work and hoped for a time when the United Nations, the United States, and Turkey would recognize the Genocide so that it would not happen again.
US Congressman of George Radanovich (R-19th District) is currently co-authoring a bill to commemorate the victims of the Armenian Genocide and calling upon the current day Turkish government to recognize the 1915 Genocide. His district director and member of the Advisory Board of the Armenian Studies Program, Steve Samuelian, was at the commemoration and spoke of the current events concerning the Genocide. “The Turks spend $3 million a year trying to convince members of the US Congress that the Genocide never occurred,” Samuelian said.
He also pointed out the efforts of State Senator Chuck Poochigian who has recently sponsored and passed legislation to get insurance reparations for victims of the Genocide and legislation that commemorates April 24, as genocide commemoration day. “I think more and more events like these put pressure on the US government to finally recognize this horrible act that has occurred in 1915,” Freshman Sevag Tateosian said. “Events like this make me proud because it shows me that we are moving forward.”
The efforts of Congressman Radanovich, State Senator Poochigian, Council President Boyajian and Mayor Patterson are providing the push for official recognition in the US and hopefully in Turkey and demonstrates that the Armenians’ commemoration efforts are achieving positive results.
The Armenian Studies Program was also presented with a US flag flown over the Capitol in Washington DC in memory of the Armenian Genocide on behalf of Congressman Radanovich and Samuelian. It is indicative to note that April 24th is not just for Armenians but for human rights everywhere. A key statement of the April 24 event is that creating awareness would hopefully prevent genocide from ever happening again.
“We want to tell the world that it is never right for a government to kill any of its citizens,” Professor Barlow Der Mugrdechian said. The commemoration, in following a tradition established two years ago on campus and a tradition followed in Armenia on every April 24th, concluded with the crowd placing pink and white carnations at the base of the scale model of the Armenian Martyrs Monument. While apporaching the monument, a selection from Gomidas Vartabed, the premier Armenian composer of the twentieth century, played in the background.
“It was a real powerful moment, slowly walking up to the monument, kneeling down and placing a flower in remembrance,” Sophomore Andre Torigian said. “It made me think long and hard of those in the Genocide and the miracle of my relatives managing to survive so that I could be here today.” Freshman Amalia Vareldjian believed the commemoration was “Something to remember, something that shows the Armenian people have survived .”
The Armenian Studies Program and the ASO have always cosponsored a rally on April 24th at Fresno State and plan to continue doing so as long as the program and organization are at Fresno State. “We have a reason to remember April 24th every year on this campus, and for every year to come. It is our duty and responsibility to honor those martyred and to bear witness to the world about the Armenian Genocide,” Der Mugrdechian said.