Hye Sharzhoom Armenian Action
Staff Report
Prof. Barlow Der Mugrdechian was the keynote speaker in English, on Saturday, April 24, 2004, on the occasion of the 89th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. The event was held at the Saroyan Hall of the Krouzian-Zakarian Armenian School in San Francisco and sponsored by the Bay Area Armenian community. Following is an excerpt from his speech.
Reverend clergy, members of the organizing committee of the Bay Area genocide commemoration, honored guests, ladies and gentlemen.
Eighty-nine years ago, the Armenian people were victims of the first genocide of the twentieth century. The details of that catastrophe are only too painfully well known to all Armenians. The Armenian people were exiled from the land which they had inhabited for more than three thousand years. We here in California, as in diaspora communities throughout the world, are the physical reminders of the genocide and its effect on the Armenian people. As Armenians, we can with certainty say, that were it not for the genocide, that we would be living today in Armenia-whether in Van, or in Kharpert, in Sepastia or Erzeroum, in Bitlis or Dickranakert, or in Cilicia, in Yerevan, or Gyumri, or Karabagh, or in the smallest village of our historic Armenia.
This is the legacy that we have inherited and have lived with, for eighty-nine years and that legacy is both a responsibility and an opportunity.
One feels responsibility because the Genocide as a political issue still remains unresolved. Efforts to convince nations of the world to formally recognize the Armenian Genocide have consumed our recent efforts, with many notable success in the past few years. And just in the past week, the Canadian Parliament affirmed the Armenian Genocide. Historically there is no debate whether there was a Genocide or not, as the evidence is incontrovertible and indicts the Ottoman Turkish government and its successor state of Turkey. The body of work published in the last ten years alone, documenting the Genocide, provides clear, precise, and irrefutable evidence of the premeditated nature of the crime. And because much of this evidence comes from Ottoman Turkey’s war time allies, Germany and Austria, it is powerful.
What is equally as clear is the responsibility to continue the effort to bring justice to the Armenian case.
This is imperative as the modern state of Turkey continues to pursue its aim to eradicate the memory of the Armenian people, through the destruction of historical monuments, and through its campaign of disinformation and outright denial of the genocide. The responsibility we have is to maintain our own collective identity, and to perpetuate the existence of our people, in the face of this blatant campaign to eradicate the memory of the Armenian people. Recognition of the Armenian Genocide and compensation for the losses of the Armenian people is a necessary precondition to the process of healing.
I would like to speak to you this evening not only about the past, but also how history has brought to us the opportunity that presents itself as we begin the twenty-first century.
That opportunity is for action-action that will make a difference in our personal lives, in our community relations, and in the world at large that we live in…..
What better way to make sure that the victims of the Genocide had not fallen in vain? What better way to make sure that the Armenians would continue to flourish in the world and that their achievements would be known?
I believe that each individual has an opportunity to take such an action or actions in their lives-and that each individual must make a decision on how to participate in the communal life of the Armenian people.
…Our lives are the accumulation of actions and decisions taken over a lifetime. These conscious and unconscious decisions help to shape our identity and who we are, thus, through our positive action we can achieve the changes that we desire and achieve a deeper realization of what it is to be Armenian.
On the community level, our actions again should speak louder than our words. …We can work together to achieve our common vision for the future. There is so much to achieve, to educate our community and the community at large, and to reach out to each other.
So much has changed in the world since the Armenian Genocide, and among the greatest changes to affect Armenians has been the establishment of the independent Republic of Armenia in 1991. The crystallization of an centuries-old dream, realized briefly in 1918-1920, has today become a reason for a change in the very concept of Armenianness. We can now define an Armenian citizen, there is a country with defined borders, and all of the institutions of a state. In the Diaspora, our concept of identity has also changed, through our relationship with Armenia and with other Diasporan communities. We now feel a stronger tie to a homeland and have a sense of a better opportunity for the future. The independence of Armenia has given rise to many hopes and Armenia is also a place where action must be taken.
Each Armenian, but especially those between the ages of 17-25, those of high school and college age, should visit Armenia. Every Armenian should see Mt. Ararat and understand the role of the homeland in the understanding of what it is to be Armenian. This should not simply be a tourist visit, but a structured educational experience, which will include not only visits to historical sites, but also meetings with students and everyday people. Part of that visit will also be devoted to fulfilling an internship/project which will be focused on positive change. The visit will plant the seed for future action, wherever the visitor is from. Many Armenians from the Diaspora have already taken the opportunity to live in Armenia, and to make their contribution. But this type of project should be a national project, which would unify the Diaspora and Armenia. We have the resources, the intelligence, and the desire-we need only the vision to succeed.
You too can take the action which will have a major impact on the life of Armenians.
What greater homage to those whose lives were lost in the Genocide? This is the opportunity. This is the great secret of the Armenian people-that they can take any event, any tragedy, and transcend it by creative activity into a new life. Armenians are by nature optimistic, creative, and hard working. Armenian history is full of those who have written manuscripts, composed music, and erected churches in the worst of times.
What does that really mean? It means that today, living in the United States, we are faced with an unparalleled opportunity as Armenians.
Everything is possible through dedicated action and work. Learn Armenian, there are new programs at colleges opening every year. Learn Armenian history, Learn about the vast richness of Armenian culture.
Participate in an organization, form an organization, it is possible. Programs to help Armenia, programs to help new immigrants to the United States, can be developed-it is possible. There is much work to be done here also in our community organizations. In the last few years people of all ages have put their ideas into action, and have created scores of new opportunities. We live in a country in which there are no barriers to our success. Everything is possible.
We shall never forget the Genocide, nor shall we ever abandon the pursuit of justice. We will honor the memories of those who perished in 1915. But we shall also work and build and create, in order to perpetuate our culture and our traditions, on a personal level, on the community level, and on the national level.
Ladies and gentleman, take action! Put your hearts and minds to work and together we will be the true successors to the legacy of the Armenian Genocide.