Scheduled Events in United States

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91ST ANNIVERSARY OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDECongressional Record: April 24, 2006 (Senate

Congressional Record: April 24, 2006 (Senate)]
[Page S3415-S3416]
>From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:cr24ap06-28]




91ST ANNIVERSARY OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I rise today to acknowledge and
commemorate April 24, 2005, the 91st anniversary of the beginning of
the Armenian genocide. I do so because I believe it is necessary to
recognize and ensure that similar atrocities do not happen in the
future.
No one knows this better than the 500,000 Armenians who are living in
my home State of California. These men, women, and children are a
shining example of the backbone of our society and serve as a symbol of
perseverance and determination.
Their ancestors came to our country to build a better life for
themselves and their families, and today, Armenian-Americans recognize
that the repercussions of allowing aggression and injustice against
ethnic, religious, or minority groups to persist can be dire.
During the Armenian genocide, which took place between 1915 and 1923,
over a million Armenians were killed, and another 500,000 were driven
from their homes.
We must never again allow a human tragedy to occur on this scale. It
is unacceptable to witness thousands of innocent victims suffer and die
without taking any action.
And I know this issue not only resonates with the Armenians in
California but with everyone in the country. Every day, numerous
constituents from different backgrounds call my office asking what
Congress and the administration are doing to prevent genocide from
occurring again.
It is absolutely essential that we do not let history repeat itself.
We can--and we must--do better.
The Armenian-American community knows this all too well and today, we
stand with them in commemorating the start of the Armenian genocide. So
let us renew our commitment to support those around the world who face
persecution and even death simply because of who they are. We will
never forget the Armenian genocide, and we look to the present and
future with a newfound sense of hope and optimism so that we may have
the strength to stand up and prevent such atrocities.
Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I take this opportunity to commemorate the
91st anniversary of the Armenian genocide on April 24th. This
anniversary offers an opportunity for us to renew our

[[Page S3416]]

efforts to achieve--finally--genocide recognition for the Armenian
people.
Ninety-one years ago, the Ottoman Turks began their systematic effort
to eradicate the Armenian people. From 1915 until 1923, 1.5 million
Armenians were tortured and killed; men were separated from their
families and murdered; women and children were forced to march across
the Syrian desert without water, food, or possessions; many died of
hunger or thirst or were killed when they lagged behind during the
forced marches into the desert.
The brutality of the genocide was atrocious. But the inhumanity
continues today because the Turkish Government refuses to acknowledge
the massacres as genocide. The wounds cannot heal until the Armenian
people receive recognition.
The Armenian genocide was the first genocide of the 20th century. But
as we have seen, it was not the last. As we know, if we ignore
injustice, we are likely to see it repeated. In his justification for
the Holocaust, Adolf Hitler said, ``Who, after all, speaks today of the
annihilation of the Armenians?'' And today, we see ongoing atrocities
in the Darfur region of Sudan, with innocent civilians being murdered.
In the 108th Congress, I cosponsored a resolution declaring that the
atrocities in Darfur constitute genocide.
I am currently a cosponsor of a resolution calling the President to
ensure that the foreign policy of the United States reflects
appropriate understanding and sensitivity concerning issues related to
human rights, ethnic cleansing, and genocide documented in the record
of the United States relating to the Armenian genocide and the
consequences of the failure to realize a just resolution. And I have
signed onto a letter urging President Bush to honor the historic
leadership of the United States in defending human rights and to
properly characterize the atrocities against the Armenian people as
genocide in his April 24th statement.
Every year, we move closer to recognition of the Armenian genocide.
But every year, we wonder how long it will take the Government of
Turkey to acknowledge the genocide.
We need genocide recognition to honor those 1.5 million Armenians who
lost their lives and to honor the survivors who are still with us
today. We need recognition to send a message to the 8 to 10 million
Armenians worldwide that they have not been forgotten. We need genocide
recognition to remind the world that crimes against humanity are crimes
against us all. And we need genocide recognition because it is the
right thing to do.
By acknowledging this genocide for what it is, I hope that we are
able to help create a more just and humane world.
Mr. REED. Mr. President, on behalf of the Armenian population of
Rhode Island and Armenians around the world, I want to recognize the
91st anniversary of the Armenian genocide.
Ninety-one years ago today, April 24, the Young Turk leaders of the
Ottoman Empire summoned and executed over 200 Armenian community
leaders. By 1923, an estimated 1.5 million Armenians were murdered, and
another one half million were exiled, affecting the lives of every
Armenian in Asia Minor.
Author John Minassian, a survivor of the 1915 Armenian genocide,
tells of his experience. ``These fine people were now being made into
refugees only because they had clung to their ancient beliefs and the
faith of their ancestors. They marched proudly under a yoke of hatred,
prejudice and bigotry, their morale high, their spirit as yet unbroken.
They knew that their only `crime' was being Armenian.''
The Armenian genocide was condemned at the time by representatives of
the British, French, Russian, German, and Austrian Governments, both
foes and allies of the Ottoman Empire.
Today, as a cosponsor of S. Res. 320, I call on the President to
ensure that the foreign policy of the United States reflects
appropriate understanding and sensitivity concerning issues related to
human rights, ethnic cleansing, and genocide documented in the record
of the United States relating to the Armenian genocide.
Armenian soldiers have supported Operation Iraqi Freedom as part of
the Polish-led multinational division in south-central Iraq. Working as
truck drivers, bomb detonators, and doctors, Armenia has not allowed
others to be left helpless as they were nearly a century ago. The
United States is proud to have Armenia as an ally in the rebuilding and
reconstruction of Iraq.
So as history does not repeat itself, we must study and remember the
events of our past. In instances such as the Armenian genocide, all
nations must educate their youth in the hatred, the wrongdoing, and the
oppression to deter future atrocities against humanity. Not more that
two decades after the Armenian genocide, Hitler said to his generals on
the eve of sending his death squads into Poland, ``Go, kill without
mercy . . . who today remembers the annihilation of the Armenians.'' We
remember the Armenians.
Menk panav chenk mornar. We will never forget.

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A tragedy they will never forget

By DAVID SILVERSTEIN, Sun Staff

Lowell Sun (Massachusetts)
April 23, 2006 Sunday

LOWELL -- As he stood at City Hall, the plackard Joseph Dagdigian
was holding didn't offer a pleasant picture. Though cartoonish, there
was nothing funny about the female figure depicted at the forefront
of a long procession, cradling in her arms the apparently lifeless
form of an infant. Tragedy was portrayed through the picture -- a
tragedy Armenian-Americans throughout Greater Lowell came to remember.

Yesterday, city and state officials, as well as members of the
Armenian-American community, gathered in downtown Lowell to commemerate
the 91st anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

On April 24, 1915, the Ottoman Turks, who were then in power over a
large portion of Eastern Europe, initiated a systematic cleansing of
their population by rounding up and either murdering or deporting
any Armenian residing within their borders. This movement began
with the execution of Armenian intellectuals, including educators,
religious figures, and other social leaders, but was soon extended
to the general population. About 1.5 million Armenians were murdered
and nearly 500,000 were forced to flee their homeland.

Yesterday, a crowd of about 50 people, both young and old, gathered
beneath a chilly gray sky and formed a small procession. Led by an
honor guard of Armenian-American veterans, they marched from the
intersection of Merrimack and John streets to City Hall.

Following addresses from state Sen. Steven Panagiotakos, Armenian
National Committee representative Tom Vartabedian, Mayor Bill Martin,
the Rev. Vartan Kasabian of St. Gregory Armenian Church in North
Andover and several others, a flag-raising ceremony took place.

According to a pamphlet passed out by Joseph Dagdigian, a member of
the Merrimack Valley Chapter of the Armenian National Committee,
the Turkish government refuses to formally acknowledge that these
murders were an act of genocide. As part of this ongoing denial,
the pamphlet says the Turkish government pursues a bevy of avenues,
including paying lobbyists in Washington, D.C., to help maintain
their image and prevent others from recognizing the genocide. The U.S.

government, the flier said, conceded to Turkish influence because
it couldn't afford to lose the air bases in Asia Minor during the
Cold War.

In his address to the assembly, Vartabedian said, "When tragedies of
this magnitude occur, it is our responsibility to ensure that we do
not forget."

Currently, legislative measures that would officially recognize the
genocide and create a formal day of remembrance are pending in both
the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. These measures, which
have the support of prominent scholars, writers and religious leaders,
as well as a number of Armenian organizations, are called the Armenian
Genocide Resolution.

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journeyforhumanity

http://www.journeyforhumanity.com./


California youths will walk from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C. in honor of victims of crimes against humanity and in an effort to raise awareness for forgotten and mislabeled genocides.

The 3,000-mile walk titled, “Journey for Humanity,” one of many events planned by United Armenian Students, a student-led, non-profit organization based in Los Angeles will begin in mid June, 2006 in Los Angeles and end in November 2006 in Washington, D.C

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Anca Leadership Conference To Gather Activists

For Immediate Release: Friday, July 7, 2006

Contact: Elizabeth Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918



ANCA LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE TO GATHER ACTIVISTS
NATION-WIDE THIS SEPTEMBER

Practical Training to Advance the Armenian Cause

WASHINGTON, DC - A broad cross-section of Armenian Americans - from long-time veterans to first-time activists - will gather in Washington, DC between September 14th and 17th for the Armenian National Committee of America's (ANCA) 2006 Leadership Conference. The conference, titled, "Grassroots Makes the Difference," will empower activists to serve as energetic and effective ambassadors for the Armenian Cause. Over the course of the three-day program, presentations, workshops, and practical training sessions will feature unique opportunities to:

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Taner Akcam lecture at Colgate University

Lecture by

Taner Akcam
Professor of History
University of Minnesota

"The Armenian Genocide and Turkish Archives"

Monday, October 30, 2006
4:30pm

105 Lawrence Hall
Colgate University

Sponsored by Core Distiction, Dept. of English

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Goldberg Tribute with DA Morgenthau, Balakian Dec. 12 NYC

http://groong.usc.edu/news/msg171401.html

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Armenian-Turkish Historic Relations as viewed by two prominent Turkish scholars

Tekeyan Cultural Association

in cooperation with the

Armenian Studies Program

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor



Presents a Unique Conference….



Armenian-Turkish Historic Relations
As viewed by two prominent Turkish scholars



Professor Halil Berktay

Sabanci University

Istanbul

Professor Murat Belge

Comparative Literature

Bilgi University



Moderator:

Professor Kevork Bardakjian

Director, Armenian Studies Program

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor



Saturday, February 10 at 8 pm
AGBU Alex and Marie Manoogian School Hall

22001 Northwestern Hwy.

Southfield, MI 48075



The public is cordially invited

Refreshments



Please plan to attend and bring a friend.

Do not miss this unique opportunity for deep insights into Turkish society by two fine scholars!



Questions – call Margo Davydova at 248-885-1005

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Armenia: The forgotten genocide

Armenia: The forgotten genocide

Web-posted Apr 5, 2007

By JERRY WOLFFE
Of The Oakland Press


The massacre of 1.5 million Armenians by the Ottoman Turks between 1915 and 1923 is being remembered by two Oakland County residents of Armenian descent.

The 92nd anniversary of the beginning of the slaughter is April 24.

Souren Abrahamian of Southfield, who will be 100 on June 15, was 8 years old when 35 members of his family were slain. He will be in the Ford Community and Performing Arts Center in Dearborn on April 22, when speakers tell of the genocide.

Abrahamian is the author of "From Van to Detroit," the story of his journey from the Armenian village of Van to the Motor City. He came to America in 1921, settling in Highland Park.

"For no reason, in a couple of months we had to leave our homes and migrate toward Russia," recalled Abrahamian of the genocide's beginnings in 1915.

Virginia Haroutunian, 70, of Bloomfield Hills also remembers the pain and anguish of her mother, Victoria.

Victoria Ahigian-Haroutunian was a genocide survivor. She was among the thousands of people who were marched by force from parts of Armenia to the DerZor Desert in Syria, leaving thousands dead along the journey.

Haroutunian's mother died in 2000 at age 90 of heart failure. Virginia Haroutunian wrote a book, "Orphan in the Sands," which details her mother's tale of survival. She will speak about her mother's tribulations at the Plum Hollow Country Club in Southfield on April 11.






Besides the 1.5 million Armenians butchered during the seven-year period, at least 500,000 were refugees.

"Even though I was born on the safe shores of America and graduated from the University of Michigan Music School in 1958, my demons were from another time and place," Haroutunian said, recalling her emotionally distant mother and telling the story of her mother's life as a child who spent time in orphanages.

Her mother went to many cities in Turkey, Egypt, Syria and Greece, before arriving on Ellis Island in the United States in 1928 Ñ where she spent 21Ú2 months in segregation.

"She only experienced hatred by the Turks toward the Armenians," said Virginia Haroutunian, who taught in Pontiac schools for 30 years before retiring in 1988.

"From the age of 7 onward, she had not experienced love and therefore could not show it," she said of her mother. "I inherited her pain. I could not feel affection or show it. Music and food sedated my pain. The re-evaluation of my mother's past when I was 50 years old led to an understanding of my mother and surprisingly of myself."

She said the "Orphan in the Sands" book, "is about the evolution from the depths of black despair to the liberation of the human spirit."

Her mother, Victoria Ahigian, married Michael Haroutunian in Troy, N.Y., on Feb. 24, 1929. He was a cobbler and they took a train back to Pontiac. Victoria's cousin, Harry Ahigian, was instrumental in sending her money to help her buy steerage passage to America.

"I never found out what my mother went through until 1988," said Virginia Haroutunian. She would say, ÔNobody likes to hear a sad story,' and she wasn't proud about the way she was treated." Abrahamian arrived in the United States in 1921 and roomed with his brother in Highland Park, where some Armenian survivors lived, and worked in a grocery store before getting a job working as a civil engineer for the federal government.

When he retired in 1974, he received the distinguished service award, he said. He still doesn't understand the failure of the United States to officially recognize the genocide.

"It's a crime that the United States doesn't recognize the Armenian genocide," said Abrahamian, adding Germany and France have recognized it but England has not. "We want the Turks to own up to what happened."

Contact Jerry Wolffe at (248) 745-4612 or [email protected].

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Youth Rally for Recognition 04-20-07

"During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act"
Join us Rally for the recognition of the Armenian Genocide this April 20th 2007 at the Pasadena Armenian Center (740 E Washington Blvd, Pasadena CA).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvKIBdmJ3zM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWa-7D348ec

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ANC-New York: April 20th Event @ City Hall

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiUp-1DKLao

On Friday April 20th the Armenian National Committee
of New York is hosting its annual Armenian Genocide
Commemoration and invites you to join them at City
Hall in Manhattan.

The program will begin promptly at 6:30 in the
evening.

Buses transportation has been arranged will depart
from:

The Armenian Center in Woodside at 5:30pm

St. Sarkis Armenian Church in Douglaston @ 5pm

Holy Martyrs Armenian Church in Bayside@ 5pm

Baruir's Grocery, Sunnyside at 5:30pm

And in Brooklyn, at the corner of Coney Island Avenue
& Brighton Beach Avenue at 5pm

By Subway take the
4,5,6 to the Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall Station
J,M,Z to the Chambers Street Station & the
2,3 to the Park Place Station

The ANC has planned a solemn commemoration and hopes
that you will join them.