Armenian Genocide Remembrance
By: Marina Khachatryan '24 and Mariam Torosyan 24’
This April 24th, we honor the people who lost their lives in the Armenian Genocide. The genocide was an atrocity that marked a dark chapter in Armenia’s long history, consisting of massacres of the Armenian-Christian people under the rule of the Ottoman Empire. In 1915, during the First World War, the Turkish government rounded up Armenians and hanged them in the streets of Istanbul. For those who weren’t hanged, a series of genocidal deportations were enacted, where most of the population would be sent to the desert, where a million either died or were killed en route. An unknown number of others found other ways to survive such as converting to the Islamic fate, but in return losing their Armenian culture. By the early 1920s, at the end of the systematic genocides, between 600,000 and 1.5 million Armenians were dead or forcibly removed from their country.
Millions of Armenians march yearly for the acknowledgment and recognition of these actions enacted by the Ottoman Empire. Although President Biden issued a declaration claiming the Ottoman Empire’s actions as genocide back in 2021, the Turkish government still denies these claims and does not recognize this tragedy.
April 24 is now a Remembrance Day Armenian club and 7th grader Rima Baaryan stated, ‘’ It is important that we remember the Armenian Genocide and continue to let people know and spread our culture to those who don’t know. I am a proud Armenian!’’Here at Soces, we have an amazing Armenian Club. The Armenian Club sponsor Mrs. Tcherchian states, ‘’In my 7 years at SOCES, I've been proud to sponsor the Armenian Club. They have been educating and creating learning opportunities by showcasing the art, dance, poetry, traditions, and history of our people. A few years ago, enough Armenians spoke up and wrote letters to officials and board members asking for a day of Genocide Remembrance, and were successful. SOCES was heavily involved in that and I couldn't be more proud. We are grateful our voices were heard.’’
