On April 24, we marked the anniversary of the Armenian genocide and the atrocities committed just over 100 years ago. The resilience of the Armenian people across the world, and our fellow Armenian-Americans, serves as inspiration and a reminder of the cruelty that too frequently has visited upon people throughout the world and throughout history. Remembrance of such tragedies, while painful and abhorrent, must serve as a constant reminder to us all of what some parts of humanity are capable of. Too often, there are those who would deny such actions or attempt to erase it from history. April 24th is one of those important dates that remind us that we must recommit ourselves to fighting hate and bigotry wherever we find it.
This is not a new sentiment – but it is frequently overlooked or forgotten, and that’s inexcusable. We just can’t let that happen.
In 1919, Henry Morgenthau, the U.S. Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, put the genocide against the Armenia people in perspective after speaking directly with the Turkish authorities at the time:
“When the Turkish authorities gave the orders for these deportations, they were merely giving the death warrant to a whole race; they understood this well, and, in their conversations with me, they made no particular attempt to conceal the fact. . . . The great massacres and persecutions of the past seem almost insignificant when compared to the sufferings of the Armenian race in 1915.”
These words are as true today as they were over a century ago. President Biden has pledged to recognize this tragedy for what it was: a genocide, despite the vehement objections from the Turkish government, which remains in denial. With an estimated 1.5 million Armenians murdered, this recognition by American leadership is long overdue. April 24th is a painful day for many families whose forebears were victims, and their journey to escape such oppression led them to the United States, which has been a welcoming home.
Never again!
In solidarity,
JEFF PRANG
Assessor