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PROTEST RAISES AWARENESS OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
THE POLY POST (CAL POLY POMONA STUDENT PAPER), CALIFORNIA
Feb 4 2014
Juan Madrigal, Staff Writer | 0 comments
Cal Poly Pomona's Armenian Student Association chapter hosted its
7th annual Armenian Genocide Awareness silent protest on Thursday in
front of the Campus Center Marketplace.
The Armenian genocide began in 1915, soon after the start of World War
I, and to raise awareness about the ongoing oppression of the Armenian
people by the Republic of Turkey, the silent protest was put on by ASA.
According to endgenocide.org, "The combination of massacres, forced
deportation marches and deaths due to disease in concentration camps
is estimated to have killed more than 1 million ethnic Armenians,
Assyrians and Greeks between 1915 and 1923."
ASA President and sixth-year Electrical Engineering student Emin
Gorgoyan said his goal for this event was to educate people about
the killing of 1.5 million Armenians almost 100 years ago in Turkey.
"People do not really know about the Armenian genocide, and it is
up to us to raise awareness...people need to know what happened,"
said Gorgoyan.
Although ASA usually has this event in April, this year, they decided
to have it in January to bring more awareness to the campus community.
"When we do [the event] in April, it is much bigger," said Gorgoyan.
"We have crosses set up and a large banner with fingerprints as a
symbol of the people who were killed but not forgotten."
As students walked past the protesters, they would stop and read
their signs. Although they seemed interested in what was going on,
they did not know about the Armenian Genocide.
Many students stopped and asked questions about the silent protest.
Many of them wondered what the red tape on the lips of participants
meant.
Gorgoyan said the red tape symbolizes the oppression people have to
endure in Turkey since they cannot speak about the Armenian Genocide.
It is a serious crime to do this.
With their mouths covered in red tape to also represent the silence of
the U.S. government towards the injustice of denial, students also
held signs which read "Our wounds are still open," "Stop Turkish
state terror" and "1915 never again."
Joseph Kaskanian, a third-year business administration student,
said all Armenians across campuses and across California were doing a
silent protest as a way to remember the hurtful events that decimated
a large group of individuals.
"We cannot live our lives denying what happened in Turkey and
pretending that it did not happen," said Kaskanian. "Although a lot
of countries have [recognized] this as a genocide, the United States
has not."
Armenian Youth Federation's Executive Director Stephan Keshishian was
present at this event and said the Armenian Genocide is an important
part of history, regardless of where students are from.
Running concurrently with other Stain of Denial protests throughout
Southern California, ASA spearheaded an effort to hashtag the Armenian
genocide.
"It is during these times that we ask students to educate themselves
and come out and support," said Keshishian.
The 20 Armenian students, along with Keshishian, who were at this
event, were more than willing to talk to students and answer any
questions they had.
"We are all very approachable and will give a thorough response backed
up with facts," said Gorgoyan.
Armenians have tried many times to get the United States to recognize
the Armenian Genocide, but their attempts have failed every time.
"Although many politicians have said they would push the government
to recognize the Armenian genocide, as soon as they get into office,
they do not follow through and turn their backs on us," said Gorgoyan.
Since the past cannot be changed, peace of mind and closure is what
many Armenians ask for.
"If the American government and the major super powers of the world
don't recognize that happened, then there is no pressure on the
government of Turkey to admit that what they did was wrong, take
ownership, take responsibility, and pay reparations," said Keshishian
. "It doesn't allow the Armenians and the wounds from the trauma
to heal."
In the last 100 years, Armenians, Jews, Cambodians, Bosnians and
Rwandans have all been victims of genocides.
"We all live in this world together, we should respect and learn from
each other, not hate each other," said Keshishi. "There shouldn't be
hate in this world."
http://www.thepolypost.com/lifestyle/protest-raises-awareness-of-armenian-genocide/article_e3cb611e-8d45-11e3-8875-001a4bcf6878.html
THE POLY POST (CAL POLY POMONA STUDENT PAPER), CALIFORNIA
Feb 4 2014
Juan Madrigal, Staff Writer | 0 comments
Cal Poly Pomona's Armenian Student Association chapter hosted its
7th annual Armenian Genocide Awareness silent protest on Thursday in
front of the Campus Center Marketplace.
The Armenian genocide began in 1915, soon after the start of World War
I, and to raise awareness about the ongoing oppression of the Armenian
people by the Republic of Turkey, the silent protest was put on by ASA.
According to endgenocide.org, "The combination of massacres, forced
deportation marches and deaths due to disease in concentration camps
is estimated to have killed more than 1 million ethnic Armenians,
Assyrians and Greeks between 1915 and 1923."
ASA President and sixth-year Electrical Engineering student Emin
Gorgoyan said his goal for this event was to educate people about
the killing of 1.5 million Armenians almost 100 years ago in Turkey.
"People do not really know about the Armenian genocide, and it is
up to us to raise awareness...people need to know what happened,"
said Gorgoyan.
Although ASA usually has this event in April, this year, they decided
to have it in January to bring more awareness to the campus community.
"When we do [the event] in April, it is much bigger," said Gorgoyan.
"We have crosses set up and a large banner with fingerprints as a
symbol of the people who were killed but not forgotten."
As students walked past the protesters, they would stop and read
their signs. Although they seemed interested in what was going on,
they did not know about the Armenian Genocide.
Many students stopped and asked questions about the silent protest.
Many of them wondered what the red tape on the lips of participants
meant.
Gorgoyan said the red tape symbolizes the oppression people have to
endure in Turkey since they cannot speak about the Armenian Genocide.
It is a serious crime to do this.
With their mouths covered in red tape to also represent the silence of
the U.S. government towards the injustice of denial, students also
held signs which read "Our wounds are still open," "Stop Turkish
state terror" and "1915 never again."
Joseph Kaskanian, a third-year business administration student,
said all Armenians across campuses and across California were doing a
silent protest as a way to remember the hurtful events that decimated
a large group of individuals.
"We cannot live our lives denying what happened in Turkey and
pretending that it did not happen," said Kaskanian. "Although a lot
of countries have [recognized] this as a genocide, the United States
has not."
Armenian Youth Federation's Executive Director Stephan Keshishian was
present at this event and said the Armenian Genocide is an important
part of history, regardless of where students are from.
Running concurrently with other Stain of Denial protests throughout
Southern California, ASA spearheaded an effort to hashtag the Armenian
genocide.
"It is during these times that we ask students to educate themselves
and come out and support," said Keshishian.
The 20 Armenian students, along with Keshishian, who were at this
event, were more than willing to talk to students and answer any
questions they had.
"We are all very approachable and will give a thorough response backed
up with facts," said Gorgoyan.
Armenians have tried many times to get the United States to recognize
the Armenian Genocide, but their attempts have failed every time.
"Although many politicians have said they would push the government
to recognize the Armenian genocide, as soon as they get into office,
they do not follow through and turn their backs on us," said Gorgoyan.
Since the past cannot be changed, peace of mind and closure is what
many Armenians ask for.
"If the American government and the major super powers of the world
don't recognize that happened, then there is no pressure on the
government of Turkey to admit that what they did was wrong, take
ownership, take responsibility, and pay reparations," said Keshishian
. "It doesn't allow the Armenians and the wounds from the trauma
to heal."
In the last 100 years, Armenians, Jews, Cambodians, Bosnians and
Rwandans have all been victims of genocides.
"We all live in this world together, we should respect and learn from
each other, not hate each other," said Keshishi. "There shouldn't be
hate in this world."
http://www.thepolypost.com/lifestyle/protest-raises-awareness-of-armenian-genocide/article_e3cb611e-8d45-11e3-8875-001a4bcf6878.html