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AURORA PRIZE: ARMENIAN LEADERS ESTABLISH RIGHTS AWARD TO COMMEMORATE CENTENARY OF GENOCIDE
GENOCIDE | 11.03.15 | 10:41
Aurora's Light: Institute vows to remind Armenia of its great hero
Ahead of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide to be marked
on April 24, leaders in the Armenian Diaspora have collaborated with
Hollywood celebrities and human rights advocates to create a prize
to be awarded annually to those who put themselves at risk to ensure
that others survive.
The humanitarian prize announced on Tuesday in New York is part of an
expansive effort by prominent Armenians to ensure that the history of
the genocide committed by Ottoman Turkey is documented and archived
through the stories of survivors and their saviors, in ways similar
to the chronicling of the Jews' suffering in the Holocaust.
About 1.5 million Armenians died from 1915 to 1923 in what is widely
acknowledged as the 20th century's first genocide. About 500,000
survived, many because of interventions by foreign individuals and
institutions.
"The humanity, generosity, strength and sacrifice shown by those
who saved so many Armenians compels us to tell these stories," said
Russian-Armenian businessman Ruben Vardanyan, who is a co-sponsor of
the commemoration effort known as the 100 Lives Initiative.
"My grandfather was saved by a missionary," Vardanyan said as quoted
by The New York Times.
Along with commemorating the survivors and those who saved them, the
effort will establish a $1 million award to be called the Aurora Prize
for Awakening Humanity, to be given starting next year. The winners
will not keep the money, instead presenting it to the organizations
that they identify as the inspirations for their work.
The award is named after a survivor of the genocide, Aurora
Mardiganian, who as a child was forced to witness the deaths of family
members. She devoted her life to raising awareness of the genocide
and starred in a 1919 film called "Ravished Armenia."
Vardanyan and his associates collaborated with Not On Our Watch,
an organization founded by George Clooney and other celebrities --
including Don Cheadle, Matt Damon and Brad Pitt -- that seeks to
prevent mass atrocities.
In a statement, Clooney said his group shared a common goal with
the Armenian sponsors, "to focus global attention on the impact of
genocide as well as putting resources toward ending mass atrocities
around the world."
Clooney is to award the inaugural prize at a ceremony to be held in
the Armenian capital of Yerevan on April 24, 2016, the sponsors said
in a statement.
http://armenianow.com/genocide/61310/armenia_genocide_aurora_award_genocide_centenary
GENOCIDE | 11.03.15 | 10:41
Aurora's Light: Institute vows to remind Armenia of its great hero
Ahead of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide to be marked
on April 24, leaders in the Armenian Diaspora have collaborated with
Hollywood celebrities and human rights advocates to create a prize
to be awarded annually to those who put themselves at risk to ensure
that others survive.
The humanitarian prize announced on Tuesday in New York is part of an
expansive effort by prominent Armenians to ensure that the history of
the genocide committed by Ottoman Turkey is documented and archived
through the stories of survivors and their saviors, in ways similar
to the chronicling of the Jews' suffering in the Holocaust.
About 1.5 million Armenians died from 1915 to 1923 in what is widely
acknowledged as the 20th century's first genocide. About 500,000
survived, many because of interventions by foreign individuals and
institutions.
"The humanity, generosity, strength and sacrifice shown by those
who saved so many Armenians compels us to tell these stories," said
Russian-Armenian businessman Ruben Vardanyan, who is a co-sponsor of
the commemoration effort known as the 100 Lives Initiative.
"My grandfather was saved by a missionary," Vardanyan said as quoted
by The New York Times.
Along with commemorating the survivors and those who saved them, the
effort will establish a $1 million award to be called the Aurora Prize
for Awakening Humanity, to be given starting next year. The winners
will not keep the money, instead presenting it to the organizations
that they identify as the inspirations for their work.
The award is named after a survivor of the genocide, Aurora
Mardiganian, who as a child was forced to witness the deaths of family
members. She devoted her life to raising awareness of the genocide
and starred in a 1919 film called "Ravished Armenia."
Vardanyan and his associates collaborated with Not On Our Watch,
an organization founded by George Clooney and other celebrities --
including Don Cheadle, Matt Damon and Brad Pitt -- that seeks to
prevent mass atrocities.
In a statement, Clooney said his group shared a common goal with
the Armenian sponsors, "to focus global attention on the impact of
genocide as well as putting resources toward ending mass atrocities
around the world."
Clooney is to award the inaugural prize at a ceremony to be held in
the Armenian capital of Yerevan on April 24, 2016, the sponsors said
in a statement.
http://armenianow.com/genocide/61310/armenia_genocide_aurora_award_genocide_centenary