NEW BRITAIN, Conn.—On Saturday, April 23, the Connecticut Armenian Genocide Commemoration Committee will present a program remembering the 107th anniversary of the beginning of the Armenian Genocide. The program will be held in-person at the Armenian Church of the Holy Resurrection, 1910 Stanley Street at 10:30 a.m. A live-stream will also be available on the Armenian Church of the Holy Resurrection YouTube page.
Because of COVID restrictions, the use of the State Capitol was not possible this year. The Committee hopes to return to the Capitol for future commemorations. The Armenian flag will fly over the Connecticut State Capitol building from April 20 to April 27.
John C. Geragosian, State Auditor and committee member, will serve as Master of Ceremonies. Geragosian stated that the commemoration and the lessons learned from studying past history are vital especially in the current climate of aggressions by Azerbaijan against historic Armenian lands and the war in Ukraine.
The program will begin with the Martyrs’ Service, which was created in 2015 on the centennial of the Genocide and the canonization of the martyrs. Clergy from Armenian churches in Connecticut will lead the service.
“The story of our holy martyrs of the Armenian Genocide is a story of a group of exceptional individuals who kept their focus on the most important thing even in the midst of the darkest imaginable turmoil. Every year, we gather together as Armenian Christians to learn from their example, to ask for their intercession and to become re-inspired by their witness; that we as children of God might also keep our eyes on that most important thing and orient our lives as they did around growing into the love of our compassionate Father in heaven,” said Rev. Fr. Haroutiun Sabounjian of The Armenian Church of the Holy Resurrection in New Britain.
Connecticut State Representative Edwin Vargas, Jr. will also be on hand to offer his remarks.
The keynote speaker will be Weekly staff writer and poet Lillian Avedian. Avedian is pursuing masters degrees in journalism and Near Easter Studies at New York University. She will speak on “Narrating Genocide: Journalism Without Facts, Art Without Truth.”
The mission of the Armenian Genocide Commemoration Committee of Connecticut, in addition to honoring the memory of the 1.5 million victims and survivors of the Armenian Genocide by the Ottoman government in 1915, is to support programs and events and to inform the public about the Genocide. It is in the process of establishing a suitable permanent Genocide memorial. The Committee also assists in the legislative mandate to provide Genocide related curricula in public schools. The Committee also seeks to present information about developments in the Diaspora and Armenia.
Committee chair Melanie Kevorkian Brown stated that she is gratified by the interest in the Armenian Genocide shown by both Armenian and non-Armenian communities. She stressed that the failure to recognize and condemn past genocides can only lead to increased crimes against humanity in the future. She commended the Connecticut Genocide Commemoration Committee for its diligence in conducting its annual commemoration, especially during these past two years in light of restrictions imposed by COVID-related circumstances.
In addition to Kevorkian-Brown, Committee members include: Der Untzag Nalbandian, Der Voski Galstyan, Der Haroutiun Sabounjian, Der Garabed Telfeyan, Der Aram Stepanian, Rita Soovajian, Diana Colpitts, Svetlana Babadjanyan, Evelyn Mukjian Daly, Mari Firkatian, John Geragosian, Armen Marsoobian, Sonia Gulbenk, Richard Arzoomanian, Greg Norsigian, Harry N. Mazadoorian, David Paparian, Richard Hamasian and Kit Kaolian.
Mazadoorian noted that it’s tragic that, despite overwhelming scholarly research and documentation of the Genocide, all clearly establishing the horrific details of the events, recognition has still not been universal and Turkey continues its obsessive and aggressive denials. “Great strides have been made in recent years, especially with the recognition and condemnation resolutions of both houses of the US Congress in 2020 and the recognition by President Biden in 2021. Nonetheless, it is heartbreaking that 107 years after the Genocide, atrocities continue in the form of physical aggressions, human rights violations and cultural desecration against Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh, a region which has long been an integral part of historic Armenia.”
The program will also contain appropriate musical selections and a candle lighting. A reception will follow.
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