BOSTON, Mass. (A.W.)—On April 20, hundreds commemorated the 97thanniversary of the Armenian Genocide at the Massachusetts State House in Boston. Guests included legislators, human rights activists, and members of the Armenian American community.
Rep. Jon Hecht (D-Watertown) co-hosted the event, together with Sen. Will Brownsberger (D-Belmont) and Rep. John Lawn (D-Watertown). “This legislature and this state remain firmly committed to the purposes of this event: to honor the victims and the survivors of the Armenian Genocide, to recognize the crimes committed against the Armenian people by the Ottoman Empire, to thank those who have made special contributions to the world’s understanding of the Armenian Genocide and the advancement of the Armenian culture, and to rededicate ourselves to upholding the truth of those tragic events and preventing their recurrence anywhere in the world,” said Hecht.
Following a prayer by Rev. Gregory Haroutunian, Rep. James Miceli (D-Wilmington) led the “Pledge of Allegiance.” Miceli noted that his maternal grandmother was a survivor of the Armenian Genocide, and remembered the late Speaker George Keverian, who had initiated the commemoration event at the State House back in 1985.
Students from the St. Stephen’s Armenian School and the Armenian Sisters’ Academy, clad in their school uniforms, sang “America the Beautiful” and the Armenian national anthem.
Speaker of the House Robert DeLeo welcomed the guests. “We’ll never forget the million-and-a-half Armenians killed, and we must not allow the world to forget,” said DeLeo. He, too, remembered Keverian’s efforts in starting the annual commemoration ceremony at the State House. DeLeo noted that in his office he keeps a book by Peter Balakian, in which the author discusses the advocacy of a group of vocal Americans who raised awareness about the crimes committed against the Armenians as they were happening at the end of World War I. “Those Americans included President Theodore Roosevelt, who called the genocide the greatest crime of the war. His words are as moving today, as they were then… As human beings we must strive to allow the human spirit to outshine the acts of epic infamy,” said DeLeo.
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Brownsberger took the podium next. He commended Playwright Joyce Van Dyke for her play “Deported/A Dream Play” and presented her with a resolution from the Massachusetts General Court honoring her contributions to commemorate the Armenian Genocide. The play tells the story of Van Dyke’s grandmother and her friend, both survivors from the genocide. Van Dyke accepted the resolution, and thanked the committee for recognizing her work. She spoke about the role of art in politics. “Why should politics and political movements care about art? … What we all need is recognition and justice. Here is what the theater can do: The theater broadcasts our story in a public forum at a uniquely emotional and personal level. It makes our story visceral. It makes it come alive,” she said.
Brownsberger also presented a resolution to AFL-CIO president and former state legislator Steven Tolman, who was unable to attend. The resolution recognized Tolman’s lifelong “diligent” and “tireless” efforts in advocating for and ensuring that “the historical lessons of the genocide will never be forgotten,” by supporting the victims of the Armenian Genocide and honoring them through resolutions; by co-hosting the annual commemoration event at the State House; by supporting the construction of the Armenian Heritage Park in Boston; and by helping pass a law in 1998 that required elementary and secondary schools to teach about the Armenian Genocide.
Next, the former regional director of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), Andy Tarsy, who was fired from his post for publically recognizing the Armenian Genocide, greeted the attendees with the Armenian words, “Paree louys paregamner” (“Good morning friends”). “We must be candid about history,” he continued. “To withhold the use of the term ‘genocide’ to describe the war on the Armenian people in the Ottoman Empire is a deliberate calculation that values short-term political stability over truth. Make that bargain once or twice in a few extreme situations, and maybe we will be safer for the moment, but before long we will undermine the foundation of everything else we believe in, and our safety with it. At that point, nothing important to us will be safe at all,” said Tarsy. “The world knew what was happening in 1915,” he said, underlining the fact that in that year there were 145 articles in the New York Times about the atrocities occurring in the Ottoman Empire. He then read the names of the organizations and individuals who recognized and supported the quest for justice in the case of the Armenian Genocide.
The keynote address by Armenian Weekly editor Khatchig Mouradian focused on the choices people are faced with every day: taking a stand during the present versus postponement and inaction. He spoke about the empty seats left behind by the victims of the genocide. “These commemorations are reminders of the empty seats, the shattered dreams, the destroyed communities, and the loss of a homeland,” he said. Mouradian emphasized the importance of being present, of taking a stand and fighting for justice in the present. “We will be able to achieve that day when those [empty] seats in the Turkish Parliament are acknowledged, and the victims who occupied those seats are acknowledged,” he said, referring to the murdered Armenian Parliamentarians of the Ottoman Empire. Choices are faced by all of us, he said. “A similar choice faces Turkish civil society today: of moving on or confronting their reality. The past is demanding an explanation. It is not an issue of memory, but about justice.”
Anahis Kechejian, a young woman who this year began a new tradition, “Stand Up for your Survivor,” introduced Sherriff Peter Koutoujian. (Kechejian has collected the pictures and the dates and birthplaces of survivors, and printed posters that were held by the students of St. Stephen’s Armenian School and the Armenian Sisters’ Academy.) Koutoujian then read an address by Governor Deval Patrick, who was unable to attend the commemoration event. He also read the proclamations that he then passed to the survivors present, during a moving performance of Yervant Sardarian’s “Armenian Sketches” by 13-year-old violinist Haig Hovsepian, accompanied on the piano by Ani Hovsepian.
Fr. Antranig Baljian offered the Requiem prayer, which was followed by a moment of silence. Hecht gave the closing remarks. Guests then sang the “Hayr Mer” (“The Lord’s Prayer”), led by the clergy.
Nanore Barsoumian
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It was gratifying to see a very diverse audience of many generations. My compliments to the organizing committee a very balanced program of public officials and other supporters. Mr. Tarsy was superb and it was an opportunity for Armenians to thank him for his principled perspectives. There were many young people which brought optimism and a sense of continuity to our cause. Khatchig’s message on the choices we make was a timely call for activism. The audience responded with energy as he held a “mirror” up to all of us to take responsibility. In this way, we truly honor the memories of our victims. I appreciated his comments especially because we must remember that these events are not simply remembrances, but are calls for justice.