UC Berkeley ASA Hosts Annual Genocide Awareness Week

BERKELEY, Calif.—During the week of April 18-24, the UC Berkeley Armenian Students Association (ASA) has organized a series of events ranging from commemorative concerts to solidarity events designed to heighten awareness and promote international recognition of the Armenian Genocide as well as several other genocides that have taken place worldwide since the dawn of the 20th century.

In anticipation of the landmark week, the ASA also successfully lobbied UC Berkeley’s student government, the ASUC, to recognize April 24 as “Armenian Genocide Commemoration Day.” The bill—which passed April 14—requires the ASUC president to write a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi endorsing House Resolution 252 for a “moral foreign policy” and supporting a full vote on the House floor. The Obama Administration has thus far signaled opposition toward a full vote, despite campaign promises to recognize the genocide.

ASA’s Cultural Committee planned this year’s Genocide Awareness Week in collaboration with many other student groups on campus. Last year’s theme of “Genocide is universal” is carried over and expanded upon with “Deny one, deny all.” Together, these mottos speak to the way in which the repeated denial of genocide and lack of international recognition and active prevention have allowed perpetrators to guiltlessly continue committing inhumane violence against innocent citizens of the world. Wristbands, flyers, posters, and t-shirts have been distributed throughout the campus community, spreading the themes of the week effectively.

A series of special events evoke the week’s message, starting with a candlelight vigil that will see the unveiling of the memorial against the backdrop of Armenian song and poetry. Among other events planned for the week is a scholarly lecture delivered by author Michael Bobelian from the Columbia School of Journalism on Thurs., April 22.

On Fri., April 23, the ASA will host the week’s centerpiece event, “United Hands Across Cal,” better known by its acronym UHAC, in which members of the UC Berkeley campus and community are invited to stand in solidarity against injustice and crimes against humanity. The event has become increasingly popular in recent years, earning praise and awards from the student body and its member associations.

On April 24, the Awareness Week will conclude with the ASA busing its entire membership to the Golden Gate Bridge to join a Bay Area-wide march to stand against injustice and recognition of the Armenian Genocide.

In addition to the events planned for the week, the ASA has built a memorial, which it constructs every year, to commemorate the genocide while meticulously cataloging the geographical and historical contexts of the massacres. A large, nine-ft. by six-ft. map of historic Armenia depicts the scale of the genocide, with red markings signifying notable massacres in their respective regions. Twelve “holes” dot the map, across the western and eastern regions of historic Armenia, coinciding with the 12 “lost provinces,” also depicted on the 12 slabs of the Tsitsernagapert Genocide Memorial in Armenia today.

The ASA hopes that all those who see the memorial will comprehend the devastating scale of the genocide. On the 95th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, the UC Berkeley ASA—through its eye-catching memorial and week of educational and commemorative events—is doing its part to pay tribute to the victims of genocide and assist in the global endeavor to terminate its vicious cycle. At the same time, the organization is also celebrating the reinvigoration of the Armenian culture and the triumph of the Armenian people, with musical performances, film screenings, solidarity marches, and other tributes.

For more information, contact Garen Karnikian, the Armenian Students Association president, by emailing gkarnikian@berkeley.edu; or visit http://asa.berkeley.edu.