Ohanian Delivers Keynote at Houston Genocide Commemoration

HOUSTON, Texas—On Sun., April 25, the Saint Kevork Armenian Church of Houston hosted a community commemoration of the 95th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. The event, which drew over 100 members of the parish community, took place at Tcholakian Hall following a brief Requiem Service for the victims of the genocide. Dr. Arbi Ohanian, from the Western Region office of the Armenian National Committee (ANC), delivered the keynote address.

Ohanian discusses the Armenian Genocide resolutions with the Houston community.

Ohanian, a Houston native, was warmly received by the audience and spoke about the current Armenian Genocide resolutions in the U.S. Congress. He also emphasized the importance of civic engagement and the significance of Armenian Americans entering the political arena. He noted that he first became passionate about community involvement through the Armenian Youth Federation’s (AYF) “Dro” Chapter in Houston—whose current members opened the day’s event with a flag presentation.

The audience, young and old, were able to engage Ohanian in a public discussion of the issue and the current challenges faced by anti-genocide activists both in Houston and beyond. Many of those in attendance also participated in the previous day’s youth workshop about the Armenian Genocide presented by Artyom Tonoyan, a Ph.D. candidate at Baylor University’s department of religion, politics, and society.

“This was a great homecoming for me,” noted Ohanian. “I think a lot of people were motivated by the weekend’s commemoration activities to come together and strengthen the collective voice of this community through the ANC Texas.”

The Armenian National Committee of Texas advances the social, economic, cultural, and political rights of the area’s Armenian American community, and promotes increased Armenian American civic participation at the grassroots and public policy levels.

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