Armenian American Artists, Writers, and Activists Stand with Standing Rock

NEW YORK—A group of Armenian American artists, scholars, journalists, and activists issued a statement in solidarity with the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe against the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL).

Protest at the Oceti Sakowin Camp (Photo: Hrag Vartanian)
Protest at the Oceti Sakowin Camp (Photo: Hrag Vartanian)

The more than 30 signatories include artist and activist Serj Tankian, actor and playwright Eric Bogosian, novelists Chris Bohjalian, Micheline Aharonian Marcom, Aline Ohanesian, and Nancy Kricorian, artist and author Vahe Berberian, journalist and author Mark Arax, and journalist David Barsamian.

The statement notes that the construction of the pipeline threatens the environment and is a violation of Native American rights. “It constitutes a continuation of centuries-old policies of dispossession, destruction, and denial of indigenous people’s rights. As descendants of Armenian Genocide survivors, we cannot remain silent against these acts,” the statement reads.

For more on DAPL and how to get involved, go to: http://standwithstandingrock.net/

Below is the statement and the list of signatories.

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We, a group of Armenian American artists, scholars, and activists stand in solidarity with the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe against the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL). The pipeline threatens water sources and the environment and violates Native American sacred land. It constitutes a continuation of centuries-old policies of dispossession, destruction, and denial of indigenous people’s rights. As descendants of Armenian Genocide survivors, we cannot remain silent against these acts. We join our voices with the Standing Rock Sioux in rejecting DAPL.

Nancy Agabian (New York)

Liana Aghajanian (Michigan)

Mark Arax (California)

Nora Armani (New York)

Sophia Armen (California)

Talin Avakian (Massachusetts)

Levon Avdoyan (Washington, D.C.)

David Barsamian (Colorado)

Vahe Berberian (California)

Eric Bogosian (New York)

Chris Bohjalian (Vermont)

Talar Chahinian (California)

Sara Cohan (California)

Hasmik Geghamyan (California)

Veken Gueyikian (New York)

Matthew Karanian (California)

Nancy Kricorian (New York)

Antranig Kzirian (California)

Micheline Aharonian Marcom (California)

Bared Maronian (Florida)

Marian Mesrobian MacCurdy (Massachusetts)

Susan A. Minasian (Pennsylvania)

Khatchig Mouradian (New York)

Eric Nazarian (California)

Aline Ohanesian (California)

Serda Ozbenian (Maryland)

Carolyn Rapkievian (Maryland)

Elyse Semerdjian (Washington)

Sanan Shirinian (California)

Jason Sohigian (Massachusetts)

Serj Tankian (California)

Anoush Fraser Terjanian (New York)

Henry Theriault (Massachusetts)

Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte (Maine)

Hrag Vartanian (New York)

Nicole Vartanian (New York)

Dana Walrath (Vermont)

Sarah Leah Whitson (New York)

 

Guest Contributor

Guest Contributor

Guest contributions to the Armenian Weekly are informative articles or press releases written and submitted by members of the community.

7 Comments

  1. Yes, finally! Our community MUST take part of at least state our solidarity with any minority that faces injustice, especially regarding the plight of native nations. How can we expect others to stand with us for our cause if we don’t do the same for others?
    Thank you to everyone who signed and initiated this letter.

  2. After the 1915 genocide, around 1923, Marie Benlian, my mother, Virginie, her sister, Agop, her father, Nectar, her mother took a little boat in the night and went from Constantinople (Istamboul) to Egypt to flee another possible massacre. My mother married Dante Artuso, and I was born in 1945, 20 days after the US used for the 1st time, the atom bomb on the civilian population of Hiroshima. In 1952, when Nasser expelled British imperialism, we left Egpt and went to Brazil, because my parents were afraid of a war against Egypt, which happened in 1956. In 1964, US imperialism organized with the Brazilian ruling classes a coup d’État and put in place a fascist dictatorship. We went to Canada, where I have been living since. I learned in Brazil, in Canada and in the other countries I went how the colonialist powers (Portuguese, Spanish, English, French, Deutch) became rich by committing a genocide against the First Nations to grab their land and introduced African slavery. The rich families of the ruling classes of the 3 Americas are the descendants of the Conquistadors and Puritans who massacred the indigenous tribes and became rich by enslaving millions of African. Today, the US are preparing to invade Russia and China. Today, the peoples of the world are fighting against the exploitation of the workers by capitalists-imperialists, the economic, political and social oppression of the peoples of the world by the capitalist State, the plunder of all the natural resources by the monopolies, the crisis (1929, 2008, etc.) organized by the bankers to become richer, the growing fascism in the world and the never ending imperialist wars, massacres, genocides to enrich the capitalists-imperialists. Few of the Armenians know who was Missak Manouchian, a hero of the Resistance against the Nazi occupation of France. Thank you for the support to the First Nations of the 3 Americas, North, Central and South. In solidarity with the peoples against colonialism and imperialism. United Front against Neoliberalism, Fascism and War. Antonio Artuso Benlian, Canada, pueblo@sympatico.ca

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