A commitment to human rights inspires an event remembering the Armenian Genocide

Steve Berdos is not Armenian, but he is a fan of Serj Tankian. Inspired by the musician’s advocacy for Armenian Genocide recognition and horrified by the war brought against Artsakh and Armenia by Azerbaijan and Turkey in the fall of 2020, Berdos was compelled to organize an online event last week dedicated to remembering the Armenian Genocide in his capacity as a member of the Attleboro Council on Human Rights (ACHR). “I feel strongly that the responsibility to advocate for change shouldn’t always fall to the group seeking change,” he told the Weekly.

Held on Thursday, April 15, the virtual event featured an impressive group of speakers including Pulitzer Prize winning poet and New York Times bestselling author Peter Balakian, Director of Academic Affairs at the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR) Marc Mamigonian, Attleboro Superintendent of Schools David Sawyer, Congressman Jake Auchincloss (D-MA) and RI House Majority Whip Katherine Kazarian. Each added layer upon layer of impact and information to the commemoration, achieving the ACHR’s goal, according to Berdos, of organizing a forum that “covered the Armenian Genocide from an educational, legislative and personal perspective.” As a unique idea, each speaker was introduced by a member of the Council reciting a variety of selections chosen by Berdos specifically for the evening.