Tashnagtsutyun as a living legacy, a timeless struggle
Remarks on the ARF’s 135 anniversary
Note: These remarks were delivered by the author on March 1, 2025 at the Detroit ARF Azadamard Gomideh’s celebration of the 135th anniversary of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF).
«Շունչ է Դաշնակցութիւնը, ոգի եւ նկարագիր: Կամք ու պայքար: Երգ է մեր լեռներուն վրայ, ու գիւղական աղքատ խրճիթներէն ներս, յեղափոխական յաղթագոռ եղանակ։»
“The ARF is a breath, a spirit and a character. Will and struggle. It is a song over our mountains, and within the humble rural huts, a revolutionary victorious tune.”
These are not mere words. They are the heartbeat of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF), a force that has pulsed through our nation for 135 years. Written by Yervant Boyadjian, a political leader from Musa Ler and the voice of Hairenik Weekly, they ring as true today as they did when he first spoke them, capturing the essence of the ARF.
To confine ARF into one definition, however, would diminish its greatness. Tashnagtsutyun is not just an organization; it is an impersonal feeling, a living and ever moving faith. Above all, it is an ideological and moral force that defies translation. It is the unrelenting pursuit of a united, free and independent Armenia—a mission that remains unfinished but burns brighter with every passing year.
The 135th anniversary of the ARF is more than a milestone. It is the splendor of our recent past, a golden chain of divine uprisings that reawakened the Armenian soul. It forged the Armenian citizen, uniting Eastern and Western Armenians, Apostolic and Catholic, into one identity: simply Armenian. This is why the ARF is not just a historical phenomenon; it is the embodiment of national consciousness and the guardian of Armenian rights.
Today, the ARF remains youthful, its inner core undimmed, a sensation recognized not only by our Hamagirs but especially by our opponents and enemies. They see our vigor, our unity, our effectiveness and it unsettles them. They tremble before us because, as Tashnagtsagans, we hold no sanctity, no holiness above Armenians, above Armenianness.
This vitality is the ARF’s strength. After 135 years, it is not old but timeless, its ideas as fresh as the dawn, rooted in the devotion to freedom and national courage that have defined Armenians since antiquity. It is active in many countries—in cities from Detroit to Yerevan—yet united in ideology, a single light shining across borders. Its members may be few in number, but their impact is vast, shaping Armenia’s present and future with the precision of a scalpel and the resolve of a warrior.
This strength shines through our future generations: the lifeblood of the ARF. Our youth have been walking on the path paved by great American Armenians, like Hampartz Mosoian, who dedicated his life to embedding our ideology within the Armenian youth, or Herman Torigian, the humble yet tireless AYF-YOARF Detroit Kopernik Tandourjian ARF advisor, whose dedication carried the vision of the ARF forward.
In Detroit, this spirit thrives. It was this relentless drive that inspired ARF heroes like Unger Hamazasb Arslanian to remind us of our mission: “Don’t call me Mr. Harry; call me Unger Harry.” Because Tashnagtsutyun is not about titles. It is about service. ARF is Unger Armen Topouzian, who built schools in Armenia, brick by brick, for our future. It is Dr. Simon Najarian and Dr. Henry Dirasian of Antranik Gomideh, who foresaw the need for a home in Detroit after the population shift and secured 10 acres of the Ford Property for St. Sarkis Church and the Armenian Community Center—spaces built by the funds and collective will of our Gomidehutyuns. These are the faces of Tashnagtsutyun: ordinary American Armenians doing extraordinary things.
Yet, as we celebrate, we cannot ignore the shadows. A treasonous government in Armenia has surrendered Artsakh and abandoned parts of our homeland, trapping our people under the iron grip of subjugation. But the Armenian spirit does not yield. When confronted with betrayal, we turn to near history not as a memory, but as a guide. Just as the ARF shattered the dungeons and chains of San Quentin prison in California, so too will our people break free from regression and denationalization and seize our destiny. The fight is not over; it is only the beginning.
And, in the words of our manifesto:
“You, the youth, defenders of ideology, may you unite with your people;
And you, the wealthy, may you open up your riches and support those who confront the enemy;
And you, the clergy, may you bless the freedom fighters;
Let us unite, and bravely advance our holy cause.”
This is the oath we carry. This is the struggle we will continue until Armenia is truly united, free and independent.
For Tashnagtsutyun is not just the past—it is the future. And the future is ours to reclaim.
Vrej Dawli
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- Tashnagtsutyun as a living legacy, a timeless struggle - March 19, 2025
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