Scholars and state leaders headline Armenian Genocide commemoration events in Denver
DENVER—The 110th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide was observed in Denver through several events, including a lecture at the University of Denver featuring Professor Ronald Grigor Suny, a community commemoration headlined by Denver Mayor Mike Johnston and a proclamation by Governor Jared Polis designating April 24, 2025 as Colorado Day for the Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide.
“Colorado’s Armenian community and our supporters came together on the special occasion of the 110th anniversary of the start of the Armenian Genocide—the greatest atrocity of the Great War—to remember the past and focus on the future through milestone events,” remarked Byuzand Yeremyan, president of Armenians of Colorado, Inc. (AOC), which is Colorado’s oldest and largest Armenian organization.
“We are honored by Governor Polis’s proclamation, by the presence of Mayor Johnston and by the visit of world-renowned Professor Suny, who shared powerful insights about the enduring messages of the Armenian Genocide. I am grateful to our guests, volunteers and partners, especially the Institute for Comparative and Regional Studies at the University of Denver’s prestigious Korbel School of International Studies and the First Baptist Church of Denver, for making April’s distinguished conversations and remembrances possible,” concluded Yeremyan.
University of Denver lecture by Prof. Ronald Grigor Suny
On Thursday, April 24, 2025, more than 100 people attended the 110th anniversary Armenian Genocide lecture, titled “110 Years On: What the Armenian Genocide Tells Us,” at the University of Denver’s Josef Korbel School of International Studies. The event featured opening remarks and introductions by Prof. Aaron Schneider, director of the Institute for Comparative and Regional Studies, followed by a keynote lecture and response, and concluded with an audience question-and-answer session.
The night’s keynote speaker was Dr. Ronald Grigor Suny, the William H. Sewell Jr. Distinguished University Professor of History and Professor of Political Science at the University of Michigan, and Emeritus Professor of Political Science and History at the University of Chicago. Prof. Suny, a leading scholar of Soviet studies, studies of nationalism and modern Armenian history, and author of over 20 books, discussed the Armenian Genocide’s history and enduring relevance, including by applying genocide scholar Prof. Dirk Moses’s theoretical framework of “permanent security” not only to the Armenian Genocide but also to contemporary events, particularly Israel’s actions in Gaza. The professor’s lecture was based on his February 12, 2025 Journal of Genocide Research article, which is available online as an open-access publication at https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14623528.2025.2462416.
The discussant response to Prof. Suny’s lecture was delivered by Dr. Simon Maghakyan, a political scientist and a scholar of the emerging field of heritage and security, who is a Gulbenkian Postdoctoral Fellow with the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Oxford, and a community scholar on Armenia at the Institute for Comparative and Regional Studies at the University of Denver’s Korbel School of International Studies. Dr. Maghakyan posed the question of “permanent security for whom,” arguing that it is often forgotten that genocide is typically committed by legitimacy-lacking authoritarian actors—like the three Ottoman Turkish pashas who came to power through the 1913 coup d’état—trying to stay in power and out of prison.
Following Prof. Suny’s lecture and Dr. Maghakyan’s response, Prof. Schneider and audience members posed questions for the speakers. The event’s Zoom video recording is available at https://youtu.be/Ug9En9ZDnKw.
Denver mayor headlines commemoration
On Sunday, April 27, the Armenian community gathered for the annual community genocide commemoration, which took place at the First Baptist Church of Denver and the Colorado State Capitol Armenian Memorial Garden. For the first time, the commemoration was fully bilingual, held in Armenian and English.
The indoor commemoration began with a piano recital by the Armenian-born American pianist and educator Ani Powell (née Gyulamiryan), who performs for the Denver Philharmonic Orchestra and the Colorado Woodwind Ensemble.
After Powell’s performance, AOC Board Director Hermine Kallman, Esq., moderated a discussion with Prof. Suny, who was introduced and interpreted by Dr. Maghakyan. In his opening remarks, Prof. Suny spoke of the importance of remembering the past. He spoke about recent Armenian suffering in Artsakh, also known as Nagorno-Karabakh, underscoring that the residents of the Republic of Armenia, including the entire population of Artsakh who are now all refugees, live in the shadow of genocide and the fear of further attacks by Azerbaijan and Turkey. Prof. Suny also shared his experiences of visiting Turkey, contrasting local accounts of both denial and acknowledgment of the genocide, the latter coming mainly from Kurds. In conclusion, he drew parallels between stronger Armenian memory and American amnesia, arguing that if the past is forgotten, it will have its revenge. Following the remarks, Kallman and several community members posed questions to Prof. Suny.
Following the panel discussion, Yeremyan thanked the speakers, the community and the First Baptist Church of Denver, under the leadership of Ministerial Associate Kurt Kaufman, then introduced Denver Mayor Mike Johnston.
Mayor Johnston commemorated the Armenian Genocide with a speech about the importance of standing by victims of atrocities, including by reminding audience members how the First Baptist Church of Denver, where the commemoration was being held, had served 110 years earlier as the Denver headquarters for the Near East Relief, a nationwide American humanitarian effort that ultimately saved over 100,000 orphans of the Armenian Genocide.
In particular, the Mayor noted that Armenians were targeted in 1915 not due to what they had done but because of who they were. He further remarked that genocide kills twice—once during the event and then through denial. The Mayor referenced two contemporary cases of identity-based targeting: Myanmar’s campaigns against Rohingyas and China’s campaigns against Uyghurs. In conclusion, the Mayor highlighted the role of humanitarians through the work of the First Baptist Church, noting the enduring instructiveness and inspiration of what the latter’s congregation did for Armenians 110 years ago.
Flower-laying and prayer
Upon concluding his remarks, which were interpreted into Armenian by Dr. Maghakyan, Mayor Johnston, AOC President Yeremyan, and Prof. Suny joined the students of the Saturday Armenian language Hay School in leading community members to the Colorado State Capitol Memorial Garden to commemorate the martyrs of the Armenian Genocide.
At the Garden, Mayor Johnston and all attendees placed flowers at the Khachkar memorial, which had been unveiled at the State Capitol ten years earlier. The Mayor stood by the Hay School students as they recited the Lord’s Prayer in Armenian.
Gubernatorial proclamation
The 110th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide was also marked across Colorado by a proclamation by Governor Jared Polis, in which he declared: “WHEREAS, April 24, 2025, marks the day when the Armenian Community of Colorado and Armenians across the world commemorate the 110th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide; and WHEREAS, Colorado has long memorialized the Armenian Genocide, including through the Colorado State Capitol Armenian Memorial Garden and the Khachkar Memorial in Memory of the Victims of All Crimes Against Humanity; and WHEREAS, the teaching of genocide is a required standard for high school graduation in Colorado; and WHEREAS, ‘never again’ should mean ‘never again’ anywhere and everywhere across the world; THEREFORE, I, Jared Polis, Governor of the State of Colorado, do hereby proclaim April 24, 2025, as COLORADO DAY FOR THE REMEMBRANCE OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE.”
About AOC
Established in 1979, Armenians of Colorado, Inc. (AOC) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, volunteer-driven cultural organization dedicated to building a strong Armenian community while promoting the understanding of Armenian history, culture, language and customs. AOC actively addresses issues important to Armenian-Americans in Colorado and supports global Armenian Diaspora concerns. For more information, visit www.armeniansofcolorado.org.
Guest Contributor
Latest posts by Guest Contributor (see all)
- Nothing Solid - May 20, 2025
- The Armenian Chorale of Rhode Island celebrates 70 years - May 19, 2025
- An uplifting spirit and warm tributes at the Diocesan Assembly Banquet - May 19, 2025
