“First, I lost my father, then I lost my homeland…”

One of the highlights of my summer trip to Armenia this year was reconnecting with two remarkable people whom I am lucky to call friends: Armine Mosiyan and Kim Hekimian. I collaborated with them back in April to organize the Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day program (see note) at Chhange (Center for Holocaust, Human Rights & Genocide Education). Since 1979, Chhange has been dedicated to educating students, educators and community members on the Holocaust, genocide and human rights and to empowering individuals to stand up against hate and injustice. One of Chhange’s regular events, held annually on or around April 24, is its Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day program. This year it was titled “Remembrance in a Time of Calamity” and drew attention to Azerbaijan’s brutal attack on Artsakh and the ethnic cleansing of its Armenian population in September 2023, which resulted in a catastrophic humanitarian crisis. 

Planning this event was one of the most emotionally taxing experiences I’ve had since joining Chhange as its new executive director, yet also the most rewarding. The feedback we received from a variety of community members and educators was heartfelt and encouraging. Many appreciated the educational aspect of the program on a topic that is not widely discussed in the media or schools. The program brought together a distinguished historian of the Armenian Genocide, Dr. Khatchig Mouradian, and an eminent public health and nutrition expert, Dr. Kim Hekimian, in conversation with a refugee survivor from Artsakh, Armine Mosiyan. For many, hearing Armine’s testimony — a firsthand account from a young refugee who found the courage to trust Chhange’s audience with the details of her family’s experiences during war, blockade and exile, and who did not shy away from sharing her feelings merely six months after being forcibly displaced from her homeland — was an outstanding experience.