As many of you know , April 24 is one of the most important days of the year for the Armenian Community. It is the day that we commemorate the Armenian Genocide. It is the day we honor our ancestors and remember them. It is the day where every single Armenian community comes together within themselves and shows the world that we are still here. 101 years later and it is still not recognized in the United States, although 27 other countries recognize it.
When people ask, “where are you from,” - the answer for diaspora Armenians in America is to say “from America, but I am Armenian.” Then the following two questions are, “where are your parents from, and your grandparents.” Some of us know this answer, some of us don’t.
I encourage every single one of you to go ask your grandparents, parents or great grandparents about their family roots. Everyone has a story about the genocide, or what happened to their family and how they came to be where they are. You never know when they will be gone, and it is so important to know about your past, so you can understand your future.
My great grandmother was forced out of her house, and the first place she ran was the church. Armenia, being the first Christian nation, had many churches and of course they are assumed to be safe by the people. The people ran into the church while the Ottoman Turks were outside, getting ready to set fire to the church. As it went up into flames, my great grandmother was able to escape out of a window, but as soon as she escaped they started shooting at her. She threw off her gold belt, they got distracted, and she was able to get away. I can see now that I get my strength from her, and I am forever thankful that I know her story. If she hadn’t survived, I wouldn’t be here. I wouldn’t be part of such an amazing community, and I wouldn’t have been able to share this story with you.
It’s important to share our stories, and its important to be able to pass them on through the generations. As Armenians it is our duty to conserve our language, culture and traditions. The only way to do this in a country other than Armenia, is to become involved in the community. Whether its joining the a youth organization, participating in Saturday school, joining an Armenian club or even being involved in the community, it all helps preserve the culture.
Involvement is the biggest contribution that we as the youth can make towards our community. We are the future, but we must not forget the past. The past has shaped us to be who we are today, it has showed us that no matter where in the world we are that we can all come together and be one. մենք հայ ենք. We are Armenians every day of the year, not just on April 24th. Here is to fighting for recognition, and never backing down.
We survived.
We are surviving.
We will survive.
Here is to 101 years of strength and survival.
