PRESS RELEASE
Arapahoe Community College (ACC)
5900 South Santa Fe Dr.
PO Box 9002
Littleton, CO 80160-9002

Contact: Cindy Murphy
Media Relations Specialist
3/30/05
Phone: (303) 797-5709
E-mail: cindy.murphy@arapahoe.edu

ACC students host genocide commemoration

Phi Theta Kappa honor students at Arapahoe Community College (ACC) will
host “The Greatest Crimes of the 20th Century: Genocide/Holocaust
Commemoration” on Thursday, April 21 at 7 p.m. The public is invited to
attend this free event. Donations will be accepted for the American Red
Cross to assist the survivors of genocide in Sudan, Africa. The program
is co-sponsored by Armenians of Colorado, Inc. and supported by the
Holocaust Awareness Institute at the University of Denver.

The event will commemorate the 90th and 60th anniversaries of the
Armenian and Jewish genocides, respectively, of the 20th century.
Genocide is the deliberate and systematic destruction of a racial,
political or cultural group. The Armenian genocide was organized and
perpetrated by the Turkish government between 1915 and 1923.
Approximately 1.5 million Christian Armenians were murdered. The Jewish
genocide, better-known as the Holocaust, was perpetrated by Nazi Germany
during the period of 1939 – 1945, resulting in the deaths of
approximately 6 million Jews, Poles, gypsies and other minorities.

Keynote speakers for the evening will be first generation American-born
Armenian Ken Alikian, whose parents survived the Armenian Genocide, and
Holocaust survivor Walter Plywaski. Phi Theta Kappa chapter president
Simon Maghakyan will present briefly on the cultural genocide that
destroyed thousands of Armenian churches and historical monuments.
Armenia was the first nation to adopt Christianity as the state
religion.

Phi Theta Kappa is the international honor society for two-year
colleges. Sigma Phi, ACC’s chapter, is organizing this genocide
commemoration within Phi Theta Kappa’s Honors Topic for 2004-2006,
“Popular Culture: Shaping and Reflecting Who We Are.” The program is
intended to point out that popular culture is not always positive.
Popular ideas, such as Nazism and Pan-Turkism, that were assimilated
into cultural belief systems resulted in deaths of millions of innocent
people.

“The Greatest Crimes of the 20th Century: Genocide/Holocaust
Commemoration” will be held in the Waring Theater on the second floor of
ACC’s main building at 5900 S. Santa Fe Drive. Parking permits will not
be required to park in ACC lots during this special event. For more
information, or to make advance arrangements for access accommodations,
call 303-797-5955.