The California Aggie Online
April 25 2005
Students remember Armenians at vigil
Apr. 24 marks official day for genocide observance
By JOANNA TUNG / Aggie News Writer
Joanna Tung/Aggie
With a new bill signed into law by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on
Thursday, Apr. 24 now marks the official anniversary of the Armenian
Genocide that took place between 1915 and 1923.
In remembrance of the genocide, which resulted in the deaths of 1.5
million Armenians, the Armenian Student Association at UC Davis held
a candlelight vigil Friday evening on the Quad.
Michael Armstrong, an executive member of ASA, was one of the
speakers at the event who reviewed the atrocities of the genocide and
conveyed an urgency to prevent such an event from being repeated in
the future.
“I stand here as a UC Davis student, but in the context of this
day, I am here as representative of one person in my family who was
able to survive,” Armstrong said. “In my heart and in my veins runs
the blood of a nation martyred.”
Other speakers at the vigil included Associate Executive Vice
Chancellor Rahim Reed, ASUCD President Caliph Assagai, ASA President
Aileen Babajanian and ASA executive member Garo Manjikian.
Friday’s event marked the conclusion of the annual Genocide
Awareness Week, which included documentary and movie screenings, a
genocide forum and a March for Humanity to the Capitol in support of
the state bill.
In previous years, the ASA focused its efforts solely on the
Armenian Genocide, but this year’s events also touched on mass
persecutions that affected other groups, according to Manjikian.
While the Armenian Genocide devastated the Armenian nation, the
systematic elimination of particular groups of people is not limited
to one culture alone, as history has shown in the Holocaust and the
Tutsi genocide in Rwanda, to name a few.
For this reason, the ASA emphasized cultural awareness and respect,
stressing the importance of understanding these historical crimes
against humanity to prevent future intolerance and destruction,
Manjikian said.
Although 90 years have passed since the genocide, ASA students
believe much more can be done to educate the public about the
Armenian Genocide to attain future peace and harmony among various
cultures.
After the ceremony, vigil participant and former Turkish missionary
Melissa McKeand addressed the lack of both religious and cultural
tolerance that contributes to the ongoing cruelty facing Armenians
today.
“People desperately need to develop a greater tolerance for each
other, not only for culture, but for religion too,” McKeand said.
ASA members announced that for the first time, the week’s
participants included scholars from outside the Davis community, thus
creating a greater sense of unity among several universities and
their diverse student bodies.
As the week came to a close, Manjikian said the ASA hoped to spark
a spirit of open-mindedness, universal acceptance and harmony among
people.
“I’m definitely happy the bill passed …. It’s going to raise more
awareness about the genocide,” he said. “We’re still waiting for
federal government to recognize the genocide.”