EDITORIAL: We must never forget Armenian Genocide
Burbank Leader, CA
April 19 2008
On the face of it, the Armenian Genocide is about Armenians. But it
must serve as a lesson to all mankind, so that the tragic events of
the past never become the fate of new generations.
The annual Week of Remembrance, starting Sunday, offers a chance to
solemnly look back.
It is a week devoted to remembering the Armenian Genocide, when the
Ottoman-Turkish Empire killed 1.5 million Armenians.
For many, it is just history — easy to bury in the days when
it happened, more than 90 years ago in a land far away from the
neighborhoods of Glendale and Burbank. But this must not happen.
It is that kind of attitude that allows such things to occur again. It
is that attitude that Adolf Hitler counted on when planning the
extermination of millions of Jews. "Who today still speaks of the
massacre of the Armenians?" he asked. advertisement
Well, we all must.
That was in 1939, only 24 years after the genocide.
Genocide survivors are becoming fewer and farther between and taking
with them the memories, which as terrible as they may be, give us a
vital link to history and the lessons that we can learn from it.
With war and genocide ravaging nations all around the world today,
we can’t let documented examples of war’s consequences die with the
people who lived through it.
Because when the memories go, we miss out on the knowledge that can
turn killing into peace, and help us better understand those with
whom we work and live.
Hitler wanted us to forget the Armenian Genocide, and the Turkish
government denies it happened.
But we must speak of the massacre, especially in a political climate
in the United States, where recognizing the atrocities committed
against Armenians is a political issue that gets talked about but
never officially done for political reasons.
Thankfully, there are places like Glendale and Burbank, where Armenians
and many others work to remind the world that they have a story to
tell about a terrible time in their nation’s history.
All of next week, that story will be told through a series of events
in Glendale and Burbank.
Whether you attend all the events, or just find one that speaks to you,
it is crucial that we put these atrocities in the light and understand
what man is capable of, and what can happen if we forget.
It should be taught in school as the Holocaust is, but since it
isn’t we all must raise a social consciousness about it and the other
atrocities of mankind, such as the genocide in Darfur.
Only by doing this can we hope to prevent such slaughter and mayhem
in the future.
So take time this week to reflect on the Armenian Genocide. But
remember, it’s really about all human beings.
That’s a thought that should unite us all in remembrance, so that we
can look forward to an even better community.