Armenian National Committee – Pasadena
740 E. Washington Blvd.
Pasadena, CA 91104
Tel: 626.798.1098
Email: [email protected]
PRESS RELEASE
April 23, 2008
Contact: Ishkhan Boghossian
Pasadena ANC Joins With Diverse Groups To Mark Past And Current Genocides
Pasadena, CA – Over two hundred Armenian, Jewish, Congolese and Darfur
activists joined together on April 21, 2009 for a panel discussion to
mark acts of man’s inhumanity against man. The event, which was held
at Pasadena Jewish Temple, was co-sponsored by the Pasadena chapter of
the Armenian National Committee and included the participation of
experts on the Holocaust, the Darfur and Congo Genocides and the
Armenian Genocide.
`The power and importance of this genocide commemoration event was in
the unity of purpose that brought diverse communities together,’
remarked Pasadena ANC Executive Director Ishkhan Boghosian. `This
evening we learned of the incredible pain and suffering genocide
inflicts on its victims and subsequent generations. And we also
rededicated ourselves to ending the denial of the Armenian Genocide
and stopping the ongoing genocide in Darfur,’ Boghosian added.
The genocide commemoration began with opening remarks by Rabbi Joshua
Levine Grater of the Pasadena Jewish Temple. He then welcomed a
number of young people who participated in an emotional candle
lighting ceremony, in which candles were lit in the memory of genocide
victims from Darfur, from the Holocaust and from the Armenian
Genocide.
The first speaker at the commemoration was Dr. Garabet Moumjian. He
thoughtfully outlined the powerful role the nation-states have played
in orchestrating genocides. He also discussed the many dimensions of
the denial of the Armenian Genocide. The second speaker was Brad
Brian, a distinguished attorney with Munger, Tolles & Olson, LLP who
has been very active in the effort to bolster the legal rights of
Darfurians. Other speakers included Jewish Holocaust & Global Genocide
Issues expert Ms. Naama Haviv and Congolese Genocide expert Martine
Mfwilwakanda.
Representatives of the Pasadena `Nigol Touman’ Armenian Youth
Federation chapter participated in the event by maintaining an
informational desk that was full of books and other literature on the
Armenian Genocide.
The Pasadena ANC advocates for the social, economic, cultural, and
political rights of the area’s Armenian American community and
promotes increased Armenian American civic participation at the
grassroots and public policy levels.