REMEMBERING ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
Paul Krekorian

Los Angeles Daily News
April 23 2009

In a town called Kharpert 94 years ago, my great uncle, Khachadour
Nahigian, was a math professor and influential member of the Armenian
community. He had studied at the University of Michigan and returned
home to teach and provide opportunity to the young people of his
community.

Professor Nahigian was living a quiet and peaceful life in academia
when, in June of 1915, his world was transformed when he and millions
of others were summarily arrested, brutally tortured and eventually
killed by Turkish authorities.

As we now know, Professor Nahigian was one of 1.5 million Armenians
who, from 1915 to 1923, were slaughtered at the hands of Ottoman
Turks. This was the first genocide of the 20th century, but tragically,
it would be the last.

Each April, we set aside our busy lives for a moment to consider
the vast implications of genocide and the affect it has on our
culture. Today, the California State Assembly passed a resolution that
declares Friday — April 24 — a day of remembrance for the Armenian
Genocide. While the measure has much personal significance for me and
thousands of others who live in my district, the resolution should
also be a clarion call to others concerned about genocide and human
rights around the globe.

We pause in remembrance today, not just to honor the victims of the
Armenian genocide, but to also stand in honor of those who have lost
their lives during history’s darkest periods. We honor the victims of
the world’s first modern-day genocide to also pay tribute to the 12
million Jews and non-Jews who were murdered during World War II and to
the millions of Cambodians, Rwandans, Sudanese and others whose civil
societies crumbled against the brutality of homicidal dictatorships.

Our common humanity should create an intrinsic bond that brings us
together to reject all abuses of human rights. One way of achieving
that is in remembering the victims of the Armenian genocide, even as
we confront the most brutal moments that have marred history through
violence. We do this so we can move forward, collectively learning
from humanity’s shared past so that our children can live in harmony
and prevent future atrocities.

I am honored to live in a state of great diversity and to serve a
district of such varied cultures. Together, let us seize this moment
to pause and reflect so we can progress as one nation, one people,
and one community, united in our commitment to justice and truth and
in our rejection of bigotry and hatred in all of is forms.

Assemblymember Paul Krekorian (D-Burbank) represents the cities
of Burbank and Glendale, and the Los Angeles communities of
Atwater Village, Los Feliz, North Hollywood, Silver Lake, Toluca
Lake, Valley Glen, Valley Village and Van Nuys. His website is