PROVIDENCE, RI – A letter to Rhode Island’s Armenian community begins: “Our personal stories shape us. Like currents in the sea, they influence every stage of our life…especially when we give them words. The story of the Armenian people is one of resilience through glory and tragedy. This is a story worth preserving, not only to better understand ourselves, but also as a gift for those yet to be born.”

With that, the Armenian Historical Association of Rhode Island (AHARI) has announced the launch of “Armenian Chronicles: A Living History.” The intent of the research initiative is to preserve the stories of the Armenian people in Rhode Island through film, photographs, letters and interviews while it is still possible.

“Every Armenian family in RI has an important story to tell, and we’d like to hear yours!” the committee enthuses in their promotional materials. If you have a story about your Armenian ancestors, whether it’s how and when they came to Rhode Island, or if they belonged to a particular village or benevolent organization, or the story behind a treasured antique brought from the homeland, or reflections about their resilience, or pictures, diaries, letters or other mementos from your archives, AHARI would like to hear from you.

Their desire is to create a culture of sharing so that a collective history of Armenians in RI can be documented and sustained. Items may be scanned and sent to AHARI or a session to help with scanning can be scheduled by emailing info@armenianhistorical-ri.org. The group has also created a community questionnaire that can be accessed through their website: ahari.clubexpress.com.