ARMENIAN STUDENT ASSOCIATION REFLECTS ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE WITH SILENT SIT-IN
Daily Nexus, Univ. of California in Santa Barabara
Jan 31 2014
Posted by Wyatt Smith on January 31, 2014 at 5:00 am
The Armenian Student Association hosted a silent sit-in outside Storke
Tower yesterday in remembrance of the 1915 Armenian Genocide.
Mouths sealed shut with duct tape, the 16 student participants were
part of a statewide effort among Armenian student groups at various
University of California, California State University and private
college campuses to bring attention to this ethnic cleansing genocide
that took place at the start of the 20th Century. Resulting in over
a million deaths, the incident is a point of contention between
the Armenian population and Turkey, who currently denies the ethnic
cleansing by the Ottoman Empire occurred.
Second-year economics major Simon Elmoyan, a first-generation Armenian
American, said he takes great pride in his heritage and took part in
the event because of the effects the genocide had on his family.
"I've had relatives as well that had their whole families wiped out;
some of my great grandparents had their entire families destroyed,"
Elmoyan said. "A powerhouse country like the United States should not
be ignoring such an important human rights issue simply because they
have some economic ties to Turkey."
According to fourth-year sociology major and Armenian Student
Association Vice President Lusine Davtyan, the ASA hopes to promote
recognition year-round.
"I think we did get our message across," Davtyan said. "We had students
come by, take pictures, read the posters -- it's not like we were
completely ignored and people just walked by. They did notice us.
Hopefully it got them thinking."
ASA usually protests the Armenian Genocide on April 24 but decided
to hold an additional sit-in yesterday in order to give more people
a chance to become aware and active about the issue.
"It's important for the public to know that this did exist,"
Davtyan said. "I know many states have acknowledged it but ... we
want Congress, as a nation, to acknowledge it -- to say, 'Yes, there
was a genocide that took place.'"
Armenian Student Association President Nick Ohanian, a fourth-year
biology major, said ASA's protest aims to encourage international
attention to an issue that has deeply effected many Armenian students
at the UC and worldwide.
"I think it's important to understand we're not trying to recognize
soil that was stolen from Armenia; we're not trying to recognize that
our land was taken away," Ohanian said. "We're trying to recognize that
1.5 million people were massacred, inhumanely murdered to annihilate
the race, and that's all we want the government to do."
The Armenian Student Association has around 40 members from
various Armenian ethnic groups, including Lebanese-Armenians and
Syrian-Armenians, among others.
In remembrance of the genocide's 99th anniversary, Davtyan said the
ASA is planning a larger awareness effort called Genocide Commemoration
Week in April during the week of the 24th.
Assistant News Editor Peter Mounteer contributed to this report.
This story is a Daily Nexus online exclusive.
http://dailynexus.com/2014-01-31/armenian-student-association-reflects-on-armenian-genocide-with-silent-sit-in/
Daily Nexus, Univ. of California in Santa Barabara
Jan 31 2014
Posted by Wyatt Smith on January 31, 2014 at 5:00 am
The Armenian Student Association hosted a silent sit-in outside Storke
Tower yesterday in remembrance of the 1915 Armenian Genocide.
Mouths sealed shut with duct tape, the 16 student participants were
part of a statewide effort among Armenian student groups at various
University of California, California State University and private
college campuses to bring attention to this ethnic cleansing genocide
that took place at the start of the 20th Century. Resulting in over
a million deaths, the incident is a point of contention between
the Armenian population and Turkey, who currently denies the ethnic
cleansing by the Ottoman Empire occurred.
Second-year economics major Simon Elmoyan, a first-generation Armenian
American, said he takes great pride in his heritage and took part in
the event because of the effects the genocide had on his family.
"I've had relatives as well that had their whole families wiped out;
some of my great grandparents had their entire families destroyed,"
Elmoyan said. "A powerhouse country like the United States should not
be ignoring such an important human rights issue simply because they
have some economic ties to Turkey."
According to fourth-year sociology major and Armenian Student
Association Vice President Lusine Davtyan, the ASA hopes to promote
recognition year-round.
"I think we did get our message across," Davtyan said. "We had students
come by, take pictures, read the posters -- it's not like we were
completely ignored and people just walked by. They did notice us.
Hopefully it got them thinking."
ASA usually protests the Armenian Genocide on April 24 but decided
to hold an additional sit-in yesterday in order to give more people
a chance to become aware and active about the issue.
"It's important for the public to know that this did exist,"
Davtyan said. "I know many states have acknowledged it but ... we
want Congress, as a nation, to acknowledge it -- to say, 'Yes, there
was a genocide that took place.'"
Armenian Student Association President Nick Ohanian, a fourth-year
biology major, said ASA's protest aims to encourage international
attention to an issue that has deeply effected many Armenian students
at the UC and worldwide.
"I think it's important to understand we're not trying to recognize
soil that was stolen from Armenia; we're not trying to recognize that
our land was taken away," Ohanian said. "We're trying to recognize that
1.5 million people were massacred, inhumanely murdered to annihilate
the race, and that's all we want the government to do."
The Armenian Student Association has around 40 members from
various Armenian ethnic groups, including Lebanese-Armenians and
Syrian-Armenians, among others.
In remembrance of the genocide's 99th anniversary, Davtyan said the
ASA is planning a larger awareness effort called Genocide Commemoration
Week in April during the week of the 24th.
Assistant News Editor Peter Mounteer contributed to this report.
This story is a Daily Nexus online exclusive.
http://dailynexus.com/2014-01-31/armenian-student-association-reflects-on-armenian-genocide-with-silent-sit-in/