95th Anniversary State House Commemoration

Armenian-Americans are more active in pursuing Genocide recognition than ever before and are deft at permeating cyberspace with information and facts about the Genocide’s history and Turkey’s denial of it through protest organizations, petitions, editorials, blogs, posts and updates via websites such as Twitter.

“They are part of a revolution. It’s an information revolution in the Armenian Diaspora,” Garapedian said.

She added, “It’s a marketplace of ideas — a kind of popular democracy. These interactions are tipping the world court of public opinion, and the world will respond back to you.”

Garapedian recounted to the audience a Facebook message she had received from a student in Turkey who had watched “Screamers” in an underground venue and wrote to thank her for creating such a film. “Although it’s illegal to show my film in Turkey, he somehow found it. People are becoming very good at sniffing out propaganda,” she noted.

Garapedian stressed that these issues of Genocide recognition and information revolution are far more universal than pertaining to just Turkey and its Genocide denial.

“The only way governments can control the Internet is to block it, and China is doing that right now,” she said. Calling it the “Firewall of China,” she said, “it blocks out certain words like truth, democracy and genocide.”

Garapedian made clear that those who struggle for democracy, truth and recognition of the Genocide and human rights in today’s world face real-life consequences. “A man is imprisoned in Iran for helping me on a story about democracy. I don’t forget that” she said.
Garapedian commented, “Genocides were perpetrated on other groups in the 20th century and we know that; by Pol Pot, the Hutus and the Al-Bashirs of the world.”

Today a majority of Armenian-Americans feel they have an obligation to speak out in some form or another against genocide, their own or others.

Garapedian stated of this feeling of a desire to be a “screamer” in the name of human rights. “To my grandparents I want to say that, yes, I’m going to remember you. But I’m also going to stand up for you. Your generation whispered, my generation shouts. And the world is finally listening.”

The day’s ceremony also included remarks from state Rep. Jonathan Hecht (D-Watertown). Hecht, a longtime advocate for Genocide recognition in Watertown, said of the issue, “Our town is one where the Armenian Genocide is an indelible part of our collective history. Genocide is an unspeakable deed but something we must speak out against.”

Genocide and the genocidal process does not occur in an anarchic vacuum but rather is devised and planned by it perpetrators. Hecht said of this process, “Genocide is a complex logistical exercise. It depends on lessons learned in the past.”

Regarding those in the US Congress and government that refuse to use the word “genocide” on public record when speaking about the subject, Hecht said, “It can only be stopped when we call it by its name and deny denial.”

State Sen. Steven A. Tolman presented Gov. Deval Patrick’s official proclamation of the day as “Armenian Martyr’s Day” stating, “On this day the mass genocide of the Armenian people by the Ottoman Turkish Empire began… the first genocide of the 20th century. Our thoughts are for the memory of the Armenian martyrs of 1915.”

The day’s ceremony also included musical performances by the children of the Armenian Sisters’ Academy and St. Stephen’s Armenian Elementary School, along with performances by the Norazart Vocal Ensemble.

An informal reception followed the ceremony in the State House’s Great Hall.