PROVIDENCE — On Sunday, April 26, the Armenian Martyrs’ Memorial Committee of Rhode Island will commemorate the 111th Anniversary of the 1915 Armenian Genocide at the Martyrs’ Monument, North Burial Ground, Providence, starting at 12:30 p.m. A service in remembrance of the Holy Martyrs will be held with the participation of clergy and deacons from Sts. Sahag and Mesrob Armenian Church, Sts. Vartanantz Armenian Church, and the Armenian Evangelical Church.
Guest speaker is Dr. Asya Darbinyan, the executive director of Center for Holocaust, Human Rights, and Genocide Education (Chhange) at Brookdale Community College in Lincroft, NJ. She also serves as vice president of the Society for Armenian Studies and is a member of the Armenian Society of Fellows and the Academic Council of the Armenian National Institute. She earned her Ph.D. in History from the Strassler Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Clark University. Her research focuses on genocide, refugees, and humanitarian interventions. She has published widely in peer-reviewed journals and edited volumes and has presented her work at international academic conferences. She has taught courses on comparative genocides, gender and genocide, the Holocaust, and Armenian history at Clark University, Northern Arizona University, and Stockton University.
Prior to her academic work in the United States, she served as deputy director of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute in Yerevan, Armenia.
In the event of inclement weather, the commemoration will be held in the sanctuary of the Armenian Evangelical Church located at 180 Oaklawn Avenue in Cranston.
In addition, on Tuesday, April 21, committee is sponsoring its 26th Annual Rhode Island Armenian Youth Day at Sts. Sahag and Mesrob Armenian Church, 70 Jefferson Street, Providence for children ages 7-14. Registration begins at 8:4 5a.m.; the program starts at 9:15 a.m. and concludes at 2:30 p.m.
For more information, call/text Dr. Zarouhi (Zara) Vartanian-Hajinian at 401-439-5971 or e-mail Vartanianz@aol.com. Lunch is provided and there is no charge for the day.
