We will not be silenced: Armenian Genocide Awareness Week at Cal
Our mouths may be shut, but we are not silenced
1.5 million Armenian martyrs were forced silent. Today, the UC Berkeley students address that silence with silence.
Walking through Memorial Glade you may have spotted students with red tape on their mouths and posters in their hands.
Never forget. Genocide denied is a genocide repeated. 1.5 million dead. Because they were silenced the world is now blind. We are. We will always be
Standing in front of Doe’s steps are about fifteen Armenian students. More will come throughout the day. Some of them have been there for just a few hours, some all night. They’re standing by the Armenian Genocide memorial entitled “Echoes of Silence.” In order for the memorial to be allowed there, at least one person must be keeping watch. The Armenian students have banded together to support the Armenian cause in partnering and taking shifts.
Sareen Habeshian
Why is it important that we are doing these events on the UC Berkeley campus?
Vice President of the Berkeley Armenian Student Association, Media Studies & Middle Eastern major, Sareen Habeshian ’17 said:
“I think there are two reasons why. Firstly, the campus community of non-Armenians may not know about the Armenian Genocide and it’s our role as Armenians to educate them. A lot of people come up to us and ask us what we’re doing.
“They really want to learn and they want to know, so I think our presence here is really important. And I think the second reason is that its important to the Armenian community to come together and talk about things and learn from each others’ experiences.”
Not silenced
Written on the students’ mouths are words that come to mind when discussing the Armenian Genocide.
Though their mouths are taped shut, these students will not let that silence muffle their message. They want recognition, they want reparations, and they want peace.
Varak Ghazarian ’17, an Integrative Biology major said:
“Raising awareness in general is very important by getting the word out. Many people know about the Holocaust, but few people know about the Armenian Genocide. It is important in terms of getting legislature passed and getting it to be recognized as “genocide”, because if people don’t know, why would they care.
“This continual denial of the Genocide is terrible because no one is paying these millions the respect that they deserve.”
Come out to see your fellow peers in Memorial Glade. Feel free to go inside their memorial to watch a projection of the Armenian culture.
And be on the Savio steps today at noon for a powerful event called “United Hands Across Cal.”