Armenians from across Texas to Gather at State Capitol for Commemoration on April 18
Khatchig Mouradian, Emily Sample to Deliver Remarks
AUSTIN, Texas—The Austin Peace March and Rally, organized by Texas Armenians on the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, recently announced the keynote speakers for the historic gathering at the south steps of the State Capitol in Austin.
The Texas State Capitol building (Photo: Daniel Mayer/Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0)
“The mission of the Armenian Genocide Centennial Committee of Texas is to educate and raise awareness in Texas of the Armenian Genocide and, 100 years later, to stand against cultural genocide and persecution the world over,” said Mihran Aroian, chairman of the committee. “Most Armenians in Texas are descendants of survivors of the Armenian Genocide. Our mission here is to use this event to speak out against genocide, hatred, prejudice, and ethnic annihilation.”
The program at the Peace March will feature two keynote speakers, Mouradian and Sample, who will offer their reflections and commentary on the Armenian Genocide.
Mouradian is coordinator of the Armenian Genocide Program at the Center for the Study of Genocide and Human Rights at Rutgers University in New Jersey. “Despite efforts of the Ottoman Empire, and later the Turkish Republic to erase all traces of Armenian cultural heritage and to silence demands for confronting the Armenian Genocide, Armenians remain steadfast in demanding truth and justice,” said Mouradian. “I look forward to marching in Austin with Texans committed to honoring the memory of the victims of the Great Crime and standing up against genocide and its denial.”
Genocide scholar Emily Sample is the assistant director of the Education at Holocaust Museum Houston. “The most basic forms of genocide prevention are remembering and prosecuting earlier genocides. As Adolf Hitler himself demonstrated in asking his now infamous question, ‘Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?'” said Sample. “In teaching about the genocide, the mission is not only endeavoring to bring justice and dignity to the targeted populations, but ensuring that future generations are informed about the events that precipitated the invention of the word ‘genocide.'”
The day will start with a gathering at noon at the First Methodist Church Family Life Center, located at 1300 Lavaca St., in Austin, Texas. A march to the Capitol will follow at 1 p.m., followed by a program at the Capitol steps. For more details and to register, visit www.april241915.org.
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