For Sophomore Elizabeth Karapetyan and the other Armenian-Americans on campus, Friday, April 24 was an important day as it marked the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, when the Turkish government ordered the execution and expulsion of over 2 million Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire. To commemorate the day, the Armenian community including Freshman Genesis Sahatjian gathered in L.A. for a five mile march to the Turkish Consulate.
Today, the Turkish government denies that genocide ever took place. Officials there claim that the Armenians were simply an enemy force during the First World War.
“My family talks about the Armenian Genocide often, especially now since it is the 100th anniversary,” Karapetyan said. “I grew up with my great grandmother telling me the horrible stories that her mother wrote in a journal.”
Countries including Italy and France formally recognize the event as a genocide. However, in a White House statement released prior to the 100th anniversary, President Obama would not use the term genocide to describe the massacre, outraging many Armenian American leaders.
“It’s up to the people to spread awareness,” Karapetyan said. “Knowing it has happened and that Armenians do care is a big part of it all.”
Pope Francis is urging the Turkish government to accept the event as genocide, saying it is a vital step in the healing process for Turkish and Armenian citizens, and connected the Armenian Genocide with modern day Muslim-Christian relations in the Middle East and Africa, with terrorist groups such as ISIS and Boko Haram persecuting Christians, warning that a similar event may happen if no improvements are made.