Honoring those impacted by the Armenian Genocide with campus closure

LACCD to have a district-wide shutdown to remember the Armenian Genocide.

By: Milan Rafaelov, Editor-in-Chief

The Armenian Genocide Martyrs Monument at Bicknell Park in Montebello. Astrid Cortez for the Valley Star

The day when Ottoman authorities initiated the mass deportation and slaughter of ethnic Armenians in present-day Turkey has been unanimously recognized as Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day by The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, and marked by a county-wide closure of all LACCD campuses on April 24.

This year commemorates the 109th anniversary of the historical chapter, during which up to 1.5 million Armenians died. The trauma of the Armenian diaspora reverberated through future generations, prompting many to advocate for nations, including Turkey, to recognize the attempted extermination of the Armenian people. 

It wasn’t until three years ago, in 2021, that the United States became the 30th country to acknowledge the events as a genocide, marking a significant milestone for the American Armenian community and in American foreign policy. 

“Being born an Armenian is a hard fate,” said Ani Gevorgyan, a theater major and student worker at the basic needs center. “We have seen so many forces and injustices during our history that I think subconsciously, all of us bear some kind of feelings of suffering and insult that makes our nationality important and special to us.”

In 1908, a new government assumed control of the Ottoman Empire, now modern-day Turkey, following the rise of the political movement known as the “Young Turks.” They overthrew Sultan Abdul Hamid and established a more constitutional but nationalistic Muslim-Turkish government. A hostility toward Christian Armenians ensued, and by 1914, Turkey entered World War I on the side of Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire against the Allied powers. Fearing that invading enemy troops would sway Armenians to join them, the Ottoman Empire initiated the mass deportation of Armenian intellectuals and eventual slaughter on April 24, 1915. 

While Turkey acknowledges its role in the killings, it vehemently denies the intent to exterminate Armenians and refuses to classify the events as genocide. 

“The Armenians took arms against their own government. Their violent political aims, not their race, ethnicity or religion, rendered them subject to relocation,” cites the official website of the Republic of Turkey Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “Armenians ignore the dire circumstances that precipitated the enactment of a measure as drastic as mass relocation.

Relations between the U.S. and Turkey have further deteriorated after President Biden declared the mass killing of Armenians during World War I as genocide, prompting Turkish President Recep Erdogan to demand the retraction of the declaration. 

According to USC’s Institute of Armenian Studies, Los Angeles is home to one of the largest Armenian diasporas, with a population estimated between 500,000 and 1,000,000. Traditional remembrance activities on or around April 24 include protests outside the Turkish Consulate in Beverly Hills and a ceremony at the Armenian Genocide Martyrs Monument. Situated on a grassy knoll in the center of Bicknell Park in Montebello, the monument serves as a poignant symbol, where many Armenians march to remember those lost in the genocide. 

“Recently, with some changes in the state, the district negotiated to recognize Armenian Genocide Day by closing the campuses,” said President Gribbons. “That was an important action that the district took. We have many members of our campus community who are Armenian, including students and employees, and I’m glad that the district took that action as a clear statement that we stand in solidarity with the Armenian community.”