Final Preparations for GUSD’s 20th Annual Armenian Genocide Commemoration

By Justin HAGER

2021 marks the 106th year since the Ottoman Empire began its eight-year systemic starvation and massacre of an estimated 1.5 million Armenian people. Although the Genocide required the rest of the world to turn a blind eye for far longer than a single day, April 24 is recognized by Armenia, Artsakh, Canada, France, Argentina, the State of California and 32 national parliaments as Armenian Genocide Memorial Day. The day was selected because it commemorates the deportation of Armenian intellectuals from Constantinople (present day Istanbul).

For local students, parents, and residents in Glendale and the Crescenta Valley, however, 2021’s memorial and remembrance events will begin at least two days earlier, on April 22, and hold a special significance as they mark the 20th anniversary of the Glendale Unified School District’s Armenian Genocide Commemoration.

GUSD will hold its 20th Annual Armenian Genocide Commemoration event today, Thursday, April 22, at 6:30 p.m. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it will be streamed live online at http://spectrumstream.com/streaming/gusd/live.cfm and on Charter Spectrum television channel 15 and U-verse channel 99.

The theme of GUSD’s event, “106 Years of Denial: Bringing Awareness Together,” represents a continuous counting up of the years since the tragedy began and the ongoing struggle to educate and raise awareness about events that the U.S. Congress refused to recognize until 2019 and which the executive branch of the United States, and our NATO ally Turkey, have failed to call a “genocide” even to this day. It is also an apt theme given that the event requires students, teachers and staff advisors of the Armenian Clubs at four different high schools – Clark Magnet, Crescenta Valley, Glendale and Hoover – as well as staff and administrators at six elementary and middle schools to come together and work towards the shared goal of raising awareness and memorializing the victims of one of the world’s greatest crimes.

To accomplish the task, the event will feature singers, dancers, poets and special performances by elementary and middle school students, plus the Glendale Homenetmen Ararat color guard and students from the Davidian and Mariamian Education Foundation.

Last year’s GUSD Armenian Genocide Commemoration event was also forced online by the pandemic but with significantly less planning and preparation time. Despite the short planning period and increased anxiety of the pandemic, last year’s event was a huge success, and included participation from figures such as Congressman Adam Schiff and the famous Armenian singer Harout Pamboukjian.

In addition to the commemoration events, on April 6, the GUSD board of education unanimously passed a resolution “Remembering the Armenian Genocide and Reaffirming a Better World.” The resolution recognizes the importance of being reminded “of the consequences of evil and what happens when others fail to prevent it from happening” and “the devotion of those who survived and carried on to teach the world about these atrocities with the hope they will never occur again.” The resolution concludes with a reaffirmation of the school district’s commitment to “the teaching of tolerance, understanding, the peaceful resolution of problems, and the strength of diversity in our schools and community so that these qualities may help instill in today’s young generation the optimism and hope for a better world and strengthen our great nation.”

More information on the GUSD Armenian Genocide Commemoration event can be found at www.GUSD.net.