Category: 2019

NORTHRIDGE, Calif.—The Armenian Studies Program at California State University, Northridge and Haigazian University in Beirut, organized a presentation Roupen Avsharian’s new book. The event took place on Thursday, April 11, at the Glendale Central Public Library.

The idea of the event was to present attorney Roupen Avsharian’s two-volume book, titled On the Record: Armenian Deputies in the Lebanese Parliaments, published by the HU Press. The event, which was also co-sponsored by the Armenian Bar Association, took place under the High Patronage of the Consul General of Lebanon, Her Excellency Mirna Khawly, in the presence of a full capacity audience.

CSUN Armenian Studies Program Director Dr. Vahram Shemmassian in his opening remarks highlighted the important characteristics of the two tomes comprising a total of 1,336 pages: meticulously researched, written coherently, highly analytical, generously illustrated, unique as a phenomenon given no other confessional/political group in Lebanon has produced such work, and underscoring the contribution of Armenians to the welfare of Lebanon in general.

Dr. Shemmassian then introduced the Consul General, whose career path has taken her to Yerevan, Armenia, among other diplomatic posts. In her remarks, Khawly thanked the organizers and the author, and mentioned that Armenia and the Armenians had a special place in her heart and mind.

Afterwards, Dr. Hasmig Baran, Chairperson of the HU Board of Trustees and Lecturer of Armenian Studies at CSUN, took the podium, briefly explained the work of the HU and especially the Center of Armenian Diaspora Studies, and thanked the Los Angeles chapter of the HU Alumni Association for hosting the reception of the evening. She then introduced the main speaker, Mr. Avsharian, to present his book. What follows is a summary of his talk.

Volume I and II of the On the Record: Armenian Deputies in the Lebanese Parliaments are the culmination of research and analysis of the Official Records of Lebanese Chamber of Deputies and the Official Gazettes of the Lebanese Republic from the early days of the French Mandate in 1922 until 2017. Both volumes assess the importance of the involvement of 31 Lebanese-Armenian deputies in the legislative proceedings.

When France and the Allied Powers in 1923 executed the Treaty of Lausanne with Turkey, the issue of nationality of the residents of Greater Lebanon, in general, and of the Armenians, in particular, surfaced within the political circles in Greater Lebanon. Article 30 of the Lausanne Treaty gave the right to all people that resided in the areas liberated from the Ottoman Empire in World War I to be considered citizens of those territories. As a result, Armenians who had arrived in Lebanon from Turkey and had established residency on or before August 30, 1924 were allowed to become Lebanese citizens.

The first Lebanese-Armenian who was elected to the Parliament was Abdullah Is’haq, a Catholic Armenian from Beirut in 1929. Is’haq was elected as a deputy to the seat allocated to the Minorities. The French Authorities allocated one seat to the Armenian Orthodox community in a 25-member Chamber and Vahram Leilekian was elected as the first Armenian Orthodox Deputy in the Lebanese Parliament in 1934. During the 1937 elections, 2 out of 63 seats were allocated to the Armenian Orthodox Community in Beirut: Khosrov Tutundjian was elected and Vahram Leilekian was appointed by President Emile Edde.

Free France granted independence to Lebanon on November 26, 1941 and reinstated certain provisions of the Lebanese Constitution pending the election of a new parliament in March 1943. Two seats were allocated in the 55-member parliament to the Lebanese-Armenians: Movses Der-Kaloustian and Hratchia Shamlian were the 1st two Armenian deputies elected after Independence. Der-Kaloustian served as a deputy for 29 years until his retirement in 1972.

The 1950 Election Law raised the number of the deputies to 77 and allocated 4 seats to the Armenians. For the first time, Bourj Hammoud had its own seat in addition to a Catholic Armenian seat from Beirut, which was secured as a result of the direct mediation of Cardinal Aghajanian with the Vatican in 1947 for the official recognition of the Lebanese Independence. During the 1951 elections, Der-Kaloustian, Melkon Hayrabedian, Joseph Chader, and Dickran Tosbat were elected.

Tosbat was a very active legislator and notorious for being controversial. Chader was the first Lebanese-Armenian Catholic deputy to be elected and was re-elected 7 consecutive times until he passed away in 1977. Chader was also the first Lebanese-Armenian who held a ministerial post as Minister of Public Planning and later as Minister of Finance in Prime Minister Sami El Solh’s Government in 1958.

Khatchig Babikian joined the Lebanese Parliament in 1957 and served consecutively until his passing in December 1999. He was the longest serving Lebanese-Armenian deputy ever. During his legislative career of almost half a century, Babikian represented the Lebanese-Armenian community before different tribunals, and promoted and safeguarded their political rights.

Volume II starts off with the legislative elections of 1972, when 6 Lebanese-Armenian Deputies were elected: Joseph Chader, who passed away in 1977 and was not replaces; Babikian, Souren Khanamirian; Melkon Eblighatian; Antranig Manoukian; and Ara Yerevanian. The 1972 elected MPs served for 20 years and lived through the Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990).

In the 1992 legislative elections, in addition to the incumbents Babikian and Khanamirian, 5 new faces joined the Lebanese Parliament: Yeghia Jeredjian; Hagop Choukhadarian; Nourijan Demirdjian; Shahe Barsoumian; and George Kassarji. In 1996, however, Abraham Dedeyan replaced Demirdjian and Sebouh Hovnanian replaced Barsoumian. In 2000, Hagop Kassardjian, Jean Ogassapian and Serge Toursarkissian were elected as new deputies

The assassination of Prime Minister Rafik El Hariri changed the political landscape of Lebanon. Two new antagonistic coalitions came into existence: The March 8 and the March 14 alliances. As a result, the political division amongst the Lebanese Armenian political parties surfaced, and the 2005 elections were led with such divide.

During the 2009 elections Jean Ogassapian, Sebouh Kalpakian, Arthur Nazarian, Serge Toursarkissian, Hagop Pakradounian and Shant Chinchinian were elected. As the previous elections, the political divide amongst the Armenian deputies was obvious, as Pakradounian and Nazarian sided with the March 8 Coalition, whereas Ogassapian, Kalpakian, Toursarkissian, and Chinchinian sided with the March 14 Alliance.

Pakradounian became a deputy in 2005 and was re-elected in 2009. He was a member of the Foreign Affairs and the Displaced Affairs Committees during the 21st Parliament, and then the Foreign Affairs and the Youth & Sports Committees in the 22nd Parliament. Pakradounian has been an outspoken deputy and given a few speeches during his term at the Parliament.

As the Republic of Armenia gained independence in 1991, official Lebanon-Armenia bilateral issues started to be considered by the Lebanese Parliament, including the International Land Transportation Agreement in 1996; the Friendship and Cooperation Agreement in 1998; and the Coordination Agreement for Higher Education in 1999.

Furthermore, in 1997 the Lebanese Parliament considered and adopted a proposal recognizing the pain and suffering experienced by the Lebanese-Armenians between 1915 and 1923. In 2000, the Lebanese Parliament officially recognized the Armenian Genocide perpetrated by the Ottoman Government beginning in 1915.

After the presentation the audience was given the opportunity to ask questions to the author. This session was followed by a reception and book signing. The proceeds from the sales were to be earmarked for HU scholarships as per the author’s kind request.

Paylan Urges Discussion of Armenian Genocide in Parliament

For the second consecutive year the police in Turkey banned a planned commemoration of the Armenian Genocide which was scheduled to be held in Istanbul’s Sultanahmet Square.

Eren Keskin, co-chair of the Human Rights Association, which organized the annual event with the Istanbul Branch and Commission Against Racism and Discrimination condemned the decision, saying that negotiations with the police yielded no results, hence she moved the event in front of her organization’s offices.

Garo Paylan, an Armenian member of the Turkey’s parliament representing the People’s Democratic Party (HDP) said the ban by police was proof the democracy in Turkey was regressing.

“For years, there was a will to confront the genocide that took place 104 years ago. Nevertheless, they [the authorities] have also taken a step back from this will of confrontation. I am really sorry. Every crime which is not confronted repeats itself and, unfortunately, this crime is also repeating itself today. The great brutality that Armenians were subjected to 104 years ago is being perpetrated against the Kurdish people today,” said Paylan who urged Turkey’s government to confront its historical reality and promising to continue to fight for rights and rule of law.

“I curse the perpetrators of the Armenian Genocide,” Paylan said in a Facebook post.

He also posted a photo of Faik Ali Ozansoy, the Governor of Kütahya during the Armenian Genocide, who refused to obey the Ottoman government’s orders to deport and massac the Armenian population.

“I respectfully bow before all those who, at the cost of their lives, refused to carry out the genocide order, in person of Kütahya Governor Faik Ali Ozansoy,” added Paylan on Facebook.

Paylan also issued a statement on April 24, calling on the Turkish Grand National Assembly to hold discussions about the Armenian Genocide in the Turkey’s legislature.

On April 24, 1915, political scientists, writers, poets, journalists, teachers, scientists and many other Armenian intellectuals were arrested in Constantinople, the capital of the Ottoman Empire. They were also deported to Ayash and Changhir, but later most of them were killed.

While the lives lost in 1915 cannot be recovered, in the interest of co-existing, it is important and valuable to acknowledge the painful past in our society and work toward improving relations with one another.

The Parliament should restore the rights and keep the memory of those intellectuals who were working toward the betterment of the Ottoman and Armenian people, and who were developing the educational institutions, were writing, producing, thinking, who, nevertheless, were killed on this land.

April 24, 1915 is accepted by the entire world as a day that the Armenian Genocide began. The Armenian Genocide has been a subject of discussion in numerous parliaments of the world, but has never been discussed in the Turkish parliament. Meanwhile, the parliament, where this great tragedy should be discussed, is that of the country where the tragedy has taken place. In other words, that is the parliament of Turkey.

For 104 years, Armenians around the world have been demanding the restoration of justice. Justice can be restored only within the conscience of the Turkish people and inside the Turkish parliament. The legislature that should be discussing the tragedy that happened to the Armenian people, first and foremost, must be the parliament of Turkey. And we urge to hold a parliamentary discussion on this matter.

Erdogan’s Allies Sing, Dance, Curse at Sheridan Circle, Site of his 2017 Attack on Peaceful American Protesters

WASHINGTON—Armenian Americans joined with members of the Greater Washington, DC Greek, Assyrian, Yezidi, Christian, and Kurdish communities in a demonstration demanding justice for the Armenian Genocide, against the backdrop of a disruptive April 24 “celebration” organized by allies of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The event, held in front of the Turkish Ambassador’s residence on Washington, DC’s iconic Sheridan Circle, was organized by the AYF Washington, DC Ani Chapter, in coordination with the Armenian Genocide Commemorative Committee of Greater Washington, DC. The Hellenic American Leadership Council (HALC), In Defense of Christians (IDC) and Kurdistani American Committee encouraged broad member participation at the event. This year, once again, over 50 students from the Holy Martyrs Ferrahian Armenian School 8th grade class from Southern California joined the DC Armenian community in this rally against Genocide denial.

The Turkish American Steering Committee’s (TASC) last-minute request to secure a portion of Sheridan Circle for a “first amendment” counter-protest was exposed as a blatant effort to intimidate and dampen Armenian American participation when only a handful of pro-Erdogan supporters occupied the space they had reserved for 250. It also resulted in the National Park Service rejection of a separate permit request by the Hellenic American Leadership Council, citing space considerations.

Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Frank Pallone (D-NJ) called on the National Park Service to revoke the TASC protest permit, tweeting, “it is shocking that @NatlParkService would grant TASC a permit to stage a protest right next to the Armenian Genocide Commemoration in DC given the genocide-denying, pro-Erdogan groups’ past provocations of violence in the US. I call on them to immediately revoke this permit.”

Most TASC supporters gathered, as they have in past years, in front of the Turkish Ambassador’s residence, where they alternated between dancing, singing, and cursing at descendants of genocide survivors.

“On this day, I am proud to say that we confront this wall of hatred, this wall of genocide denial, with our piercing power of love,” said AYF Ani Chapter member Nareg Kuyumjian, who offered his poignant remarks with TASC members dancing gleefully in the background. “The Armenian-American community is rising and the Armenian Cause is more powerful than ever.”

Protesters also expressed their concerns to President Trump in light of his Armenian Remembrance Day Statement, issued just hours before the protest, in which he once again failed to properly commemorate the Armenian Genocide. “Today we protest yet another year of silence on behalf of our government to recognize the Armenian Genocide, but let us not forget all that we have accomplished,” said Kuyumjian. “Let’s not forget that every state except Mississippi recognizes the Armenian Genocide. Let’s not forget that Armenian Genocide education is mandated in 15 states. Let us not forget that two Armenian Genocide bills that have been introduced in Congress that already have over 100 co-sponsors. And let us not forget that America’s improving relationship with Armenia and Artsakh is working to stop the murder of Armenians on the Azerbaijan border – murders that are a direct result of the lack of accountability.”

“The courage, the conviction of the AYF and all the others – young kids, the students, the Homenetmen scouts and all of you – to reclaim the circle, to set foot on that soil, that’s a sacred act – as an Armenian and as an American,” noted Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) Executive Director Aram Hamparian, during remarks later in the day. “As Armenians, we are saying ‘we won’t back down.’ As Americans, we are saying ‘we have our rights, and they won’t be taken from us – not by another nation, not by a foreign dictator.”

Following the rally, Armenian Americans marched to the Embassy of the Republic of Armenia, led by the Greater Washington DC Homenetmen Scouts and Drum Corps, American and Armenian flags held high. The participants joined in the Embassy of Armenia’s annual Armenian Genocide memorial event at the “Khatchkar” monument dedicated to the eternal memory of that crime.

The prayer service, wreath laying ceremony and program, organized by the Embassy of the Republic of Armenia, featured remarks by Armenian Ambassador to the U.S., His Excellency Varuzhan Nersesyan, ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian, Armenian Assembly Government Affairs Director Mariam Khaloyan, and Jake Bournazian of the Washington, DC Knights of Vartan ‘Ani’ Lodge.

Archbishop Vicken Aykazian, Diocesan Legate of the Diocese of Armenian Apostolic Church Eastern US was joined by Soorp Khatch Armenian Apostolic Church pastor, Fr. Sarkis Aktavoukian and St. Mary’s Armenian Church pastor Hovsep Karapetyan in offering a community prayer for the sainted victims of the Armenian Genocide. Sarine and Arya Balian offered moving renditions of the Armenian and American anthems. The program concluded with song and poetry recitations by the Hamasdegh Armenian School and Shnorhali Armenian School students, including a presentation of Moushegh Ishkhan’s “Hayots Askhar” by Victoria Penenian, a dance simply titled, “Hayastan,” and a number of patriotic songs.

At the beginning of the program, Washington, DC Homenetmen Scouts stood at attention, in tribute to the 1.5 million victims of the Armenian Genocide and the survivors who helped rebuild the Armenian nation, and then participated in a special flag-raising ceremony.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan urged the international community to respond to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, who said on April 24 that the deportation of Armenian during the time spanning the Armenian Genocide “was the most reasonable action that could have been taken.” Pashinyan called the Turkish leader’s remarks “extreme hate speech” and “justification of the murder of a nation.”

“The relocation of the Armenian gangs and their supporters, who massacred the Muslim people, including women and children, in eastern Anatolia, was the most reasonable action that could be taken in such a period,” said Erdogan, who also posted this message on his Twitter account.

“We see that those who attempt to lecture us on human rights over the Armenian issue themselves have a bloody past,” he added, accusing the French of committing genocide in Africa.

“Calling victims of the Armenian Genocide—the Ottoman Empire’s entire Armenian population, which was sent to death marches—‘Armenian gangs & their supporters,’ killing 1.5 million [people] and justifying it as a ‘most reasonable action’ is not just a new high in denialism, but justification of a nation’s murder,” said Pashinyan in a Twitter post in response to Erdogan.

“Above all, doing this on April 24 is an ultimate insult to the Armenian people and to humanity, extreme hate speech by Erdogan personally. The world must speak out,” Pashinyan added.

Annual Commemorative Statement again Fails to Properly Characterize Armenian Genocide

WASHINGTON—For the third year, President Donald Trump failed to properly condemn as ‘genocide’ the Ottoman Turkish government’s annihilation of millions of Armenians, Greeks, Assyrians, Chaldeans, and other Christians in his annual April 24th commemorative statement.

“This is a cut-and-paste policy, set in Ankara by Turkish dictators and enforced in Washington by American presidents,” said Armenian National Committee of America ANCA Executive Director Aram Suren Hamparian, whose complete response is provided below.

“President Trump has once again granted Turkish President Erdogan – an authoritarian and increasingly anti-American dictator – a veto over honest U.S. remembrance of Turkey’s WWI-era genocide of millions of Armenians and other Christians.

“This is a cut-and-paste policy, set in Ankara by Turkish dictators and enforced in Washington by American presidents.”

*Having promised an America First presidency, he has pursued a Turkey First policy on the Armenian Genocide.

*Having pledged to protest the persecution of Christians, he has enforced a foreign gag-rule against honest remembrance of a century-old crime.

*Having vowed to restore U.S. leadership, he has, instead, outsourced American moral standing to a foreign dictatorship.

We look now to the U.S. Congress to provide the leadership that the White House has failed to deliver.”

The President’s full statement is provided below.

Background
The Armenian Genocide was the centrally planned and systematically executed slaughter of the Armenian people, carried out by the Ottoman Turkish Government from 1915-1923.  The Greek and Assyrian / Chaldean / Syriac communities suffered the same fate, with over 2.5 million Christians killed in that time period. April 24th is the international day of commemoration of the Armenian Genocide.

The United States embarked on an unprecedented international humanitarian campaign, mandated by Congress in 1916 through the establishment of Near East Relief, saving over 130,000 orphans and some 1 million survivors of the Armenian Genocide by providing assistance valued at over $2.5 billion in current dollars.

The U.S. first recognized the Armenian Genocide in 1951 through a filing which was included in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) Report titled: “Reservations to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.” The specific reference to the Armenian Genocide appears on page 25 of the ICJ Report: “The Genocide Convention resulted from the inhuman and barbarous practices which prevailed in certain countries prior to and during World War II, when entire religious, racial and national minority groups were threatened with and subjected to deliberate extermination. The practice of genocide has occurred throughout human history. The Roman persecution of the Christians, the Turkish massacres of Armenians, the extermination of millions of Jews and Poles by the Nazis are outstanding examples of the crime of genocide.”

President Ronald Reagan reaffirmed the Armenian Genocide in 1981. The U.S. House of Representatives adopted legislation on the Armenian Genocide in 1975, 1984 and 1996.  Forty-nine U.S. states have recognized the Armenian Genocide through resolution or proclamation.

Earlier this month, Representatives Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) spearheaded Armenian Genocide legislation (H.Res.296) calling for the proper remembrance of the crime, ending U.S. complicity in its denial and urging public education in an effort to prevent future genocides.  The legislation currently has 89 cosponsors.  A similar resolution in the Senate (S.Res.150) spearheaded by Senators Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Ted Cruz (R-TX) has 16 cosponsors.

Statement by the President on Armenian Remembrance Day 2019

Today, we commemorate the Meds Yeghern and honor the memory of those who suffered in one of the worst mass atrocities of the 20th century. Beginning in 1915, one and a half million Armenians were deported, massacred, or marched to their deaths in the final years of the Ottoman Empire. On this day of remembrance, we again join the Armenian community in America and around the world in mourning the many lives lost.

On this day, we also honor and recognize the work of those who tried to end the violence, as well as those who sought to ensure atrocities like this would not be repeated, like human rights activist and lawyer Raphael Lemkin. We recall the contributions of generous Americans who helped save lives and rebuild Armenian communities. As we honor the memory of those who suffered, we also draw inspiration from the courage and resiliency of the Armenian people who, in the face of tremendous adversity, built vibrant communities around the world, including in the United States.

We pledge to learn from past tragedies so as to not to repeat them. We welcome the efforts of Armenians and Turks to acknowledge and reckon with their painful history. And we stand with the Armenian people in recalling the lives lost during the Meds Yeghern and reaffirm our commitment to a more peaceful world.

The White House, once again, opted to side with Turkey and continue its complicity in Ankara’s campaign to deny the Armenian Genocide. Furthermore, President Donald Trump chose to ignore the will of 49 states of our union that have justly and rightfully recognized the Armenian Genocide, and issued a statement on Wednesday further cementing the administration’s tone deaf to this issue.

However, as Armenians around the world commemorate the Armenian Genocide, they will be joined by the people and government of France, which, for the first time, is commemorating the Genocide as a national day of remembrance. France joins Argentina and other countries whose leaders have seen beyond Turkey’s arrogance and lies and have marshaled their citizens to stand on the side of truth and justice.

Few weeks after President Emanuel Macron of France announced his intention to declare April 24 a national day of commemoration for the Armenian Genocide, Italy’s Chamber of Deputies overwhelmingly adopted a resolution recognizing the Genocide, joining a growing list of European countries to advance an agenda that values humanity and human rights.

The Armenian people’s struggle to attain international recognition for the Armenian Genocide, which began in earnest in 1965—the 50th anniversary—has morphed into not only legislatures and presidents acknowledging the truth, but also in some instances governments taking responsibility for their role in advancing the Ottoman Empire’s state policy to eradicate Armenians. The resolution adopted by Germany’s Bundestag a few years ago demonstrated the willingness of nations to come to terms with their pasts.

Ankara believes that perpetuating this lie will somehow make the events of 1915 disappear. Then again, if Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan recognizes the Genocide, he would have to rethink his current policies of silencing its own population, which mirror the strategies employed by his predecessors when they set out to destroy the Armenian population.

The will of the people to advance the cause of justice for the Armenian Genocide has not wavered and that will has only proliferated around the world, most notably in Turkey, where for the past several years concerned Turks are joining Armenians to not only commemorate the Armenian Genocide but demand justice from their government. Garo Paylan, an Armenian member of the Turkish Parliament representing the People’s Democratic Party (HDP), called on his fellow lawmakers to take up the issue of the Armenian Genocide in Turkey’s Grand National Assembly. The mere mention of this a few years back from the dais of Turkey’s legislature would have resulted in his arrest and much worse.

The fact remains that stories of survivors that over the last century or so have been passed down to younger generations have cemented the Armenians’ will to not only survive adversity but to advance the cause of justice. Although we faced similar horrors at the hands of Azerbaijanis when beginning in 1988 and in response to Artsakh liberation movement, they carried out systematic massacres of Armenians in Sumgait, Baku, Kirovabad, Maragha and Shahumian, employing the same vile and brutal tactics as their Turkish cousins, our resilience as a nation proved to be a potent force against the perpetrators who were advancing a genocidal policy. Artsakh was liberated and is now the crucial link in the chain that is the Armenian Cause and the aspirations of the Armenian Nation.

Today all facets of our society have lined up behind the truth. Publications such as The New York Times, the Washington Post and Los Angeles Times, which a decade or so ago hesitated—and refused—to use the word “genocide” to describe the events of 1915 have all called on the White House to recognize the Armenian Genocide. Public schools are including the study of the Armenian Genocide in their curricula, while historians are tackling the issue from various angles and perspectives to paint a more accurate picture of the 20th century.

All of these advances have happened because the Armenian people have been adamant and they have parlayed their righteous convictions into decisive action to advance and pursue the Armenian Cause.

As we remember the victims of the Armenian Genocide and those who perished in similar massacres before and after 1915, we must be cognizant that our collective will to right the injustices of the past is a potent catalyst in advancing our cause and brick-by-brick shattering the wall of lies and silence that continue to stand in the way of recognition, reparations and restitution for the Armenian Genocide and the ultimate aspiration of our Nation—a Free, United and Independent Armenia.

Tens of thousands of community members were joined on Wednesday by leading elected officials and more than 50 coalition partners at the annual March for Justice in front of the Turkish Consulate General in Los Angeles to demand justice and righteously condemn Turkey’s continued denial of the Armenian Genocide.

Raising their voices on stage in solidarity with the Armenian Cause were representatives Adam Schiff and Brad Sherman, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and Los Angeles City Councilmember Paul Koretz in whose district the demonstration was taking place.

The March for Justice, organized by the Armenian Genocide Committee—a coalition of the major community organizations and religious denominations—featured a short program that was guided by Masters of Ceremonies Armen K. Hovannisian, Esq. and Tenny Khachatourian, each of whom drew on their personal experiences as descendants of Genocide survivors to advance the call for justice and recognition of the Genocide. The program began with invocation offered by clergy headed by the leaders of all Armenian denominations.

Watch the entire March for Justice covered live by Asbarez on Facebook.

The Armenian rapper and activist R-Mean rallied the crowd during a march through a performance of his signature song “Open Wounds,” while children holding the tai-color flooded on stage. The American and Armenian National Anthems were performed by students from area Armenian schools. The program also featured a moving performance by the Element Band.

Speaking on behalf of the youth was Raffi Jivalagian whose impassioned speech highlighting the role of the new generation in advancing the Armenian Cause, closed the program.

Asbarez will have complete coverage of the March for Justice in upcoming editions.