I attended the dedication of an Armenian Genocide memorial at Baird Middle School Monday evening. This memorial was created by students, with the help of their outstanding teacher, Tom Snyder, and the many friends of Baird School. It's in the school's Peace and Tolerance Plaza. The garden is a fabulous spot that also includes memorials to the Jewish Holocaust, Japanese-Americans interned during World War II and the victims of 9/11.
Walking to my car, I thought about what I just witnessed in this shady plaza between classroom buildings. This is a school and community that understand the importance of history and why we must continue to spotlight the injustices and tragedies of the past as we shape the imperfect world of today. There is something very special going on at Baird Middle School.
Parents, public officials and politicians helped unveil the latest memorial dedicated to the Armenian Genocide that began in 1915. Journalist and author Mark Arax spoke, telling a very personal story about his family's connection to the genocide. Many in the audience had similar stories of that tragic time when the Ottoman Turks began the systematic roundup and murders in this genocide.
This is a genocide that most of the world knows and accepts as fact -- most of the world except Turkey and the United States government, which refuses to call it genocide. The reason our government has balked at calling it genocide is not because those who run our country don't believe it was a systematic extinction of a group pf people. They don't want to upset Turkey because of strategic reasons. How cowardly.
The Baird event Monday kicked off a week of activities commemorating the Armenian Genocide. Thursday, April 24, is Armenian Martyrs Day, representing the beginning of the genocide when the Turks began rounding up 250 Armenian community leaders and intellectuals. This would lead to the death of 1.5 million Armenians.
History won't be right until this genocide is acknowledged by Turkey. The United States could help this along by calling it a genocide.
(Photo by Bee photographer Darrell Wong:The Armenian Genocide memorial is unveiled in the Peace and Tolerance Plaza at Baird Middle School on Monday.)
Jim...you are right, there is something very special going on at Baird. Thank you for acknowledging the Armenian Genocide, we appreciate your kind words and taking part in our Memorial. We are thankful to educators like Tom Snyder who have made a positive impression on our children. The memorial is something that will stay in our hearts forever.
Excellent Jim,
These type of memorials are deeply appreciated and have a place in our culture. It is important to know the dark past of various cultures and reasons why many are here in the United States.
...even now, if Turkey decides it wants to attack, say, Iraq,(allegedly our "newest allie"), it does so w/the blessing of our state department, and congress..."strategic interests" at conflict with human decency desribes us.
Jim, what a wonderful article. Baird is a magical place. Thank you for attending our celebration.
It's one thing for the Armenians to recognize this important event, but more powerful when non-Armenians do. Thank you, Jim, for being one of those. The Armenian culture has a long history of tolerance and this is shown even in the face of continued denial by Turkey and apathy from our own government. Please, everyone, find out how your legislative officials stand on this issue and ask them register YOUR conscience. That is the job they swore to do when you elected them and not voting the way the Turkish lobbyists pay them to.