In 1915, an ethnic cleansing progrom was instituted by the Turkish government against its minority Armenian population - an act considered to be the first genocide of the twentieth century. By the time the Ottoman Empire dissolved in 1923, 1.5 million Armenians were dead as a direct result of the progrom. Surviving Armenians were ejected from their homeland in Turkish territory, resulting in a diaspora that brought many to America, and especially to Los Angeles - home to the largest Armenian population outside Armenia itself.
The Genocide has been continually denied by the Turkish government. Although several countries (most recently, Greece), and several US states have passed resolutions recognizing it, Turkey continues to use political and economic pressure on the US to perpetuate its denial, despite a recent resolution presented in Congress. Last year, Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz had praised Turkey for its treatment of minorities.
The survivors and their descendants, however, remember and will continue to remember the Armenian Genocide. Every April 24, the Armenian community comes together to commemorate this tragedy, educate their community and others about the Genocide, and call for an end to crimes against humanity.
photo credit: Armin T. Wegner, Armenian National Institute
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