Stanford, CA – Under the twilight glow of Meyers Green, Armenian and non-Armenian students gathered on the evening of April 23rd to commemorate the 1.5 million victims of the Armenian Genocide of 1915 – 1923. The poignant event, a testament to the enduring spirit of the Armenian community at Stanford, was organized by the groundbreaking Stanford Armenian Students Association (ASA), an organization lauded for its impactful change and strong community-building efforts across campus.

The evening commenced with opening remarks led by the brilliant students Alisa Aleksanian, Eric Markarian, and Vaughn Nahapetian. As students held flickering candles, a powerful symbol of remembrance, the weight of history and the hope for the future intertwined in the gentle breeze.

Following the opening prayer by Der. Datev Tatoulian, Dr. Tamar Marie Boyadjian, the dedicated instructor of Armenian language classes at Stanford, then delivered a moving address. Her words resonated deeply with the gathered students, drawing upon the enduring strength of the Armenian people:

“We gather today on this solemn day, April 24th, to remember. We remember the 1.5 million souls lost in the Armenian Genocide of 1915. We remember the systematic annihilation, the unimaginable suffering, the death throes of a people that were captured in the testimonies and the literature of our people. These words—raw and visceral—remind us that the Armenian Genocide was not mere statistics; it was an attempt to destroy a culture and a people. Many of the horrific effects of this great tragedy resonate within us, one of the major ones being the endangered status of Western Armenian, the dialect of Armenian spoken by millions across the Ottoman Empire.

Tragically, our remembrance extends beyond a century. Now, we also hold in our hearts those who, even in our contemporary era, have fallen victim to the brutal ethnic cleansing in Artsakh. Our pain continues to echo, and our trauma has always reverberated across generations and our ancestral lands.

Yet, as Armenians, we stand here today not defined solely by the horrors of our past. The acts of genocide committed against our people have not broken us. Instead, they have fuelled a fierce resilience, a refusal to be defined by the expectations of those who sought our destruction.

Our great writer, Zabel Yesayan, who witnessed the horror firsthand and continued to write with unwavering conviction, offered us a glimpse into this resilience when she wrote:

‘Of all the traditions we have inherited from our ancestors, the most illustrious, the most vivid, is our beautiful, rich, and amazing language, which we have to protect with concern, ferocity, and verve.

[And in The Agony of the People] Years may pass by… a new era of humanity, with its new hopes and inclinations, may forget today’s mourning and misery, but something will remain irremediable and unforgettable: the death throes of an entire people.’

Like our great writers and those whose testimonies survive until today, we understand the power of memory, the necessity of bearing witness. But we must also embrace the power of our own narratives—the stories we tell ourselves, the future we dare to imagine. We invoke the forgotten and give them the name of hope.

Today—and always—we must evoke the forgotten and give them a name of hope.

Today—and always—we must elevate our self-determination and give it a name of hope.

We drink from the same river of memory, a river that flows through our history, into our present, and out to our future.

And as we extend our hands, we find that others join us.

In this shared remembrance, we must not only recognize our grief, but we must also move on to our healing—to the seeds of a new beginning, a future where we have confronted our generational trauma.

Here, we are not alone! And today, we remember!

And in remembering, we declare a future filled with hope, resilience, and the unwavering strength of a people who have endured and will continue to endure forever. Thank you.”

Following Dr. Boyadjian’s powerful words, the platform was opened for student reflections. Alisa Aleksanian movingly shared her experiences encountering genocide denial at Stanford, both within and outside the classroom, underscoring the profound importance of such commemoration events and the responsibility to actively respond to denialism by honoring the truth. Nicole Esibov eloquently shared the importance of embracing her Armenian identity and actively contributing to the Armenian community alongside her academic pursuits at Stanford. She emphasized that being Armenian is not just a heritage to acknowledge, but a living, breathing commitment to the culture, its goals, and its future. Taline Nahapetian shared how important it was for her to already have a built-in Armenian community at Stanford when she was admitted here. Freshman Margarita Simonyan powerfully stated that it is their duty to advocate for full genocide recognition and that Armenians deserve to be remembered and known for more than the tragedies they’ve undergone, highlighting their strength and successes in spite of immense adversity.

The commemoration was further enriched by the presence of Grammy-nominated and Juno Award-winning pianist and composer, Serouj Kradjian. His poignant words highlighted the enduring legacy of Gomidas Vartabed, the iconic Armenian composer and ethnomusicologist who survived the Armenian Genocide. Kradjian spoke of the attempts to silence Gomidas and his music, emphasizing how his compositions continue to resonate as a vital part of Armenian cultural memory, a testament to the unbreakable spirit of the Armenian artistic soul.

As the formal ceremony concluded, the students, still holding their candles, walked over to a moving reconstruction of Tzitzernagapert, the Armenian Genocide Memorial in Yerevan, meticulously crafted by Aramis Kelkelyan. This symbolic act underscored the connection to the homeland and the enduring significance of remembrance.

The evening, as Eric Markarian articulated, was a powerful blend of solemn commemoration and hopeful celebration. It served as a vital reminder that while the Armenian identity carries the weight of a tragic history, it is not solely defined by it. The resilience, the vibrant culture, and the unwavering spirit of the Armenian people at Stanford, and across the globe, continue to pave the way for a future filled with hope and self-determination. These efforts have been made possible by visionary and pioneering students Alisa Aleksanian, Eric Markarian, and Vaughn Nahapetian. Their efforts will leave a legacy for not only Armenian students but also Stanford University.

—
Dr. Tamar Marie Boyadjian
Chair

Armenian Genocide Museum of Canada (AGMC)