History repeats itself. We hear this phrase often. But what are we going to do to make sure that history does NOT repeat itself? Are we ever going to learn from our history?
Genocide is defined as, “the deliberate killing of a large group of people, especially those of a particular ethnic group or nation.”
The Armenian genocide was the first genocide of the 20th century. In 1915, the Turks killed 1.5 million Armenians. The Armenians that weren't killed were forced across deserts without food, water, or shelter. They were raped, beaten, and tortured.
But who talked about this genocide? Very few people. Very few countries. We Armenians, have to be our own advocates because people were silent. Well guess what happened. Guess who learned from the Turks. Hitler. Now that’s a name that everyone has heard of. Hitler said, “who after all remembers the annihilation of the Armenians?”
We remember. We stand. And yet we are facing another genocide. Turkey is aligning with Azerbaijan, recruiting terrorists, and on a mission to eradicate the Armenians.
Who will stand with us? Will you?
This is a poem I wrote a few years ago. Never did I think that this part of history would repeat itself.
Armenian Genocide
1.
The sand grazes my great grandmother’s
eyes as she crosses the Syrian Desert.
She cries. The moans of her
dying friends echo in her ears.
The sun burns her flesh.
The smell of dead bodies linger.
2.
When I was young, a dark figure
followed me in my dreams.
Sometimes, I feel death
when I lie down to sleep.
One night I woke up and I screamed,
I knew I was alive.
Armenia and Armenians, in Jesus name, I pray for you, I pray for us. For freedom. For peace. For a once and for all end to the violence that has come against our people. I pray for love. I pray that God’s love emanates through our people and gives us the strength we need to persevere in this time. Amen.