Hello. I am Congresswoman Jackie Speier and I represent the House of Representatives. As one of two members of Congress with Armenian heritage and as a co-chair of Congressional Armenian Caucus I am honored to join you in commemorating the 107th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Like many of you I feel this tragedy deeply within my own family history and through the collective pain of Armenians worldwide. I will never forget the great sadness of my mom’s eyes as she talked me about the horrors of April 24, 1915. The coldblooded systematic and calculated murder of 1.5 million Armenians by the Ottoman Empire is undeniably one of the darkest days in history.
And we must continue to oppose efforts to arise it. That is why I was proud that President Biden officially recognized the Armenian Genocide last year. And that’s why I was honored to help carry the resolution through Congress a few years ago to reaffirm America’s commitment to truth and healing. Actions like this send powerful messages to those who wish to rewrite history. But our work is not finished.
Turkey continues to deny that the Armenian Genocide occurred and actively works to suppress first-hand accounts of survivors. Denying survivors their truth not only harms our communities healing, it actively empowers would be perpetrators. And just last month Azerbaijan renewed its aggression against Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), seizing at another village and leaving the people of Artsakh to freeze in bitter cold by cutting off gas for three entire weeks.
In truthly acknowledging the tragedy of Armenian Genocide today we also make a powerful statement: those who attempt to silence us will fail. I join you in this solemn day to not only memorialize our ancestors who perished at the hands of the ottomans but to recommit ourselves to speaking out against global oppression and injustice in their honor. We can and must ensure that justice is done and that their loss has not been entirely in vain.
