Sherwood Boehlert: “I rise in memory of people killed in an event so horrific that at the time, there was no word to describe it. I am…”

“I rise in memory of people killed in an event so horrific that at the time, there was no word to describe it. I am referring to the mass slaughter of Armenians that began on April 24, 1915. The Armenian people endured a forced deportation from their homes that turned into a death march. It is estimated that more than 1 million Armenians died during this tragic event. Today we have a word for crimes like this: genocide. And we have learned as well the result when genocide is allowed to be carried out with impunity. Adolf Hitler asked rhetorically, 'Who remembers the Armenians?' He used the example of the atrocities against the Armenians to reassure his followers that no one would care if he exterminated the Jewish people. It would be wonderful to say that, following the hardships inflicted upon them in the early part of this century, the Armenian people have been able to enjoy peace and prosperity. Unfortunately, that is far from the case. Instead, decades of Communist rule meant hunger and deprivation. The Soviet Union has collapsed, but Armenia is surrounded by hostile neighbors, and Armenians are enduring a blockade against all goods, including humanitarian assistance. There would be no more fitting memorial to those who died in Armenia than to build a just and lasting peace for all people. To do otherwise would be to condone genocide.”