Armenian pride

Cranston's Armenians commemorate genocide anniversary with City Hall flag raising

By Thomas Greenberg
Posted 4/25/18

By THOMAS GREENBERG With Cranston having one of the highest Armenian population in the state, city hall was packed Thursday night as the city remembered the genocide that began in April of 1915, as well as honored a Cranston resident with deep ties to

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Armenian pride

Cranston's Armenians commemorate genocide anniversary with City Hall flag raising

Posted

With Cranston having one of the highest Armenian population in the state, city hall was packed Thursday night as the city remembered the genocide that began in April of 1915, as well as honored a Cranston resident with deep ties to the Armenian community, Ara Boghigian.

During the event in council chambers, which was standing-room-only by the time it started up, public officials and prominent Armenian residents spoke about the genocide and how it is remembered today.

Boghigian, according to the evening’s emcee Andrew Bagdasarian, has had a life full of service to the Rhode Island community, was honored with a city citation given by Mayor Allan Fung and a state citation from Treasurer Seth Magaziner.

Boghigian was a sergeant in the United State military police, attended RISD and worked as a commercial artist, worked as a liaison officer in the drug diversion program for the attorney general’s office, was a social service planner, and a housing manager. On top of that, he was the director of public housing for the city of Providence’s housing authority for roughly 20 years, according to Bagdasarian.

Magaziner spoke to the gathered crowd, thanking Boghigian for his service in the criminal justice system and housing authority, and also speaking about the commemoration of the genocide.

“It’s a sad time of the year when we come together to commemorate the anniversary of the genocide, so many were lost,” he said. “But it’s also a time that gives me hope every year as I continue to be inspired by the resilience of the Armenian people, to have gone through such tragedy that touched every family in one way or another, so many displaced, yet a century later to maintain such a strong community spirit. And to keep the memory alive is truly inspirational. It’s a great credit to the Armenian people.”

Warwick Mayor Scott Avedisian continued this praise of the Rhode Island Armenian community, saying that the well-attended commemorations, which were also taking place in East Providence and North Providence last week, “showed the work of the three churches and the work around the state by advocacy groups to make sure we commemorate the genocide.”

Only recently did the state of Rhode Island recognize the genocide officially, spurred by state Rep. Aaron Regunberg (who attended Thursday night) and state Rep. Katherine Kazarian’s bill.

Ani Horoian, who was done a wide range of service and political work for the Armenian community in Rhode Island, said Thursday that the Armenian community is still working for genocide retribution, but they are “very fortunate in Rhode Island” because of the three churches that are “very active.”

Boghigian took his opportunity at the mic to recount the hardships that Armenians faced during and after the genocide, saying that it was basically a “proclamation of a death notice” and “few stood a chance of survival.” He lauded the work of people who risked their lives to shelter fleeing Armenians and save them during the genocide.

Fung expressed his support for the Armenian community in Cranston.

“We thank you for sharing your heritage and history with the communities,” he said. “Day in and day out we stand in solidarity until one day we accomplish our mutual goal of recognition of the genocide and call it what it is.”

Nerses Donoyan, a student at Cranston West High School and a youth representative from the Homenetmen scouts, a local group of young Armenians, provided his perspective on the genocide.

“Our job is to keep moving forward for a free and independent Armenia,” he said. “These past 103 years, some forgot what happened to our ancestors, but all of us here in this room are gathered to not forget. We fight today to keep their memory alive. And after the world recognizes what happened, we will move to reparations.”

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