The Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) participated in the University of California San Diego (UCSD) Holocaust Living History Workshop symposium "From Racism to Genocide: Towards a Hate-Free Campus" last month as part of its efforts to raise awareness about the importance of genocide prevention and the dangers of denial.

Hosted jointly by the UCSD International Affairs Group and the Hillel Center, the event explored examples of racism in the 20th century that led to mass murder and genocide. It marked the first in a series of seminars held on campus to encourage greater sensitivity and awareness among the student body on issues relating to everyday cases of racism and genocide.

Moderated by Marina Triner, Program Coordinator for the UCSD Holocaust Living Workshop, the symposium featured the Assembly's Western Region Director Yeghig Keshishian, who focused on the Armenian Genocide, and examined discriminatory laws and regulations in the Ottoman Empire that fostered intolerance and legitimized racially motivated actions based on certain long-held stereotypes.

"The experience of the Armenian Genocide is paramount to any discussion of genocide, intolerance, and hatred. It is a tragic story, because of its present denial by the modern Republic of Turkey, the successor state of the Ottoman Empire responsible for the genocide," stated Triner. "Including the story of the Armenians in the present discussion of racism on the UCSD campus was so important to me, because the Ottoman Turks relied on the use of certain stereotypes to fuel their genocidal campaign, and because denial is still occurring, even in the U.S."

The program closed with a moving and personal account by Holocaust survivor Agatha Ehrenfried who explained how hatred creates major disruptions in society which, in turn, are used to legitimize acts of violence and the devaluation of human life.

Program Coordinator Triner also touched on the problem of denial and why it is important to confront it. "Denial is always the easy way out for those whose lives have not been touched by tragedy, but it is acknowledgment, both for the Armenian case and for our own, that could bring about change and a healing of the soul for all who have ever been impacted by acts of hatred. I am thankful that the Armenian experience will be shared on our campus and hopeful that it will teach us to speak the truth and to recognize our own biases, large and small, in our everyday lives," stated Triner.