Speakers to Include Rwandan Genocide Survivor and Experts on Congo and Darfur
Eugenie was 6 months pregnant with her daughter Mystica when the genocide in Rwanda broke out in 1994, losing her husband Damascene to Hutu extremists, she and her daughter escaped the genocide and now reside in New Jersey. Eugenie will be one of the several speakers that will share her story at the November 21st workshop.
Hackensack, NJ- On Saturday, November 21st, educators and human rights activists throughout the New Jersey area will gather at Fairleigh Dickinson University for a workshop to join the ongoing movement to end the cycle of genocide, and further engage in educational opportunities on human rights issues in New Jersey.
The workshop entitled: “New Jersey Voices Against Genocide,” is a five hour workshop that will include panel discussions of those that have expert knowledge of the current conflicts, as well as those that are working locally to continue the energy and support of this important matter. Organized by a team of activists in the area including Genocide Intervention Network 2009 Carl Wilkens Fellow, Karine Shnorhokian, as well as Fairleigh Dickinson University faculty Diana Cvitan and Khayti Joshi, student activists Nia Holston and Lindsay Mulford, and several others have been active in promoting the event.
“We are grateful to Fairleigh Dickenson University for providing the venue for this conference and to all of our speakers and cosponsors of the function who are concerned and determined that New Jersey will not stand by as men, women, and children continued to be killed, raped, and victimized,” commented Shnorhokian. “As a descendent of Armenian Genocide survivors, it is my duty and obligation along with others to ensure that these present day acts of genocide are stopped.”
Registration for the workshop will begin at 8:30 am, with the workshop promptly beginning at 9:00am, and to conclude at 2:15pm. All attendees will receive materials, as well as breakfast and lunch. Educators that attend the workshop will receive separate curriculum instruction that apply to teaching genocide during the afternoon sessions, as well as be awarded 5 continuing education hours.
Those interested in attending the workshop please register today HERE. A $10 registration fee is requested to ensure your spot. A $10 registration fee is requested to ensure your spot. Attendees are encouraged to bring supplies such as index cards, notebook paper, pencils and pencil sharpeners that will be donated to the Ourebassoni Darfur refugee camp in Chad with the help of the NJ Darfur Coalition.
Current speakers include Dr. Lee Ann De Reus, Associate Professor at University of Pennsylvania Altoona; Eugenie Mukeshimana, a Rwandan genocide survivor; Yahya Osman, Vice President of the Darfur Rehabilitation Project; Jane Wells, founder of Three Generations and Producer of Devil Came on Horseback; as well as local community leaders and activists, and invited Congressmen representing Bergen County.
FDU Director of the Office of Global Learning, Diana Cvitan commented that, “as global citizens, we need to be concerned about the protection of human rights. This event will help students and other members of the FDU community gain a deeper understanding of current realities and learn ways in which they can engage in advocacy for the prevention of genocide around the world.”
Shnorhokian was selected along with 19 others as a 2009 Carl Wilkens Fellow with the Genocide Intervention Network. In the last eight months, the Fellows have engaged in a series of opportunities to further enhance the movement to end the cycle of genocide, and create an anti-genocide constituency within their communities. Formerly serving as the Eastern Region Director of the Armenian National Committee of America, Shnorhokian continues her efforts of genocide advocacy work and awareness of this important issue.
Current cosponsors of the event include Armenian National Committee of America, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Genocide Intervention Network, New Jersey Coalition Responds to the Crisis in Darfur, Ramsey High School STAND Chapter, Three Generations, and 96 West Café in Allendale. New Jersey Holocaust and Genocide Commission has also been instrumental in their support of the conference.
For those interested in attending or organizations that would like to cosponsor the event, please contact Karine Shnorhokian at 201-788-5425, or email njagainstgenocide@gmail.com. View the flier HERE
Hye, following a century of Genocides, murders, rapes, and more in the 20th century… and still the civilized nations of the world have yet to join together and to end the cycle of Genocides!
Politics render this issue to be ignored, to be ‘distantly’ observed as a sad incident (since it is happening elsewhere) and we are not affected. But are we not affected? Aren’t we as humans, now into the 21st century, not ashamed of ourselves when we allow the innocents of Genocides to be used by despots whose goals are to eliminate a people for their religiion, their race, their whatever, Morally, this issue is to be addressed, and it appears that governments are unable, politically. Hence the citizens of all the nations shall have to unite.The despot merrily proceeds to pursue his Genocide perpetration – and why not? Who, what, how is there to hinder any Genocide?
Perpetrators have not been made to face up to their guilt for committing Genocide – as in the case of Turkey whose Ottoman leadership came out of the mountains of Asia, attacked civilized nations, chose the Armenian lands to be the lands where they would ‘settle’ and make their own. Hence Turks took not only the lands, but also the culture of this ancient Christian civilized society.
In order that they ‘settle in’ they chose to eliminate the Armenians from their homelands of nearly 4,000 years. Which meant that in order to gain these lands the Chrisitian Armenians shall have to be removed, eliminated, by
any and all the vile means – using mans’ inhumanity to man – to accomplish their own goals!
Following the years of this Genocide, 1915-1923, subsequent their Turkish leaders continued that Genocide – for a Genocide is not over until the perpetrator admits his guilt! The survivors, their children, their grandchildren and their great-grandchildren cannot and will not forget the horrors vented upon their families by the Turk. Hence, the
Armenian Genocide still exists today. As is even today evident in the Turkish oriented ‘Protocols/Roadmap’ which still indicates the Turkish need to continue to hate, to crush the Armenians… A people who were and are the victims of the Turkish Genocide of the Armenian nation!! The Turks shows no shame, no regrets. Acts only as a bully.
And today the Armenian Genocide is not a debatable issue, as the Turks are wont to continuously spout – there are
more than 20 nations of the world, International Genocide foundations, books of all languages describing the Genocide – Archives the world over which bear witness from their citizens who themselves witnessed the Turks slaughters, and more, of innocents. Over 20 nations of the world, 43 of the 50 states of the USA , International Genocide organizaitons, all agree that the Turks committed Genocide of the Armenians, and observe their subsequent denials – as well. But a Turkey is not able to recognize itself – for it has lied to their own history books.
Manooshag