A Million Person March On Washington

[Yervant1]

Seems like a good idea! Would it work? I say it's possible!!!!!!

 

 

 

 

Commentary: A Million Person March On Washington

By Edmond Y. Azadian

 

http://www.mirrorspectator.com/2012/04/23/commentary-a-million-person-march-on-washington/

Posted on April 23, 2012 by Editor

 

Judge Lisa Asadoorian is one of many prominent young judges in

Michigan. Although she is not actively involved in any particular

Armenian organization, her heart is in the right place. She cares

about her own people, both in the diaspora and Armenia.

 

Last Sunday, when she was attending a panel discussion on the

recognition of the Armenian Genocide, she came up with the idea

of 1 million people (both Armenian and non-Armenian) marching on

Washington and demanding Genocide recognition. She believes that

neither the government nor the media can remain indifferent. There

will be some positive reactions and certainly media coverage to mark

the centennial of the Armenian Genocide.

 

Any mention of a million-person march on Washington brings back the

memory of the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who broadcast to

the world that he had "a dream," a dream for African-Americans and

a dream for America.

 

Any person who entertains such an all-encompassing dream must be ready

to sacrifice his or her life no matter how peaceful the dream may be.

 

Socrates had a dream, Christ had a dream, leaders of the French and

Bolshevik revolutions had dreams and they all paid for their dreams

with their lives. Dr. King was cognizant of the perils of entertaining

such a monumental dream, and he was ready to pay the ultimate price,

which unfortunately for all humankind, he did. He sacrificed his life,

but his dream continued marching and gradually transforming the country

into a more tolerant society, with a stronger sense of social justice.

 

Judge Asadoorian may be a naïve person, unaware of the potentials of

our community, or she may be a visionary. That remains to be seen

in the years to come when the entire community gears up to make an

impact on the consciences of the politicians.

 

We are being warned that the Turks are preparing their pre-emptive

strike, even before the Armenians make the first. They have the

resources and friends in higher positions to achieve their goals.

 

Armenians are slumbering and no major idea or project seems to be on

the drawing boards to mark the centennial. Therefore, it is incumbent

upon us to bounce this million-person idea with our public, and find

out how receptive the public is to the idea. If nothing else, such

a massive show of force will certainly help generate new ideas and

prospects for ourselves.

 

Some caveats are warranted here. In the first place we do not have

a million bodies to lead them on a march to Washington.

 

Second, it is doubtful whether a considerable number of non-Armenians

could be interested enough to march in Washington. We claim to

represent a force of one million Armenians in the US. Some of them

aren't even aware that they are being counted in that million. Others

may be cruising the oceans leisurely, the Genocide being the last

things on their minds. Still others are incarcerated in California

jails for petty thefts and a large number may be chasing the American

Dream rather than Martin Luther King's dream. Our computation fails

here. It fails unfortunately because we cannot count how many Armenians

are left with a dream and how many can take the trouble and expense

to show up in Washington.

 

However, if a million march catches the imagination of all or most of

the Armenian organizations, they can pool together enough resources

and people to deliver an impressive march, all dressed in black and

with the slogan "Genocide recognition now."

 

In that case, some politicians may be ready to pay the Armenians lip

service, their next election on their minds. President Harry Truman had

a scathing definition for politicians; he said in his youth he aspired

to become either a piano player in a whorehouse or a politician,

and concluded that there isn't too much difference between the two.

 

As to the role of the media, we are not very certain if they would

be willing to give full coverage, because we have seen in the past

thousands of people rallying in Washington in support of a legitimate

cause, but cynically, little or no coverage has been given, because

the media moguls did not have any interest in the cause.

 

A gay-rights parade or a politicized shooting of a young man may enjoy

better media coverage, than, let us say, the fate of 4,500 members of

the armed forces killed in Iraq or the 50,000 maimed soldiers. Media

networks have their own priorities, which are not based on justice

only, but on what sells products.

 

Rupert Murdoch's media empire is crumbling under its own weight in

the United Kingdom, because it has been trampling upon its advocated

set of values, principles and codes of conduct.

 

We are not privy yet to plans for a mass action to mark the Genocide

centennial. A million-strong march may be an option, no matter what.

 

Even if it only proves to ourselves that we do have the political

will and we can mobilize masses for a cause.

 

A million-person march can be achieved through community-wide

cooperation, unity of purpose and action. Before marching to Washington

we have to explore and discover whether we possess the necessary

tools for the project.

 

First we have to define for ourselves why Genocide recognition

is relevant after 97 years and also, what to anticipate after its

centennial is marked.

 

If it were a moral or emotional issue it would have been forgotten a

long time ago. There are certain underlying principles that should not

go away even after one century from the event. The recognition of the

Genocide is still relevant for the following reasons: To bring closure

to the loss and the memory of 1.5 million innocent victims; to restore

justice between the two nations - a justice that the international

community dispenses selectively to achieve some self-serving goals

and to set the stage for future political settlement between the

two nations.

 

The fact that Turkey is still so irritable and overreacts every time

a country intends or attempts to recognize the Armenian Genocide,

Armenia and its political claims, means that they constitute an

existential threat for Turkey, which was the original cause of the

Genocide. Even Turkey has to gradually face the issue of recognizing

the Genocide. As long as the recognition issue remains alive, every

civilized political act becomes relevant and necessary.

 

We need a dream to march in Washington. Perhaps a fragment of that

dream concludes the million-strong march at the gates of the Armenian

Genocide Museum on its dedication day.

 

The Chinese have a saying: A 10,000-mile march begins with the

first step.

 

Are we ready to take that first step?

[Boghos]

I recommend reading Bank Ottoman, Armen Garo's autiobiography. There might be a clue there on whether this is possible. In any case, nice find dear Yervant.

[Yervant1]

I recommend reading Bank Ottoman, Armen Garo's autiobiography. There might be a clue there on whether this is possible. In any case, nice find dear Yervant.

Read it long time ago, I still remember parts of it as if it was like yesterday.