Genocide Awareness Month [UC Berkeley]

Throughout the month of April, the Armenian Student Association of UC Berkeley held its annual Genocide Awareness Month.

This year, the campaign began with a candlelight vigil on April 2oth in commemoration of the Armenian and all other genocides.

A special Pomegranate Memorial, symbolizing Armenian culture and endurance, was crafted by the ASA members and brought out for the vigil. It remained on display for the entire week in front of the campus' main library with a dozen informational posters on the Armenian Genocide surrounding it.

Campus activities for the month culminated with the 5th annual UC Berkeley ASA "United Hands Across Cal" demonstration on April 22. The event consisted of Armenian students and anti-genocide activists linking hands across UC Berkeley's famous Sproul Hall in unity against human rights abuses. It also featured musical performances, poetry, and speeches.

ASA students capped off the campaign by joining with CalSlam, a Berkeley poetry group, to hold a special Genocide Awareness Poetry Slam session on the night of the 22nd.

(Thank you to UC Berkeley ASA member, Andre Ivan Arzoo, for supplying the material featured in this post. Click here for an interview with Arzoo and other activists on a KPFA Radio program commemorating the Armenian Genocide)