AGCCA Issues Statement on Obama’s April 24 Address

The Armenian Genocide Centennial Committee of America (AGCCA) issued the following statement in response to President Barack Obama’s April 24 address.
We are deeply disappointed President Obama has chosen to break his promise and stand apart from the global community on speaking the truth about the Armenian Genocide on its 100th anniversary.
From Pope Francis and Germany to Israeli President Rivlin and the European Parliament, world leaders joined together this month to call the Armenian Genocide by its proper name: genocide. Sadly, the president again joined the ranks of American leaders who turn a blind eye to genocide for political expediency.
Most troubling, President Obama’s explicit and forceful promise in 2008 to call the Armenian Genocide a “genocide” stands in striking contrast to his refusal to use the term. The American descendants of the 1.5 million Armenians systematically murdered by Ottoman Turkey 100 years ago deserve better leadership from their president. There can be no doubt that when history looks back on President Obama’s legacy, this broken promise and his failure to stand for truth and justice will reflect poorly.
This April 24 is not the end of this cause, but the start of a new chapter. From New York to California, and everywhere in between, it is clear that Turkey is losing its war on the truth. It will soon have to confront its past and do right by the descendants of the survivors. As Martin Luther King once remarked, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.” Someday soon, our ancestors will be remembered with the dignity and respect they deserve. Never Forget 1915.