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Armenian National Committee of New Jersey
461 Bergen Blvd, Ridgefield, NJ 07657
PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release ~ 2009-10-30
Contact: Karine Shnorhokian ~ 201-788-5425 |
MOMENTUM BUILDS IN NORTH JERSEY FOR GENOCIDE WORKSHOP |
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--Speakers to Include Rwandan Genocide Survivor and Experts on Congo and Darfur |
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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 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 expand the ongoing movement to end the cycle of genocide, and further engage in educational opportunities on human rights issues throughout New
Jersey.
The workshop, titled: "New Jersey Voices Against Genocide," is a five hour program that will feature panel discussions with experts on the current conflicts in Congo and Darfur, as well as presentations by local volunteers committed to raise awareness on this important topic. Among those offering remarks will be 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.
The event is organized by 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 lending their time and energy in support of the event.
Organizations and institutions supporting the effort include the 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, Essex County Coalition for Darfur and the 96 West Café in Allendale. New Jersey Holocaust and Genocide Commission has also been instrumental in their support of the conference.
"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 descendant of Armenian Genocide survivors, it is my duty and obligation along with others to ensure that these present day acts of genocide are stopped."
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.
FDU Director of the Office of Global Learning, Diana Cvitan commented: "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."
Registration for the November 21st 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 educational 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, and are eligible for 5 continuing education hours upon completion.
Interested individuals and groups can register online by visiting https://secure.acceptiva.com/?cst=fd81cf. A $10 registration fee is requested. 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.
For more information, or to become a cosponsor of the event, please contact Karine Shnorhokian at 201-788-5425, or email njagainstgenocide@gmail.com. To view the flyer visit: http://www.state.nj.us/education/holocaust/programs/112109voices.pdf
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Photo Caption: Genocide Intervention Network Carl Wilkens Fellows Karine Shnorhokian and Tim Hardy with Congressman Donald Payne (NJ-D-9), Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa during a Genocide Conference at Kean University
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