Detroit community fundraises for Baku Armenian memorial

St. John's priest Fr. Garabed Kochakian with community members.

Julia Papiyants
5/1/2012

SOUTHFIELD, MICH. – Beginning in 1988, sparked by the independence movement of Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabagh and accompanied by the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Baku and Sumgait pogroms targeted the historic Armenian minority in Azerbaijan. Mobs of extremist Azeris attacked and killed Armenians in streets and in their homes, and until today, the survivors have lived a similar fate as those from the 1915 genocide. Hundreds of thousands of Armenians were forced to flee their homes and leave their lives behind.

Since then, many have arrived in the United States and have slowly established their lives in different states, creating a newer community of Armenian refugee-immigrants.

More than two decades have passed since the fateful days of the pogroms. In recognition of these devastating crimes against humanity, and specifically against Armenians, St. John Armenian Church of Greater Detroit plans to place a memorial on its grounds. In order to raise its goal of $35,000, the Baku Memorial Monument Planning Committee organized a benefit dinner for December 4.

After several weeks of planning, the event was anticipated to be an enormous success – and it did not disappoint. Father Garabed Kochakian blessed the table in front of a full house, and the night began on a perfect note. From the splendid food to the beautifully lit and decorated venue, both generously provided by Garri and Kristina Mazmanov at their restaurant, Allegro, in West Bloomfield, Michigan, to the help of volunteer staff, and finally, to the traditional Armenian music played by Garri Hovakimian, Alex Mazmanian, and Tamara Yesayan, the night’s success was proof that Armenians would never forget the injustices committed against their people.

The benefit dinner succeeded in raising over $8,000, a large portion of the total amount needed to erect the monument.

Still, the goal has not yet been met and additional fundraising is imperative. The Planning Committee has set an additional date for an event in February at the church hall, and St. John’s looks forward to raising sufficient amount of money needed to make this dream a reality sometime soon.

To contribute to this endeavor, a tax deductible donation can be made by check, payable to St. John Armenian Church with “Baku Memorial Fund” in the memo section. Credit cards and other forms of donation are welcomed and can be made by calling St. John Armenian Church at (248) 569 – 3405.

For more information, please visit www.stjohnsarmenianchurch.org.To stay updated via e-mail for additional information on this event and all future events, or for pictures from this fundraiser, please contact Julia Papiyants at jpapiyan@umich.edu.

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