When people ask me why I am absent on April 24 every year, I tell them it is the Armenian genocide and they looked at me with a look of confusion.

Since April 24, 1915 to this day the Armenian genocide is not recognized among many around the world.

Thousands of Armenians were left to starve and innocent women as well as little children were raped. However, this is still not considered a genocide.

“It was a tragedy that happened to all Armenians and will never be forgotten,” said Jennifer Sahakian, a sophomore.

In 1915, the Ottoman Turks conquered Armenian territory to gain land, leaving about 1.5 million Armenians massacred.

Although you may not think the Armenian genocide is important, it is, and should be brought to attention.

The California state assembly passed the Assembly Bill(AB) 649 on Jan. 30, which calls upon the Department  of Education to include the Armenian genocide in their curriculum.

“Our wounds are still open” said singer R-mean from his song “Open Wounds.”

There are many petitions out on the internet for anyone to take part in to support the passage of AB 649 The purpose is to raise awareness and finally recognize the Armenian genocide across the world. We will fight until the end to make this genocide recognized.