The continued denial of the Armenian Genocide by both the United States government and the Turkish government led to many protests and marches this past week in an effort to bring forth recognition. Many Clark Magnet High School students also took a stand on April 21 by staging a silent protest in response to the U.S. not recognizing Armenian Genocide.

The event, which took place during lunch on Friday, included nearly 200 students of Armenian ethnicity, who both stood and sat to show recognition for what occurred to their ancestors. Wearing shirts that represented the genocide that occurred 102 years ago, the students also held the Armenian flag high above their shoulders.

Senior Natalie Deravanessian, vice president of Armenian Club, said that the large number of Armenian students at Clark helped her organize the silent protest. “During lunch I walked around the whole campus with a roll of red tape attempting to gather everyone in the amphitheater,” she said. “It’s definitely a challenge to bring such a big group of students together but at the end of the day I think we succeeded.” Deravanessian also noted that the student body at Clark Magnet did a great job of displaying Armenian resilience.

Mikayel Sughyan, a student of Armenian descent, said he was awestruck at the sheer amount of students who participated. He continuously walked around the amphitheatre, gathering people together. “This is why I’m so proud to be Armenian,” he said. “We get together when it’s necessary, and we stay together.”

Gallery • 3 Photos

Alen Zohrabyan

Students stand together as the protest gains momentum