Armenians everywhere will gather today to mark the 95th anniversary of the genocide that claimed the lives of up to 1.5 million of our ancestors.

When I was growing up in the 1950s and ’60s, April 24 was a day of small, somber gatherings marked by prayers and speeches in Armenian, which I didn’t understand but listened to respectfully regardless.

Since then, our day of mourning has become a much more public event. We make our speeches in English, we march, we tell our story to the world.

As a result of Armenians speaking out, the truth about The Armenian Genocide is more widely known and understood than ever.

But at its core, today remains a day of reflection and remembrance. I think about my father, who survived, and his mother, who did not.

In memory of all our blessed martyrs, we pray for an end to all such crimes against humanity.