The “National Prayer Breakfast”—a sixty-two year tradition in Washington, held annually on the first Thursday in February—will this year commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide, accoridng to Eric Reeves, professor of English language and literature at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts.
Bringing together a wide range of guests from all fifty states and more than 100 countries, the event is hosted by the U.S. Congress and is designed to facilitate engagement between various social and religious groups. This year President Obama and the Dalai Lama are headline guests.
Eric Reeve notes that “the Armenian genocide should be commemorated at a National Prayer Breakfast; the refusal to recognize this genocide—and the belated recognition by much of the world—is a failure to acknowledge the terrible suffering and destruction of the Armenian people a century ago—it remains a ‘stain on our soul’.”
Eric Reeves is professor of English language and literature at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. He has spent the past seven years working full-time as a Sudan researcher and analyst, publishing extensively both in the US and internationally.
