Thirty-six years ago, President Reagan did what no president dared to do since: He used the term “genocide” to reference the horrific acts that took place between 1915 and 1923 – the systematic eradication of the Armenian people at the hands of the Ottoman Turks, reads the article published by Anthony Barsamian. Co-Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Armenian Assembly of America (AAA), and organization's trustee Noubar Afeyan published on The Hill.

According to the authors, there are overall10 million Armenians worldwide, of which 1.5 million reside in the U.S., this becoming possible because of the ''heroic acts undertaken by individuals who acted as saviors in the face of adversity.''

''Armenians were the first large scale refugee population of the 20th century and sadly, history repeats itself today as we see some 65 million displaced populations fleeing for their own safety and security,'' the article reads.

In their words, failing to acknowledge the truth is dangerous but forgetting it is even worse. 

''In 1951, the United States. memorialized the violent acts against Genocide victims with the International Court of Justice, stating: "The practice of genocide has occurred throughout human history. The Roman persecution of the Christians, the Turkish massacres of Armenians, the extermination of millions of Jews and Poles by the Nazis are outstanding examples of the crime of genocide.” Yet memory is fragile and largely inconvenient for modern diplomatic expediency.''

Since then, presidential candidates from both parties have promised they would formally recognize teh Armenian Genocide when elected but sadly, ''political sensitivities took precedence when these candidates assumed office.''

''Compared with the many issues confronting a sitting president, categorizing the Armenian atrocity as a genocide might seem quite small, but history demands a proper accounting. Some have compared President Trump to President Reagan, especially when he disrupts the “old order.”  For history’s sake, on this April 24th – the 102nd anniversary of the Armenian genocide – let us hope Trump can pick up where Reagan left off 36 years ago,'' the authors conclude.