Pontian Greek Society of Chicago

Preserving the history and heritage of the Pontian Greeks

Greek Communities Commemorate The Pontian Greek Genocide Print E-mail



Worldwide, Greek communities commemorate the Pontian Greek Genocide on May 19th -  the date in 1919 when Mustafa Kemal-Ataturk, the founder of modern-day Turkey, initiated the second phase of the Pontian ethnic cleansing and genocide in the city of Samsun on the Black Sea.

In the words of Dr. H. Psomiades in a speech sponsored by the Pontian Greek Society of Chicago on May 19th 2006, in Des Plaines, Illinois:


      ….“May 19 is recognized as the day of remembrance of the genocide inflicted upon the Greeks of Pontos. 

        

It is a day of remembrance of the loss of a homeland of 3,000 years and of the more than 300,000 Pontian souls who were slaughtered outright or were victims of the white death of disease and starvation-a result of the routine process of deportations, slave labor and the killings and death marches.

         It is  a day of remembrance of the 75,000 Pontians who refused to be exchanged and fled over the border to Russia with the hope that they would one day return to their highland villages, and of the thousands who against overwhelming odds answered the call of resistance. 

         It is also a day of remembrance of the Pontian elite who were condemned to death by the kangaroo courts or Turkish Tribunal of Independence at Amassia, and of the 30,000 Pontians who sought refuge in France and the New World. 

         It is a day of remembrance for the remaining 250,000 destitute Pontians who left for Greece as a result of the compulsory population exchange."


As descendants of the survivors of this painful period of history, we will continue to seek recognition and promote awareness of these tragic events. Once an acknowledgement is made, and a sincere apology offered by the Turkish government, forgiveness and reconciliation can follow between the Turkish and Greek people. By educating the future leaders of our society about these shameful historical events, we hope to do our part in preventing such crimes from ever being repeated.