Ramsen Shamon

I am a descendant of genocide survivors. Turkey drove out my ancestors—indigenous Assyrians who practiced Christianity and spoke modern Aramaic, the language of Jesus Christ—from their ancestral lands via genocide. I was born in Chicago where I grew up immersed in our culture, hearing family stories about where my ancestors came from, what they endured and why I should cherish my heritage.It’s a heritage that many throughout history attempted to erase—efforts that persist to this day. Today’s de…