“I Was Able to Bring Her Spirit Home”: Joe Manganiello Reflects on Ancestry and the Armenian Genocide

On the 111th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, Joe Manganiello, who has Armenian roots on his mother’s side, shared a deeply personal reflection on social media, recalling his visit to Armenia and his family’s connection to the трагедия of 1915.

“Two years ago, I had the incredible honor of planting a tree at the Tsitsernakaberd Armenian Genocide Memorial in Yerevan, Armenia,” he wrote.

“I dedicated the tree to the memory of my great-grandmother Terviz Darakjian, a survivor of the Turkish-Armenian Genocide of 1915. I’ve often described the gesture as answering a message in a bottle 109 years later. In this way, I was able to return her spirit home.

She suffered unspeakable horrors so that my grandmother Sirarpi could be born, and so that the ancient culture and bloodline she carried could be passed on.

Turkish recognition of the Genocide isn’t necessary in order for healing to happen. Simply telling our ancestors’ stories with whatever voice we have is all that is required to ensure that, no matter what happened, their sacrifices were not in vain and their memories will live on.

Eternity is not a point in the future… it’s now, and we all get to exist in it because of them. Because of their indomitable spirits, Armenia lives on…”