07/08/2026
Some stories are inherited. Others we have to fight to remember.
On August 7, Assyrians around the world honor our martyrs.
In 2022, my sister and I stood in Simele, Iraq, on the same soil where our family’s story of loss and survival unfolded nearly a century ago.
Our grandfather, Khoshaba Zomayah, was left under a tree as an infant and survived.
My father carried that history quietly.
And now, we carry it forward.
*My Pledge of Allegiance* was born from that inheritance—from the tears in my father’s eyes, from the voices that went unheard, and from a promise that their stories will not disappear with them.
Today, I honor those we lost, those who survived, and those who made our lives possible.
May our martyrs rest in peace.
May our people know peace.
And may we never allow remembrance to become hatred.
We refuse to dignify hate with anger.
We remember.
And we will not forget. 🕊️
