YEREVAN-GERMANTOWN, MD — Last July, through a mutual friend, I had the pleasure of meeting American hip-hop artist, songwriter, educator, and activist Mark Tourreil and his mother, Diane Kupelian, in Yerevan. Mark Tourreil, also known as Mark 2Ray, was born in Washington, DC and is currently working on his degree as an Occupational Therapist Assistant. He works as a therapist for children on the autism spectrum at the Floortime Center. Mark wrote this song, among many others. 1915has achieved global fame, with live performances in Times Square, outside the White House, and in front of thousands of supporters at the March for Justice in Los Angeles, and is included in the curriculum of 26 high schools and universities across the United States to help educate students.
Dear Mark, it was great not only for me to meet you and your mother, but for my family and friends too, and to get to know your songs. It’s interesting how you combine your work as a hip-hop artist and an educator.
It was so nice meeting you all! I think music is a great way to learn and retain information, especially hip hop, which is a genre that the younger generation can relate to. Many of the teachers who have used my songs 1915 Students who have attended the classes have reported increased student interest, and I am very proud that this song can be used to help educate the next generation and combat the Turkish government's campaign of denial.
Being a descendant of survivors of the Armenian Genocide has shaped your identity. 1915But before that, your mother wrote a dissertation about the lasting effects of the genocide on survivors. Can you tell our readers more about your Armenian ancestry and your mother's research?
Yes! When I was a child, my mother, Diane Couperian, was getting her PhD in Clinical Psychiatry from American University. For her dissertation, she wrote a published chapter on the effects of generational trauma. She specifically focused on survivors of the Armenian Genocide and the Holocaust, and how many of their children who became parents later in life were growing up with lingering effects of trauma. This is a very important topic, because there have been so many different genocides and wars that have happened and sadly continue to happen today. Understanding how to heal this shared trauma as effectively as possible will give us an advantage for the next generation.
Tell me about your father's side.