May 21

May 21st… For a people, it is not just an ordinary day on the calendar; it is the name of a great pain etched in their memory, of lives torn apart, and of an unending longing. Following the Caucasian-Russian wars that ended in 1864, hundreds of thousands of Circassians were forcibly exiled from their homeland in the Caucasus. Faced with hunger, disease, and death on the Black Sea coast, these people were sent to unknown lands, with shattered families and unspeakable suffering. Today, for millions of Circassians scattered across the globe, May 21st is not only a day to remember the past, but also a day to uphold identity, memory, and justice.

19. In the 17th century, Tsarist Russia's policy of completely conquering the Caucasus turned into a great devastation for the Circassian people living in the region. After nearly a century of war, Circassian villages were burned, people were systematically forced to migrate, and driven across the Black Sea to Ottoman lands. However, this "migration" was not a journey undertaken by the people themselves. It was a journey into death, starvation, and uncertainty.

According to historical sources, hundreds of thousands of Circassians lost their lives on the roads of exile. People who waited for days starving in ports were crammed onto ships where disease spread. The waves of the Black Sea swallowed not only the boats but also countless lives. Many families disembarked from the same ship incomplete; some lost their mothers, some their children, and some their entire past. The silence that resonates on the shores of the Black Sea today is, in fact, the echo of a great cry from those days.

May 21, 1864, is considered by the Circassians as the day the war officially ended. However, this date is also a turning point where a people were uprooted from their homeland, their culture was destroyed, and a large part of their population was lost. Therefore, in many parts of the world, Circassians describe this event as "exile and genocide." Because what happened was not only forced migration; it was the systematic eradication of a people from their homeland, the fragmentation of their demographic structure, and the destruction of their living spaces.

Even today, the Circassian Genocide is not officially recognized in many countries. Yet history should not be a story told only by the victors. Justice begins with the acceptance of the truth, no matter how much time has passed. The Circassian people do not expect revenge; they expect that the suffering endured will not be denied, that those who lost their lives in exile will be remembered, and that history will be told accurately.

Even though 162 years have passed, the effects of the exile are still felt. Millions of Circassians scattered in the diaspora are struggling to preserve their language, culture, and identity. Because exile not only displaces people's bodies; over time, it also tries to erase their language, memory, and sense of belonging. Nevertheless, Circassians continue to keep the traces of their homeland alive in their weddings, laments, dances, traditions, and the names they give to their children.

Today, May 21st is a day of mourning for Circassians living in Turkey, Jordan, Syria, Europe, and many other parts of the world; a day when black clothes are worn, torches are lit, and carnations are thrown into the sea. But it is also a symbol of powerful resistance. Because being able to say "We are here" despite so much suffering is the result of a great memory and resilience.

Commemorating May 21st is not merely about mourning the past. This date is a responsibility to preserve one's culture, keep one's language alive, tell one's children who one is, and make the world aware of what happened. Genocides do not repeat themselves when they are forgotten, but when they are spoken about. Therefore, it is of great importance that the tragedy experienced by the Circassian people reaches more people, is included in history books, and is recognized internationally.

If today a Circassian youth is trying to learn the language his grandfather spoke, if a mother is telling her child stories of exile, or if someone anywhere in the world lights a candle on May 21st; it shows that this memory is still alive. Because some pains do not diminish with time, they only become silent.

And when May 21st arrives, the wind blowing along the Black Sea coast seems to whisper the same thing:

"We haven't forgotten."