On March 8, 2008, Kurdish Youth Club in Arizona held a commemoration for the innocent Kurds of Halabja who lost their lives 20 years ago (March 16, 1988) by the Iraqi regime's chemical and cluster bombs. They spent weeks planning for a well organized event that would educate the younger Kurdish generations as well as those seeking to learn the history of Halabja.

Among the crowd were Indians, Pakistanis, and American students

Although this was not the first time for Arizona to hold such events, it was, however, the first time they brought a speaker who witnessed the genocide and was among the survivors who begged to be heard. Kurdish Youth Club asked for donations from their community to bring Kak Mohamed Aziz to Arizona. Kak Mohamed flew in from Nashville, Tennessee and spent hours sharing his stories with the audience. The event, which was scheduled to last 2 hours, went on for much longer. The event was open to everyone and among the crowd were Indians, Pakistanis, and American students who came to support the Kurds. They listened attentively, and enthusiastically asked questions to better understand the genocide that shook the Kurdish nation.

Kak Mohamed Aziz speaking on his personal experience of being gassed!

Brochures were also made and passed out to the audience as a way of making sure Halabja continues to be a part of their lives. One of the audience members, Kaziwa H., decided she was going to join KYC and work alongside the other members. After 4 hours of educating and learning, Kurdish Youth Club marked their event as a success.