On January 17, Azerbaijani American Council (AAC) in association with Houston Baku Sister Cities Association (HBSCA) and Azerbaijan-American Cultural Alliance (AACA) held a commemoration event at Turkic Cultural Center of Houston, Texas.

Yusif Babanli, a member of AAC Board of Directors spoke about the significance of Black January in national rebirth of Azerbaijan Republic as well as in dissolution of Soviet Union. Roots of the Karabakh conflict which triggered these events leading to bloody massacre of Azerbaijani civilians in the streets of Baku and mishandling of the conflict by Moscow were discussed in detail during the presentation. Other atrocities committed by Soviet Army in Budapest, Prague, Alma-Aty, Tbilisi, Riga and Vilnuis were also remembered.

Event participants revisited the Black January night by viewing the pictures and videos depicting the brutality of Soviet troops. An Azerbaijani produced movie “Ovsunchu” depicting the story of Bolshevik occupation in early 20th century was displayed for viewers. Azerbaijani American community of Houston commemorated the victims of Black January by a minute of silence.