Helmet to Heels was the guest of Aurora Humanitarian Initiative CEO Armine Afeyan for their 10th Anniversary Prize Ceremony on Ellis Island on the evening of Thursday, November 6.
It was a moving and inspiring evening - honoring the work of all the shortlisted humanitarians, against the backdrop of memories of the Armenian Genocide, all in the setting of the historic Ellis Island hall, where generations of immigrants to the US queued up to be registered.
The main honor of the evening was for the 2025 “Gratitude in Action” Laureate, Dr. Jamal Eltaeb from Sudan. By safeguarding one of the last remaining functional hospitals in greater Khartoum to continue operations in the midst of Sudan’s grueling civil war, Dr. Eltaeb has inspired bravery amidst devastation. The US has determined there is genocide taking place in Sudan following the outbreak of civil war in 2023.
Suzanne spoke with Chelsea Clinton, Aurora Prize Selection Committee member, Noubar Afeyan, Co-Founder and Chair at Aurora, and Philanthropist and Financier Michael Milken about what it means to risk one’s life to help others, and how the means to do so are shifting.
How do we maintain peace without security?
In conversation with Chelsea Clinton, Suzanne asked how policymakers and humanitarians can talk about maintaining peace when basic security is not even an option.
“I think we need more events like this. [We need] to be more focused on extraordinary people doing extraordinary work to inspire us to find the extraordinary in each of us.”
Chelsea answered instinctively that peace shouldn’t be thought of as a static, external, or even community-based thing. Peace instead must be an internal value made visible and nurtured through our relationships.
What can each individual person do?
Our talk with Noubar Afeyan shows how crucial the “human” in humanitarianism is. While the means to help others through humanitarian crises have made it easier for each person to have a platform and get involved globally, the need has also grown.
Noubar centers the legacy of his grandfather and others whose lives were impacted by the Armenian genocide 100 years ago. He recounted the bravery it took for strangers to step in and help his grandfather and how he and the Founders of the Aurora Initiative started this movement to “identify people saving other people’s lives.”
“Today we have impacted three and a half million lives around the world in 65 countries and we need to do 100 times more because we’re living at a time when there’s a surge of ‘inhumanitarians’ - and the only antidote to that is you and me and other people.”
Given the number of atrocious acts against humanity just in this past year whether in Gaza or Sudan, it’s understandable to ask what can each individual person do? Noubar outlined actionable ways each of us can engage.
“First you have to take an oath that you own some of the problem and you are part of the solution.”
We highlighted volunteering for organizations like Red Cross or on initiatives like Aurora as well as the importance of advocacy - in particular speaking up to politicians and those who tend to ignore “inconvenient” problems.
Social media represented a divisive and present power, he said:
“I think we have a voice, social media gives us an amplified voice, we just have to engage…so I think what’s important is people not absolve themselves of culpability and agency.”
How do we make humanitarianism go viral?
This year’s Aurora Awards centered “Gratitude in Action,” - the impulse to give back when gifted something life-changing. Since the founding of the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative in 2015, it has been dedicated to amplifying the impact of grassroots humanitarians in the world’s most challenging regions, funding 517 projects that provide emergency response, food, water, education, medical care, and psychosocial support.
In conversation with philanthropist Michael Milken, Suzanne asked how to support women building peace. Michael responded immediately with how generational norms have shifted, citing that women have driven almost all medical research. Our celebration of the power of generational ‘Gratitude in Action’ pointed to humanitarianism as a role versus an embedded practice, he said..
“The more women that are heads of state, the better the world will be.”
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The Aurora Humanitarian Initiative catalyzes lifesaving work by celebrating and supporting exceptional humanitarians around the world, founded on behalf of the survivors of the Armenian Genocide and in gratitude to global heroes. www.AuroraHumanitarian.org.
