FRESNO—The 110th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide will be marked with the main civic and religious commemoration at Fresno State, a flag raising in Downtown Fresno, educational presentations and a student-led remembrance the week of April 24.
Dr. Mary Papazian, former president of San José State University, is the keynote speaker for the community commemoration from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, April 24 at the Fresno State Armenian Genocide Monument. Cultural performances by local students will follow remarks by Fresno State President Dr. Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval and other local leaders. The program will acknowledge ongoing humanitarian issues that mirror the events of the Armenian Genocide.
Constructed ten years ago for the centennial commemoration, the monument at Fresno State features information about the systematic elimination of 1.5 million Armenian lives beginning on April 24, 1915, in Ottoman Turkey in what scholars define as the first modern genocide.
Requests for media interviews and remarks from public officials will be scheduled from 6:30 to 7 p.m. as the public lays flowers on the monument. Paid parking will be relaxed at Fresno State in Lots P1, P2, P5 and P6 for the anticipated 500 attendees. (See the campus map.)
Additional educational and remembrance events will take place during the week:
- “A Journey to Fresno: Remembering the Armenian Genocide” will address the historical impact on the region 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 22 at Madera Community College, Room TM-11.
- “Naming Genocide: Raphael Lemkin, the Armenian Genocide, and the Holocaust” at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 23 in the Reedley College McClarty Center for Fine and Performing Arts will address the creation of the term ‘genocide’ in response to the atrocities committed against the Armenian people.
- The Armenian flag raising ceremony will acknowledge the historical contributions of Armenian refugees settling in our region from 10:30 to 11:15 a.m. April 24 at Fresno City Hall, with the public officials in attendance.
- A silent march, laying of flowers, music and guest speakers will be featured 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Fresno State Armenian Genocide Monument by the Armenian Students Organization in alignment with the “Generation Justice” student-led campaign for advocacy and action on current humanitarian issues.
For more information or to attend the media opportunity from 6:30 to 7 p.m. on April 24, contact Andrew Esguerra at aesguerra@mail.fresnostate.edu or 559.284.3324 (call/text).
The Armenian Genocide Commemorative Committee of Fresno consists of regional Armenian-American organizations who celebrate Armenian culture and promote awareness of the Armenian Genocide.
