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Orange County Declares April 24 Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day

by Contributor
April 11, 2017
in Community, Featured Story, Latest, News, Top Stories
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Chairperson of the Orange County Board of Supervisors Michelle Steel holds proclamation designating April 24th as Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day with representatives of OC Armenian community
Chairperson of the Orange County Board of Supervisors Michelle Steel holds proclamation designating April 24th as Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day with representatives of OC Armenian community

SANTA ANA,​ ​Calif.​—For​ ​the​ ​second​ ​consecutive​ ​year​ ​the​ ​Orange​ ​County​ ​Board​ ​of​ ​Supervisors​ ​issued​ ​a proclamation​ ​designating​ ​April​ ​24​​​ ​as​ ​Armenian​ ​Genocide​ ​Remembrance​ ​Day,​ ​commemorating​ ​those who​ ​perished​ ​during​ ​the​ ​first​ ​Genocide​ ​of​ ​the​ ​twentieth​ ​century.

Representatives​ ​of​ ​the​ ​Armenian​ ​American​ ​community​ ​of​ ​Orange​ ​County​ ​were​ ​in​ ​attendance.

Chairwoman​ ​Michelle​ ​Steel​ ​opened​ ​the​ ​program​ ​by​ ​stating​ ​that​ ​this​ ​year​ ​marks​ ​the​ ​102​nd​​ ​anniversary​ ​of the​ ​Armenian​ ​Genocide​ ​that​ ​took​ ​the​ ​lives​ ​of​ ​one​ ​and​ ​a​ ​half​ ​million​ ​Armenians.​ ​She​ ​stated​ ​“Not​ ​only were​ ​Armenians​ ​massacred​ ​within​ ​their​ ​historic​ ​homeland​ ​but​ ​their​ ​lands​ ​and​ ​property​ ​were​ ​stolen.” The​ ​Chairwoman​ ​explained​ ​that​ ​Orange​ ​County​ ​continues​ ​to​ ​do​ ​its​ ​part​ ​in​ ​honoring​ ​the​ ​victims​ ​of​ ​this tragedy​ ​to​ ​ensure​ ​it​ ​is​ ​not​ ​forgotten​ ​or​ ​repeated.

Reverend​ ​Fathers​ ​Moushegh​ ​Tshajian​ ​from​ ​St.​ ​Mary​ ​Armenian​ ​Church​ ​in​ ​Costa​ ​Mesa​ ​and​ ​Karekin Bedourian​ ​from​ ​Forty​ ​Martyrs​ ​Armenian​ ​Church​ ​in​ ​Santa​ ​Ana​ ​took​ ​the​ ​podium​ ​and​ ​addressed​ ​the​ ​crowd. They​ ​thanked​ ​Chairwoman​ ​Steel​ ​and​ ​the​ ​County​ ​Board​ ​of​ ​Supervisors​ ​for​ ​their​ ​commitment​ ​to accurately​ ​remembering​ ​the​ ​past​ ​and​ ​honoring​ ​the​ ​victims​ ​of​ ​the​ ​Armenian​ ​Genocide,​ ​then​ ​together lead​ ​with​ ​the​ ​prayer.

Representatives of the Orange County Armenian community
Representatives of the Orange County Armenian community

Honorable​ ​Gassia​ ​Apkarian,​ ​Orange​ ​County​ ​Superior​ ​Court​ ​Judge,​ ​passed​ ​out​ ​pins​ ​with​ ​the​ ​U.S.​ ​and Armenian​ ​flags​ ​then​ ​thanked​ ​the​ ​Board​ ​of​ ​Supervisors​ ​for​ ​upholding​ ​justice,​ ​setting​ ​the​ ​historical​ ​record straight​ ​and​ ​not​ ​playing​ ​politics​ ​with​ ​historical​ ​facts.​ ​Alexander​ ​Gonzalez,​ ​District​ ​Director​ ​for​ ​Congressman Dana​ ​Rohrabacher​ ​also​ ​stressed​ ​the​ ​importance​ ​making​ ​sure​ ​such​ ​atrocities​ ​are​ ​not​ ​committed​ ​in​ ​the future​ ​and​ ​pointed​ ​to​ ​Congressman​ ​Rohrabacher’s​ ​reintroduction​ ​of​ ​the​ ​House​ ​Resolution​ ​calling​ ​for​ ​the defense​ ​of​ ​Christians​ ​and​ ​Yezidis​ ​in​ ​the​ ​region.

Anahid​ ​Arakelian,​ ​ANCA​ ​Orange​ ​County​ ​chapter​ ​addressed​ ​the​ ​crowd​ ​and​ ​also​ ​thanked​ ​Chairwoman Steel​ ​and​ ​the​ ​entire​ ​Board​ ​of​ ​Supervisors.​ ​She​ ​gave​ ​a​ ​historical​ ​account​ ​of​ ​how​ ​a​ ​few​ ​of​ ​her​ grandparents escaped​ ​the​ ​devastation,​ ​survived,​ ​then​ ​eventually​ ​moved​ ​to​ ​the​ ​United​ ​States​ ​where​ ​many​ ​survivors relocated​ ​and​ ​contributed​ ​on​ ​multiple​ ​levels,​ ​such​ ​as​ ​Calvin​ ​K.​ ​Kazandjian​ ​founder​ ​of​ ​Almond​ ​Joy​ ​and Mounds​ ​candy​ ​bars,​ ​MRI​ ​inventor​ ​Raymond​ ​Vahan​ ​Damadian,​ ​and​ ​Kirk​ ​Kerkorian.​ ​Arakelian​ ​urged​ ​those in​ ​attendance​ ​to​ ​see​ ​The​ ​Promise​ ​on​ ​April​ ​21​st​,​ ​a​ ​powerful​ ​film​ ​about​ ​the​ ​Armenian​ ​Genocide.​ ​She highlighted​ ​the​ ​freedoms​ ​we​ ​sometimes​ ​take​ ​for​ ​granted​ ​in​ ​the​ ​U.S.​ ​and​ ​the​ ​need​ ​to​ ​make​ ​sure​ ​such tragedies​ ​are​ ​not​ ​repeated​ ​in​ ​the​ ​future.​ ​Anahid​ ​closed​ ​by​ ​once​ ​again​ ​thanking​ ​the​ ​County​ ​of​ ​Orange​ ​and urging​ ​those​ ​in​ ​attendance​ ​to​ ​follow​ ​events​ ​at​ ​home​ ​and​ ​abroad,​ ​and​ ​highlighted​ ​the​ ​situation​ ​in​ ​Artsakh and​ ​the​ ​current​ ​struggle​ ​for​ ​liberation​ ​and​ ​basic​ ​human​ ​rights​ ​taking​ ​place​ ​there.

Community​ ​members​ ​gathered​ ​for​ ​a​ ​photo​ ​with​ ​the​ ​Board​ ​of​ ​Supervisors​ ​and​ ​this​ ​year’s​ ​proclamation, and​ ​then​ ​again​ ​with​ ​David​ ​Gonzalez​ ​from​ ​Congressman​ ​Rohrabacher’s​ ​office.

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  1. auto Sullivan says:
    6 years ago

    No Problem 🙂

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