215 Mile, 19 Day Walk Will Honor Victims of Forgotten Genocide

LOS ANGELES, March 24 /PRNewswire/ — California youth will embark on
a 215-mile 19-day walk to raise awareness about the unpunished crime
of genocide committed against the Armenian people between 1915 and
1921. The March for Humanity will begin on April 2nd in Fresno,
Calif. and conclude at the State Capitol in Sacramento on April 21st.

“To avoid accountability for the murder of 1.5 million Armenians,
the Turkish government denies that the systematic annihilation of the
Armenians was genocide,” said Vicken Sosikian, director of the March
for Humanity. “We turn to our nation’s leaders, President Bush and
the U.S. Congress, in the name of truth, righteousness and justice,
asking them to hold the Turkish government accountable for its crime
against humanity.”

The historic walk will commence at 9 a.m. on April 2nd at
Sunnyside High School in Fresno following an opening ceremony the
night before at the Holy Trinity Armenian Church. Upon arriving in
Sacramento, at 11 a.m. on Thursday April 21st, the marchers will be
recognized on the floor of the California State Senate and Assembly.
Thereafter, thousands will gather at the State Capitol for a rally.
The Rally for Humanity is organized to thank the California State
Legislature and the legislatures of over 35 other states for
officially recognizing the Armenian Genocide.

Organizers are expecting thousands of supporters including
legislators from across the country to join the March for Humanity
and the Rally for Humanity. Marchers will sleep in community
centers, churches, schools and in tents and will walk, rain or shine,
for about 15 miles each day.

“Those of us who are familiar with the genocide carried out
against the Armenians bear a special responsibility to make sure that
such crimes are never again repeated,” said Raffi Maronian, a marcher
who will walk the entire 215 mile distance. “The recent events in
Sudan serve to demonstrate that we have not done an adequate job. It
is time to raise our level of activism and put an end to the cycle of
genocide.”

For more information about the March for Humanity, please visit

SOURCE March for Humanity

03/24/2005 07:07 ET
From: Baghdasarian