Armenian genocide victims and survivors to be honored Saturday
By JAMES PAULL, Sun Correspondent
Lowell Sun (Massachusetts)
April 20, 2006 Thursday
LOWELL– In 1915, the Ottoman Empire began a forced migration of
Armenians out of Turkey and Armenia in order to squash the growing
Christian minority. For the next several years, as many as 2.5
million Armenians were either murdered or displaced from their homes.
Victims and survivors of the Armenian Genocide will be honored
Saturday in downtown Lowell as Armenian Martyrs Day marks the 91st
anniversary of the tragedy.
An honor guard from the Lowell Armenian-American Veterans will lead a
march down Merrimack Street to City Hall, where Dr. Levon Chorbajian,
a sociology professor at UMass Lowell, will speak in honor of the
genocide.
“We are not just mourning the loss of these martyrs but celebrating
the successes of the Armenian people who settled not only here in the
Merrimack Valley, but around the world, said Tom Vartabedian, the
event’s master of ceremonies.
Also expected to participate are U.S. Rep. Marty Meehan, state Sen.
Steve Panagiotakos and Mayor Bill Martin.
The event is being sponsored by the Merrimack Valley Armenian
National Committee along with several area churches and service
organizations.
All are invited to join the ceremony at 9:30 a.m., at the corner of
Merrimack and John streets. Following the processional and
flag-raising, there will be a reception at City Hall courtesy of the
Lowell Armenian Relief Society.
In case of rain, the program will be held inside City Hall.