Los Angeles Times
April 25 2010
Armenians join together again to remember genocide of 1915
Across the Southland, families march, pause and pray for relatives
lost 95 years ago.
By Esmeralda Bermudez, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
There will come a day, some said, when Armenians won’t need to take to
the streets in protest, and they will simply honor slain ancestors
with peaceful lament.
But that day didn’t appear any closer Saturday, as Armenians gathered
worldwide to commemorate the Armenian genocide of 1915, which claimed
the lives of about 1.2 million Armenians under Ottoman-ruled Turkey.
In Yerevan, Armenia’s capital, hundreds of thousands laid flowers at a
monument to the victims, while across Southern California, Armenian
families marched, prayed and paused to remember lost
great-grandparents, great-grand-uncles and great-grand-aunts –loved
ones who were deported, starved, arrested and executed almost 100
years ago.
The Turkish government does not recognize the genocide, and a
long-debated resolution that would call for the United States to
officially acknowledge the killings faces opposition in Congress.
But the battle did not dissuade Armenians from pushing for recognition Saturday.
In the desert outside Lancaster, a group of Armenian youths braved the
afternoon heat and walked 15 miles to pay tribute to ancestors who
died in the Syrian desert.
In Glendale, youths organized a 30-hour fast, while in the San
Fernando Valley, a bike-a-thon was planned. An annual march in Little
Armenia also took place, along with a protest outside the Turkish
Consulate in Los Angeles.
Caravans of cars draped in Armenia’s red, blue and orange flag could
been seen outside the Armenian Martyrs Memorial Monument in
Montebello, where several thousand people lined up to place red and
white carnations at the foot of the stone tower.
Ara Kassabian, 44, of Glendale walked alone with a mix of sadness and
anger as he placed his bouquet on the bed of flowers. He lost a number
of great-aunts and great-uncles in the massacre.
"I come to show my presence," Kassabian said. "To show that this will
never be forgotten or swept under the rug."
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, along with a host of other
politicians, took turns on the microphone to show their support for
Armenians.
"Yes, it’s true that Turkey should acknowledge the genocide,"
Villaraigosa said to those gathered in Montebello.
"But so should the United States of America."
Many Armenians were once again disappointed with President Obama for
refusing for the second year in a row to declare the mass killings a
genocide in his annual statement. He called the event "a devastating
chapter" and "one of the worst atrocities of the 20th century."
But the U.S. administration depends on its connection to Turkey.
Straining those relations could put U.S. supply routes to Iraq and
Afghanistan at risk and complicate other issues, such as Middle East
peace initiatives and relations with Iran.
Among a group of young Armenian boys gathered at the memorial, what
mattered most was not politics, but holding on to their sense of
identity.
"We will learn our history, we will speak our language, we will be
Armenian," said Eddie Hovannisian, 14. "Our generation will be here to
tell others."
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