Gavin Newsom speaks at the 2017 March for Justice in front of the Turkish Consulate in Los Angeles when he was Lieutenant Governor

SACRAMENTO–Governor Gavin Newsom on Friday issued a proclamation declaring  as “A Day of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide” in the State of California.

“On April 24, 1915, the Ottoman Empire began its systematic genocide of Armenian people, a minority group that had long been treated as second­ class citizens. The Armenian Genocide began with the forced deportation and murder of hundreds of Armenian intellectuals and community leaders and ended with the deaths of 1.5 million men, women and children. It was the first genocide of the 20th Century,” said Newsom’s proclamation.

“As we remember the victims and survivors of the Armenian Genocide, we also honor the strength and resilience of the Armenian people. Forced to build new lives in all corners of the globe, Armenians bravely forged ahead in the face of unimaginable tragedy. Thousands made their homes in California, and we are greater for their contributions,” added the proclamation.

“Today and every day, let us recommit ourselves to making certain that we never forget the Armenian Genocide, and that we always speak out against hatred and atrocities anywhere they occur,” said Newsom.