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Armenian Genocide Monument Unveiled At Fresno State - Video

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  • Armenian Genocide Monument Unveiled At Fresno State - Video

    ARMENIAN GENOCIDE MONUMENT UNVEILED AT FRESNO STATE - VIDEO

    11:41, 24 Apr 2015
    Siranush Ghazanchyan

    More than an estimated 4,000 people crowded Fresno State's Maple
    Mall on Thursday night for a somber ceremony to unveil the Armenian
    Genocide Centennial Monument, the Fresno Bee reports.

    "I'm very sad, very sad," said Asadour Boghossiu, one of hundreds of
    Fresno Armenians who attended the ceremony on the eve of the 100th
    anniversary of the Armenian genocide. Boghossiu's father was the sole
    survivor of seven brothers and four sisters who were killed in the
    genocide. As many as 1.5 million Armenians are believed to have been
    killed from 1915 to 1923 by Ottoman Turks.

    The stone-and-concrete monument dedicated Thursday consists of nine
    pillars -- six representing historic provinces of the Armenian people,
    Cilicia (a region of Ottoman Turkey that was home to many Armenians),
    one representing an estimated 10 million Armenians around the
    world, and the final representing the modern Republic of Armenia. An
    incomplete halo rests on top of the pillars, meant to symbolize the
    damage of the genocide and the unity of the Armenian people. It is
    the first monument on a U.S. college campus marking the genocide.

    "This beautiful monument is one visible action which demonstrates our
    strong commitment to human rights and justice here in the Valley,
    in the United States, and throughout the world," said Fresno State
    President Joseph Castro.

    Consul General of the Republic of Armenia in Los Angeles, Excellency
    Sergey Sarkisov, said a number of governments, including the United
    States, still don't officially recognize the Armenian genocide. By
    refusing to do so, he said, "it's an assault not only on Armenians,
    but on history. It's an assault on truth. It's an assault on justice.

    And it's an assault on humanity itself."

    A number of elected officials and religious leaders from Fresno and
    the Valley attended the ceremony.

    "We appreciate the incredible contributions of the Armenian people
    in Fresno and we all stand together in solidarity and in support of
    the Armenian people," said Fresno Mayor Ashley Swearengin after the
    ceremony. "Tonight was a very special time to do that."

    Fresno residents Charity and Joel Rockey attended the ceremony to
    support their many Armenian friends.

    After hearing about the hundreds of thousands of Armenians killed in
    the genocide, Charity said, "It made you think, how did all this get
    swept under the rug or missed? It's sobering."

    Joel added, "I'm thankful that our city and local governments are
    starting to recognize it as the genocide and giving it the remembrance
    that it was due."

    A few videos were shown during the ceremony that highlighted how
    many Armenians were killed in each province during the genocide,
    and there were reflections from local leaders.

    During the film spotlighting the genocide's toll on each Armenian
    province, a narrator described Bitlis, home of the family of famed
    dramatist and author William Saroyan, whose family immigrated to
    Fresno. "On the eve of the genocide, Bitlis had 198,000 Armenians.

    After the genocide, it had none."

    Rabbi Rick Winer of Temple Beth Israel in Fresno said the Jewish and
    Armenian communities share the "scar" of genocide.

    "One of the lessons we learned from having lived through such difficult
    tragedies is that we can survive and we can lift up," Winer said. "We
    can take the scar we bear and have it serve as an emblem that we are
    survivors in a difficult world, but a world that still blooms. ... Out
    of the ashes we create beautiful communities, beautiful culture, and
    what we have here in this community is a beautiful example of that."

    Earlier on Thursday, a large crowd watched as Santa Clara Street
    between O Street and Van Ness Avenue in downtown Fresno was officially
    renamed Armenia Street to commemorate the Armenian heritage of the
    area and its influence on Fresno.

    Later in the afternoon, about 100 Fresno-area Armenians gathered
    at Ararat Cemetery for a special service to remember those who died
    during the genocide.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyhU-hRSrVM

    http://www.fresnobee.com/welcome_page/?shf=/2015/04/23/4492497_armenian-genocide-monument-unveiled.html

    http://www.armradio.am/en/2015/04/24/armenian-genocide-monument-unveiled-at-fresno-state/



    From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
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