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ANC-Illinois: St. Louis Mayor Designates April 24"Armenian Martyrs

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  • ANC-Illinois: St. Louis Mayor Designates April 24"Armenian Martyrs

    Armenian National Committee of Illinois
    1701 North Greenwood Road
    Glenview, IL 60026
    Contact: Greg Bedian
    E-mail: [email protected]
    Internet: www.anca.org


    PRESS RELEASE

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
    April 24, 2005

    St. Louis Mayor Designates April 24 "Armenian Martyrs Day"

    St. Louis, MO - To mark the 90th Anniversary of the
    Armenian Genocide, St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay issued
    a proclamation designating April 24, 2005 as "Armenian
    Martyrs Day" in the City of St. Louis. The
    proclamation was officially presented to the
    Armenian-American community on Sunday, April 24, at a
    program commemorating the victims of the Armenian
    Genocide held at the St. Gregory's Armenian Community
    Center in Granite City, IL, a suburb of St. Louis.

    "Armenian Americans across the Greater St. Louis area
    are heartened by the Mayor's action," stated Greg
    Bedian, Chairperson of the Armenian National Committee
    of Illinois. "It means a great deal for our community
    to know that the people of St. Louis, like those of so
    many other cities and states around the country, are
    standing shoulder to shoulder with Armenians worldwide
    as we honor those who fell at the hands of the Turkish
    government during the Genocide."

    In his proclamation, the Mayor cites America's
    tremendous efforts to aid survivors of the Armenian
    Genocide, and describes how most Armenians in the US
    are descendents of those survivors. He also describes
    how, under the cover of WWI, the Turkish government
    implemented a systematic plan to annihilate the
    indigenous Armenian population of Turkey. From 1915
    to 1923, over 1.5 million Armenians perished as a
    result of massacre and deportation, resulting in the
    complete erasure of over 3000 years of Armenian
    existence an area which is now located in eastern
    Turkey. Armenians traditionally commemorate the
    Armenian Genocide on April 24 as it was the day when
    the Turkish government set its plans into motion in
    1915 by arresting several hundred prominent Armenians
    including members of the Turkish parliament, newspaper
    editors and political party leaders.

    Armenian Americans in Illinois organized a series of
    events throughout the state to mark the date when the
    Turkish government began its systematic annihilation
    of the indigenous Armenian population of Turkey. In
    addition to the event in Granite City, numerous events
    took place in other communities including Fairview
    Heights, Chicago, Glenview, Waukegan, Evanston, Palos
    Heights and Champaign-Urbana.

    The Armenian National Committee of Illinois is a
    grassroots public affairs organization serving to
    inform, educate, and act on a wide range of issues
    concerning Armenian Americans throughout the state of
    Illinois.


    ---------------------------------------------
    Text of Mayor Slay's Proclamation
    ---------------------------------------------

    WH EREAS, the City of St. Louis has been apprised that
    April 24, 2005, marks an important anniversary in the
    annals of history; and
    WHEREAS, it was on April 24, 1915, that an assault
    began on the Armenian People in Constantinople; and
    WHEREAS, between 1915 and 1923, nearly one and a half
    million Armenian men, women, and children in the
    Ottoman Empire were systematically sent to
    concentration camps, where their lives were taken from
    them; and
    WHEREAS, the United States of America was the first
    country to recognize the Armenian Genocide and raise
    millions of dollars to aid the victims of it; and
    WHEREAS, most Armenians in our great nation are the
    children or grandchildren of the survivors of the
    Armenian Genocide; and
    WHEREAS, on this April 24th, the 90th Anniversary of
    the Armenian Genocide, the City of St. Louis joins
    with Armenians around the world to remember those who
    lost their lives and to honor the survivors of this
    terrible campaign.

    Now, therefore, I, Francis G. Slay, Mayor of the City
    of St. Louis, do hereby proclaim April 24, 2005 as:

    "ARMENIAN MARTYRS DAY"
    IN THE CITY OF ST. LOUIS

    In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and
    caused to be affixed the Seal of the City of St.
    Louis, this 24th Day of April, A.D. 2005


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