A day for Armenians
Remembrance of genocide is signed into law.
Published 2:15 am PDT Friday, April 22, 2005
They walked 215 miles in the sun, rain and wind to keep alive the memory of hundreds of thousands of Armenians killed by rulers of the Ottoman Turkish Empire between 1915 and 1923.
The 20-day journey for 15 Armenian Americans ended Thursday at the Capitol, where about 1,200 people gathered to thank the Legislature for supporting a bill to recognize the Armenian genocide on April 24 of each year.
"The younger generation still hasn't forgotten," said Vahan Aramian, 20, of Fresno, who took a three-week break from his construction job to join the March for Humanity from Fresno to Sacramento.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Thursday signed SB 424 by Sen. Chuck Poochigian, R-Fresno, which cements the remembrance date into state law. Until now, the Legislature's recognition had been inconsistent.
"We must recognize crimes against humanity if we are to prevent them," Schwarzenegger said in his signing message. "Silence in the face of genocide effectively encourages those who would commit such atrocities in the future."
March organizers said 36 other state legislatures officially recognize the Armenian genocide. Armenian Americans hope the Bush administration will follow California, home to about half the nation's 900,000 Armenians. The Turkish government - 90 years after the genocide - doesn't accept responsibility for the deaths, Armenian Americans say.
Turkey doesn't recognize the deaths as genocide and says the toll - put at 1.5 million by Armenians - was closer to 300,000.
"Justice begins with truth, and truth is being hidden," said Poochigian, whose grandparents lost family members during the genocide. "We stand up to the deniers. We stand up for truth."
Assemblyman Greg Aghazarian, R-Stockton, said it's important not to forget history: "If we do not learn the lessons of the past, we are destined to repeat them."
On April 24, 1915, the Armenian leadership in Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul) and other Armenian centers was executed. The surviving women, children and elderly were sent on death marches in the desert.
Participants in the March for Humanity educated people they met along the way. Some knew nothing of the genocide or Armenian culture. Others had a skewed understanding.
Most people were supportive. "We did get a lot of honks and thumbs-up," said marcher Chris Torossian, 19, of Fresno.
Hundreds of people joined the full-time marchers on parts of the route. They walked down country roads and slept in churches and schools.
At the Capitol on Thursday, a crowd cheered for the marchers. Supporters waved Armenian and American flags and held signs that said, "We will never forget" and "Remember the Armenian genocide of 1915 R.I.P. 1.5 million."
"This is a rally in support of all those who seek the truth and all those who understand that genocide cannot go by with impunity," said Steven Dadaian, chairman of the Armenian National Committee of America's Western region.
"We believe in our roots," said Avedis Krikorian, 43, of Fresno, who helped organize the trip.
