City Hall Event Commemorates Armenian Genocide

At the steps of Pasadena City Hall on Thursday hundreds of Pasadena residents, civic and religious leaders gathered for an event sponsored by the Armenian Community Coalition which commemorates  the mass forced exodus and deaths of 1.5 million Armenians by the Turkish Ottoman Empire during and after World War I.

Many wore somber black ribbons in honor of the 99th anniversary of the Genocide.

“I am here so the next generation also has awareness of what happened,” said Pasadena High School junior, who came with a group of students of Armenian heritage.

Coalition members said that on April 24th, 1915 the Ottoman-Turks began the systematic extermination of Armenians which continued for eight years.  During this time 1.5 million Armenian men, women, and children were killed.

Anahid Bedian’s grandparents were murdered, leaving her mother an orphan at the tender age of five.

“My mother was forced to walk for weeks in the desert along side thousands of others being driven from their homeland,” said Bedian.

The term “genocide” is used widely by the Armenian community to describe the atrocities committed by the Ottoman Turks, or the “young Turks” as they were known at the time, but to this day both the United States and Turkey officially refuse to acknowledge the events.

Bedian vehemently disagrees with the U.S. position.

“I don’t have hope that America will ever acknowledge our Genocide because of the military bases the U.S. has in Turkey,” she said.

The sentiment was echoed by a Pasadena High School student.

“I want it to be called a Genocide by the country I live in but I don’t think it will happen,” he said.

The program started with the presentation of Colors by AGBU scouts and was followed by the rendition of the anthems of the United States and the Republic of Armenia. The Boy Scouts of the Armenian General Benevolent Union’s Pasadena-Glendale Chapter stood at attention.

Dr. Hampig Sarafian, speaking in English, and Very Rev. Fr. Andon Atamian, in Armenian, addressed the crowd. The Marshall Fundamental School Orchestra performed.