LOWELL, Mass.—A downtown procession and flag-raising ceremony recognizing the 95th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide will take place on Sat., April 24 in downtown Lowell.
The event is being organized by the Merrimack Valley Chapter of the Armenian National Committee (ANC) and will begin at 10 a.m. with a march throughout the downtown sector, led by the Armenian-American Veterans honor guard.
A program will follow on the steps of Lowell City Hall, led by the mayor and other city and state officials. A city proclamation has been drafted declaring the week of April 18-24 as Armenian Genocide Week in Lowell.
Featured speaker will be Dro Kanayan of North Andover, the grandson of an Armenian revolutionary general by the same name and a catalyst in promoting genocide education in high schools throughout Merrimack Valley.
Members of the Armenian Youth Federation (AYF) and Armenian Christian Youth Organization of America (ACYOA) will join together in raising the Armenian flag in commemoration of the 1.5 million lives lost to the Ottoman Turks from 1915-23.
Other invited guests include U.S. Congresswoman Niki Tsongas, State Representative Steven Panagiotakos, and City Councilwoman Rita Mercier, all dedicated members of the Armenian Cause.
“The Armenian Genocide was a crime against all humanity,” said Aram Jeknavorian, the ANC chapter chairman. “We gather in spirit and solitude to remember those martyrs who perished and those who survived to make America and Lowell a better ethnic community.”
Other groups taking part are the Lowell Committee, Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF); the Armenian Relief Societies (ARS) of Lowell and Merrimack Valley; the Merrimack Valley Knights of Vartan; Sts. Vartanantz Armenian Apostolic Church, Chelmsford; St. Gregory Church, North Andover; Armenian Church at Hye Pointe, Haverhill; and Ararat Congregational Church, Salem, N.H.
Those wishing to join the march are asked to gather at 9:30 at the corner of Merrimack and John Streets in downtown Lowell. A reception will follow inside City Hall.
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