Greater Lowell Armenians to Observe Genocide

LOWELL, Mass.—Armenians from Merrimack Valley and southern New Hampshire will gather in downtown Lowell on Sat., April 21, for a march and flag-raising ceremony recognizing the 97^th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

A procession will begin at 10 a.m., led by the Lowell Armenian-American Veterans Post honor guard and area children, followed by a program on the steps of City Hall and the raising of the Armenian tricolor.

A proclamation will be offered by Mayor Patrick Murphy.

The event is being sponsored by the Armenian National Committee (ANC) of Merrimack Valley and will honor the memory of 1.5 million Armenians persecuted by the Ottoman Turks during the genocidal years of 1915-23.

The commemoration will include representatives from area churches—Sts. Vartanantz Armenian-Apostolic Church, Chelmsford; St. Gregory Church, North Andover; Armenian Church at Hye Pointe, Haverhill; and Ararat Congregational Church, Salem, N.H.—as well as the Armenian Relief Societies (ARS) of Lowell and North Andover; the Armenian Youth Federation; the Armenian Christian Youth Organization of America; the Lowell Armenian Revolutionary Federation; and Merrimack Valley Knights of Vartan.

Those wishing to participate in the march are asked to gather at 9:30 a.m. at the corner of Merrimack and John Streets.

A reception will follow inside the City Hall, co-sponsored by the ARS and Sts. Vartanantz Women’s Guild.