Armenian genocide commemorated on 108th anniversary with ceremony at Fresno City Hall

Joshua Tehee
·2 min read
5

The city of Fresno commemorated Armenian Remembrance Day with a flag-raising ceremony at city hall Monday morning.

The annual event recognizes the 1915 beginning in the Armenian genocide, which saw the Ottoman Empire kill or displace some 1.5 million people, including relatives of families that settled in the United States including in Fresno.

Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer said it is difficult to fathom that level of systematic destruction and mass murder.

“Yet it happened,” he said, during the ceremony.

“We recognize this atrocity for what it is and at the same time we celebrate the resilience of the Armenian people and their significance to our country,” he said.

“Fresno will also stand with Armenia and will also stand with the Armenian people.”

President Joe Biden gave official recognition to the Armenian Genocide. He was the first U.S. president since Ronald Reagan to make the declaration.

On Monday, the White House renewed its pledge to never forget “the Meds Yeghern — the Armenian genocide.”

“As we join nations around the world in remembering this painful history, we also reflect on the resilience and resolve of the Armenian people,” President Biden said in a statement. “So many of those who survived were forced to begin new lives in new lands — including the United States. Here and around the world, the Armenian people have met the evil of hate with hope. They rebuilt their communities. They nurtured their families and preserved their culture. They strengthened our nation. They also told their stories — and those of their ancestors — to remember and to ensure that genocide like the one that happened 108 years ago is never again repeated.”

Last week, a group of U.S. congress members, including Republican David Valadao of Hanford, announced they would be putting forward the Armenian Genocide Education Act, a bipartisan measure that would fund educational programs through the Library of Congress looking at the history, lessons, consequences and ongoing costs of the Armenian Genocide.

The flag raising was one of several events of commemoration in Fresno on Monday. Flowers were laid at the Armenian Genocide Monument at Fresno State where a religious service was scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Monday.

Fresno city and county officials gather around the city’s flag poles as Homenetmen Fresno Sassoon Chapter scouts raise the Armenian flag over Fresno City Hall during the annual Armenian Flag Raising Ceremony to commemorate the start of the Armenian Genocide 108 years ago, on Monday, April 24, 2023.
Fresno city and county officials gather around the city’s flag poles as Homenetmen Fresno Sassoon Chapter scouts raise the Armenian flag over Fresno City Hall during the annual Armenian Flag Raising Ceremony to commemorate the start of the Armenian Genocide 108 years ago, on Monday, April 24, 2023.
Children from the Charlie Keyan Armenian Community School sing traditional Armenian songs during the annual Armenian Flag Raising Ceremony outside Fresno City Hall on Monday, April 24, 2023.
Children from the Charlie Keyan Armenian Community School sing traditional Armenian songs during the annual Armenian Flag Raising Ceremony outside Fresno City Hall on Monday, April 24, 2023.
A soloist from the American Dance Group of Fresno performs a traditional Armenian dance during the annual Armenian Flag Raising Ceremony outside Fresno City Hall, on Monday, April 24, 2023.
A soloist from the American Dance Group of Fresno performs a traditional Armenian dance during the annual Armenian Flag Raising Ceremony outside Fresno City Hall, on Monday, April 24, 2023.