100 Years Later – A Walk for Justice

Imagine yourself walking in a river where the water is above your waist and the current takes you forward.  That's how I felt when on April 24, I walked along 160,000 other people for justice and to protest the Turkish government's continued denial of the Armenian Genocide. It was a thrilling experience to take part in the six mile walk, and see how people arrived in droves to make history.

I had initially signed up to take one of the free shuttle buses provided all over the Los Angeles area by the Genocide Centennial Committee, which were taking people to the start of the March in Little Armenia. I changed my mind when I found out that a group of my friends had made other plans to get there. This was just as well, because there was an overwhelming demand for the shuttles.

The group of friends and family I joined met around 9 a.m. at the corner of Vermont and Hollywood Blvd. where a Starbucks stands – we were 12.  Six of us decided to take the subway and six of us took a bus ride to the corner of Western and Hollywood Blvd. My sister-in-law told me the subway was crammed with Armenians.

As we boarded Bus #780 which comes from Glendale and Pasadena, we saw a group of our compatriots, all wearing commemoration T-shirts in black or purple. The sight made me emotional, and I had to wipe away a few tears.

Bus #780 took us to the corner of Hollywood Blvd. and Western Ave. and from there we walked one block to the starting point which was the intersection of Western Ave and Sunset Blvd in Little Armenia.  Sidewalks were packed with crowds coming from all directions. Some parents were pushing strollers; others had their kids on their shoulders. The crowd was a mixture of young and old, all there to show solidarity in one common cause.

The sight reminded me of a children's picture book about a family going to the beach, and along the way they see so many people from different backgrounds commuting with different modes of transportation.

Although the occasion was somber, the high energy was palpable.  Everybody was jazzed up and so eager to march. We joined the sea of people on Sunset Blvd. heading towards Turkish Consulate. The weather could not have been better. The temperature hovered around the upper 60s, the sky was slightly cloudy and it stayed that way until the end of the march around 4 pm.

At the starting point, I noticed that they were giving away poster signs. I left my home-made sign and picked up a poster which said "End the Cycle." We started the March.  Along the way people were chanting slogans such as "Shame on Turkey" and "We demand justice." A chant that amused me was about Obama not recognizing the Genocide: "Shame on Obama. I'm gonna call your mama."

Participants also held signs that voiced forceful massages. Numerous blue printed signs that thanked various countries for recognizing the Genocide floated in the crowd. Tri-color flags, large and small, were dispersed and being waved all over.

There were so many Kodak moments.  At the beginning, I tried to take a few pictures, but I realized if I continued doing that I would become separated from my group. So after taking a few snapshots, and losing the group once or twice, I put my iPhone in my pocket and didn't attempt to take more pictures.

The procession was beyond my expectation.  Everything went so smooth.  Along the way we came across shopkeepers who stood outside of their businesses and waved Armenian flags in solidarity.  Free water bottles were distributed all along. I had prepared sandwiches which came in handy. There were food trucks and porta-potties, but the lines were too long.

All in all it was an unforgettable experience. However, the most excitement came the following day on Saturday the 25th, when  pictures of the walk were posted on Facebook. The most amazing picture was an arial picture which showed the street packed the with crowds. Today after about two weeks from that day, my heart beats faster whenever I think about the walk.

2012 Events commemorating the Armenian Genocide in Hollywood, Glendale and Burbank.

For most people April 24th is just another day, not very different from any other, but for various Armenian communities around the world, including the large community of Armenians living in the greater Los Angeles area, it is a day of remembrance of their 1.5 million countrymen who were victims of brutal mass murders during World War I.

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What do you do when it’s pouring outside? The first Sunday of spring, March 25, was an unusual heavy rainy day.  Since I was not inspired to do anything I stayed home and watched TV.

Surfing channels to find something interesting, I came across a fundraising program on one of the Glendale local Armenian channels.  It was a telethon organized by Unified Young Armenians (UYA) to raise money for a march in Hollywood commemorating the 97th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

It was heartwarming to see a group of young Armenians putting together a successful telethon.  I was drawn into the program. The next day I called their office to meet the group and learn more about their activities.

Aroutin Hartounian, the president of the group, was 14 when his family immigrated from Iran to the U.S. in 1999.  Now at age 27, he is an aspiring and ambitious young man studying at Southwestern Law School. Hartounian said that the telethon brought $42,000 in pledges, which will cover a fraction of the expenses of organizing the walk. The rest of the funds was raised during a Christmas dinner-dance and other donations throughout the year.

United Young Armenian (UYA) was formed in 2000 with a vision to promote world peace and understanding and to seek justice for human rights. The UYA envisions a world free of genocides, with no inhuman treatment of man towards man. 

The group organized its first walk on April 24, 2001, in Hollywood. The purpose of the walk, then and now, is to demonstrate and make the world hear the cruelty of the Ottoman Turks towards Armenians and to demand recognition and an overdue reparation for the Armenian Genocide. Since then every year thousands of people have come to participate in the walk.

The walk begins at 10 a.m. at the intersection of Hobart and Hollywood Boulevards. The route goes east on Hollywood Boulevard and then south on Normandie Avenue to Sunset Blvd. and then back to the starting intersection. The distance covers 1.5 miles, chosen as a symbolic figure for the annihilation of 1.5 million Armenians by the Turks.

The UYA selected that particular route first because it falls in the heart of a neighborhood called Little Armenia, and second because it is close to major radio and TV stations.

Traffic will be closed along the route during the April 24 march. Prominent members of the community have been invited to participate and to speak at noon during the closing ceremony of the walk.

Free bus transportation departing at 8 a.m. will be provided from 11 different locations as follows:

St Mary’s Armenian Church – Glendale
Anush Banquet Hall – Colorado/Glendale
Anush Banquet Hall – Glenoaks/Glendale
Maple Park – Glendale
Whole Foods Market – Glendale
St. Gevork Church – Kenneth/Glendale
Western Diocese of the Armenian Church – Burbank
Arbat Golden Palace – Burbank
Shirak Deli – La Crescenta

Blackjack Market – North Hollywood
St. Gregory Church – Pasadena

The UYA will also organize an Armenian Genocide Candlelight Vigil and musical performance on Monday, April 23, at 7 p.m. The event will be held at the northwest corner of Verdugo and Mountain streets, across from Glendale College (this is a large parking lot just south of the Glendale Civic Auditorium). 

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Another youth group, one with deep roots and a long tradition in the Armenian community, is the Armenian Youth Federation (AYF), which was founded under the auspices of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) in 1933 in Boston, Massachusetts.

For the last three decades, AYF has organized an annual April 24^th protest in front of the Turkish Consulate in Los Angeles. The demonstration will be held on Tuesday April 24, from 4 to 6 p.m.at 6300 Wilshire Blvd, LA. The organization is providing free buses, departing at 2 p.m. from the following locations:

               Pasadena Armenian Center,

               St. Mary’s Church – Glendale, 

               Orange County Armenian Center, 

               Pilibos Armenian School – Hollywood.

Besides the protest in front of the Turkish consulate, AYF has organized other commemorative events to mark the 97th anniversary of the Genocide.

The Glendale “Roupen” Chapter, in the evening of Sunday April 15 hosted a rally “One Voice, One Cause,” at St. Mary’s church in Glendale signifying the rebirth of the Armenian nation. The few hundred crowd enjoyed food and music played by the Element Band, the Palm of Granite and others. 

A Vigil will be organized by Burbank “Varak” Chapter and the ANC of Burbank on Tuesday April 24. A Proclamation from City Council will be read at 6 p.m. and the actual vigil will start at 7 p.m..

On Sunday, April 29, a bike ride will be organized by the Valley’s “Sardarabad” Chapter. The event is called “Cycle Against Denial”

It is so gratifying to see our youth devoting their talents and time to advance the Armenian cause. Kudos to our youth for providing all these commemorative events.