Armenian genocide remembered with events in Fresno, including flag-raising at City Hall

The Armenian flag was raised outside Fresno City Hall on Wednesday in commemoration of the 1.5 million people killed of displaced during the Armenian genocide, which saw many families resettled in the United States, including Fresno.

The event, attended by community members as well as city and state officials, including congressmen Jim Costa and Adam Schiff, coincides with Armenian Remembrance Day, which is observed each year on the anniversary of the start of the genocide in 1915.

In a statement released Wednesday morning, Schiff, the Vice Chair of the Congressional Armenian Caucus, said the anniversary remembers the victims of the genocide, but also reflects “on the resilience of those who survived, and the perseverance of their children and grandchildren, who built new lives in the United States and around the world, speak the beautiful Armenian language, and enrich our nation with the Armenian culture and heritage.

“Armenians refused to let the Genocide define their lives or to limit their future potential. Instead, they showed the world that Armenians could face the future with courage, knowing that they have already overcome the worst atrocities of the past.”

Following the Fresno flag raising, the congressmen attended a ceremony at the Ararat Cemetery, to lay wreaths at the grave of Soghomon Tehliria.

Tehlirian, who died in 1960, was considered a hero to the Armenian people. A monument stands in his honor at the cemetery.

The congressmen were also able to see the damage from a rash of recent fires at the cemetery, which have been reported as arson.

The flag-raising was one of several events happening on Wednesday.

Fresno State’s annual commemoration took place at the university’s Armenian Genocide Monument near the center of campus. The ceremony included a keynote from KSEE24 news anchor Stefani Booroojian and remarks from Fresno State President Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval.

Earlier in the day, students from the school’s Armenian Studies Program held its own commemoration ceremony.