Part Of City-Wide Effort To Honor The 95th Anniversary Of The Armenian Genocide
LOS ANGELES–Councilmember Paul Krekorian, Council President Eric Garcetti, and others, will commemorate the 95th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide Friday, April 23, 2010, as part of a city-wide effort to honor the memory of one its most enduring survivors.
As part of the tribute, Krekorian and Garcetti – along with the entire City Council and other officials – will honor the legacy of 97-year-old Dr. J. Michael Hagopian, a survivor of the Genocide and founder of the Armenian Film Foundation.
Born to an Armenian family in Kharpert-Mezreh, Dr. Hagopian is a Genocide survivor who has dedicated his life to the visual documentation of the Turkish extermination of 1.5 million Armenians in 1915. In all, his work encompasses nearly 400 interviews of survivors and witnesses to the Armenian Genocide and 40 years of research.
“More than 40 years ago, Dr. Hagopian pioneered the effort to document the horrors of 1915, by capturing the memory of hundreds who survived the 20th century’s first Genocide,” Councilmember Paul Krekorian said. “His visionary endeavor has left an indelible mark on history, giving future generations an invaluable opportunity to hear the truth directly from witnesses long after the last of them have passed away.”
The Armenian Film Foundation was established in 1979 as a non-profit, educational and cultural organization dedicated to the documentation in motion pictures of Armenian heritage and life. Its goals are to inspire pride in and to create worldwide recognition of the Armenian people and their contributions, and to preserve the visual and personal histories of the witnesses to the Armenian Genocide of 1915-23.
Schedule: A 9 a.m. reception will be held in City Hall to be followed by a 10 a.m. presentation in the Los Angeles City Council chambers on the third floor of City Hall.
Please RSVP by April 21, 2010, at 3 p.m., by calling Blanca Maldonado at (213) 473-7002 or emailing blanca.maldonado@lacity.org with “Genocide Commemoration” in the subject line. Upon RSVP, free parking can be arranged with vehicle information to a limited number of guests.
Los Angeles City Hall is located at 200 N. Spring St., Los Angeles 90012. The entrance to the building, however, can be found on Main Street.
The event is free and open to the public.
