Centennial Philadelphia Armenian Genocide Walk 2015
On Saturday, April 18, 2015, the 8th Annual Philadelphia Armenian Genocide Walk will take place, providing an opportunity for the entire Philadelphia community to gather to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, and educate the public on Turkish denial of the atrocities committed against the Armenians by the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1918.
Hundreds will gather at Independence Visitor’s Center in Historical Philadelphia and walk through the streets to rally and bring attention to the cause. At the conclusion of the walk, a special Centennial program will be held on the lawn of the Independence Visitor Center. This year’s program will be hosted by Eva Pilgrim of the 6abc Action News Team. This year’s keynote speaker will be Phil Holtje of the Holocaust Awareness Museum and Education Center.
This year prior to the walk, from 11AM to 1PM the Near East Foundation Traveling Exhibit on the Armenian Genocide will be displayed inside the Liberty View Ballroom inside of the center. Along with the exhibit, there will be a social media station to provide an opportunity to participate in the various campaigns ongoing to support genocide recognition. The walk will start at 1 PM and will take place rain or shine. The program will start upon completion of the walk. For the program, in-door arrangements have been made in the Liberty View Ballroom in the event of rain. If rain is forecasted for April 18th, please visit www.recognitionnow.org for further details and the latest updates. The event is free and open to the public.
The Armenian Genocide Walk will complement various other events and efforts by the Armenian community (and supporters of the Armenian community such as local universities and churches, other ethnic communities who have also been subject to genocide, etc.) in March and April leading up to Armenian Martyrs Day on April 24th, including a billboard to be posted on I-76 at the Spring Garden exit to raise awareness of the issue.
This year the global Armenian community is commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Philadelphia’s five Armenian churches and various organizations have formed the Armenian Genocide Centennial Committee of Philadelphia. In addition to the Silent Sit-in, the community has planned various events during the months of March and April. For more information, visit www.armeniangenocide100philly.com.