Armenian National Committee-Western Region
104 North Belmont Street, Suite 200
Glendale, California 91206
Tel: (818) 500-1918
PRESS RELEASE
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Contact: Haig Hovsepian
Tel: (818) 500-1918
ANC ACTIVISTS WALK TO END GENOCIDE WITH JEWISH WORLD WATCH
WOODLAND HILLS, CA—Armenian National Committee (ANC) activists from the
greater Los Angeles area participated in Jewish World Watch’s (JWW) 4th
annual anti-genocide walk-a-thon. The "Walk to End Genocide" was hosted at
Warner Center Park on Sunday, April 18th and featured over a thousand
anti-genocide activists walking in support of efforts to confront genocide,
especially in the Darfur and the Congo regions of Africa.
"As a community which has been victimized by genocide it is important that
we also stand in solidarity with others to confront genocide today," said
Nichan Kulukian, an activist with the ANC of Northern Los Angeles County.
Founded in response to the genocide in Darfur, JWW both educates the
community about current genocides as well as the history of genocide,
including the Armenian Genocide. In addition to its educational mission, it
also leads humanitarian aid projects, such as its Solar Cooker Project to
help deal with the day-to-day survival challenges faced by victims of
genocide in Darfur.
Christina Toroyan, an ANC activist from Granada Hills and a student at
California State University at Northridge, participated in the event and
documented her experience for a photojournalism class project. She is
participating in several genocide awareness events this week – primarily
related to the Armenian Genocide – but felt it was important to take part in
the JWW walk-a-thon.
"Genocide is a human rights issue and it demands a response by everyone,"
noted Toroyan. "Seeing over a thousand people gather early on a Sunday
morning to take to the streets to raise awareness and demand justice is
inspiring as well as an example for others to follow."
On May 6th, JWW will be hosting another genocide awareness event featuring J
Michael Hagopian of the Armenian Film Foundation and Dr. Taner Akcam. The
event will feature a screening of "The River Ran Red", the final installment
of the "Witness" trilogy of documentaries about the Armenian Genocide
produced by Hagopian. Hagopian was previously honored by JWW as its first
recipient of its iWitness Award along with UCLA’s Dr. Richard Hovannisian in
May 2007.
The Armenian National Committee-Western Region is the largest Armenian
American grassroots community organization in the Western United States.
Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters
throughout the Western United States and affiliated organizations around the
country, the ANC-WR works to promote understanding regarding issues of
concern to the Armenian American community.