Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day event planned in Leominster, Mass

LEOMINSTER, MASS. – The Public Library, Swan Hope Press, and Fitchburg/Gyumri (and beyond) Arts Connection present the 4th annual Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day beginning at 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 19, at the Leominster Public Library, 30 West St. The official Remembrance Day will be April 24.

This event is also supported by the Leominster Cultural Council.

“Join us to celebrate the art and culture of the Armenian people,” said organizer Sally Cragin, who with her uncle, Wachusett Chess Club Executive Director George Mirijanian, will host the program. “We urge attendees to bring family pictures to share, and family stories. We will honor our ancestors by commemorating the 1915 Genocide, a tragic global event which scattered a large diaspora of people of Armenian heritage.”

Scholars estimate that one and a half million of the two million Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire were systematically murdered by Turkish authorities during this period.

Many fled to Europe, and America, with large populations finding new homes in Watertown, and Worcester.

“Fitchburg was a significant new homeland for Armenian refugees, including my great grandparents, and my grandfather, who co-founded Star Cleaners in Fitchburg,” Cragin said.

The program is free and open to the public; no registration is required and light Armenian-style refreshments will be provided.