FRESNO — Roadside billboards commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide will soon be seen throughout California’s San Joaquin Valley and Central Coast. The large posters recognize the victims of all genocides and specifically honor the memory of the 1.5 million Armenians murdered at the hands of the Ottoman Turkish government during the period of 1915-1923.
The focal point of the billboard’s billboards’ design is the forget-me-not flower—the symbol of the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide. In smaller print will be the Armenian Genocide Centennial—Fresno Committee logo, which represents the new monument dedicated to victims and survivors that will be unveiled at Fresno State on the evening of April 23.
More than 50 billboards will be put up along Highway 99—the primary transportation corridor of the San Joaquin Valley—with most of the billboards concentrated around urban areas such as Fresno and Merced. Other locations include sites along Highway 101 in the Central Coast, and along Highways 152 and 198 near farming communities in the western and eastern areas of the Valley.
The centennial billboards are part of a series of activities undertaken by the Armenian Genocide Centennial—Fresno Committee, which includes representatives from the various Armenian religious, educational, social, and political organizations of the Central Valley. The group’s goals are to commemorate the 1.5 million martyrs who perished at the hands of the Ottoman Turkish Government; to educate others about the Armenian Genocide and historical injustice; and to inspire people to overcome adversity through the story of the survivors of the Armenian Genocide.
For more information, please visit the AGC—Fresno Committee’s website at www.agcfresno.org and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/agcfresno.
