Living
Life on the Road By Choice
California Youth Sacrifice a Part of Themselves
in Memory of Their Ancestors
Atwater, Calif.
April 8, 2005 - Most people work hard so they
can live in a home with comfortable accommodations, drive
a reliable car, and eat good food in an enjoyable atmosphere.
It’s not often that you hear of people choosing
to sleep in a different bed every night, eating on the
side of the road, and depending on their feet for transportation.
However, a group of Armenian youth, breaking
out of the norm of weekend parties, college mid term exams,
and fast food restaurants opted to dedicate their spring
break and two additional weeks of their lives to a worthwhile
cause – raising awareness about the Armenian Genocide
on its 90th anniversary. Ranging 18 to 27 in age, these
youth decided to give up their comfortable beds, skip
class, eat from a lunch truck, and take days off from
work.
Calling themselves, the March For Humanity,
the group of 10 men and 4 women are currently walking
215 miles from Fresno, Calif. to Sacramento. They started
their 19-day trek on April 2 and plan on arriving in Sacramento
on April 21, where they will be honored on the floors
of the California State Senate and Assembly. Thereafter
they will join a large rally at the steps of the California
Capitol Building.
The group, against all the odds enduring
much pain and discomfort is walking in solidarity with
the 1.5 million forgotten victims of the Armenian Genocide.
Sleeping bags have become their beds,
church halls have become their bedrooms and Wet Ones have
replaced showers. Dirt on the side of rural roads has
become their dining tables and a mobile lunch truck has
become the kitchen where their breakfast, lunch, and dinner
is prepared.
As the days go by the group grows closer
to one another and each marcher becomes the caretaker
of the other. In addition to managing the pains of sore
muscles and aching feet many of the marchers are given
other responsibilities as well.
Serouj Aprahamian 23 of Walnut is the
official group leader. However, Aprahamian’s leadership
role didn’t begin with the march, he started on
the march in January working to gather marchers, securing
donations, mapping back roads of the full route, and fielding
media calls. During the march he is in charge of maintaining
order and organization. He wakes everybody up in the morning,
accompanies the marchers during their walk with a 15 passenger
van, and is a source of guidance and motivation to the
rest of the group. Berj Parseghian 19 of Pasadena a black
belt martial artist is the marchers’ personal trainer.
Every morning, during breaks, and at the end of the day
he leads the groups stretching exercise, which he believes
is crucial to prevent torn muscles during the walk.
“By participating in this march
I hope that I will become a part of the group of people
to influence the recognition of the Armenian Genocide
by the United States,” said Parseghian. “I'm
the type of person that likes to make things happen, not
watch them happen. Therefore, I decided to participate
as a marcher.”
Razmig Harboyan 17 of Pasadena is the
group’s camera man. He is responsible for taping
1 hour of new footage every two days. Harboyan’s
work will help spread the word about the march and the
Genocide, while helping him sharpen his videography skills.
Knar Kitabjian 23 of Arleta is walking
with a camera of her own on hand. She started documenting
meetings, discussions, and events as soon as she heard
about the march. She already has about 20 hours of footage
and plans to have a total of 75 by the end the walk, which
she will use to make a 90 minute documentary.
“I feel that it is very important
to capture the entire process so that people can experience
all the hard work put into it as well as the dedication
of the organizers and marchers,” said Kitabjian.
“On a personal level I want to pay respect to my
grandparents and their families for experiencing such
inhumane circumstances that no human being should go through.”
At the end of each day, all group members
turn to Raffi Maronian, 27 of Pasadena, to help heal their
aching muscles. Using Icy Hot as his massage oil Maronian
devotes close to two hours each night to helping the rest
of the group feel better tending to his own needs last.
Before taking their first steps each morning
marchers rotate telling stories of their family members
who survived the Armenian Genocide. This helps each of
the walkers refocus on why they are walking, why they
chose the life on the road, and remembering the pains
their grand parents suffered during the Genocide.
An interesting addition to the group of
marchers is the participation of Sanan Shirinian and Zabel
Ekemekjian.
Shirinian is a 16 year old junior at a
private Armenian high school in Los Angeles. She worked
tirelessly to take 20 days off school not so she can take
a vacation but to do her part for her cause.
“My great grandparents were survivors
of an attempt to kill all Armenians,” said Shirinian.
“I decided to walk so I can let the world know about
the wrongs the Turks did against my ancestors and to bring
justice to an unpunished crime.”
Ekmekjian, whose father survived the Genocide,
is a 63-year-old grandmother from Moraga, Calif. who felt
that she must use her own body to raise awareness about
the crimes committed against her father and his family.
“Our family was split apart because
of the Genocide,” said Ekmekjian. “I have
never met my aunts and my cousins, I know they exist and
that they live in Iraq, but I don’t know who they
are because they lost contact with my father after escaping
the massacres.”
Every now and then and especially on weekends
the core group of marchers are joined by hundreds of others
who want to walk in solidarity, but can only devote a
few days.
# # #
More information about the March For Humanity,
the marchers, more pictures, and the full marching route
is available at www.marchforhumanity.org.
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