April 24, 2002

State of Rhode Island

In General Assembly
January Session, A.D. 2002
House Resolution (H 8056)

PROCLAIMING APRIL 24TH AS "RHODE ISLAND DAY OF REMEMBRANCE OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCDE" IN COMMEMORATION OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE FROM 1915 TO 1923 AND HONORING ARMENIAN-AMERICANS

Introduced By: Representative John S. Simonian

Date Introduced: April 24, 2002

Referred To: House read and passed

WHEREAS, 1.5 million men, women and children of Armenian descent were victims of the genocide perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire in 1915 and thereafter; and

WHEREAS, The United States Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, Henry Morgenthau, Sr., stated, "Whatever crimes the most perverted instincts of the human mind can devise, and whatever refinements of persecutions and injustice the most debased imagination can conceive, became the daily misfortunes of these devoted people. I am confident that the whole history of the human race contains no such horrible episode as this. The great massacres and persecutions of the past seem almost insignificant when compared to the sufferings of the Armenian race in 1915. The killing of the Armenian people was accomplished by the systematic destruction of churches, schools, libraries, treasures of art, and cultural monuments in an attempt to eliminate all traces of a noble civilization with a history of more than 3,000 years"; and

WHEREAS, Contemporary newspapers, such as the New York Times, carried headlines including "Tales of Armenian Horrors Confirmed" and "Million Armenians Killed or in Exile"; and

WHEREAS, The Armenian genocide has been acknowledged by countries and international bodies such as Argentina, Belgium, Canada, the Council of Europe, Cyprus, the European Parliament, France, Great Britain, Greece, Lebanon, Russia, the United Nations, and Uruguay; and

WHEREAS, Each year Armenians throughout the world honor those who perished from 1915 to 1923, and all the worlds people should commemorate the Armenian genocide because it stands as an ugly testament to man's inhumanity to man; and

WHEREAS, We must all do our best to raise awareness about the Armenian genocide not only because it is an undeniable chapter of world history, but also because learning more about this unconscionable tragedy will help better understand the necessity of eliminating hatred from our own communities; and

WHEREAS, Residents of Rhode Island are highly sensitive to the need for consistently remembering and openly condemning the crimes committed against any culture or people to prevent similar atrocities in the future; and

WHEREAS, Armenian-Americans living in Rhode Island have greatly enriched our State through their leadership in business, agriculture, academia, government, and the arts; now, therefore be it

RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations hereby proclaims April 24th as "Rhode Island Day of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide"; and be it further

RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations respectfully urges the Congress of the United States to likewise commemorate the Armenian Genocide; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and he is hereby authorized and directed to transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to the Honorable George W. Bush, President of the United States, the Rhode Island Congressional Delegation, the Honorable Lincoln Almond, Governor of Rhode Island, the Armenian Assembly of America in Washington, and the Armenian National Committee in Washington.