Hawaii Senate Resolution
March 10, 2015
View PDF of document
SENATE RESOLUTION
DECLARING APRIL 24 AS A DAY OF REMEMBRANCE IN RECOGNITION AND COMMEMORATION OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE OF 1915.
WHEREAS, during the chaos of World War I between the years
1915 and 1923, approximately 1,500,000 Armenian men, women, and
children living within the Ottoman Empire's borders were killed
in a brutal genocide; and
WHEREAS, hundreds of thousands of Armenians were forced to
flee to foreign countries after being stripped of their
WHEREAS, documented as the first instance of genocide in
the twentieth century, the Armenian genocide remains
unacknowledged by the Republic of Turkey to this day; and
WHEREAS, even though over 90 years have passed since these
mass killings took place, present-day atrocities continue to
resonate throughout the world; and
WHEREAS, it is every person's responsibility to recognize
the brutal slayings of so many innocent individuals, remember
their suffering, and vow to help prevent future occurrences of
genocide; and
WHEREAS, each year, Armenians throughout the world honor
those who perished in the first genocide of the twentieth
century, and the world community should join in recognizing and
commemorating the Armenian genocide to ensure that this
inhumanity is never forgotten; and
WHEREAS, with H.R. No. 192, H.D. 1, the House of
Representatives of the Twenty-fifth Legislature of the State of
Hawaii declared April 24 as a day of remembrance in recognition
and commemoration of the Armenian genocide during the Regular
Session of 2009; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-eighth
Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2015,
that this body declares April 24 as a day of remembrance in
recognition and commemoration of the Armenian genocide; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Senate joins the House of
Representatives, Hawaii's Armenian-American community, and all
Armenians worldwide in recognizing and honoring those who were
killed and persecuted during the Armenian genocide, and urging
people throughout the world to never forget these horrific
crimes against humanity; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a certified copy of this
Resolution be transmitted to the Executive Director of the
Armenian National Committee of America Western Region.