April 24, 2021

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PROCLAMATION TO COMMEMORATE THE 106™ ANNIVERSARY OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

WHEREAS, The Troy community joins human rights advocates and historians from around the world to recognize and mourn the 1.5 million Armenians who perished In the Armenian Genocide as ordered by the government or the Ottoman Empire, which began on April 24, 1915 with the arrest, exile and murder of hundreds of Armenian intellectuals, political, religious, and business leaders, and

WHEREAS, During the 1915-1923 Genocide, Armenian survivors were forced to witness the slaughter of their relatives and the loss of their ancestral land and property in what is now known as the "First Genocide of the 20th Century." The government of the Ottoman Empire claimed the lives of 1.5 million Armenians and forced 500,000 more from their homeland. The Armenian Genocide was a terrible breach of human rights and an event that has outraged the world; and

WHEREAS, The atrocities carried out against the Armenian people were grave and unimaginable, as they were subjected to deportation, abduction, torture, starvation, and more. And as with any violent conflict Armenian women and children suffered the worst abuses. The bulk of the Armenian population that was displaced from their homes was forced to escape to neighboring as well as faraway countries. Many fled to the United States; and

WHEREAS, The United States Is honored to be a home to a vibrant growing Armenian-American population. This thriving community, many City of Troy residents, are a proud reminder of survival and determination even in the face of extreme Injustice; and

WHEREAS, As Americans, it is our duty to raise awareness of the Armenian Genocide and to participate In the remembrance and mourning of the loss of Innocent lives a century ago; and

WHEREAS, The State of Michigan declared in Act 558 of 2002 that "April 24 of each year shall be the Michigan day of remembrance of the Armenian genocide of 1915-1923, in memory of the victims of the genocide and in honor of the survivors," and

WHEREAS, The failure lo learn from the past allows history to repeat itself as the world saw during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabagh war when the military forces of Azerbaijan and Turkey attacked the Armenian civilian population of Nagorno-Karabagh and its churches and civic buildings, resulting in casualties and loss of ancestral land and property, motivated by the same genocidal campaign that their ancestors suffered 106 years earlier.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Troy City Council proclaims April 24, 2021 as "A Day of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide" and Joins the Armenian-American community In its commemoration or the 106th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide in an effort lo educate others about the tragic loss of life, land, and human rights of the Armenian people and the crimes of genocide committed against them, as well as Greeks and Assyrians, due to religious and political beliefs; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Troy City Council encourages all residents to raise awareness about the Armenian Genocide, honor the memory of the victims, and also to honor and remember the survivors and their descendants.