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Hello, my message is for Rep. Hernandez.
I’m asking Rep. Hernandez to help lead the charge and amend HB 2241 to include the words “Armenian Genocide” after the word “Holocaust.” I feel that not explicitly spelling out the Armenian Genocide perpetuates its denial.
The Armenian Genocide set the stage for all modern genocides. It inspired Polish-Jewish attorney Raphael Lemkin to research the crime of genocide for decades before he ultimately coined the term “genocide” in 1944.
Despite being recognized by all 50 U.S. states and by the federal government, the Armenian Genocide is still denied today by the government of Turkey, which perpetrates denial and encourages continued hate crimes as a matter of state policy. This has very real effects on our community. As you may know, vandals destroyed cultural property at our church in Scottsdale only a few years ago. Last year, our community center in San Francisco was set ablaze by arsonists.
Please follow in the footsteps of the great states of Colorado and Nevada, where Armenian and Jewish communities and other victims of genocide have recently worked hand in hand to promote similar education bills.
This is a great opportunity to ensure our youth are properly informed of the true evil of our time, and to ensure that our future generations stand together and say never again to genocide.