North Dakota Genocide Recognition

North Dakota legislators have recognized the Armenian Genocide on the state level. Gubernatorial proclamations as well as state and local legislation are provided below since 2007. If you know of other documents to be added to this list – old or new – please send a note to elizabeth@anca.org. We look forward to showcasing them.

North Dakota citizens also played an active role in assisting Armenian Genocide survivors through the Congressionally mandated Near East Foundation, during the years 1915 – 1930. Learn more about their efforts below, through research prepared by the ANCA Western Region’s “America We Thank You” program.

And finally, review our snapshot of news coverage of the Armenian Genocide in North Dakota press, as we spotlight three articles, prepared as part of the ANCA’s “Genocide Diary” project. Check back to the Genocide Diary’s North Dakota page for new articles added on a monthly basis.

2007

A concurrent resolution proclaiming April 24 as a day of remembrance of the Armenian genocide.
North Dakota
January 3, 2007

WHEREAS, 1,500,000 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 refinement of persecutions and injustice the most debased imagination can conceive, became the daily misfortunes of these ‘devoted people.”‘, and;

WHEREAS, 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, the Armenian genocide has been acknowledged by several countries and international bodies, and;

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

WHEREAS, it is essential 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;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF NORTH DAKOTA, THE SENATE CONCURRING THEREIN:

That April 24 is proclaimed as a day of remembrance of the Armenian genocide; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Secretary of State forward copies of this resolution to the chairman of the Armenian Community of North Dakota, the Armenian Assembly of America, the Armenian National Committee, each member of the North Dakota Congressional Delegation, and the President of the United States.

(SIGNED)

Speaker of House
President of Senate
Chief of the house
Secretary of Senate

Close Tabs

North Dakota’s Support for Survivors of the Armenian Genocide

North Dakota was a staunch of Near East Relief, the American-led campaign that quickly sparked an international response with its unprecedented humanitarian endeavor, mobilizing all segments of American citizenry including elected officials, celebrities and laypersons alike, to help rescue victims of the Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Turkey from 1915-1930.

North Dakota’s NER activities were facilitated through its NER state headquarters located 120 Broadway in Fargo.

The Weekly Times Record published in Valley City, North Dakota in September 1920 reported that 10,000 little victims of Turkish brutality were being foster-mothered by big-hearted women in Connecticut as a result of NER appeals. North Dakota promised to continue the efforts through its sponsorship of 1,500 orphans on “Relief Day” on October 4, 1920.

Read the complete fact sheet prepared by America We Thank You.

The Armenian Genocide in North Dakota Press

Click here for more Armenian Genocide Articles in North Dakota Press