PROCLAMATION OF THE EXECUTIVE CHAMBER OF PROVIDENCE
STATE OF RHODE ISLAND AND PROVIDENCE PLANTATIONS
JUNE 29, 1990

WHEREAS, 75 years ago, millions of Armenians were forcibly exiled from their ancient homeland, and one-half million Armenians were massacred in an attempt by Ottoman Turkey to exterminate the Armenian race; and

WHEREAS, on April 24, Armenians from all over the world commemorate Martyrs’ Day, the day in 1915 when the Turks arrested and killed 250 Armenians community leaders and intellectuals; and

WHEREAS, in honoring the memory of those martyrs, hope if renewed that the conscience of the world can bring a halt to senseless slaughter, an end to all human suffering and a reawakening of a sense of justice for the Armenian people; and

WHEREAS, America, with a commitment to the opposition of tyranny and oppression rooted in our historic struggle for independence, joins gladly with all those who strive for liberty in the face of persecution;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, EDWARD D. DiPRETE, GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND AND PROVIDENCE PLANTATIONS, DO HEREBY PROCLAIM

APRIL 24, 1990

AS ARMENIAN MARTYRS’ DAY

In the State of Rhode Island and all on all citizens to join with me in honoring these people for their immeasurable contributions to the cause of liberty.

IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the State of Rhode Island to be affixed this twenty-ninth day of June, one thousand nine hundred and ninety, and of Independence, the two hundred and fourteenth.

(SIGNED)
Edward D. DiPrete
GOVERNOR
(SIGNED)
Kathleen S. Connell
SECRETARY OF STATE

GUBERNATORIAL PROCLAMATION
State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
APRIL 24, 2005

Whereas, 1.5 million men, women, and children of Armenian descent were victims of the genocide perpetuated 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 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 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, 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, Residents of Rhode Island are highly sensitive to the need for consistently remembering and openly condemning crimes committed against any culture or people to prevent similar atrocities in the future; 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, 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; and

Whereas, In 1948, in the shadow of the Holocaust, the international community responded to Nazi Germany’s methodically orchestrated acts of genocide by approving the Convention of the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide; and

Whereas, The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide confirms that genocide is a crime under international law, defines genocide as certain acts committed with intent to destroy a national, ethical, racial or religious group, and provides that parties to the Convention undertake to enact domestic legislation to provide effective penalties for persons who are guilty of genocide; and

Whereas, The United States, under President Harry Truman, stood as the first nation to sign the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide; and

Whereas, The enactment of the Genocide Convention Implementation Act marked a principled stand by the United States against the crime of genocide and an important step toward ensuring that the lessons of the Holocaust, The Armenian Genocide, and the genocides in Cambodia and Rwanda, among others, will be used to help prevent  future genocides; and

Whereas, Despite the international community ‘s consensus against genocide, as demonstrated by the fact that  133 nations are  party to the Convention on the Prevention and punishment of the Crime of Genocide and through other instruments and actions, denial of past instances of genocide continues and many thousands of innocent people continue to be victims of genocide; and

NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD L. CARCIERI, GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND AND PROVIDENCE PLANTATIONS, DO HEREBY PROCLAIM,

April 24th, 2005 as Day of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide

in the State of Rhode Island in memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide, and further proclaim that we, as citizens of the State of Rhode Island, should strive to overcome intolerance and indifference through learning and remembrance.

Inrecognition whereof, I have hereby set my hand and caused the Seal of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations to be hereunto affixed this 24th day of April, 2005

(SIGNED)
Donald L. Carcieri
GOVERNOR
(SIGNED)
Matthew A. Brown
SECRETARY OF STATE

GUBERNATORIAL PROCLAMATION
State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
APRIL 24, 2006

Whereas, 1.5 million men, women, and children of Armenian descent were victims of the genocide perpetuated 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 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 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, 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, Residents of Rhode Island are highly sensitive to the need for consistently remembering and openly condemning crimes committed against any culture or people to prevent similar atrocities in the future; 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, 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; and

Whereas, In 1948, in the shadow of the Holocaust, the international community responded to Nazi Germany’s methodically orchestrated acts of genocide by approving the Convention of the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide; and

Whereas, The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide confirms that genocide is a crime under international law, defines genocide as certain acts committed with intent to destroy a national, ethical, racial or religious group, and provides that parties to the Convention undertake to enact domestic legislation to provide effective penalties for persons who are guilty of genocide; and

Whereas, The United States, under President Harry Truman, stood as the first nation to sign the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide; and

Whereas, The enactment of the Genocide Convention Implementation Act marked a principled stand by the United States against the crime of genocide and an important step toward ensuring that the lessons of the Holocaust, The Armenian Genocide, and the genocides in Cambodia and Rwanda, among others, will be used to help prevent  future genocide; and

Whereas, Despite the international community’s consensus against genocide, as demonstrated by the fact that  133 nations are  party to the Convention on the Prevention and punishment of the Crime of Genocide and through other instruments and actions, denial of past instances of genocide continues and many thousands of innocent people continue to be victims of genocide; and

NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD L. CARCIERI, GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND AND PROVIDENCE PLANTATIONS, DO HEREBY PROCLAIM,

April 24th, 2006 as Day  of Remembrance  of the Armenian  Genocide

in the State of Rhode Island in memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide, and further proclaim that we, as citizens of the State of Rhode Island, should strive to overcome intolerance and indifference through learning and remembrance.

In recognition whereof. I have hereby set my hand and caused the Seal of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations to be hereunto affixed this 24th day of April 2006.

(SIGNED)
Donald L.Carcieri
GOVERNOR
(SIGNED)
Matthew A. Brown
SECRETARY OF STATE

State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
GUBERNATORIAL PROCLAMATION

Whereas, 1.5 million men, women, and children of Armenian descent were victims of the genocide perpetuated by the Turkish 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 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 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, 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, Residents of Rhode Island are highly sensitive to the need for consistently remembering and openly condemning crimes committed against any culture or people to prevent similar atrocities in the future; 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, 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; and

Whereas, In 1948, in the shadow of the Holocaust, the international community responded to Nazi Germany’s methodically orchestrated acts of genocide by approving the Convention of the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide; and

Whereas, The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide confirms that genocide is a crime under international law, defines genocide as certain acts committed with intent to destroy a national, ethical, racial or religious group, and provides that parties to the Convention undertake to enact domestic legislation to provide effective penalties for persons who are guilty of genocide; and

Whereas, The United States, under President Harry Truman, stood as the first nation to sign the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide; and

Whereas, The enactment the Genocide Convention Implementation Act marked a principled stand by the United States against the crime of genocide and an important step toward ensuring that the lessons of the Holocaust, The Armenian Genocide, and the genocides in Cambodia and Rwanda, among others, will be used to help prevent  future genocides; and

Whereas, Despite the international community’s consensus against genocide, as demonstrated by the fact that 133 nations are party to the Convention on the Prevention and punishment of the Crime of Genocide and through other instruments and actions, denial of past instances of genocide continues and many thousands of innocent people continue to be victims of genocide; and

NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD L. CARCIERI, GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND AND PROVIDENCE PLANTATIONS, DO HEREBY PROCLAIM,

April 24th, 2008 as Day of Remembrance  of the Armenian  Genocide

in the State of Rhode Island in memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide, and further proclaim that we, as citizens of the State of Rhode Island, should strive to overcome intolerance and indifference through learning and remembrance.

In recognition whereof, I have hereby set my hand and caused the Seal of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations to be hereunto affixed this 24th day of April, 2008.

(SIGNED)
Donald L. Carcieri
GOVERNOR
(SIGNED)
A. Ralph Mollis
SECRETARY OF STATE

State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
GUBERNATORIAL PROCLAMATION

Day of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide

WHEREAS, 1.5 million men, women and children of Armenian descent were victims of the genocide perpetrated by the Turkish 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 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 ofthe human race contains no such horrible episode as this. The great massacres and persecutions ofthe past seem almost insignificant to the sufferings of the Armenian race in 1915. The killing ofthe 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 aclmowledged by countries and international bodies such as Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Canada, the Council of Europe, Cyprus, the European Parliament, France, Great Britain, Greece, Lebanon, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Nations and Uruguay; and

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

WHEREAS, in 1948, in the shadow of the Holocaust, the international community responded to Nazi Germany’s methodically orchestrated acts of genocide by approving the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide; and

WHEREAS, the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide confirms that genocide is a crime under international law, defines genocide as certain acts committed with intent to destroy a national, ethnic, racial or religious group, and provides that parties to the Convention undertake to enact domestic legislation to provide effective penalties for persons who are guilty of genocide; and

WHEREAS, the United States, under President Harry Truman, stood as the first nation to sign the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment ofthe Crime of Genocide; and

WHEREAS, the enactment of the Genocide Convention Implementation Act marked a principled stand by the United States against the crime of genocide and an important step toward ensuing the lessons of the Holocaust, the Armenian Genocide, and the genocides in Cambodia and Rwanda, among others, will be used to help prevent future genocides; and

WHEREAS, despite the international community’s consensus against genocide, as demonstrated by the fact that 133 nations are party to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment ofthe Crime of Genocide and through other instruments and actions, denial of past instances of genocide continues and many thousands of innocent people continue to be victims of genocide; and

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Lincoln D. Chafee, do hereby recognize April 24, 2011 as Day of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide in the State of Rhode Island, and further proclaim that we, as citizens of the State of Rhode Island, should strive to overcome intolerance and indifference through learning and remembrance.

Given under my hand and the great seal of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, this  11th day of April, 2011

(SIGNED)
Lincoln D. Chafee
GOVERNOR
(SIGNED)
A. Ralph Mollis
SECRETARY OF STATE

State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
GUBERNATORIAL PROCLAMATION
April 10, 2012

Day of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide

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

WHEREAS, die United States Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, Henry Morgeathau, Sr., stated, “Whatever crimes the most perverted instincts 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; and, I am confident that the whole history of the human race contains no such horrible episode as this; and the great massacres and persecutions of the past seem almost insignificant to the sufferings of the Armenian race in 1915; and 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 bjstory of more than 3,000 years»; and

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

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

WHEREAS, each year Armenians throughout the world honor those who perished from 1915 10 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, we must 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; and

WHEREAS, in 1948, in the shadow of the Holocaust, the international community responded to Nazi Germany’s methodically orchestrated acts of genocide by approving the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Cri111e of Genocide; aod

WHEREAS, the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide confirms that genocide is a crime under international law, defines genocide as certain acts committed with intent to destroy a national, etbnical, racial or religious group, and provides that parties to the Convention undertake to enact domestic legislation to provide effective penalties for persons who are guilty of genocide; and

WHEREAS, the United States, wider President Harry Truman, stood as the first nation to sign the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide; and

WHEREAS, the enactment of the Genocide Convention Implementation Act marked a principled stand by the United States against the crime of genocide and an important step toward ensuring the lessons of the Holocaust, the Armenian Genocide, and the genocides in Cambodia and Rwanda, among others, will be used to help prevent future genocides; and

WHEREAS, despite the international community’s consensus against genocide, as demonstrated by the fact that 133 nations are party to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and tbrough other instruments and actions, denial of past instances of genocide continues and many thousands of innocent people continue to be victims of genocide; and

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Lincoln D. Chafee, do hereby recognize April 24, 2012 as Day of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide in the State of Rhode Island, and further proclaim that we, as citizens of the State of Rhode Island, should strive to overcome intolerance,and inclifference through learning and remembrance.

Given under my hand and the great seal of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, this 10th day of April 2012.

(SIGNED)
Lincoln D. Chafee
Governor
A. Ralph Mollis
Secretary of State

State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
GUBERNATORIAL PROCLAMATION
April 4, 2018

Day of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide

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

WHEREAS, the United States Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, Henry Morgenthau, Sr., stated, “I am confident that the whole history of the human race contains no such horrible episode as this; and the great massacres and persecutions of the past seem almost insignificant to the sufferings of the Armenian race in 1915; and the killing of the Armenian people was accomplished by the systematic destruction of churches, schools, libraries, treasurers 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 countries and international bodies such as Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Canada, the Council of Europe, Cyprus, the European Parliament, France, Great Britain, Greece, Lebanon, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Nations and Uruguay; 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, we must 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 us better understand the necessity of eliminating hatred from our own; and

WHEREAS, in 1948, in the shadow of the Holocaust, the international community responded to Nazi Germany’s methodically orchestrated acts of genocide by approving the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the crime of Genocide; and

WHEREAS, despite the international community’s consensus against genocide, as demonstrated by the fact that 133 nations, including the United States, are party to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and through other instruments and actions, denial of past instances of genocide continues, and many thousands of innocent people continue to be victims of genocide;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Gina M. Raimondo, Governor of the State of Rhode Island, do hereby proclaim April 24, 2018, as: Day of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide and encourage all state residents to strive to overcome intolerance and indifference through learning and remembrance.

Given under my hand and the great seal of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, this 4th day of April 2018.

(SIGNED)
Gina M. Raimondo
Governor
Nellie M. Gorbea
Secretary of State

State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
GUBERNATORIAL PROCLAMATION
April 21, 2020

Day of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide

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

WHEREAS, the United States Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, Henry Morgenthau, Sr., stated, “I am confident that the whole history of the human race contains no such horrible episode as this; and the great massacres and persecutions of the past seem almost insignificant to the sufferings of the Armenian race in 1915; and the killing of the Armenian people was accomplished by the systematic destruction of churches, schools, libraries, treasurers 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 countries and international bodies such as Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Canada, the Council of Europe, Cyprus, the European Parliament, France, Great Britain, Greece, Lebanon, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Nations and Uruguay; 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, we must 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 us better understand the necessity of eliminating hatred from our own; and

WHEREAS, in 1948, in the shadow of the Holocaust, the international community responded to Nazi Germany’s methodically orchestrated acts of genocide by approving the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the crime of Genocide; and

WHEREAS, despite the international community’s consensus against genocide, as demonstrated by the fact that 133 nations, including the United States, are party to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and through other instruments and actions, denial of past instances of genocide continues, and many thousands of innocent people continue to be victims of genocide;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Gina M. Raimondo, Governor of the State of Rhode Island, do hereby proclaim April 24, 2020, as: Day of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide and encourage all state residents to strive to overcome intolerance and indifference through learning and remembrance.

Given under my hand and the great seal of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, this 21th day of April 2020.

(SIGNED)
Gina M. Raimondo
Governor
Nellie M. Gorbea
Secretary of State

2000 — S 2916
======= LC03048 =======
STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2000
____________
SENATE RESOLUTION
DECLARING APRIL 24TH, 2000
AS A DAY OF REMEMBERANCE FOR THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
1915-1923
Introduced By: Senators Raptakis, Kelly, Issa, Algiere and Goodwin
Date Introduced: April 13, 2000
Referred To: Read and Passed

WHEREAS, At the outbreak of World War I, the young Turk regime of the Ottoman Empire, led by Toloat Pasha, decided to deport the entire Armenian population of about 1.5 million people to Syria and Mesopotamia planning to exterminate them by driving all Armenians, regardless of age or condition of health, to the totally barren Der-El-Zor region of what is now Syria; and

WHEREAS, The Armenians were rounded up, brutally driven from their homes and their land, separated from their families, robbed of everything they owned and stripped of possessions they carried with them, and on a death march to Der-El-Zor, more than a million died of starvation or were killed; and

WHEREAS, Thousands of Christian Armenians were tortured and murdered for refusing to accept Islam as their religion, and the atrocities inflicted upon them in concentration camps and on death marches to Der-El-Zor resemble those suffered by the victims of the Holocaust in World War II; and

WHEREAS, The massacre of Armenians who escaped deportation and remained in Turkey was called the “most colossal crime of all ages” by the American examining military mission’s report to the U.S. Congress; and a telegram sent by the U.S. Ambassador Henry Morgenthau to the Secretary of State, Morgenthau warned that “a campaign of race extermination is in progress under a pretext of reprisal against rebellion”; and

WHEREAS, An estimated 1.5 million people of Armenian ancestry perished in the genocide perpetrated by the governments of the Ottoman Empire from 1915-1923; and

WHEREAS, Many Armenians emigrated to the United States. Where they and their descendants have contributed much to the economic and cultural vitality in our society, and kept alive the memory of their friends and relatives who perished during the systematic campaign of extermination; and

WHEREAS, Modern Turkey continues to deny and distort the facts of the Genocide and honors the perpetrators of that crime against humanity as national heroes; and

WHEREAS, The continued denial of the Armenian Genocide by the present-day Turkish Government deprives the Armenian people of the right to their own history; and

WHEREAS, The Armenian People have not received reparations for their losses; and

WHEREAS, Ancestral Armenian lands have not been returned to the Armenian People; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Rhode Island hereby commemorates this 85th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide on April 24, 2000 and urges the citizenry of Rhode Island to do the same; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the State of Rhode Island calls on the President of the United States to obtain from the present Turkish Government an acknowledgement of the Genocide perpetrated against the Armenians from 1915-1923; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and he hereby is authorized and directed to transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to the President of the United States, the members of the Rhode Island Congressional Delegation, the Armenian National Committee of Rhode Island, and the Armenian Martyrs Memorial Committee of Rhode Island.

2001 — S0917
=======
LC02922
=======
STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2001
____________
SENATE RESOLUTION
DESIGNATING APRIL 24, 2001 AS “RHODE ISLAND DAY OF REMEMBRANCE FOR THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE OF 1915 – 1923”
Introduced By: Senators Garabedian, Celona, Graziano, Raptakis and Polisena
Date Introduced: April 24, 2001
Referred To: Read and Passed

WHEREAS, Armenians living in their historic homeland in Asia Minor were subjected to severe persecution and brutal injustice by the Turkish rulers of the Ottoman Empire before and after the turn of the twentieth century, including widespread acts of destruction, mayhem, and murder during the period from 1894 to 1896, and again in 1909; and

WHEREAS, The horrible experience of the Armenians at the hands of their Turkish oppressors culminated with what is known by historians as the “First Genocide of the Twentieth Century,” or the “Forgotten Genocide”; and

WHEREAS, The Armenian Genocide began with the murder of hundreds of Armenian intellectuals, and political, religious, and business leaders who were arrested and taken from their homes in Constantinople before dawn on April 24, 1915; and

WHEREAS, The Young Turk regime then in control of the empire planned and executed the unspeakable atrocities committed against the Armenians from 1915 through 1923, including the torture, starvation, and murder of 1.5 million Armenians, death marches into the Syrian desert, and the exile of more than 500,000 innocent people; and

WHEREAS, While there were some Turks who jeopardized their safety in order to protect Armenians form the slaughter being perpetrated by the Young Turk regime, the massacres of the Armenians constituted one of the most atrocious violations of human rights in the history of the world; 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 this 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 accompanied 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 like the New York Times carried headlines including, “Tales of Armenian Horrors Confirmed,” “Million Armenians Killed or in Exile,” and “Wholesale Massacre of Armenians by Turks”; and

WHEREAS, Adolph Hitler, in persuading his army commanders that the merciless persecution and killing of Jews, Poles, and other groups of people would bring no retribution, declared, “Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians”; and

WHEREAS, Unlike other groups and governments that have admitted the abuses and crimes of predecessor regimes, and despite the overwhelming weight of the evidence, the Republic of Turkey has denied the occurrence of the crimes against humanity committed by the Young Turk rulers, and those denials compound the grief of the few remaining survivors of the atrocities and desecrate the memory of the victims; and

WHEREAS, Nations of the world have suffered reprisals and condemnations by Turkey because of efforts to commemorate the Armenian Genocide; and

WHEREAS, There have been concerted efforts to revise history through the dissemination of propaganda suggesting that Armenians were responsible for their fate in the period from 1915 through 1923 and by the funding of programs at American educational institutions for the purpose of furthering the cause of this revisionism and to counter, in the works of a Turkish official, “the Armenian view”; and

WHEREAS, Leaders of nations with strategic, commercial, and cultural ties to the Republic of Turkey should be reminded of their duty to encourage Turkish officials to cease efforts to distort facts and deny the history of events surrounding the Armenian Genocide; and

WHEREAS, The accelerated level and scope of denial and revisionism, coupled with the passage of time and the fact that very few survivors remain who serve as reminders of indescribable brutality and tormented lives, compel a sense of urgency in efforts to solidify recognition of historical truth; and

WHEREAS, By consistently remembering and forcefully condemning the atrocities committed against the Armenians and honoring the survivors, as well as other victims of similar heinous conduct, we guard against repetition of those acts of genocide; and

WHEREAS, Rhode Island is home to a large population of Armenians, and those citizens have enriched our state through their leadership in the fields of business, agriculture, academia, medicine, government, and the arts and are proud and patriotic practitioners of American citizenship; and be it further

RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations hereby designates April 24, 2001 as “Rhode Island Remembrance for the Armenian Genocide of 1915 – 1923”; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the State of Rhode Island respectfully memorializes the Congress of the United States to likewise act to commemorate the Armenian Genocide; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and he is hereby authorized and directed to transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the President of the United States, Members of the Rhode Island delegation to the United States Congress, the Governor of the State of Rhode Island, the Armenian Assembly of America in Washington and the Armenian National Committee of Rhode Island.

2002 — S 2958
======= LC03051 =======
STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2002
____________

SENATE RESOLUTION PROCLAIMING APRIL 24TH AS “RHODE ISLAND DAY OF REMEMBRANCE OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE” IN COMMEMORATION OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE FROM 1915 TO 1923 AND HONORING ARMENIAN-AMERICANS

Introduced By: Senators Garabedian, Raptakis, Celona, J Montalbano, and Issa Date Introduced: April 24, 2002

Referred To: Senate read and passed

WHEREAS,, 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 I am confident that the whole history of the human race contains no such horrible episode as The great massacres and persecutions of the past seem almost insignificant when compared to the sufferings of the Armenian race in 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 world’s 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 Senate 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 Senate 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 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

======= LC03051 =======

2004 — S 3016
======= LC01232 =======
STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2004
____________
SENATE RESOLUTION
PROCLAIMING APRIL 24, 2004 AS “RHODE ISLAND DAY OF REMEMBRANCE OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE” IN COMMEMORATION OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE FROM 1915 TO 1923 AND HONORING ARMENIAN-AMERICANS
Introduced By: Senators Gallo, and Issa
Date Introduced: April 01, 2004
Referred To: Senate held on desk

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, 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 I am confident that the whole history of the human race contains no such horrible episode as The great massacres and persecutions of the past seem almost insignificant when compared to the sufferings of the Armenian race in 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 world’s 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 Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations hereby proclaims April 24, 2004 as “Rhode Island Day of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide”; and be it further

RESOLVED, That this Senate 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 duly certified copies of this resolution to the Honorable George Bush, President of the United States, the Rhode Island Congressional Delegation, the Honorable Donald Carcieri, Governor of Rhode Island, the Armenian Assembly of America in Washington, and the Armenian National Committee in Washington.

======= LC01232 =======

2005 — S 1030
======= LC02968 =======
STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2005
____________
SENATE RESOLUTION
PROCLAIMING APRIL 24, 2005 AS “RHODE ISLAND DAY OF REMEMBRANCE OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE” IN COMMEMORATION OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE FROM 1915 TO 1923 AND HONORING ARMENIAN-AMERICANS
Introduced By: Senators Gallo, and Issa
Date Introduced: April 27, 2005
Referred To: Recommended for Immediate Consideration

WHEREAS, One and one half 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, 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 ” 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 three thousand 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 world’s 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 in order 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 Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations hereby proclaims April 24, 2005 as “Rhode Island Day of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide”; and be it further

RESOLVED, That this Senate 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 hereby is authorized and directed to transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Honorable George Bush, President of the United States, the Rhode Island Congressional Delegation, the Honorable Donald Carcieri, Governor of the State of Rhode Island, the Armenian Assembly of America in Washington, and the Armenian National Committee in Washington.

======= LC02968 =======

2006 — S 3011
======= LC02927 =======
STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2006
____________
SENATE RESOLUTION
PROCLAIMING APRIL 24, 2006 AS “ARMENIAN GENOCIDE REMEMBRANCE DAY” TO COMMEMORATE THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE OF 1915 TO 1923 AND IN HONOR OF ARMENIAN-AMERICANS
Introduced By: Senators Gallo, Issa, Raptakis, Walaska, and P Fogarty
Date Introduced: April 12, 2006
Referred To: Recommended for Immediate Consideration

WHEREAS, One and one half 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, 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” The genocide of the Armenian people was accomplished by the systematic destruction of churches, schools, libraries, works 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 newspaper accounts, in the New York Times, and other publications, carried headlines such as “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 in the period 1915 to 1923, and all the world’s people should commemorate the Armenian genocide because it stands as 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 all peoples understand the necessity of eliminating hatred from our communities; and

WHEREAS, In order to prevent similar atrocities in the future, residents of Rhode Island must be highly sensitive to the need for remembrance and open condemnation of the crimes committed against any culture or people; 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 Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations hereby recognizes April 24, 2006 as “Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day” in the State of Rhode Island; and be it further

RESOLVED, That this Senate respectfully urges the Congress of the United States to likewise commemorate the Armenian genocide and acknowledge that genocide is relevant to and affects all nations; and be it further

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

======= LC02927 =======

2007 — S 0936
======= LC02942 =======
STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2007
____________
SENATE RESOLUTION
PROCLAIMING APRIL 24, 2007 AS “ARMENIAN GENOCIDE REMEMBRANCE DAY” TO COMMEMORATE THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE OF 1915 TO 1923 AND IN HONOR OF ARMENIAN-AMERICANS
Introduced By: Senators Gallo, Issa, Ruggerio, Ciccone, and McBurney Date
Introduced: April 24, 2007
Referred To: Recommended for Immediate Consideration

WHEREAS, One and one half 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, 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 ” 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 three thousand 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 world’s 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 in order 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 Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations hereby recognizes April 24, 2007 as “Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day” in the State of Rhode Island; and be it further

RESOLVED, That this Senate respectfully urges the Congress of the United States to likewise commemorate the Armenian genocide and acknowledge that genocide is relevant to and affects all nations; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and he hereby is authorized and directed to transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Honorable George Bush, President of the United States, the Rhode Island Congressional Delegation, the Honorable Donald Carcieri, Governor of the State of Rhode Island, the Armenian Assembly of America in Washington, and the Armenian National Committee in Washington.
======= LC02942 =======

2008 — S 2987
======= LC01326 =======
STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2008
____________
SENATE RESOLUTION
PROCLAIMING APRIL 24, 2008 AS “ARMENIAN GENOCIDE REMEMBRANCE DAY” TO COMMEMORATE THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE OF 1915 TO 1923 AND IN HONOR OF ARMENIAN-AMERICANS
Introduced By: Senators Gallo, Issa, Jabour, Felag, and P Fogarty
Date Introduced: April 24, 2008
Referred To: Recommended for Immediate Consideration

WHEREAS, One and a half 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, 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.”; 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 three thousand 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, Around the globe 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, but truly 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, 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 better help us 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 in order to prevent similar atrocities in the future; and

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

RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations hereby recognizes April 24, 2008 as “Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day” in the State of Rhode Island; and be it further

RESOLVED, That this Senate respectfully urges the Congress of the United States to likewise commemorate the Armenian genocide and acknowledge that genocide is relevant to and affects all nations; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and he hereby is authorized and directed to transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Honorable George Bush, President of the United States, the Rhode Island Congressional Delegation, the Honorable Donald Carcieri, Governor of the State of Rhode Island, the Armenian Assembly of America in Washington, and the Armenian National Committee in Washington.
======= LC01326 =======

2009 — S 0890
======= LC02366 =======
STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2009
____________
SENATE RESOLUTION
PROCLAIMING APRIL 24, 2009 AS “ARMENIAN GENOCIDE REMEMBRANCE DAY” TO COMMEMORATE THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE OF 1915 TO 1923 AND IN HONOR OF ARMENIAN-AMERICANS
Introduced By: Senators Gallo, Goodwin, Raptakis, Jabour, and P Fogarty
Date Introduced: April 23, 2009
Referred To: Recommended for Immediate Consideration

WHEREAS, One and a half 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, 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.”; 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 three thousand 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, Around the globe 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, but truly 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, 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 better help us 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 in order 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 Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations hereby recognizes April 24, 2009 as “Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day” in the State of Rhode Island; and be it further

RESOLVED, That this Senate respectfully urges the Congress of the United States to likewise commemorate the Armenian genocide and acknowledge that genocide is relevant to and affects all nations; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and he hereby is authorized and directed to transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Honorable Barack Obama, President of the United States, the Rhode Island Congressional Delegation, the Honorable Donald Carcieri, Governor of the State of Rhode Island, the Armenian Assembly of America in Washington, and the Armenian National Committee in Washington.

======= LC02366 =======

2010 — S 2809
======= LC02420 =======
STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2010
____________
SENATE RESOLUTION
PROCLAIMING APRIL 24, 2010, AS “ARMENIAN GENOCIDE REMEMBRANCE DAY” TO COMMEMORATE THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE OF 1915 TO 1923 AND IN HONOR OF ARMENIAN-AMERICANS
Introduced By: Senators Gallo, Raptakis, Lanzi, Ruggerio, and Jabour
Date Introduced: April 15, 2010
Referred To: Recommended for Immediate Consideration

WHEREAS, One and a half 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, 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.”; 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 three thousand 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, Around the globe 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, but truly 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, 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 better help us 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 in order 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 Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations hereby recognizes April 24, 2010, as “Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day” in the State of Rhode Island; and be it further

RESOLVED, That this Senate respectfully urges the Congress of the United States to likewise commemorate the Armenian genocide and acknowledge that genocide is relevant to and affects all nations; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and he hereby is authorized and directed to transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Honorable Barack Obama, President of the United States, the Rhode Island Congressional Delegation, the Honorable Donald Carcieri, Governor of the State of Rhode Island, the Armenian Assembly of America in Washington, and the Armenian National Committee in Washington.

======= LC02420 =======

2011 — S 0900
======= LC02202 =======
STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2011
SENATE RESOLUTION
____________
PROCLAIMING APRIL 24, 2011, AS “ARMENIAN GENOCIDE REMEMBRANCE DAY” TO COMMEMORATE THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE OF 1915 TO 1923 AND IN HONOR OF ARMENIAN-AMERICANS
Introduced By: Senators Gallo, Ruggerio, Paiva Weed, Goodwin, and Algiere
Date Introduced: April 26, 2011
Referred To: Recommended for Immediate Consideration

WHEREAS, One and a half 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, 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.”; 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 three thousand 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, Around the globe 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, but truly 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, 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 better help us 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 in order 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 Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations hereby recognizes April 24, 2011, as “Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day” in the State of Rhode Island; and be it further

RESOLVED, That this Senate respectfully urges the Congress of the United States to likewise commemorate the Armenian genocide and acknowledge that genocide is relevant to and affects all nations; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and he hereby is authorized and directed to transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Honorable Barack Obama, President of the United States, the Rhode Island Congressional Delegation, the Honorable Lincoln Chafee, Governor of the State of Rhode Island, the Armenian Assembly of America in Washington, and the Armenian National Committee in Washington.

======= LC02202 =======

2012 — S 2889
======= LC02343=======
STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2012
____________
SENATE RESOLUTION
PROCLAIMING APRIL 24, 2012, AS “ARMENIAN GENOCIDE REMEMBRANCE DAY” TO COMMEMORATE THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE OF 1915 TO 1923 AND IN HONOR OF ARMENIAN-AMERICANS
Introduced By: Senators Gallo, Goodwin, Ruggerio, Paiva Weed, and Jabour
Date Introduced: April 24, 2012
Refereed To: Recommended for Immediate Consideration

WHEREAS, One and a half 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, 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.”; 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 three thousand 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, Around the globe 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, but truly 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, 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 better help us 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 in order 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 Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations hereby recognizes April 24, 2012, as “Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day” in the State of Rhode Island; and be it further

RESOLVED, That this Senate respectfully urges the Congress of the United States to likewise commemorate the Armenian genocide and acknowledge that genocide is relevant to and affects all nations; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and he hereby is authorized and directed to transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Honorable Barack Obama, President of the United States, the Rhode Island Congressional Delegation, the Honorable Lincoln Chafee, Governor of the State of Rhode Island, the Armenian Assembly of America in Washington, and the Armenian National Committee in Washington.

======= LC02343 =======

2013 — S 0873
======= LC02254 =======
STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2013
____________
SENATE RESOLUTION
PROCLAIMING APRIL 24, 2013, AS “ARMENIAN GENOCIDE REMEMBRANCE DAY” TO COMMEMORATE THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE OF 1915 TO 1923 AND IN HONOR OF ARMENIAN-AMERICANS
Introduced By: Senators Gallo, Goodwin, Ruggerio, Paiva Weed, and Jabour
Date Introduced: April 24, 2013
Referred To: Recommended for Immediate Consideration

WHEREAS, One and a half 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, 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.”; 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 three thousand 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, Around the globe 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, but truly 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, 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 better help us understand the necessity of eliminating hatred from our own communities; and

WHEREAS, Residents of Rhode Island are highly sensitive to the need for consistent remembering and openly condemning the crimes committed against any culture or people in order 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 Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations hereby recognizes April 24, 2013, as “Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day” in the State of Rhode Island; and be it further

RESOLVED, That this Senate respectfully urges the Congress of the United States to likewise commemorate the Armenian genocide and acknowledge that genocide is relevant to and affects all nations; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Honorable Barack Obama, President of the United States, the Rhode Island Congressional Delegation, the Honorable Lincoln Chafee, Governor of the State of Rhode Island, the Armenian Assembly of America in Washington, and the Armenian National Committee in Washington.

======= LC02254 =======

2014 — S 2907
======== LC003825 ========
STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2014
____________
SENATE RESOLUTION
PROCLAIMING APRIL 24, 2014, AS “ARMENIAN GENOCIDE REMEMBRANCE DAY” TO COMMEMORATE THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE OF 1915 TO 1923 AND IN HONOR OF ARMENIAN-AMERICANS
Introduced By: Senators Gallo, Ruggerio, Goodwin, McCaffrey, and Jabour
Date Introduced: April 29, 2014
Referred To: Recommended for Immediate Consideration

WHEREAS, One and a half 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, 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.”; 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 three thousand 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, Around the globe 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, but truly 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, 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 better help us 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 in order 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 Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations hereby recognizes April 24, 2014, as “Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day” in the State of Rhode Island; and be it further

RESOLVED, That this Senate respectfully urges the Congress of the United States to likewise commemorate the Armenian genocide and acknowledge that genocide is relevant to and affects all nations; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Honorable Barack Obama, President of the United States, the Rhode Island Congressional Delegation, the Honorable Lincoln Chafee, Governor of the State of Rhode Island, the Armenian Assembly of America in Washington, and the Armenian National Committee in Washington.
======== LC003825 ========

2015 — S 0834
==== LC002351 ========
STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2015
____________
SENATE RESOLUTION
PROCLAIMING APRIL 24. 2015, AS “ARMENIAN GENOCIDE REMEMBRANCE DAY” TO COMMEMORATE TH E ARMENIAN GENOCIDE OF 1915 TO 1923 AND IN HONOR OF ARMENIAN-AMERICANS
Introduced By: Senators Gallo, Ruggerio, Goodwin, Jabour, and McCaffrey
Date Introduced: April 15, 2015
Referred To: Recommended for Immediate Consideration

WHEREAS, The Armenian Genocide was conceived and carried out by the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1923, and resulted in the deportation of nearly 2.000,000 Armenians. of whom 1,500,000 men, women, and children were killed, and the remaining 500,000 survived but were expelled from their homes. This act succeeded in the elimination of the Armenians from their historic ancestral homeland where they had resided for over 2,500 years; and

WHEREAS, On May 24, 1915, for the first time ever. the Allied Powers of England, France, and Russia, jointly issued a statement explicitly charging another government of committing “a crime against humanity “; and

This joint statement declared, “the Allied Governments announce publicly to the Sublime Porte that they will hold personally responsible for these crimes all members of the Ottoman Government, as well as those of their agents who are implicated in such massacres”; and

United States Ambassador Henry Morgenthau, Sr. explicitly described the policy of the Ottoman Empire’s government to the United States Department of State as “a campaign of race extermination,” and on July 16. 1915, was informed by United States Secretary of State Robert Lansing that the “Department approves your procedure . . . to stop Armenian persecution”; and

WHEREAS, The post-World War I Turkish government indicted the top leaders involved in the organization and execution of the Armenian Genocide and in the “massacre and destruction of the Armenians,” and in a series of court-martials, officials of the Young Turk regime were charged, tried and convicted, for organizing and executing massacres against the Armenian people; and

WHEREAS, In 1948, the United Nations War Crimes Commissioninvoked the Armenian Genocide as “precisely…one of the types of acts which the modern term ‘crimes against humanity’ is intended to cover” as a precedent for the Nuremberg tribunals; and

WHEREAS, The United States National Archives and Record Administration holds extensive and thorough documentation on the Armenian Genocide, especially in its holdings under Record Group 59 of the United States Department of State, files 867.00 and 40, which are open and widely available to the public and interested institutions; and

WHEREAS, The United States Holocaust Memorial Council, an independent federal agency, unanimously resolved on April 30, 1981, that the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum would include the Armenian Genocide in the museum and has since done so; and

WHEREAS, When one enters the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, there is an exhibit depicting Adolf Hitler, who on ordering his military commanders to attack Poland without provocation in 1939, dismissed objections by stating “[w]ho, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?”, thus setting the stage for the Holocaust; now, therefore be it

RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations hereby recognizes April 24, 2015, as “Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day” in the State of Rhode Island; and be it further

RESOLVED, That this Senate, on the occasion of the Centennial Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, respectfully requests the President of the United States and the United States Congress to call on the government of Turkey to face history and acknowledge this crime of genocide committed by the Ottoman Turks in 1915 and further, urge the Turkish government to make restitution for the loss of lives, confiscated properties, and general unlawful deportations, separating the indigenous population from their homeland ; and be it further

RESOLVED, That this Senate expresses its deepest sympathy to the Armenian-American community of Rhode Island and assures them that this genocide will always be commemorated and never forgotten; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Honorable Barack Obama, President of the United States, the Rhode Island Congressional Delegation, the Honorable Gina Raimondo, Governor of the State of Rhode Island, the Armenian Assembly of America in Washington, and the Armenian National Committee in

LC00235 2015S O 834

SENATE RESOLUTION
PROCLAIMING APRIL 24, 2015, AS “ARMENIAN GENOCIDE REMEMBRANCE DAY” TO COMMEMORATE THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE OF 1915 TO 1923 AND IN HONOR OF ARMENIAN-AMERICANS

======= LC002351 ========

2016 — S 2922
========
LC004688
========
STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2016
____________
SENATE RESOLUTION
PROCLAIMING APRIL 24, 2016, AS “ARMENIAN GENOCIDE REMEMBRANCE DAY”
TO COMMEMORATE THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE OF 1915 TO 1923, AND IN HONOR
OF ARMENIAN-AMERICANS
Introduced By: Senators Gallo, Jabour, Goodwin, Raptakis, and Ruggerio
Date Introduced: April 28, 2016
Referred To: Recommended for Immediate Consideration

WHEREAS, The Armenian Genocide was conceived and carried out by the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1923, and resulted in the deportation of nearly 2,000,000 Armenians, of whom 1,500,000 men, women, and children were killed, and the remaining 500,000 survived but were expelled from their homes. This act succeeded in the elimination of the Armenians from their historic ancestral homeland where they had resided for over 2,500 years; and

WHEREAS, On May 24, 1915, for the first time ever, the Allied Powers of England, France, and Russia, jointly issued a statement explicitly charging another government of committing “a crime against humanity”; and

WHEREAS, This joint statement declared, “the Allied Governments announce publicly to the Sublime Porte that they will hold personally responsible for these crimes all members of the Ottoman Government, as well as those of their agents who are implicated in such massacres”; and

WHEREAS, United States Ambassador Henry Morgenthau, Sr. explicitly described the policy of the Ottoman Empire’s government to the United States Department of State as “a campaign of race extermination,” and on July 16, 1915, was informed by United States Secretary of State Robert Lansing that the “Department approves your procedure . . . to stop Armenian persecution”; and

WHEREAS, The post-World War I Turkish government indicted the top leaders involved in the organization and execution of the Armenian Genocide and in the “massacre and destruction of the Armenians,” and in a series of court-martials, officials of the Young Turk regime were charged, tried and convicted, for organizing and executing massacres against the Armenian people; and

WHEREAS, In 1948, the United Nations War Crimes Commission invoked the Armenian Genocide as “precisely…one of the types of acts which the modern term ‘crimes against humanity’ is intended to cover” as a precedent for the Nuremberg tribunals; and

WHEREAS, The United States National Archives and Record Administration holds extensive and thorough documentation on the Armenian Genocide, especially in its holdings under Record Group 59 of the United States Department of State, files 867.00 and 867.40, which are open and widely available to the public and interested institutions; and

WHEREAS, The United States Holocaust Memorial Council, an independent federal agency, unanimously resolved on April 30, 1981, that the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum would include the Armenian Genocide in the museum and has since done so; and

WHEREAS, When one enters the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, there is an exhibit depicting Adolf Hitler, who on ordering his military commanders to attack Poland without provocation in 1939, dismissed objections by stating “[w]ho, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?”, thus setting the stage for the Holocaust; now, therefore be

RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations hereby recognizes April 24, 2016, as “Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day” in the State of Rhode Island; and be it further

RESOLVED, That this Senate respectfully requests the President of the United States and the United States Congress to call on the government of Turkey to face history and acknowledge this crime of genocide committed by the Ottoman Turks in 1915 and further, urge the Turkish government to make restitution for the loss of lives, confiscated properties, and general unlawful deportations, separating the indigenous population from their homeland; and be it further

RESOLVED, That this Senate expresses its deepest sympathy to the Armenian-American community of Rhode Island and assures them that this genocide will always be commemorated and never forgotten; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Honorable Barack Obama, President of the United States, the Rhode Island Congressional Delegation, the Honorable Gina Raimondo, Governor of the State of Rhode Island, the Armenian Assembly of America in Washington, and the Armenian National Committee in Washington.

========LC004688=======

2017 — S 0825
========
LC002367
========
STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2017
____________
SENATE RESOLUTION
COMMEMORATING “HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE DAY” AND “ARMENIAN
GENOCIDE REMEMBRANCE DAY” AND AVOWING THAT THESE ATROCITIES
SHALL NEVER BE REPEATED
Introduced By: Senators Gallo, Goodwin, Miller, Ruggerio, and Goldin
Date Introduced: April 27, 2017
Referred To: Recommended for Immediate Consideration

WHEREAS, The State of Rhode Island has consistently demonstrated its concerns and interests regarding raising awareness on the subjects of Holocaust and Genocide, and the necessity for civic education, of which Genocide education should be a component; and

WHEREAS, In 2016, the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island and the Armenian community spearheaded the drive to amend the Rhode Island General Laws in order to require more comprehensive and inclusive educational requirements on the subjects of Holocaust and Genocide; and

WHEREAS, Resultantly, House Bill 7488 SUB A was passed by the General Assembly and subsequently signed into law on June 17, 2016; and

WHEREAS, The legislation requires the Rhode Island Board of Education to include instruction on the subjects of Holocaust and Genocide studies in an appropriate place in the curriculum, for all middle and high school students; and

WHEREAS, The Armenian Genocide was conceived and carried out by the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1923, and resulted in the deportation of nearly 2,000,000 Armenians, of whom 1,500,000 men, women, and children were killed, and the remaining 500,000 survived but were expelled from their homes. This act succeeded in the elimination of the Armenians from their historic ancestral homeland where they had resided for over 2,500 years; and

WHEREAS, United States Ambassador Henry Morgenthau, Sr. explicitly described the policy of the Ottoman Empire’s government to the United States Department of State as “a campaign of race extermination.” The post-World War I Turkish government indicted the top leaders involved in the organization and execution of the Armenian Genocide and in the “massacre and destruction of the Armenians,” and in a series of court-martials, officials of the Young Turk regime were charged, tried and convicted, for organizing and executing massacres against the Armenian people; and

WHEREAS, Holocaust is the term used to refer to the period in world history from 1933 to 1945, before and during World War II, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazis systematically and barbarically persecuted and murdered nearly six million Jews and another five million non-Jews throughout Europe because they were perceived to be “racially inferior” and “life unworthy of life”; and

WHEREAS, The infamous and brutal killing grounds of Auschwitz, Buchenwald, Dachau and Belson, today house the unnatural quiet and ghostly calm of somber rows of sanitized barracks and rusting ovens, and stand as speechless memorials to the six million Jews and eleven million total victims who succumbed to the deliberate Nazi program of Genocide that was the Holocaust; and

WHEREAS, This year marks the 102nd Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide committed by the Ottoman Turks in 1915, and the 74th Anniversary of the 1943 Warsaw Ghetto Uprising; and

WHEREAS, The United States Holocaust Memorial Council, an independent federal agency, unanimously resolved on April 30, 1981, that the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum would include the Armenian Genocide in the museum and has since done so; and

WHEREAS, When one enters the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, there is an exhibit depicting Adolf Hitler, who on ordering his military commanders to attack Poland without provocation in 1939, dismissed objections by stating “[w]ho, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?”, thus setting the stage for the Holocaust; and

WHEREAS, The citizens of Rhode Island, having our own rich heritage of resistance and intolerance for those who would trample individual liberty and dignity, applaud the courageous efforts of the Armenians in their brave fight for their survival and their ancestral homeland and the valiant efforts of ghetto residents for whom day to day survival was a relentless struggle. The brave actions of the Armenian and Jewish people stand as testimony to a rare and indomitable human spirit and extraordinary courage exhibited in the darkest hours of man’s inhumanity; and

WHEREAS, Rhode Islanders and people of all nations must take the time to remember and educate their youth about the millions of men, women and children who were slaughtered simply because of their beliefs and their heritage, or their strengths or their frailties, and we must firmly avow that the atrocities of the Armenian Genocide and the Holocaust will never be repeated; now, therefore be it

RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations hereby commemorates “Holocaust Remembrance Day” and “Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day”; and be it further

RESOLVED, That this Senate hereby expresses its deepest sympathy to the Jewish- American and Armenian-American communities of Rhode Island and thanks them for their efforts to assure that these atrocious and unconscionable events will always be commemorated and never forgotten by future generations; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Honorable Donald Trump, President of the United States, the Rhode Island Congressional Delegation, and the Honorable Gina Raimondo, Governor of the State of Rhode Island.

========LC002367========

2017 — S 0910
S T A T E  O F  R H O D E  I S L A N D
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2017
S E N A T E  R E S O L U T I O N

PROCLAIMING MAY 19TH OF 2017 AS “GREEK PONTIAN GENOCIDE
REMEMBRANCE DAY” IN THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND Introduced By: Senators Raptakis, Nesselbush, McCaffrey, Algiere, and Lombardi Date Introduced: May 18, 2017 Referred To: Recommended for Immediate Consideration

WHEREAS, Rhode Island is proud to be the home of numerous ethnic communities, 1
many of whom have prospered and enjoyed the freedom and democracy upon which our nation 2
was founded; tragically, throughout history, the people of many countries have not realized the 3
same autonomy and equality; and 4

WHEREAS, From 1914 until 1922, in a systematic attempt to exterminate an entire 5
population, the Ottoman Turks directed the killing of 353,000 Pontian and Anatolian Greeks and 6
over a million Armenians and Assyrians living in Pontos, and an equal number who were forced 7
to flee their homeland in one of the most condemnable atrocities in the history of the world; and 8

WHEREAS, The Ottoman and Kemals Neoturks engaged in exile, starvation, slaughter, 9
and murder, using axes and fire to massacre the Pontic Greek population and perpetrate the first 10
mass genocide of the 20th century, and the Armenian Genocide was conceived and carried out by 11
the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1923, and resulted in the deportation of nearly 2,000,000 12
Armenians, of whom 1,500,000 men, women, and children were killed, and the remaining 13
500,000 survived but were expelled from their homes; and 14

WHEREAS, It is vital and proper to remember those who lost their lives in the Pontian 15
Genocide, and it is paramount that people of all nations look at this horrific event in our world’s 16
not-so-distant history as a way to learn a valuable lesson, so that such atrocities are not tolerated 17
and are never committed again; and 18

WHEREAS, It is likewise important to pay tribute to the survivors of this atrocious 19

LC002504 – Page 2 of 2 period, as well as their descendents, who have made countless contributions to the enrichment of 1
our culture and our way of life here in the Ocean State and who stand as an inspiration to 2
oppressed people around the world; now, therefore be it 3

RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations 4
hereby joins the Greek-American community on May 19th of each year in a solemn 5
commemoration of the Pontian Genocide of 1914-1922; and be it further 6

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to 7
transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to Gus Tsilfides President Pan-Pontain Federation 8
of USA and Canada and Panagiotis Petridis at the Panagia Soumela Pontian Society of Boston. 9

2017 — S 0825
S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2017
S E N A T E R E S O L U T I O N COMMEMORATING “HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE DAY” AND “ARMENIAN
GENOCIDE REMEMBRANCE DAY” AND AVOWING THAT THESE ATROCITIES
SHALL NEVER BE REPEATED Introduced By: Senators Gallo, Goodwin, Miller, Ruggerio, and Goldin Date Introduced: April 27, 2017 Referred To: Recommended for Immediate Consideration

WHEREAS, The State of Rhode Island has consistently demonstrated its concerns and 1
interests regarding raising awareness on the subjects of Holocaust and Genocide, and the 2
necessity for civic education, of which Genocide education should be a component; and 3

WHEREAS, In 2016, the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island and the Armenian 4
community spearheaded the drive to amend the Rhode Island General Laws in order to require 5
more comprehensive and inclusive educational requirements on the subjects of Holocaust and 6
Genocide; and 7

WHEREAS, Resultantly, House Bill 7488 SUB A was passed by the General Assembly 8
and subsequently signed into law on June 17, 2016; and 9

WHEREAS, The legislation requires the Rhode Island Board of Education to include 10
instruction on the subjects of Holocaust and Genocide studies in an appropriate place in the 11
curriculum, for all middle and high school students; and 12

WHEREAS, The Armenian Genocide was conceived and carried out by the Ottoman 13
Empire from 1915 to 1923, and resulted in the deportation of nearly 2,000,000 Armenians, of 14
whom 1,500,000 men, women, and children were killed, and the remaining 500,000 survived but 15
were expelled from their homes. This act succeeded in the elimination of the Armenians from 16
their historic ancestral homeland where they had resided for over 2,500 years; and 17

WHEREAS, United States Ambassador Henry Morgenthau, Sr. explicitly described the 18
policy of the Ottoman Empire’s government to the United States Department of State as “a 19 campaign of race extermination.” The post-World War I Turkish government indicted the top 1
leaders involved in the organization and execution of the Armenian Genocide and in the 2
“massacre and destruction of the Armenians,” and in a series of court-martials, officials of the 3
Young Turk regime were charged, tried and convicted, for organizing and executing massacres 4
against the Armenian people; and 5

WHEREAS, Holocaust is the term used to refer to the period in world history from 1933 6
to 1945, before and during World War II, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazis systematically and 7
barbarically persecuted and murdered nearly six million Jews and another five million non-Jews 8
throughout Europe because they were perceived to be “racially inferior” and “life unworthy of 9
life”; and 10

WHEREAS, The infamous and brutal killing grounds of Auschwitz, Buchenwald, 11
Dachau and Belson, today house the unnatural quiet and ghostly calm of somber rows of sanitized 12
barracks and rusting ovens, and stand as speechless memorials to the six million Jews and eleven 13
million total victims who succumbed to the deliberate Nazi program of Genocide that was the 14
Holocaust; and 15

WHEREAS, This year marks the 102nd Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide 16
committed by the Ottoman Turks in 1915, and the 74th Anniversary of the 1943 Warsaw Ghetto 17
Uprising; and 18

WHEREAS, The United States Holocaust Memorial Council, an independent federal 19
agency, unanimously resolved on April 30, 1981, that the United States Holocaust Memorial 20
Museum would include the Armenian Genocide in the museum and has since done so; and 21

WHEREAS, When one enters the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, there is an 22
exhibit depicting Adolf Hitler, who on ordering his military commanders to attack Poland without 23
provocation in 1939, dismissed objections by stating “[w]ho, after all, speaks today of the 24
annihilation of the Armenians?”, thus setting the stage for the Holocaust; and 25

WHEREAS, The citizens of Rhode Island, having our own rich heritage of resistance and 26
intolerance for those who would trample individual liberty and dignity, applaud the courageous 27
efforts of the Armenians in their brave fight for their survival and their ancestral homeland and 28
the valiant efforts of ghetto residents for whom day to day survival was a relentless struggle. The 29
brave actions of the Armenian and Jewish people stand as testimony to a rare and indomitable 30
human spirit and extraordinary courage exhibited in the darkest hours of man’s inhumanity; and 31

WHEREAS, Rhode Islanders and people of all nations must take the time to remember 32
and educate their youth about the millions of men, women and children who were slaughtered 33
simply because of their beliefs and their heritage, or their strengths or their frailties, and we must 34 firmly avow that the atrocities of the Armenian Genocide and the Holocaust will never be 1
repeated; now, therefore be it 2

RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations 3
hereby commemorates “Holocaust Remembrance Day” and “Armenian Genocide Remembrance 4
Day”; and be it further 5

RESOLVED, That this Senate hereby expresses its deepest sympathy to the Jewish-6
American and Armenian-American communities of Rhode Island and thanks them for their 7
efforts to assure that these atrocious and unconscionable events will always be commemorated 8
and never forgotten by future generations; and be it further 9

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to 10
transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Honorable Donald Trump, President of the 11
United States, the Rhode Island Congressional Delegation, and the Honorable Gina Raimondo, 12
Governor of the State of Rhode Island.

18R-190
2018–S 2826
LC005420
STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2018
SENATE RESOLUTION
PROCLAIMING APRIL 24, 2018, AS “ARMENIAN GENOCIDE REMEMBRANCE DAY”
TO COMMEMORATE THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE OF 1915 TO 1923, AND IN HONOR
OF ARMENIAN-AMERICANS
Introduced By: Senators Gallo, labour, Goodwin, Ruggerio, and Raptakis
Date Introduced: April 24, 2018
Referred To: Recommended for Immediate Consideration

WHEREAS, The Armenian Genocide was conceived and carried out by the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1923, and resulted in the deportation of nearly 2,000,000 Armenians, of whom 1,500,000 men, women, and children were killed, and the remaining 500,000 survived but were expelled from their homes. This act succeeded in the elimination of the Armenians from their historic ancestral homeland where they had resided for over 2,500 years; and

WHEREAS, On May 24, 1915, for the first time ever, the Allied Powers of England, France, and Russia, jointly issued a statement explicitly charging another government of committing “a crime against humanity”; and

WHEREAS, This joint statement declared, “the Allied Governments announce publicly to the Sublime Porte that they will hold personally responsible for these crimes all members of the Ottoman Government, as well as those of their agents who are implicated in such massacres”; and

WHEREAS, United States Ambassador Henry Morgenthau, Sr. explicitly described the policy of the Ottoman Empire’s government to the United States Department of State as “a campaign of race extermination,” and on July 16, 1915, was informed by United States Secretary of State Robert Lansing that the “Department approves your procedure…to stop Armenian persecution”; and

WHEREAS, The post-World War I Turkish government indicted the top leaders involved in the organization and execution of the Armenian Genocide and in the “massacre and destruction of the Armenians,” and in a series of court-martials, officials of the Young Turk regime were charged, tried and convicted, for organizing and executing massacres against the Armenian people; and

WHEREAS, In 1948, the United Nations War Crimes Commission invoked the Armenian Genocide as “precisely . . . one of the types of acts which the modem term ‘crimes against humanity’ is intended to cover” as a precedent for the Nuremberg tribunals; and

WHEREAS, The United States National Archives and Record Administration holds extensive and thorough documentation on the Armenian Genocide, especially in its holdings under Record Group 59 of the United States Department of State, files 867.00 and 867.40, which are open and widely available to the public and interested institutions; and

WHEREAS, The United States Holocaust Memorial Council, an independent federal agency, unanimously resolved on April 30, 1981, that the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum would include the Armenian Genocide in the museum and has since done so; and

WHEREAS, When one enters the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, there is an exhibit depicting Adolf Hitler, who on ordering his military commanders to attack Poland without provocation in 1939, dismissed objections by stating “[w]ho, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?”, thus setting the stage for the Holocaust; now, therefore be it

RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations hereby recognizes April 24, 2018, as “Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day” in the State of Rhode Island; and be it further

RESOLVED, That this Senate respectfully requests the President of the United States and the United States Congress to call on the government of Turkey to face history and acknowledge this crime of genocide committed by the Ottoman Turks in 1915 and further, urge the Turkish government to make restitution for the loss of lives, confiscated properties, and general unlawful deportations, separating the indigenous population from their homeland; and be it further

RESOLVED, That this Senate expresses its deepest sympathy to the Armenian-American community of Rhode Island and assures them that this genocide will always be commemorated and never forgotten; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Honorable Donald Trump, President of the United States, the Rhode Island Congressional Delegation, the Honorable Gina Raimondo, Governor of the State of Rhode Island, the Armenian Assembly of America in Washington, and the Armenian National Committee in Washington.

S- 2018S 2826 H-

SENATE RESOLUTION

PROCLAIMING APRIL 24, 2018, AS “ARMENIAN GENOCIDE REMEMBRANCE DAY” TO

COMMEMORATE THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE OF 1915 TO 1923, AND IN HONOR OF ARMENIAN-AMERICANS

(SIGNATURES)

State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations

Department of State I Office of the Secretary of State Nellie M. Gorbea, Secretary of State
I, Thaddeus Jendzejec, Acting Deputy Secretary of State of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations hereby Certify that the aforegoing is a true xerographic copy of:
Senate Resolution 18R190 (18-S2826) entitled “Senate Resolution Proclaiming April 24, 2018, as Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day to Commemorate the Armenian Genocide of 1915 to 1923, and in Honor of Armenian-Americans”
taken from the records in this office and compared with the original Senate Resolution 18R190 (18-S2826) passed in the Senate at the January session, A.D. 2018 on the twenty fourth day of April, A.D. 2018 and now remaining in this office.
Proposed by: Senators Gallo, Jabour, Goodwin, Ruggerio, and Raptakis

(SIGNED)
Acting Deputy Secretary of State

2018 – S 2883
18R-231
LC005636
STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2018
SENATE RESOLUTION
STRONGLY SUPPORTING HOLOCAUST AND GENOCIDE EDUCATION IN RHODE ISLAND’S SCHOOLS
Introduced By: Senators Goldin, Gallo, Miller, Ruggerio, and Metts Date Introduced: May 10, 2018
Referred To: Recommended for Immediate Consideration

WHEREAS, In 2016, the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island and the Armenian community spearheaded the drive to amend the Rhode Island General Laws in order to require more comprehensive and inclusive educational requirements on the subjects of Holocaust and Genocide; and

WHEREAS, Resuhantly, House Bill 7488 SUB A and Senate Bill 2396 SUB A were passed by the General Assembly and subsequently signed into law by the Governor on Jtme 17, 2016; and

WHEREAS, Rhode Island’s law now requires the Rhode Island Board of Education to include instruction on the subjects of Holocaust and Genocide studies in an appropriate place in the curriculum, for all middle and high school students; and

WHEREAS, Rhode Island was one of the first states to enact legislation mandating such education along with Michigan, New York. New Jersey, Florida, Illinois, California, Indiana, and Pennsylvania have passed laws requiring some form of Holocaust and Genocide Education, and Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Virginia and a dozen other states have committed to enacting similar legislation; and

WHEREAS, The Holocaust is defined as the destruction of six million European Jews by the Nazis and their collaborators between 1933 and 1945. Genocide is comfirmed as “acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group” and” … a series of purposeful actions by a perpetrator(s) to destroy a collectivity through mass or selective
murders of group members and suppressing the biological and social reproduction of the collectivity”; and

WHEREAS, Holocaust and Genocide Education seeks to enhance education, cultural production, and public memory about the incidence of these atrocities -in the distant and not-so­distant past. Educators must embrace the teaching and study of the topic and students must be motivated to employ critical thinking skills; and

WHEREAS, Holocaust and Genocide Education has additional prevalence in that it demonstrates what can happen when bullying, hate speech, and other forms of intimidation, often faced by today’s students, are allowed to escalate into stereotyping, prejudice, racism, and worse; and

WHEREAS, It is essential to our state and our nation that we educate our youth about the millions of men, women and children who have and continue to be slaughtered and ostracized simply because of their beliefs and their heritage, or their strengths or their frailties, and we must firmly avow that the atrocities of the Holocaust and Genocide will never be repeated; now, therefore be it

RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations hereby reaffirms our pledge to work to eradicate bigotry, prejudice, brutality and injustice, and urges Rhode Island educators and students to learn about and learn from these atrocities so they may never blight our world again; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Commissioner of the Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, the Rhode Island Holocaust Museum, the Jewish Federation of Rhode Island, the Jewish Community Center of Rhode Island, the Armenian Assembly of America in Washington, and the Armenian National Committee in Washington.

LC005636
LC005636 – Page 2 of 2
SENATE RESOLUTION
STRONGLY SUPPORTING HOLOCAUST AND GENOCIDE EDUCATION IN RHODE ISLAND’S SCHOOLS
LC005636
Presented by
(SIGNATURES)
IN THE SENATE
READ AND PASSED
MAY 10 2018
(SIGNED)
Reading Clerk
I, Thaddeus Jendzejec, Acting Deputy Secretary of State of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations hereby Certify that the aforegoing is a true xerographic copy of:
Senate Resolution 18R231 (18-S2883) entitled “Senate Resolution Strongly Supporting Holocaust and Genocide Education in Rhode Island’s Schools”
taken from the records in this office and compared with the original Senate Resolution 18R231 ( 18-S2883) passed in the Senate at the January session, A.O. 2018 on the tenth day of May, A.O. 2018 and now remaining in this office.
Proposed by: Senators Goldin, Gallo, Miller, Ruggerio, and Metts
In Testimony Whereof, I have hereunto
set my hand and affixed the Seal of the
State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations this, fifteenth day of May, A.D. 2018
(SIGNED)
Acting Deputy Secretary of State

2018 — S 2898
S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2018
____________ S E N A T E R E S O L U T I O N PROCLAIMING MAY 19TH OF 2018 AS “GREEK PONTIAN GENOCIDE
REMEMBRANCE DAY” IN THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND Introduced By: Senators Raptakis, Gallo, McCaffrey, Cano, and Euer Date Introduced: May 17, 2018 Referred To: Recommended for Immediate Consideration

WHEREAS, Rhode Island is proud to be the home of numerous ethnic communities, 1
many of whom have prospered and enjoyed the freedom and democracy upon which our nation 2
was founded; tragically, throughout history, the people of many countries have not realized the 3
same autonomy and equality; and 4

WHEREAS, From 1914 until 1922, in a systematic attempt to exterminate an entire 5
population, the Ottoman Turks directed the killing of 353,000 Pontian and Anatolian Greeks and 6
over a million Armenians and Assyrians living in Pontos, and an equal number who were forced 7
to flee their homeland in one of the most condemnable atrocities in the history of the world; and 8

WHEREAS, The Ottoman and Kemals Neoturks engaged in exile, starvation, slaughter, 9
and murder, using axes and fire to massacre the Pontic Greek population and perpetrate the first 10
mass genocide of the 20th century, and the Armenian Genocide was conceived and carried out by 11
the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1923, and resulted in the deportation of nearly 2,000,000 12
Armenians, of whom 1,500,000 men, women, and children were killed, and the remaining 13
500,000 survived but were expelled from their homes; and 14

WHEREAS, It is vital and proper to remember those who lost their lives in the Pontian 15
Genocide, and it is paramount that people of all nations look at this horrific event in our world’s 16
not-so-distant history as a way to learn a valuable lesson, so that such atrocities are not tolerated 17
and are never committed again; and 18

WHEREAS, It is likewise important to pay tribute to the survivors of this atrocious 19 as well as their descendants, who have made countless contributions to the enrichment of 1
our culture and our way of life here in the Ocean State and who stand as an inspiration to 2
oppressed people around the world; now, therefore be it 3

RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations 4
hereby joins the Greek-American community on May 19th of each year in a solemn 5
commemoration of the Pontian Genocide of 1914-1922; and be it further 6

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to 7
transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to Gus Tsilfides President Pan-Pontian Federation 8
of USA and Canada and John Katsaros at the Panagia Soumela Pontian Society of Boston.

2018 – S 2883
18R-231
LC005636
STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2018
SENATE RESOLUTION
STRONGLY SUPPORTING HOLOCAUST AND GENOCIDE EDUCATION IN RHODE ISLAND’S SCHOOLS
Introduced By: Senators Goldin, Gallo, Miller, Ruggerio, and Metts Date Introduced: May 10, 2018
Referred To: Recommended for Immediate Consideration

WHEREAS, In 2016, the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island and the Armenian community spearheaded the drive to amend the Rhode Island General Laws in order to require more comprehensive and inclusive educational requirements on the subjects of Holocaust and Genocide; and

WHEREAS, Resuhantly, House Bill 7488 SUB A and Senate Bill 2396 SUB A were passed by the General Assembly and subsequently signed into law by the Governor on Jtme 17, 2016; and

WHEREAS, Rhode Island’s law now requires the Rhode Island Board of Education to include instruction on the subjects of Holocaust and Genocide studies in an appropriate place in the curriculum, for all middle and high school students; and

WHEREAS, Rhode Island was one of the first states to enact legislation mandating such education along with Michigan, New York. New Jersey, Florida, Illinois, California, Indiana, and Pennsylvania have passed laws requiring some form of Holocaust and Genocide Education, and Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Virginia and a dozen other states have committed to enacting similar legislation; and

WHEREAS, The Holocaust is defined as the destruction of six million European Jews by the Nazis and their collaborators between 1933 and 1945. Genocide is comfirmed as “acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group” and” … a series of purposeful actions by a perpetrator(s) to destroy a collectivity through mass or selective
murders of group members and suppressing the biological and social reproduction of the collectivity”; and

WHEREAS, Holocaust and Genocide Education seeks to enhance education, cultural production, and public memory about the incidence of these atrocities -in the distant and not-so­distant past. Educators must embrace the teaching and study of the topic and students must be motivated to employ critical thinking skills; and

WHEREAS, Holocaust and Genocide Education has additional prevalence in that it demonstrates what can happen when bullying, hate speech, and other forms of intimidation, often faced by today’s students, are allowed to escalate into stereotyping, prejudice, racism, and worse; and

WHEREAS, It is essential to our state and our nation that we educate our youth about the millions of men, women and children who have and continue to be slaughtered and ostracized simply because of their beliefs and their heritage, or their strengths or their frailties, and we must firmly avow that the atrocities of the Holocaust and Genocide will never be repeated; now, therefore be it

RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations hereby reaffirms our pledge to work to eradicate bigotry, prejudice, brutality and injustice, and urges Rhode Island educators and students to learn about and learn from these atrocities so they may never blight our world again; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Commissioner of the Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, the Rhode Island Holocaust Museum, the Jewish Federation of Rhode Island, the Jewish Community Center of Rhode Island, the Armenian Assembly of America in Washington, and the Armenian National Committee in Washington.

LC005636
LC005636 – Page 2 of 2
SENATE RESOLUTION
STRONGLY SUPPORTING HOLOCAUST AND GENOCIDE EDUCATION IN RHODE ISLAND’S SCHOOLS
LC005636
Presented by
(SIGNATURES)
IN THE SENATE
READ AND PASSED
MAY 10 2018
(SIGNED)
Reading Clerk
I, Thaddeus Jendzejec, Acting Deputy Secretary of State of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations hereby Certify that the aforegoing is a true xerographic copy of:
Senate Resolution 18R231 (18-S2883) entitled “Senate Resolution Strongly Supporting Holocaust and Genocide Education in Rhode Island’s Schools”
taken from the records in this office and compared with the original Senate Resolution 18R231 ( 18-S2883) passed in the Senate at the January session, A.O. 2018 on the tenth day of May, A.O. 2018 and now remaining in this office.
Proposed by: Senators Goldin, Gallo, Miller, Ruggerio, and Metts
In Testimony Whereof, I have hereunto
set my hand and affixed the Seal of the
State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations this, fifteenth day of May, A.D. 2018
(SIGNED)
Acting Deputy Secretary of State

2018 — S 2826
S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2018
____________ S E N A T E R E S O L U T I O N PROCLAIMING APRIL 24, 2018, AS “ARMENIAN GENOCIDE REMEMBRANCE DAY”
TO COMMEMORATE THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE OF 1915 TO 1923, AND IN HONOR
OF ARMENIAN-AMERICANS Introduced By: Senators Gallo, Jabour, Goodwin, Ruggerio, and Raptakis Date Introduced: April 24, 2018 Referred To: Recommended for Immediate Consideration

WHEREAS, The Armenian Genocide was conceived and carried out by the Ottoman 1
Empire from 1915 to 1923, and resulted in the deportation of nearly 2,000,000 Armenians, of 2
whom 1,500,000 men, women, and children were killed, and the remaining 500,000 survived but 3
were expelled from their homes. This act succeeded in the elimination of the Armenians from 4
their historic ancestral homeland where they had resided for over 2,500 years; and 5

WHEREAS, On May 24, 1915, for the first time ever, the Allied Powers of England, 6
France, and Russia, jointly issued a statement explicitly charging another government of 7
committing “a crime against humanity”; and 8

WHEREAS, This joint statement declared, “the Allied Governments announce publicly 9
to the Sublime Porte that they will hold personally responsible for these crimes all members of 10
the Ottoman Government, as well as those of their agents who are implicated in such massacres”; 11
and 12

WHEREAS, United States Ambassador Henry Morgenthau, Sr. explicitly described the 13
policy of the Ottoman Empire’s government to the United States Department of State as “a 14
campaign of race extermination,” and on July 16, 1915, was informed by United States Secretary 15
of State Robert Lansing that the “Department approves your procedure . . . to stop Armenian 16
persecution”; and 17

WHEREAS, The post-World War I Turkish government indicted the top leaders involved 18
in the organization and execution of the Armenian Genocide and in the “massacre and destruction 19 of the Armenians,” and in a series of court-martials, officials of the Young Turk regime were 1
charged, tried and convicted, for organizing and executing massacres against the Armenian 2
people; and 3

WHEREAS, In 1948, the United Nations War Crimes Commission invoked the 4
Armenian Genocide as “precisely . . . one of the types of acts which the modern term ‘crimes 5
against humanity’ is intended to cover” as a precedent for the Nuremberg tribunals; and 6

WHEREAS, The United States National Archives and Record Administration holds 7
extensive and thorough documentation on the Armenian Genocide, especially in its holdings 8
under Record Group 59 of the United States Department of State, files 867.00 and 867.40, which 9
are open and widely available to the public and interested institutions; and 10

WHEREAS, The United States Holocaust Memorial Council, an independent federal 11
agency, unanimously resolved on April 30, 1981, that the United States Holocaust Memorial 12
Museum would include the Armenian Genocide in the museum and has since done so; and 13

WHEREAS, When one enters the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, there is an 14
exhibit depicting Adolf Hitler, who on ordering his military commanders to attack Poland without 15
provocation in 1939, dismissed objections by stating “[w]ho, after all, speaks today of the 16
annihilation of the Armenians?”, thus setting the stage for the Holocaust; now, therefore be it 17

RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations 18
hereby recognizes April 24, 2018, as “Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day” in the State of 19
Rhode Island; and be it further 20

RESOLVED, That this Senate respectfully requests the President of the United States and 21
the United States Congress to call on the government of Turkey to face history and acknowledge 22
this crime of genocide committed by the Ottoman Turks in 1915 and further, urge the Turkish 23
government to make restitution for the loss of lives, confiscated properties, and general unlawful 24
deportations, separating the indigenous population from their homeland; and be it further 25

RESOLVED, That this Senate expresses its deepest sympathy to the Armenian-American 26
community of Rhode Island and assures them that this genocide will always be commemorated 27
and never forgotten; and be it further 28

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to 29
transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Honorable Donald Trump, President of the 30
United States, the Rhode Island Congressional Delegation, the Honorable Gina Raimondo, 31
Governor of the State of Rhode Island, the Armenian Assembly of America in Washington, and 32 33 the Armenian National Committee in Washington.

2018 – S 2883
18R-231
LC005636
STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2018
SENATE RESOLUTION
STRONGLY SUPPORTING HOLOCAUST AND GENOCIDE EDUCATION IN RHODE ISLAND’S SCHOOLS
Introduced By: Senators Goldin, Gallo, Miller, Ruggerio, and Metts Date Introduced: May 10, 2018
Referred To: Recommended for Immediate Consideration

WHEREAS, In 2016, the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island and the Armenian community spearheaded the drive to amend the Rhode Island General Laws in order to require more comprehensive and inclusive educational requirements on the subjects of Holocaust and Genocide; and

WHEREAS, Resuhantly, House Bill 7488 SUB A and Senate Bill 2396 SUB A were passed by the General Assembly and subsequently signed into law by the Governor on Jtme 17, 2016; and

WHEREAS, Rhode Island’s law now requires the Rhode Island Board of Education to include instruction on the subjects of Holocaust and Genocide studies in an appropriate place in the curriculum, for all middle and high school students; and

WHEREAS, Rhode Island was one of the first states to enact legislation mandating such education along with Michigan, New York. New Jersey, Florida, Illinois, California, Indiana, and Pennsylvania have passed laws requiring some form of Holocaust and Genocide Education, and Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Virginia and a dozen other states have committed to enacting similar legislation; and

WHEREAS, The Holocaust is defined as the destruction of six million European Jews by the Nazis and their collaborators between 1933 and 1945. Genocide is comfirmed as “acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group” and” … a series of purposeful actions by a perpetrator(s) to destroy a collectivity through mass or selective
murders of group members and suppressing the biological and social reproduction of the collectivity”; and

WHEREAS, Holocaust and Genocide Education seeks to enhance education, cultural production, and public memory about the incidence of these atrocities -in the distant and not-so­distant past. Educators must embrace the teaching and study of the topic and students must be motivated to employ critical thinking skills; and

WHEREAS, Holocaust and Genocide Education has additional prevalence in that it demonstrates what can happen when bullying, hate speech, and other forms of intimidation, often faced by today’s students, are allowed to escalate into stereotyping, prejudice, racism, and worse; and

WHEREAS, It is essential to our state and our nation that we educate our youth about the millions of men, women and children who have and continue to be slaughtered and ostracized simply because of their beliefs and their heritage, or their strengths or their frailties, and we must firmly avow that the atrocities of the Holocaust and Genocide will never be repeated; now, therefore be it

RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations hereby reaffirms our pledge to work to eradicate bigotry, prejudice, brutality and injustice, and urges Rhode Island educators and students to learn about and learn from these atrocities so they may never blight our world again; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Commissioner of the Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, the Rhode Island Holocaust Museum, the Jewish Federation of Rhode Island, the Jewish Community Center of Rhode Island, the Armenian Assembly of America in Washington, and the Armenian National Committee in Washington.

LC005636
LC005636 – Page 2 of 2
SENATE RESOLUTION
STRONGLY SUPPORTING HOLOCAUST AND GENOCIDE EDUCATION IN RHODE ISLAND’S SCHOOLS
LC005636
Presented by
(SIGNATURES)
IN THE SENATE
READ AND PASSED
MAY 10 2018
(SIGNED)
Reading Clerk
I, Thaddeus Jendzejec, Acting Deputy Secretary of State of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations hereby Certify that the aforegoing is a true xerographic copy of:
Senate Resolution 18R231 (18-S2883) entitled “Senate Resolution Strongly Supporting Holocaust and Genocide Education in Rhode Island’s Schools”
taken from the records in this office and compared with the original Senate Resolution 18R231 ( 18-S2883) passed in the Senate at the January session, A.O. 2018 on the tenth day of May, A.O. 2018 and now remaining in this office.
Proposed by: Senators Goldin, Gallo, Miller, Ruggerio, and Metts
In Testimony Whereof, I have hereunto
set my hand and affixed the Seal of the
State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations this, fifteenth day of May, A.D. 2018
(SIGNED)
Acting Deputy Secretary of State

2019 — S 0035
S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2019
____________ S E N A T E R E S O L U T I O N EXPRESSING SINCERE CONDOLENCES ON THE PASSING OF ANTRANIG
MESROBIAN Introduced By: Senators Ciccone, Lombardi, Satchell, Morgan, and Nesselbush Date Introduced: January 16, 2019 Referred To: Recommended for Immediate Consideration

WHEREAS, It is with utmost sadness that this Senate has learned of the passing of 1
Antranig Mesrobian, the devoted husband of Carol for more than fifty-three years, the loving 2
father of Steve Mesrobian, Mark Mesrobian and his wife, Bried, and Stephanie Killian and her 3
husband, Ari, and the cherished grandfather of two precious grandchildren, Aline and Ara; and 4

WHEREAS, Born in Providence, Anto, as he was affectionately known, was the son of 5
the late Mariam and Stepan Mesrobian, who were Armenian Genocide survivors. The family 6
made their home in the Smith Hill section of Providence; and 7

WHEREAS, Anto attended Providence Vocational Technical School where he took 8
classes in what would become his future profession of cabinetmaking; and 9

WHEREAS, Mr. Mesrobian served this country with honor and distinction overseas 10
during the Korean War. Upon returning stateside, he made his home in Rhode Island and became 11
a master cabinetmaker, working for 44 years at Hope Store Fixtures and Modern Industries, 12
before retiring in 1994; and 13

WHEREAS, On August 22, 1965, Mr. Mesrobian married the love of his life, Carol 14
Bedrosian at Sts. Vartanantz Church in Providence, and together they made their home in North 15
Providence; and 16

WHEREAS, Anto Mesrobian was proud of his Armenian heritage. He was a 17
compassionate and caring man of great faith and devotion to his family and his church and he will 18
be dearly missed and forever in the hearts and memories of those he loved; now, therefore be it 19

RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations 1
hereby extends its heartfelt condolences on the passing of Antranig Mesrobian; and be it further 2

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to 3
transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to Carol Mesrobian and Family.

2018 – S 2883
18R-231
LC005636
STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2018
SENATE RESOLUTION
STRONGLY SUPPORTING HOLOCAUST AND GENOCIDE EDUCATION IN RHODE ISLAND’S SCHOOLS
Introduced By: Senators Goldin, Gallo, Miller, Ruggerio, and Metts Date Introduced: May 10, 2018
Referred To: Recommended for Immediate Consideration

WHEREAS, In 2016, the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island and the Armenian community spearheaded the drive to amend the Rhode Island General Laws in order to require more comprehensive and inclusive educational requirements on the subjects of Holocaust and Genocide; and

WHEREAS, Resuhantly, House Bill 7488 SUB A and Senate Bill 2396 SUB A were passed by the General Assembly and subsequently signed into law by the Governor on Jtme 17, 2016; and

WHEREAS, Rhode Island’s law now requires the Rhode Island Board of Education to include instruction on the subjects of Holocaust and Genocide studies in an appropriate place in the curriculum, for all middle and high school students; and

WHEREAS, Rhode Island was one of the first states to enact legislation mandating such education along with Michigan, New York. New Jersey, Florida, Illinois, California, Indiana, and Pennsylvania have passed laws requiring some form of Holocaust and Genocide Education, and Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Virginia and a dozen other states have committed to enacting similar legislation; and

WHEREAS, The Holocaust is defined as the destruction of six million European Jews by the Nazis and their collaborators between 1933 and 1945. Genocide is comfirmed as “acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group” and” … a series of purposeful actions by a perpetrator(s) to destroy a collectivity through mass or selective
murders of group members and suppressing the biological and social reproduction of the collectivity”; and

WHEREAS, Holocaust and Genocide Education seeks to enhance education, cultural production, and public memory about the incidence of these atrocities -in the distant and not-so­distant past. Educators must embrace the teaching and study of the topic and students must be motivated to employ critical thinking skills; and

WHEREAS, Holocaust and Genocide Education has additional prevalence in that it demonstrates what can happen when bullying, hate speech, and other forms of intimidation, often faced by today’s students, are allowed to escalate into stereotyping, prejudice, racism, and worse; and

WHEREAS, It is essential to our state and our nation that we educate our youth about the millions of men, women and children who have and continue to be slaughtered and ostracized simply because of their beliefs and their heritage, or their strengths or their frailties, and we must firmly avow that the atrocities of the Holocaust and Genocide will never be repeated; now, therefore be it

RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations hereby reaffirms our pledge to work to eradicate bigotry, prejudice, brutality and injustice, and urges Rhode Island educators and students to learn about and learn from these atrocities so they may never blight our world again; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Commissioner of the Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, the Rhode Island Holocaust Museum, the Jewish Federation of Rhode Island, the Jewish Community Center of Rhode Island, the Armenian Assembly of America in Washington, and the Armenian National Committee in Washington.

LC005636
LC005636 – Page 2 of 2
SENATE RESOLUTION
STRONGLY SUPPORTING HOLOCAUST AND GENOCIDE EDUCATION IN RHODE ISLAND’S SCHOOLS
LC005636
Presented by
(SIGNATURES)
IN THE SENATE
READ AND PASSED
MAY 10 2018
(SIGNED)
Reading Clerk
I, Thaddeus Jendzejec, Acting Deputy Secretary of State of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations hereby Certify that the aforegoing is a true xerographic copy of:
Senate Resolution 18R231 (18-S2883) entitled “Senate Resolution Strongly Supporting Holocaust and Genocide Education in Rhode Island’s Schools”
taken from the records in this office and compared with the original Senate Resolution 18R231 ( 18-S2883) passed in the Senate at the January session, A.O. 2018 on the tenth day of May, A.O. 2018 and now remaining in this office.
Proposed by: Senators Goldin, Gallo, Miller, Ruggerio, and Metts
In Testimony Whereof, I have hereunto
set my hand and affixed the Seal of the
State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations this, fifteenth day of May, A.D. 2018
(SIGNED)
Acting Deputy Secretary of State

2019 — S 0958
S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2019
____________ S E N A T E R E S O L U T I O N PROCLAIMING MAY 19TH OF 2019 AS “GREEK PONTIAN GENOCIDE
REMEMBRANCE DAY” IN THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND Introduced By: Senators Raptakis, Gallo, Nesselbush, and Euer Date Introduced: June 06, 2019 Referred To: Placed on the Senate Consent Calendar

WHEREAS, Rhode Island is proud to be the home of numerous ethnic communities, 1
many of whom have prospered and enjoyed the freedom and democracy upon which our nation 2
was founded; tragically, throughout history, the people of many countries have not realized the 3
same autonomy and equality; and 4

WHEREAS, From 1914 until 1922, in a systematic attempt to exterminate an entire 5
population, the Ottoman Turks directed the killing of 353,000 Pontian and Anatolian Greeks and 6
over a million Armenians and Assyrians living in Pontos, and an equal number who were forced 7
to flee their homeland in one of the most condemnable atrocities in the history of the world; and 8

WHEREAS, The Ottoman and Kemals Neoturks engaged in exile, starvation, slaughter, 9
and murder, using axes and fire to massacre the Pontic Greek population and perpetrate the first 10
mass genocide of the 20th century, and the Armenian Genocide was conceived and carried out by 11
the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1923, and resulted in the deportation of nearly 2,000,000 12
Armenians, of whom 1,500,000 men, women, and children were killed, and the remaining 13
500,000 survived but were expelled from their homes; and 14

WHEREAS, It is vital and proper to remember those who lost their lives in the Pontian 15
Genocide, and it is paramount that people of all nations look at this horrific event in our world’s 16
not-so-distant history as a way to learn a valuable lesson, so that such atrocities are not tolerated 17
and are never committed again; and 18

WHEREAS, It is likewise important to pay tribute to the survivors of this atrocious 19, as well as their descendants, who have made countless contributions to the enrichment of 1
our culture and our way of life here in the Ocean State and who stand as an inspiration to 2
oppressed people around the world; and 3

WHEREAS, 2019 will be memorialized throughout the world as the symbolic 100th 4
Anniversary of the Genocide of the Pontian Greeks. May we never forget the brutality the Pontian 5
Greeks experienced at the hands of the Ottoman Empire, and may we learn the hard lessons from 6
the past so that the history of the Pontian Genocide, and all Genocides, never happen again; now, 7
therefore be it 8

RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations 9
hereby joins the Greek-American community on May 19th of each year in a solemn 10
commemoration of the Pontian Genocide of 1914-1922; and be it further 11

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to 12
transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to Dimitrios Molohides, President Pan-Pontian 13
Federation of USA and Canada and Georgios Gialtouridis of the Pontian Society “Panagia 14
Soumela” Boston.

2018 – S 2883
18R-231
LC005636
STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2018
SENATE RESOLUTION
STRONGLY SUPPORTING HOLOCAUST AND GENOCIDE EDUCATION IN RHODE ISLAND’S SCHOOLS
Introduced By: Senators Goldin, Gallo, Miller, Ruggerio, and Metts Date Introduced: May 10, 2018
Referred To: Recommended for Immediate Consideration

WHEREAS, In 2016, the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island and the Armenian community spearheaded the drive to amend the Rhode Island General Laws in order to require more comprehensive and inclusive educational requirements on the subjects of Holocaust and Genocide; and

WHEREAS, Resuhantly, House Bill 7488 SUB A and Senate Bill 2396 SUB A were passed by the General Assembly and subsequently signed into law by the Governor on Jtme 17, 2016; and

WHEREAS, Rhode Island’s law now requires the Rhode Island Board of Education to include instruction on the subjects of Holocaust and Genocide studies in an appropriate place in the curriculum, for all middle and high school students; and

WHEREAS, Rhode Island was one of the first states to enact legislation mandating such education along with Michigan, New York. New Jersey, Florida, Illinois, California, Indiana, and Pennsylvania have passed laws requiring some form of Holocaust and Genocide Education, and Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Virginia and a dozen other states have committed to enacting similar legislation; and

WHEREAS, The Holocaust is defined as the destruction of six million European Jews by the Nazis and their collaborators between 1933 and 1945. Genocide is comfirmed as “acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group” and” … a series of purposeful actions by a perpetrator(s) to destroy a collectivity through mass or selective
murders of group members and suppressing the biological and social reproduction of the collectivity”; and

WHEREAS, Holocaust and Genocide Education seeks to enhance education, cultural production, and public memory about the incidence of these atrocities -in the distant and not-so­distant past. Educators must embrace the teaching and study of the topic and students must be motivated to employ critical thinking skills; and

WHEREAS, Holocaust and Genocide Education has additional prevalence in that it demonstrates what can happen when bullying, hate speech, and other forms of intimidation, often faced by today’s students, are allowed to escalate into stereotyping, prejudice, racism, and worse; and

WHEREAS, It is essential to our state and our nation that we educate our youth about the millions of men, women and children who have and continue to be slaughtered and ostracized simply because of their beliefs and their heritage, or their strengths or their frailties, and we must firmly avow that the atrocities of the Holocaust and Genocide will never be repeated; now, therefore be it

RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations hereby reaffirms our pledge to work to eradicate bigotry, prejudice, brutality and injustice, and urges Rhode Island educators and students to learn about and learn from these atrocities so they may never blight our world again; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Commissioner of the Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, the Rhode Island Holocaust Museum, the Jewish Federation of Rhode Island, the Jewish Community Center of Rhode Island, the Armenian Assembly of America in Washington, and the Armenian National Committee in Washington.

LC005636
LC005636 – Page 2 of 2
SENATE RESOLUTION
STRONGLY SUPPORTING HOLOCAUST AND GENOCIDE EDUCATION IN RHODE ISLAND’S SCHOOLS
LC005636
Presented by
(SIGNATURES)
IN THE SENATE
READ AND PASSED
MAY 10 2018
(SIGNED)
Reading Clerk
I, Thaddeus Jendzejec, Acting Deputy Secretary of State of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations hereby Certify that the aforegoing is a true xerographic copy of:
Senate Resolution 18R231 (18-S2883) entitled “Senate Resolution Strongly Supporting Holocaust and Genocide Education in Rhode Island’s Schools”
taken from the records in this office and compared with the original Senate Resolution 18R231 ( 18-S2883) passed in the Senate at the January session, A.O. 2018 on the tenth day of May, A.O. 2018 and now remaining in this office.
Proposed by: Senators Goldin, Gallo, Miller, Ruggerio, and Metts
In Testimony Whereof, I have hereunto
set my hand and affixed the Seal of the
State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations this, fifteenth day of May, A.D. 2018
(SIGNED)
Acting Deputy Secretary of State

2020 — S 2873
S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2020
____________ S E N A T E R E S O L U T I O N PROCLAIMING MAY 19TH OF 2020 AS “GREEK PONTIAN GENOCIDE
REMEMBRANCE DAY” IN THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND Introduced By: Senators Raptakis, Euer, Lombardi, Gallo, and Conley Date Introduced: June 16, 2020 Referred To: Placed on the Senate Consent Calendar

WHEREAS, Rhode Island is proud to be the home of numerous ethnic communities, 1
many of whom have prospered and enjoyed the freedom and democracy upon which our nation 2
was founded; tragically, throughout history, the people of many countries have not realized the 3
same autonomy and equality; and 4

WHEREAS, From 1914 until 1922, in a systematic attempt to exterminate an entire 5
population, the Ottoman Turks directed the killing of 353,000 Pontian and Anatolian Greeks and 6
over a million Armenians and Assyrians living in Pontos, and an equal number who were forced 7
to flee their homeland in one of the most condemnable atrocities in the history of the world; and 8

WHEREAS, The Ottoman and Kemals Neoturks engaged in exile, starvation, slaughter, 9
and murder, using axes and fire to massacre the Pontic Greek population and perpetrate the first 10
mass genocide of the 20th century, and the Armenian Genocide was conceived and carried out by 11
the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1923, and resulted in the deportation of nearly 2,000,000 12
Armenians, of whom 1,500,000 men, women, and children were killed, and the remaining 13
500,000 survived but were expelled from their homes; and 14

WHEREAS, It is vital and proper to remember those who lost their lives in the Pontian 15
Genocide, and it is paramount that people of all nations look at this horrific event in our world’s 16
not-so-distant history as a way to learn a valuable lesson, so that such atrocities are not tolerated 17
and are never committed again; and 18

WHEREAS, It is likewise important to pay tribute to the survivors of this atrocious 19 period, as well as their descendants, who have made countless contributions to the enrichment of 1
our culture and our way of life here in the Ocean State and who stand as an inspiration to 2
oppressed people around the world; and 3

WHEREAS, 2020 will be memorialized throughout the world as the symbolic 101st 4
Anniversary of the Genocide of the Pontian Greeks. May we never forget the brutality the Pontian 5
Greeks experienced at the hands of the Ottoman Empire, and may we learn the hard lessons from 6
the past so that the history of the Pontian Genocide, and all Genocides, never happen again; now, 7
therefore be it 8

RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations 9
hereby joins the Greek-American community on May 19th of each year in a solemn 10
commemoration of the Pontian Genocide of 1914-1922; and be it further 11

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to 12
transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to Gus Tsilfides, President Pan-Pontian Federation 13
of USA and Canada and Georgios Gialtouridis of the Pontian Society “Panagia Soumela” Boston.

2018 – S 2883
18R-231
LC005636
STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2018
SENATE RESOLUTION
STRONGLY SUPPORTING HOLOCAUST AND GENOCIDE EDUCATION IN RHODE ISLAND’S SCHOOLS
Introduced By: Senators Goldin, Gallo, Miller, Ruggerio, and Metts Date Introduced: May 10, 2018
Referred To: Recommended for Immediate Consideration

WHEREAS, In 2016, the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island and the Armenian community spearheaded the drive to amend the Rhode Island General Laws in order to require more comprehensive and inclusive educational requirements on the subjects of Holocaust and Genocide; and

WHEREAS, Resuhantly, House Bill 7488 SUB A and Senate Bill 2396 SUB A were passed by the General Assembly and subsequently signed into law by the Governor on Jtme 17, 2016; and

WHEREAS, Rhode Island’s law now requires the Rhode Island Board of Education to include instruction on the subjects of Holocaust and Genocide studies in an appropriate place in the curriculum, for all middle and high school students; and

WHEREAS, Rhode Island was one of the first states to enact legislation mandating such education along with Michigan, New York. New Jersey, Florida, Illinois, California, Indiana, and Pennsylvania have passed laws requiring some form of Holocaust and Genocide Education, and Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Virginia and a dozen other states have committed to enacting similar legislation; and

WHEREAS, The Holocaust is defined as the destruction of six million European Jews by the Nazis and their collaborators between 1933 and 1945. Genocide is comfirmed as “acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group” and” … a series of purposeful actions by a perpetrator(s) to destroy a collectivity through mass or selective
murders of group members and suppressing the biological and social reproduction of the collectivity”; and

WHEREAS, Holocaust and Genocide Education seeks to enhance education, cultural production, and public memory about the incidence of these atrocities -in the distant and not-so­distant past. Educators must embrace the teaching and study of the topic and students must be motivated to employ critical thinking skills; and

WHEREAS, Holocaust and Genocide Education has additional prevalence in that it demonstrates what can happen when bullying, hate speech, and other forms of intimidation, often faced by today’s students, are allowed to escalate into stereotyping, prejudice, racism, and worse; and

WHEREAS, It is essential to our state and our nation that we educate our youth about the millions of men, women and children who have and continue to be slaughtered and ostracized simply because of their beliefs and their heritage, or their strengths or their frailties, and we must firmly avow that the atrocities of the Holocaust and Genocide will never be repeated; now, therefore be it

RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations hereby reaffirms our pledge to work to eradicate bigotry, prejudice, brutality and injustice, and urges Rhode Island educators and students to learn about and learn from these atrocities so they may never blight our world again; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Commissioner of the Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, the Rhode Island Holocaust Museum, the Jewish Federation of Rhode Island, the Jewish Community Center of Rhode Island, the Armenian Assembly of America in Washington, and the Armenian National Committee in Washington.

LC005636
LC005636 – Page 2 of 2
SENATE RESOLUTION
STRONGLY SUPPORTING HOLOCAUST AND GENOCIDE EDUCATION IN RHODE ISLAND’S SCHOOLS
LC005636
Presented by
(SIGNATURES)
IN THE SENATE
READ AND PASSED
MAY 10 2018
(SIGNED)
Reading Clerk
I, Thaddeus Jendzejec, Acting Deputy Secretary of State of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations hereby Certify that the aforegoing is a true xerographic copy of:
Senate Resolution 18R231 (18-S2883) entitled “Senate Resolution Strongly Supporting Holocaust and Genocide Education in Rhode Island’s Schools”
taken from the records in this office and compared with the original Senate Resolution 18R231 ( 18-S2883) passed in the Senate at the January session, A.O. 2018 on the tenth day of May, A.O. 2018 and now remaining in this office.
Proposed by: Senators Goldin, Gallo, Miller, Ruggerio, and Metts
In Testimony Whereof, I have hereunto
set my hand and affixed the Seal of the
State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations this, fifteenth day of May, A.D. 2018
(SIGNED)
Acting Deputy Secretary of State

2020 — S 2874
S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2020
____________ S E N A T E R E S O L U T I O N PROCLAIMING APRIL 24, 2020, AS “ARMENIAN GENOCIDE REMEMBRANCE DAY”
TO COMMEMORATE THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE OF 1915 TO 1923, AND IN HONOR
OF ARMENIAN-AMERCIANS Introduced By: Senator Hanna M. Gallo Date Introduced: June 16, 2020 Referred To: Placed on the Senate Consent Calendar

WHEREAS, The Armenian Genocide was conceived and carried out by the Ottoman 1
Empire from 1915 to 1923, and resulted in the deportation of nearly 2,000,000 Armenians, of 2
whom 1,500,000 men, women, and children were killed, and the remaining 500,000 survived but 3
were expelled from their homes. This act succeeded in the elimination of the Armenians from 4
their historic ancestral homeland where they had resided for over 2,500 years; and 5

WHEREAS, On May 24, 1915, for the first time ever, the Allied Powers of England, 6
France, and Russia, jointly issued a statement explicitly charging another government of 7
committing “a crime against humanity”; and 8

WHEREAS, This joint statement declared, “the Allied Governments announce publicly 9
to the Sublime Porte that they will hold personally responsible for these crimes all members of 10
the Ottoman Government, as well as those of their agents who are implicated in such massacres”; 11
and 12

WHEREAS, United States Ambassador Henry Morgenthau, Sr. explicitly described the 13
policy of the Ottoman Empire’s government to the United States Department of State as “a 14
campaign of race extermination,” and on July 16, 1915, was informed by United States Secretary 15
of State Robert Lansing that the “Department approves your procedure . . . to stop Armenian 16
persecution”; and 17

WHEREAS, The post-World War I Turkish government indicted the top leaders involved 18
in the organization and execution of the Armenian Genocide and in the “massacre and destruction 19 of the Armenians,” and in a series of court-martials, officials of the Young Turk regime were 1
charged, tried and convicted, for organizing and executing massacres against the Armenian 2
people; and 3

WHEREAS, In 1948, the United Nations War Crimes Commission invoked the 4
Armenian Genocide as “precisely . . . one of the types of acts which the modern term ‘crimes 5
against humanity’ is intended to cover” as a precedent for the Nuremberg tribunals; and 6

WHEREAS, The United States National Archives and Record Administration holds 7
extensive and thorough documentation on the Armenian Genocide, especially in its holdings 8
under Record Group 59 of the United States Department of State, files 867.00 and 867.40, which 9
are open and widely available to the public and interested institutions; and 10

WHEREAS, The United States Holocaust Memorial Council, an independent federal 11
agency, unanimously resolved on April 30, 1981, that the United States Holocaust Memorial 12
Museum would include the Armenian Genocide in the museum and has since done so; and 13

WHEREAS, When one enters the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, there is an 14
exhibit depicting Adolf Hitler, who on ordering his military commanders to attack Poland without 15
provocation in 1939, dismissed objections by stating “[w]ho, after all, speaks today of the 16
annihilation of the Armenians?”, thus setting the stage for the Holocaust; now, therefore be it 17

RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations 18
hereby recognizes April 24, 2020, as “Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day” in the State of 19
Rhode Island; and be it further 20

RESOLVED, That this Senate respectfully requests the President of the United States and 21
the United States Congress to call on the government of Turkey to face history and acknowledge 22
this crime of genocide committed by the Ottoman Turks in 1915 and further, urge the Turkish 23
government to make restitution for the loss of lives, confiscated properties, and general unlawful 24
deportations, separating the indigenous population from their homeland; and be it further 25

RESOLVED, That this Senate expresses its deepest sympathy to the Armenian-American 26
community of Rhode Island and assures them that this genocide will always be commemorated 27
and never forgotten; and be it further 28

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to 29
transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Honorable Donald Trump, President of the 30
United States, the Rhode Island Congressional Delegation, the Honorable Gina Raimondo, 31
Governor of the State of Rhode Island, the Armenian Assembly of America in Washington, and 32 the Armenian National Committee in Washington.

2018 – S 2883
18R-231
LC005636
STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2018
SENATE RESOLUTION
STRONGLY SUPPORTING HOLOCAUST AND GENOCIDE EDUCATION IN RHODE ISLAND’S SCHOOLS
Introduced By: Senators Goldin, Gallo, Miller, Ruggerio, and Metts Date Introduced: May 10, 2018
Referred To: Recommended for Immediate Consideration

WHEREAS, In 2016, the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island and the Armenian community spearheaded the drive to amend the Rhode Island General Laws in order to require more comprehensive and inclusive educational requirements on the subjects of Holocaust and Genocide; and

WHEREAS, Resuhantly, House Bill 7488 SUB A and Senate Bill 2396 SUB A were passed by the General Assembly and subsequently signed into law by the Governor on Jtme 17, 2016; and

WHEREAS, Rhode Island’s law now requires the Rhode Island Board of Education to include instruction on the subjects of Holocaust and Genocide studies in an appropriate place in the curriculum, for all middle and high school students; and

WHEREAS, Rhode Island was one of the first states to enact legislation mandating such education along with Michigan, New York. New Jersey, Florida, Illinois, California, Indiana, and Pennsylvania have passed laws requiring some form of Holocaust and Genocide Education, and Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Virginia and a dozen other states have committed to enacting similar legislation; and

WHEREAS, The Holocaust is defined as the destruction of six million European Jews by the Nazis and their collaborators between 1933 and 1945. Genocide is comfirmed as “acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group” and” … a series of purposeful actions by a perpetrator(s) to destroy a collectivity through mass or selective
murders of group members and suppressing the biological and social reproduction of the collectivity”; and

WHEREAS, Holocaust and Genocide Education seeks to enhance education, cultural production, and public memory about the incidence of these atrocities -in the distant and not-so­distant past. Educators must embrace the teaching and study of the topic and students must be motivated to employ critical thinking skills; and

WHEREAS, Holocaust and Genocide Education has additional prevalence in that it demonstrates what can happen when bullying, hate speech, and other forms of intimidation, often faced by today’s students, are allowed to escalate into stereotyping, prejudice, racism, and worse; and

WHEREAS, It is essential to our state and our nation that we educate our youth about the millions of men, women and children who have and continue to be slaughtered and ostracized simply because of their beliefs and their heritage, or their strengths or their frailties, and we must firmly avow that the atrocities of the Holocaust and Genocide will never be repeated; now, therefore be it

RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations hereby reaffirms our pledge to work to eradicate bigotry, prejudice, brutality and injustice, and urges Rhode Island educators and students to learn about and learn from these atrocities so they may never blight our world again; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Commissioner of the Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, the Rhode Island Holocaust Museum, the Jewish Federation of Rhode Island, the Jewish Community Center of Rhode Island, the Armenian Assembly of America in Washington, and the Armenian National Committee in Washington.

LC005636
LC005636 – Page 2 of 2
SENATE RESOLUTION
STRONGLY SUPPORTING HOLOCAUST AND GENOCIDE EDUCATION IN RHODE ISLAND’S SCHOOLS
LC005636
Presented by
(SIGNATURES)
IN THE SENATE
READ AND PASSED
MAY 10 2018
(SIGNED)
Reading Clerk
I, Thaddeus Jendzejec, Acting Deputy Secretary of State of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations hereby Certify that the aforegoing is a true xerographic copy of:
Senate Resolution 18R231 (18-S2883) entitled “Senate Resolution Strongly Supporting Holocaust and Genocide Education in Rhode Island’s Schools”
taken from the records in this office and compared with the original Senate Resolution 18R231 ( 18-S2883) passed in the Senate at the January session, A.O. 2018 on the tenth day of May, A.O. 2018 and now remaining in this office.
Proposed by: Senators Goldin, Gallo, Miller, Ruggerio, and Metts
In Testimony Whereof, I have hereunto
set my hand and affixed the Seal of the
State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations this, fifteenth day of May, A.D. 2018
(SIGNED)
Acting Deputy Secretary of State

2021 — S 0906
S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2021
____________ S E N A T E R E S O L U T I O N PROCLAIMING MAY 19TH OF 2021 AS “GREEK PONTIAN GENOCIDE
REMEMBRANCE DAY” IN THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND Introduced By: Senators Raptakis, Gallo, Euer, Kallman, McCaffrey, DiPalma, Miller,
Goodwin, Cano, and F Lombardi Date Introduced: May 18, 2021 Referred To: Recommended for Immediate Consideration

WHEREAS, Rhode Island is proud to be the home of numerous ethnic communities, 1
many of whom have prospered and enjoyed the freedom and democracy upon which our nation 2
was founded; tragically, throughout history, the people of many countries have not realized the 3
same autonomy and equality; and 4

WHEREAS, From 1914 until 1922, in a systematic attempt to exterminate an entire 5
population, the Ottoman Turks directed the killing of 353,000 Pontian and Anatolian Greeks and 6
over a million Armenians and Assyrians living in Pontos, and an equal number who were forced 7
to flee their homeland in one of the most condemnable atrocities in the history of the world; and 8

WHEREAS, The Ottoman and Kemals Neoturks engaged in exile, starvation, slaughter, 9
and murder, using axes and fire to massacre the Pontic Greek population and perpetrate the first 10
mass genocide of the 20th century, and the Armenian Genocide was conceived and carried out by 11
the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1923, and resulted in the deportation of nearly 2,000,000 12
Armenians, of whom 1,500,000 men, women, and children were killed, and the remaining 13
500,000 survived but were expelled from their homes; and 14

WHEREAS, It is vital and proper to remember those who lost their lives in the Pontian 15
Genocide, and it is paramount that people of all nations look at this horrific event in our world’s 16
not-so-distant history as a way to learn a valuable lesson, so that such atrocities are not tolerated 17
and are never committed again; and 18

WHEREAS, It is likewise important to pay tribute to the survivors of this atrocious 19 period, as well as their descendants, who have made countless contributions to the enrichment of 1
our culture and our way of life here in the Ocean State and who stand as an inspiration to 2
oppressed people around the world; and 3

WHEREAS, The year 2021 will be memorialized throughout the world as the symbolic 4
102nd Anniversary of the Genocide of the Pontian Greeks. May we never forget the brutality the 5
Pontian Greeks experienced at the hands of the Ottoman Empire, and may we learn the hard 6
lessons from the past so that the history of the Pontian Genocide, and all Genocides, never happen 7
again; now, therefore be it 8

RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations 9
hereby joins the Greek-American community on May 19th of each year in a solemn 10
commemoration of the Pontian Genocide of 1914-1922; and be it further 11

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to 12
transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to Gus Tsilfides, President Pan-Pontian Federation 13
of USA and Canada, and Georgios Gialtouridis of the Pontian Society “Panagia Soumela” 14
Boston.

2018 – S 2883
18R-231
LC005636
STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2018
SENATE RESOLUTION
STRONGLY SUPPORTING HOLOCAUST AND GENOCIDE EDUCATION IN RHODE ISLAND’S SCHOOLS
Introduced By: Senators Goldin, Gallo, Miller, Ruggerio, and Metts Date Introduced: May 10, 2018
Referred To: Recommended for Immediate Consideration

WHEREAS, In 2016, the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island and the Armenian community spearheaded the drive to amend the Rhode Island General Laws in order to require more comprehensive and inclusive educational requirements on the subjects of Holocaust and Genocide; and

WHEREAS, Resuhantly, House Bill 7488 SUB A and Senate Bill 2396 SUB A were passed by the General Assembly and subsequently signed into law by the Governor on Jtme 17, 2016; and

WHEREAS, Rhode Island’s law now requires the Rhode Island Board of Education to include instruction on the subjects of Holocaust and Genocide studies in an appropriate place in the curriculum, for all middle and high school students; and

WHEREAS, Rhode Island was one of the first states to enact legislation mandating such education along with Michigan, New York. New Jersey, Florida, Illinois, California, Indiana, and Pennsylvania have passed laws requiring some form of Holocaust and Genocide Education, and Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Virginia and a dozen other states have committed to enacting similar legislation; and

WHEREAS, The Holocaust is defined as the destruction of six million European Jews by the Nazis and their collaborators between 1933 and 1945. Genocide is comfirmed as “acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group” and” … a series of purposeful actions by a perpetrator(s) to destroy a collectivity through mass or selective
murders of group members and suppressing the biological and social reproduction of the collectivity”; and

WHEREAS, Holocaust and Genocide Education seeks to enhance education, cultural production, and public memory about the incidence of these atrocities -in the distant and not-so­distant past. Educators must embrace the teaching and study of the topic and students must be motivated to employ critical thinking skills; and

WHEREAS, Holocaust and Genocide Education has additional prevalence in that it demonstrates what can happen when bullying, hate speech, and other forms of intimidation, often faced by today’s students, are allowed to escalate into stereotyping, prejudice, racism, and worse; and

WHEREAS, It is essential to our state and our nation that we educate our youth about the millions of men, women and children who have and continue to be slaughtered and ostracized simply because of their beliefs and their heritage, or their strengths or their frailties, and we must firmly avow that the atrocities of the Holocaust and Genocide will never be repeated; now, therefore be it

RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations hereby reaffirms our pledge to work to eradicate bigotry, prejudice, brutality and injustice, and urges Rhode Island educators and students to learn about and learn from these atrocities so they may never blight our world again; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Commissioner of the Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, the Rhode Island Holocaust Museum, the Jewish Federation of Rhode Island, the Jewish Community Center of Rhode Island, the Armenian Assembly of America in Washington, and the Armenian National Committee in Washington.

LC005636
LC005636 – Page 2 of 2
SENATE RESOLUTION
STRONGLY SUPPORTING HOLOCAUST AND GENOCIDE EDUCATION IN RHODE ISLAND’S SCHOOLS
LC005636
Presented by
(SIGNATURES)
IN THE SENATE
READ AND PASSED
MAY 10 2018
(SIGNED)
Reading Clerk
I, Thaddeus Jendzejec, Acting Deputy Secretary of State of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations hereby Certify that the aforegoing is a true xerographic copy of:
Senate Resolution 18R231 (18-S2883) entitled “Senate Resolution Strongly Supporting Holocaust and Genocide Education in Rhode Island’s Schools”
taken from the records in this office and compared with the original Senate Resolution 18R231 ( 18-S2883) passed in the Senate at the January session, A.O. 2018 on the tenth day of May, A.O. 2018 and now remaining in this office.
Proposed by: Senators Goldin, Gallo, Miller, Ruggerio, and Metts
In Testimony Whereof, I have hereunto
set my hand and affixed the Seal of the
State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations this, fifteenth day of May, A.D. 2018
(SIGNED)
Acting Deputy Secretary of State

2021 — S 0845
S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2021
____________ S E N A T E R E S O L U T I O N PROCLAIMING APRIL 24, 2021, AS “ARMENIAN GENOCIDE REMEMBRANCE DAY”
TO COMMEMORATE THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE OF 1915 TO 1923, AND IN HONOR
OF ARMENIAN-AMERICANS Introduced By: Senators Gallo, Ruggerio, McCaffrey, Goodwin, and Raptakis Date Introduced: April 27, 2021 Referred To: Recommended for Immediate Consideration

WHEREAS, The Armenian Genocide was conceived and carried out by the Ottoman 1
Empire from 1915 to 1923, and resulted in the deportation of nearly 2,000,000 Armenians, of 2
whom 1,500,000 men, women, and children were killed, and the remaining 500,000 survived but 3
were expelled from their homes. This act succeeded in the elimination of the Armenians from 4
their historic ancestral homeland where they had resided for over 2,500 years; and 5

WHEREAS, On May 24, 1915, for the first time ever, the Allied Powers of England, 6
France, and Russia, jointly issued a statement explicitly charging another government of 7
committing “a crime against humanity”; and 8

WHEREAS, This joint statement declared, “the Allied Governments announce publicly 9
to the Sublime Porte that they will hold personally responsible for these crimes all members of 10
the Ottoman Government, as well as those of their agents who are implicated in such massacres”; 11
and 12

WHEREAS, United States Ambassador Henry Morgenthau, Sr. explicitly described the 13
policy of the Ottoman Empire’s government to the United States Department of State as “a 14
campaign of race extermination,” and on July 16, 1915, was informed by United States Secretary 15
of State Robert Lansing that the “Department approves your procedure . . . to stop Armenian 16
persecution”; and 17

WHEREAS, The post-World War I Turkish government indicted the top leaders involved 18
in the organization and execution of the Armenian Genocide and in the “massacre and destruction 19 of the Armenians,” and in a series of court-martials, officials of the Young Turk regime were 1
charged, tried and convicted, for organizing and executing massacres against the Armenian 2
people; and 3

WHEREAS, In 1948, the United Nations War Crimes Commission invoked the 4
Armenian Genocide as “precisely . . . one of the types of acts which the modern term ‘crimes 5
against humanity’ is intended to cover” as a precedent for the Nuremberg tribunals; and 6

WHEREAS, The United States National Archives and Record Administration holds 7
extensive and thorough documentation on the Armenian Genocide, especially in its holdings 8
under Record Group 59 of the United States Department of State, files 867.00 and 867.40, which 9
are open and widely available to the public and interested institutions; and 10

WHEREAS, The United States Holocaust Memorial Council, an independent federal 11
agency, unanimously resolved on April 30, 1981, that the United States Holocaust Memorial 12
Museum would include the Armenian Genocide in the museum and has since done so; and 13

WHEREAS, When one enters the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, there is an 14
exhibit depicting Adolf Hitler, who on ordering his military commanders to attack Poland without 15
provocation in 1939, dismissed objections by stating “[w]ho, after all, speaks today of the 16
annihilation of the Armenians?”, thus setting the stage for the Holocaust; and 17

WHEREAS, In 1918, after the fall of the Russian Empire, the Azerbaijan Democratic 18
Republic and the First Republic of Armenia both declared independence; however, shortly 19
thereafter, they became part of the Soviet Union. The modern Republic of Azerbaijan once again 20
proclaimed its independence in August of 1991, shortly before the dissolution of the USSR. 21
Within its borders, however, the predominantly Armenian enclave known as the Republic of 22
Artsakh officially voted to become part of Armenia; and 23

WHEREAS, Azerbaijan sought to suppress the separatist movement, while Armenia 24
backed it. Turkey has close ties to Azerbaijan and was the first nation to recognize Azerbaijan’s 25
independence in 1991. In 1993, Turkey, in addition to engaging in numerous hostilities, shut its 26
border with Armenia in support of Azerbaijan during the war over the Republic of Artsakh; and 27

WHEREAS, In Turkey’s continuing aggression and genocide of Armenians that began 28
more than 100 years ago, an armed conflict between Azerbaijan, with military support provided 29
by Turkey, and the Republic of Artsakh resulted in Armenia being forced to return many of the 30
surrounding territories it had occupied for decades, and although current ceasefire and 31
negotiations were agreed upon, Azerbaijan continues to seek unilateral concessions through 32
threats of the use of force; now, therefore be it 33

RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island hereby recognizes April 24, 34 as “Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day” in the State of Rhode Island; and be it further 1

RESOLVED, That this Senate hereby respectfully requests the President of the United 2
States and the United States Congress to call on the government of Turkey to face history and 3
acknowledge this crime of genocide committed by the Ottoman Turks in 1915, and urge the 4
Turkish government to make restitution for the loss of lives, confiscated properties, and general 5
unlawful deportations, separating the indigenous population from their homeland; and be it 6
further 7

RESOLVED, That this Senate expresses its deepest sympathy to the Armenian-American 8
community of Rhode Island and assures them that this genocide will always be commemorated 9
and never forgotten; and be it further 10

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to 11
transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Honorable Joseph Biden, President of the 12
United States, the Rhode Island Congressional Delegation, the Governor of the State of Rhode 13
Island, the Armenian Assembly of America in Washington, and the Armenian National 14
Committee in Washington.

2018 – S 2883
18R-231
LC005636
STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2018
SENATE RESOLUTION
STRONGLY SUPPORTING HOLOCAUST AND GENOCIDE EDUCATION IN RHODE ISLAND’S SCHOOLS
Introduced By: Senators Goldin, Gallo, Miller, Ruggerio, and Metts Date Introduced: May 10, 2018
Referred To: Recommended for Immediate Consideration

WHEREAS, In 2016, the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island and the Armenian community spearheaded the drive to amend the Rhode Island General Laws in order to require more comprehensive and inclusive educational requirements on the subjects of Holocaust and Genocide; and

WHEREAS, Resuhantly, House Bill 7488 SUB A and Senate Bill 2396 SUB A were passed by the General Assembly and subsequently signed into law by the Governor on Jtme 17, 2016; and

WHEREAS, Rhode Island’s law now requires the Rhode Island Board of Education to include instruction on the subjects of Holocaust and Genocide studies in an appropriate place in the curriculum, for all middle and high school students; and

WHEREAS, Rhode Island was one of the first states to enact legislation mandating such education along with Michigan, New York. New Jersey, Florida, Illinois, California, Indiana, and Pennsylvania have passed laws requiring some form of Holocaust and Genocide Education, and Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Virginia and a dozen other states have committed to enacting similar legislation; and

WHEREAS, The Holocaust is defined as the destruction of six million European Jews by the Nazis and their collaborators between 1933 and 1945. Genocide is comfirmed as “acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group” and” … a series of purposeful actions by a perpetrator(s) to destroy a collectivity through mass or selective
murders of group members and suppressing the biological and social reproduction of the collectivity”; and

WHEREAS, Holocaust and Genocide Education seeks to enhance education, cultural production, and public memory about the incidence of these atrocities -in the distant and not-so­distant past. Educators must embrace the teaching and study of the topic and students must be motivated to employ critical thinking skills; and

WHEREAS, Holocaust and Genocide Education has additional prevalence in that it demonstrates what can happen when bullying, hate speech, and other forms of intimidation, often faced by today’s students, are allowed to escalate into stereotyping, prejudice, racism, and worse; and

WHEREAS, It is essential to our state and our nation that we educate our youth about the millions of men, women and children who have and continue to be slaughtered and ostracized simply because of their beliefs and their heritage, or their strengths or their frailties, and we must firmly avow that the atrocities of the Holocaust and Genocide will never be repeated; now, therefore be it

RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations hereby reaffirms our pledge to work to eradicate bigotry, prejudice, brutality and injustice, and urges Rhode Island educators and students to learn about and learn from these atrocities so they may never blight our world again; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Commissioner of the Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, the Rhode Island Holocaust Museum, the Jewish Federation of Rhode Island, the Jewish Community Center of Rhode Island, the Armenian Assembly of America in Washington, and the Armenian National Committee in Washington.

LC005636
LC005636 – Page 2 of 2
SENATE RESOLUTION
STRONGLY SUPPORTING HOLOCAUST AND GENOCIDE EDUCATION IN RHODE ISLAND’S SCHOOLS
LC005636
Presented by
(SIGNATURES)
IN THE SENATE
READ AND PASSED
MAY 10 2018
(SIGNED)
Reading Clerk
I, Thaddeus Jendzejec, Acting Deputy Secretary of State of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations hereby Certify that the aforegoing is a true xerographic copy of:
Senate Resolution 18R231 (18-S2883) entitled “Senate Resolution Strongly Supporting Holocaust and Genocide Education in Rhode Island’s Schools”
taken from the records in this office and compared with the original Senate Resolution 18R231 ( 18-S2883) passed in the Senate at the January session, A.O. 2018 on the tenth day of May, A.O. 2018 and now remaining in this office.
Proposed by: Senators Goldin, Gallo, Miller, Ruggerio, and Metts
In Testimony Whereof, I have hereunto
set my hand and affixed the Seal of the
State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations this, fifteenth day of May, A.D. 2018
(SIGNED)
Acting Deputy Secretary of State

9 7 — H 6824
===== RS579 =====
STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 1997
____________
HOUSE RESOLUTION
DECLARING APRIL 24TH, 1997 AS A DAY OF REMEMBRANCE FOR THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE OF 1915-1923
Introduced By: Representatives Simonian and Bramley
Date Introduced: April 24, 1997
Referred To: Read and Passed

WHEREAS, At the outbreak of World War I, the young Turk regime of the Ottoman Empire, led by Toloat Pasha, decided to deport the entire Armenian population of about 1.5 million people to Syria and Mesopotamia planning to exterminate them by driving all Armenians, regardless of age or condition of health, to the totally barren Der-El-Zor region of what is now Syria; and

WHEREAS, The Armenians were rounded up, brutally driven from their homes and their land, separated from their families, robbed of everything they owned and stripped of possessions they carried with them, and on a death march to Der-El-Zor, more than a million died of starvation or were killed; and

WHEREAS, Thousands of Christian Armenians were tortured and murdered for refusing to accept Islam as their religion, and the atrocities inflicted upon them in concentration camps and on death marches to Der-El-Zor resemble those suffered by the victims of the Holocaust in World War II; and

WHEREAS, The massacre of Armenians who escaped deportation and remained in Turkey was called the “most colossal crime of all ages” by the American examining military mission’s report to the U.S. Congress; and a telegram sent by U.S. Ambassador Henry Morgenthau to the Secretary of State, Morgenthau warned that “a campaign of race extermination is in progress under a pretext of reprisal against rebellion”; and

WHEREAS, An estimated 1.5 million people of Armenian ancestry perished in the genocide perpetrated by the governments of the Ottoman Empire from 1915-1923; and

WHEREAS, Many Armenians emigrated to the United States, where they and their descendants have contributed much to the economic and cultural vitality in our society, and kept alive the memory of their friends and relatives who perished during the systematic campaign of extermination; and

WHEREAS, Modern Turkey continues to deny and distort the facts of the Genocide and honors the perpetrators of that crime against humanity as national heroes; and

WHEREAS, The continued denial of the Armenian Genocide by the present-day Turkish Government deprives the Armenian people of the right to their own history; and

WHEREAS, The Armenian People have not received reparations for their losses; and

WHEREAS, Ancestral Armenian lands have not been returned to the Armenian People; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island hereby commemorates this 82nd anniversary of the Armenian Genocide on April 24, 1997 and urges the citizenry of Rhode Island to do the same; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the State of Rhode Island calls on the President of the United States to obtain from the present Turkish Government an acknowledgement of the Genocide perpetrated against the Armenians from 1915-1923; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and he hereby is authorized and directed to transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to the President of the United States, the members of the Rhode Island Congressional Delegation, the Armenian National Committee of Rhode Island, and the Armenian Martyrs Memorial Committee of Rhode Island.

9 7 — H 6824
===== RS579 =====
STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 1997
____________
HOUSE RESOLUTION
DECLARING APRIL 24TH, 1997 AS A DAY OF REMEMBRANCE FOR THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE OF 1915-1923
Introduced By: Representatives Simonian and Bramley
Date Introduced: April 24, 1997
Referred To: Read and Passed

WHEREAS, At the outbreak of World War I, the young Turk regime of the Ottoman Empire, led by Toloat Pasha, decided to deport the entire Armenian population of about 1.5 million people to Syria and Mesopotamia planning to exterminate them by driving all Armenians, regardless of age or condition of health, to the totally barren Der-El-Zor region of what is now Syria; and

WHEREAS, The Armenians were rounded up, brutally driven from their homes and their land, separated from their families, robbed of everything they owned and stripped of possessions they carried with them, and on a death march to Der-El-Zor, more than a million died of starvation or were killed; and

WHEREAS, Thousands of Christian Armenians were tortured and murdered for refusing to accept Islam as their religion, and the atrocities inflicted upon them in concentration camps and on death marches to Der-El-Zor resemble those suffered by the victims of the Holocaust in World War II; and

WHEREAS, The massacre of Armenians who escaped deportation and remained in Turkey was called the “most colossal crime of all ages” by the American examining military mission’s report to the U.S. Congress; and a telegram sent by U.S. Ambassador Henry Morgenthau to the Secretary of State, Morgenthau warned that “a campaign of race extermination is in progress under a pretext of reprisal against rebellion”; and

WHEREAS, An estimated 1.5 million people of Armenian ancestry perished in the genocide perpetrated by the governments of the Ottoman Empire from 1915-1923; and

WHEREAS, Many Armenians emigrated to the United States, where they and their descendants have contributed much to the economic and cultural vitality in our society, and kept alive the memory of their friends and relatives who perished during the systematic campaign of extermination; and

WHEREAS, Modern Turkey continues to deny and distort the facts of the Genocide and honors the perpetrators of that crime against humanity as national heroes; and

WHEREAS, The continued denial of the Armenian Genocide by the present-day Turkish Government deprives the Armenian people of the right to their own history; and

WHEREAS, The Armenian People have not received reparations for their losses; and

WHEREAS, Ancestral Armenian lands have not been returned to the Armenian People; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island hereby commemorates this 82nd anniversary of the Armenian Genocide on April 24, 1997 and urges the citizenry of Rhode Island to do the same; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the State of Rhode Island calls on the President of the United States to obtain from the present Turkish Government an acknowledgement of the Genocide perpetrated against the Armenians from 1915-1923; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and he hereby is authorized and directed to transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to the President of the United States, the members of the Rhode Island Congressional Delegation, the Armenian National Committee of Rhode Island, and the Armenian Martyrs Memorial Committee of Rhode Island.

98 — H 9016
======= LC03520 =======
STATE PF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 1998
____________
HOUSE RESOLUTION
DECLARING APRIL 24TH, 1998 AS A DAY OF REMEMBRANCE FOR THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE 1915-1923
Introduced By: Representatives Simonian, Bramley and Giannini
Date Introduced: April 23, 1998
Referred To: Read and Passed

WHEREAS, At the outbreak of World War I, the young Turk regime of the Ottoman Empire, led by Talaat Pasha, decided to deport the entire Armenian population of about 1.5 million people to Syria and Mesopotamia planning to exterminate them by driving all Armenians, regardless of age or condition of health, to the totally barren Der-El-Zor region of what is now Syria; and

WHEREAS, The Armenians were rounded up, brutally driven from their homes and their land, separated from their families, robbed of everything they owned and stripped of possessions they carried with them, and on a death march to Der-El-Zor, more than a million died of starvation or were killed; and

WHEREAS, Thousands of Christian Armenians were tortured and murdered for refusing to accept Islam as their religion, and the atrocities inflicted upon them in concentration camps and on death marches to Der-El-Zor resemble those suffered by the victims of the Holocaust in World War II; and

WHEREAS, The massacre of Armenians who escaped deportation and remained in Turkey was called the “most colossal crime of all ages” by the American examining military mission’s report to the U.S. Congress; and a telegram sent by the U.S. Ambassador Henry Morgenthau to the Secretary of State, Morgenthau warned that “a campaign of race extermination is in progress under a pretext of reprisal against rebellion”; and

WHEREAS, An estimated 1.5 million people of Armenian ancestry perished in the genocide perpetrated by the governments of the Ottoman Empire from 1915-1923; and

WHEREAS, Many Armenians emigrated to the United States, where they and their descendants have contributed much to the economic and cultural vitality in our society, and kept alive the memory of their friends and relatives who perished during the systematic campaign of extermination; and

WHEREAS, Modern Turkey continues to deny and distort the facts of the Genocide and honors the perpetrators of that crime against humanity as national heroes; and

WHEREAS, The continued denial of the Armenian Genocide by the present-day Turkish Government deprives the Armenian people of the right to their own history; and

WHEREAS, The Armenian People have not received reparations for their losses; and

WHEREAS, Ancestral Armenian lands have not been returned to the Armenian People; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island hereby commemorates this 83rd anniversary of the Armenian Genocide on April 24, 1998 and urges the citizenry of Rhode Island to do the same; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the State of Rhode Island calls on the President of the United States to obtain from the present Turkish Government an acknowledgement of the Genocide perpetrated against the Armenians from 1915-1923; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and he hereby is authorized and directed to transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to the President of the United States, the members of the Rhode Island Congressional Delegation, the Armenian National Committee of Rhode Island, and the Armenian Martyrs Memorial Committee of Rhode Island.

99 — H 6428
======= LC03230 =======
STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 1999
____________
HOUSE RESOLUTION
RECOGNIZING APRIL 24, 1915 AS A SIGNIFICANT DAY COMMEMORATING THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE OF 1915
Introduced By: Representatives Garabedian, Bramley, Simonian, George and Giannini
Date Introduced : April 28, 1999
Referred To: Read and Passed

RESOLVED, This House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations recognizes April 24, 1915 as a significant day commemorating the Armenian Genocide of 1915; and be it further

RESOLVED, That this House also extends to the victims, families, and members of the Armenian American Community our deepest sympathy for the 1.5 million Armenians who lost their lives during the massacres and deportations perpetrated by the Turkish Government; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and he is hereby authorized and directed to transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the President of the United States, William J. Clinton, the entire RI delegation to the US. Congress and the Armenian National Committee of Rhode Island, and the Armenian Martyrs Memorial Committee of Rhode Island.

2000 — H 8161
======= LC03157 =======
STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2000
 ____________
HOUSE RESOLUTION
PROCLAIMING APRIL 24, 2000 AS RHODE ISLAND DAY OF REMEMBRANCE OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
Introduced By: Representatives Garabedian, Bramley, Corvese, Quick and Giannini
Date Introduced:  April 12, 2000
Referred To:  Read and Passed

WHEREAS, One and one-half million men, women, and children of Armenian descent were victims of the brutal genocide perpetrated by the Turkish Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1923; and

WHEREAS, The Armenian genocide and massacres of the Armenian people have been recognized as an attempt to eliminate all traces of a thriving and noble civilization more than 3,000 years old; and

WHEREAS, To this day, revisionists still inexplicably deny the existence of these horrific events; and

WHEREAS, Modern Turkey continues to deny and distort the facts of the genocide and honors the perpetrators of that crime against humanity as national heroes; and

WHEREAS, Before the implementation of the Jewish holocaust, in order to encourage his followers, Adolph Hitler asked, “Who remembers the Armenians?”; and

WHEREAS, By consistently remembering and openly condemning the atrocities committed against the Armenians, Rhode Islanders are highly sensitive to the need for constant vigilance to prevent similar atrocities in the future; and

WHEREAS, The Armenian people have not received reparations for their losses; and

WHEREAS, Recognition of the 85th anniversary of this genocide is crucial to ensuring against future genocide by educating people about past horrors; and

WHEREAS, Armenia is now a free and independent republic, having embraced democracy following nearly 70 years of oppressive Soviet domination; and

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

RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives hereby proclaims April 24, 2000 as Rhode Island Day of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide of 1915-1923; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and he hereby is authorized and directed to transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Governor, the Rhode Island Congressional Delegation, the Armenian National Committee of Rhode Island and the Armenian Assembly in Washington, D.C.

2001 — H 6344
======= LC02921 =======
STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2001
____________
HOUSE RESOLUTION
DESIGNATING APRIL 24, 2001 AS” RHODE ISLAND DAY OF REMEMBRANCE FOR THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE OF 1915 – 1923″ 
Introduced By: Representative Simonian
Date Introduced: April 24, 2001
Referred To:  Read and Passed

WHEREAS, Armenians living in their historic homeland in Asia Minor were subjected to severe persecution and brutal injustice by the Turkish rulers of the Ottoman Empire before and after the turn of the twentieth century, including widespread acts of destruction, mayhem, and murder during the period from 1894 to 1896, and again in 1909; and

WHEREAS, The horrible experience of the Armenians at the hands of their Turkish oppressors culminated with what is known by historians as the “First Genocide of the Twentieth Century,” or the “Forgotten Genocide”; and

WHEREAS, The Armenian Genocide began with the murder of hundreds of Armenian intellectuals, and political, religious, and business leaders who were arrested and taken from their homes in Constantinople before dawn on April 24, 1915; and

WHEREAS, The Young Turk regime then in control of the empire planned and executed the unspeakable atrocities committed against the Armenians from 1915 through 1923, including the torture, starvation, and murder of 1.5 million Armenians, death marches into the Syrian desert, and the exile of more than 500,000 innocent people; and

WHEREAS, While there were some Turks who jeopardized their safety in order to protect Armenians from the slaughter being perpetrated by the Young Turk regime, the massacres of the Armenians constituted one of the most atrocious violations of human rights in the history of the world; 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 other 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 accompanied 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 like the New York Times carried headlines including, “Tales of Armenian Horrors Confirmed,” “Million Armenians killed or in Exile,” and “Wholesale Massacre of Armenians by Turks”; and

WHEREAS, Adolph Hitler, in persuading his army commanders that the merciless persecution and killing of Jews, Poles, and other groups of people would bring no retribution declared, “Who after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians.”; and

WHEREAS, Unlike other groups and governments that have admitted the abuses and crimes of predecessor regimes, and despite the overwhelming weight of the evidence, the Republic of Turkey has denied the occurrence of the crimes against humanity committed by the Young Turk rulers, and those denials compound the grief of the few remaining survivors of the atrocities and desecrate the memory of the victims; and

WHEREAS, Nations of the world have suffered reprisals and condemnations by Turkey because of efforts to commemorate the Armenian Genocide; and

WHEREAS, There have been concerted efforts to revise history through the dissemination of propaganda suggesting that Armenians were responsible for their fate in the period from 1915 through 1923 and by the funding of programs at Armenian educational institutions for the purpose of furthering the cause of this revisionism and to counter, in the words of a Turkish official, “the Armenian view”; and

WHEREAS, Leaders of nations with strategic, commercial, and cultural ties to the Republic of Turkey should be reminded of their duty to encourage Turkish officials to cease efforts to distort facts and deny the history of events surrounding the Armenian Genocide; and

WHEREAS, The accelerated level and scope of denial and revisionism, coupled with the passage of time and the fact that very few survivors remain who serve as reminders of indescribable brutality and tormented lives, compel a sense of urgency in efforts to solidify recognition of historical truth; and

WHEREAS, By consistently remembering and forcefully condemning the atrocities committed against the Armenians and honoring the survivors, as well as other victims of similar heinous conduct, we guard against repetition of those acts of genocide; and

WHEREAS, Rhode Island is home to a large population of Armenians, and those citizens have enriched our state through their leadership in the fields of business, agriculture, academia, medicine, government, and the arts and are proud and patriotic practitioners of American citizenship; now therefore be it

RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations hereby designates April 24, 2001 as “Rhode Island Remembrance for the Armenian Genocide of 1915 – 1923”; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the State of Rhode Island respectfully memorializes the Congress of the United States to likewise act to commemorate the Armenian Genocide; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of state be and he hereby is authorized and directed to transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the President of the United States, members of the Rhode Island delegation to the Unites States Congress, the Governor of the State of Rhode Island, the Armenian Assembly of America in Washington and the Armenian National Committee of Rhode Island.

2002 — H 8056
======= LC03052 =======
STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D.  2002
____________
HOUSE RESOLUTION
PROCLAIMING APRIL 24TH AS “RHODE ISLAND DAY OF REMEMBRANCE OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE” 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 The great massacres and persecutions of the past seem almost insignificant when compared to the sufferings of the Armenian race in 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 world’s 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 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.
======= LC03052 =======

2003 — H 6358
=======
LC03056
=======
STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2003
____________
HOUSE RESOLUTION
PROCLAIMING APRIL 24TH, 2003 AS “RHODE ISLAND DAY OF REMEMBRANCE OF
THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE” IN COMMEMORATION OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
FROM 1915 TO 1923 AND HONORING ARMENIAN-AMERICANS
Introduced By: Representatives Corvese, and Handy
Date Introduced: April 23, 2003
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 world’s 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, 2003 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 duly certified copies of this resolution to the Honorable George W. Bush, President of the United States, the Rhode Island Congressional Delegation, the Honorable Donald L. Carcieri, Governor of Rhode Island, and the Armenian National Committee in Rhode Island.

2003 — H 6336
=======
LC03055
=======
STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2003
____________
H O U S E R E S O L U T I O N
PROCLAIMING APRIL 24TH, 2003 AS “RHODE ISLAND DAY OF REMEMBRANCE OF
THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE” IN COMMEMORATION OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
FROM 1915 TO 1923 AND HONORING ARMENIAN-AMERICANS
Introduced By: Representatives Fox, and Watson
Date Introduced: April 10, 2003
Referred To: House read and passed
1 WHEREAS, 1.5 million men, women, and children of Armenian descent were victims of
2 the genocide perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire in 1915 and thereafter; and
3 WHEREAS, The United States Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, Henry Morgenthau,
4 Sr., stated, “Whatever crimes the most perverted instincts of the human mind can devise, and
5 whatever refinements of persecutions and injustice the most debased imagination can conceive,
6 became the daily misfortunes of these devoted people. I am confident that the whole history of
7 the human race contains no such horrible episode as this. The great massacres and persecutions of
8 the past seem almost insignificant when compared to the sufferings of the Armenian race in 1915.
9 The killing of the Armenian people was accomplished by the systematic destruction of churches,
10 schools, libraries, treasures of art, and cultural monuments in an attempt to eliminate all traces of
11 a noble civilization with a history of more than 3,000 years”; and
12 WHEREAS, Contemporary newspapers, such as the New York Times, carried headlines
13 including “Tales of Armenian Horrors Confirmed” and “Million Armenians Killed or in Exile”;
14 and
15 WHEREAS, The Armenian genocide has been acknowledged by countries and
16 international bodies such as Argentina, Belgium, Canada, the Council of Europe, Cyprus, the
17 European Parliament, France, Great Britain, Greece, Lebanon, Russia, the United Nations, and
18 Uruguay; and
19 WHEREAS, Each year Armenians throughout the world honor those who perished from
2
1 1915 to 1923, and all the world’s people should commemorate the Armenian Genocide because it
2 stands as an ugly testament to man’s inhumanity to man; and
3 WHEREAS, We must all do our best to raise awareness about the Armenian genocide not
4 only because it is an undeniable chapter of world history, but also because learning more about
5 this unconscionable tragedy will help better understand the necessity of eliminating hatred from
6 our own communities; and
7 WHEREAS, Residents of Rhode Island are highly sensitive to the need for consistently
8 remembering and openly condemning the crimes committed against any culture or people to
9 prevent similar atrocities in the future; and
10 WHEREAS, Armenian-Americans living in Rhode Island have greatly enriched our State
11 through their leadership in business, agriculture, academia, government, and the arts; now,
12 therefore be it
13 RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island and
14 Providence Plantations hereby proclaims April 24th, 2003 as “Rhode Island Day of
15 Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide”; and be it further
16 RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island and
17 Providence Plantations respectfully urges the Congress of the United States to likewise
18 commemorate the Armenian Genocide; and be it further
19 RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and he is hereby authorized and directed to
20 transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Honorable George W. Bush, President of
21 the United States, the Rhode Island Congressional Delegation, the Honorable Donald Carcieri,
22 Governor of Rhode Island, the Armenian Assembly of America in Washington, and the Armenian
23 National Committee in Washington.

2004 — H 7039
======= LC00268 =======
STATE OF  RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY JANUARY SESSION, A.D.  2004 
____________
HOUSE RESOLUTION
PROCLAIMING APRIL 24TH, 2004 AS “RHODE ISLAND DAY OF REMEMBRANCE OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE” IN COMMEMORATION OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE FROM 1915 TO 1923 AND HONORING ARMENIAN-AMERICANS
Introduced By: Representatives Corvese, and Kennedy
Date  Introduced: January 08, 2004
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 I am confident that the whole history of the human race contains no such horrible episode as The great massacres and persecutions of the past seem almost insignificant when compared to the sufferings of the Armenian race in 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 world’s 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, 2004 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 duly certified copies of this resolution to the Honorable George Bush, President of the United States, the Rhode Island Congressional Delegation, the Honorable Donald Carcieri, Governor of Rhode Island, and the Armenian National Committee in Rhode
=======
LC00268
=======

2005 — H 6320
STATE   OF   RHODE   ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY JANUARY SESSION, A.D.  2005
 ____________
HOUSE RESOLUTION
PROCLAIMING APRIL 24, 2005 AS “RHODE ISLAND DAY OF REMEMBRANCE OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE” IN COMMEMORATION OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE FROM 1915 TO 1923 AND HONORING    ARMENIAN-AMERICANS
Introduced By:Representatives Fox, Watson, Corvese, Giannini, and Ajello Date  Introduced:March 31, 2005
Referred To:House read and passed

WHEREAS, One and one half 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.” 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 three thousand 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 world’s 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 in order 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 24, 2005 as “Rhode Island Day of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide”; and be it further

RESOLVED, That this House 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 hereby is authorized and directed to transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Honorable George Bush, President of the United States, the Rhode Island Congressional Delegation, the Honorable Donald Carcieri, Governor of the State of Rhode Island, the Armenian Assembly of America in Washington, and
the Armenian National Committee in Washington.
======= LC02971=======

2006 — H 8013
=======  LC02868 =======
STATE OF RHODE ISLAND 
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY JANUARY SESSION, A.D.  2006
____________ 
HOUSE RESOLUTION
PROCLAIMING APRIL 24, 2006 AS “ARMENIAN GENOCIDE REMEMBRANCE DAY” TO COMMEMORATE THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE OF 1915 TO 1923 AND IN HONOR OF ARMENIAN-AMERICANS
Introduced By: Representatives Corvese, Schadone, Winfield, San Bento, and Kennedy
Date Introduced: April 12, 2006
Referred To: House read and passed

WHEREAS, One and one half 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 ” The killing of the Armenia n 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 three thousand 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 world’s 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 in order 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 recognizes April 24, 2006 as “Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day” in the State of Rhode Island; and be it further

RESOLVED, That this House respectfully urges the Congress of the United States to likewise commemorate the Armenian genocide and acknowledge that genocide is relevant to and affects all nations; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and he hereby is authorized and directed to transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Honorable George Bush, President of the United States, the Rhode Island Congressional Delegation, the Honorable Donald Carcieri, Governor of the State of Rhode Island, the Armenian Assembly of America in Washington, and
the Armenian National Committee in Washington.
=======  LC02868 =======

2007 — H 6307 
===== LCOOI OO =====
STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2007
____________ 
HOUSE RESOLUTION
PROCLAIMING APRIL 24, 2007 AS “ARMENIAN GENOCIDE REMEMBRANCE DAY” TO COMMEMORATE THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE OF 1915 TO 1923 AND IN HONOR OF ARMENIAN-AMERICANS
Introduced By: Representatives Corvese, Costantino, Schadone, McCauley, and Shanley
Date Introduced: April 24, 2007
Referred To: House read and passed

WHEREAS, One and one half 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.” 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 three thousand 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 world’s 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 in order 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 recognizes April 24, 2007 as “Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day” in the State of Rhode Island; and be it  further

RESOLVED, That this House respectfully urges the Congress of the United States to likewise commemorate the Armenian genocide and acknowledge that genocide is relevant to and affects all nations; and be it further

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

2008 — H 8205
======= LC00108 =======
STATE   OF   RHODE   ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY JANUARY SESSION, A.D.  2008
____________ 
HOUSE RESOLUTION
PROCLAIMING APRIL 24, 2008 AS “ARMENIAN GENOCIDE REMEMBRANCE DAY” TO COMMEMORATE THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE OF 1915 TO 1923 AND IN HONOR OF ARMENIAN-AMERICANS
Introduced By: Representatives Corvese, Giannini, Schadone, Malik, and McNamara
Date Introduced: April 24, 2008
Referred To: House read and passed

WHEREAS, One and one half 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 ” 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 three thousand 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 world’s 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 in order 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 recognizes April 24, 2008 as “Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day” in the State of Rhode Island; and be it further

RESOLVED, That this House respectfully urges the Congress of the United States to likewise commemorate the Armenian genocide and acknowledge that genocide is relevant to and affects all nations; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and he hereby is authorized and directed to transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Honorable George Bush, President of the United States, the Rhode Island Congressional Delegation, the Honorable Donald Carcieri, Governor of the State of Rhode Island, the Armenian Assembly of America in Washington, and
the Armenian National Committee in Washington.
======= LC00108 =======

2009 — H 6138
======= LC00043 =======
STATE   OF   RHODE   ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY JANUARY SESSION, A.D.  2009
____________
HOUSE RESOLUTION
PROCLAIMING APRIL 24, 2009 AS “ARMENIAN GENOCIDE REMEMBRANCE DAY” TO COMMEMORATE THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE OF 1915 TO 1923 AND IN HONOR OF ARMENIAN-AMERICANS
Introduced By: Representatives Corvese, Costantino, Schadone, McCauley, and Kilmartin
Date Introduced: April 23, 2009
Referred To: House read and passed

WHEREAS, One and one half 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.” 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 three thousand 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 world’s 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 in order 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 recognizes April 24, 2009 as “Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day” in the State of Rhode Island; and be it further

RESOLVED, That this House respectfully urges the Congress of the United States to likewise commemorate the Armenian genocide and acknowledge that genocide is relevant to and affects all nations; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and he hereby is authorized and directed to transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Honorable Barack Obama, President of the United States, the Rhode Island Congressional Delegation, the Honorable Donald Carcieri, Governor of the State of Rhode Island, the Armenian Assembly of America in Washington, and the Armenian National Committee in Washington
======= LC00043 =======

2010 — H 8032
======= LC00146 ======= 
STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY JANUARY SESSION, A.D.  2010
____________
HOUSE RESOLUTION
PROCLAIMING APRIL 24, 2010 AS “ARMENIAN GENOCIDE REMEMBRANCE DAY” TO COMMEMORATE THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE OF 1915 TO 1923 AND TO HONOR ARMENIAN-AMERICANS
Introduced By: Representatives Corvese, Kilmartin, Schadone, Kennedy, and Palumbo
Date Introduced: April 13, 2010
Referred To: House read and passed

WHEREAS, One and a half 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 ” 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 three thousand 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 world’s 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 in world history, but also because learning more about this unconscionable tragedy will help to 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 in order 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 recognizes April 24, 2010, as “Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day” in the State of Rhode Island; and be it further

RESOLVED, That this House respectfully urges the Congress of the United States to likewise commemorate the Armenian genocide and acknowledge that genocide is relevant to and affects all nations; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and he hereby is authorized and directed to transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Honorable Barack Obama, President of the United States, the Rhode Island Congressional Delegation, the Honorable Donald Carcieri, Governor of the State of Rhode Island, the Armenian Assembly of America in Washington, and the Armenian National Committee in Washington.
======= LC00146 =======

2011 — H 6070
======= LC01817 ======= 
STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY JANUARY SESSION, A.D.  2011
HOUSE RESOLUTION
PROCLAIMING APRIL 24, 2011, AS “ARMENIAN GENOCIDE REMEMBRANCE DAY” TO COMMEMORATE THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE OF 1915 TO 1923 AND TO HONOR ARMENIAN-AMERICANS
Introduced By: Representatives Corvese, Kennedy, Schadone, Palumbo, and San Bento
Date Introduced: April 26, 2011
Referred To: House read and passed

WHEREAS, One and a half 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 ” 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 three thousand 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 world’s 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 in world history, but also because learning more about this unconscionable tragedy will help us to 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 inorder 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 recognizes April 24, 2011, as “Armenia n Genocide Remembrance Day” in the State of Rhode Island; and be it further

RESOLVED, That this House respectfully urges the Congress of the United States to likewise commemorate the Armenian genocide and acknowledge that genocide is relevant to and affects all nations; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and he hereby is authorized and directed to transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Honorable Barack Obama, President of the United States, the Rhode Island Congressional Delegation, The Honorable Lincoln Chafee, Governor of the State of Rhode Island, the Armenian Assembly of America in Washington, D.C., and the Armenian National Committee in Washington D.C.
======= LC01817 =======

2012 — H 8077
======= LC00144=======
STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2012
____________
HOUSE RESOLUTION
PROCLAIMING APRIL 24, 2012, AS “ARMENIAN GENOCIDE REMEMBRANCE DAY” TO COMMEMORATE THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE OF 1915 TO 1923 AND TO HONOR ARMENIAN-AMERICANS
Introduced By: Representatives Corvese, Jacquard, Schadone, Malik, and Gallison
Date Introduced: April 24, 2012
Referred To: House read and passed

WHEREAS, One and a half 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.” 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 three thousand 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 world’s 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 in world history, but also because learning more about this unconscionable tragedy will help us to 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 in order 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 recognizes April 24, 2012, as “Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day” in the State of Rhode Island; and be it further

RESOLVED, That this House respectfully urges the Congress of the United States to likewise commemorate the Armenian genocide and acknowledge that genocide is relevant to and affects all nations; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and he hereby is authorized and directed to transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Honorable Barack Obama, President of the United States, the Rhode Island Congressional Delegation, The Honorable Lincoln Chafee, Governor of the State of Rhode Island, the Armenian Assembly of America in Washington, D.C., and the Armenian National Committee in Washington, D.C.
======= LC00144 =======

2013 — H 6034

======= LC02411 =======
STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2013
____________
HOUSE RESOLUTION
DESIGNATING APRIL 24TH, 2013, AS “RHODE ISLAND REMEMBRANCE OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE OF 1915-1923”
Introduced By: Representatives Kazarian, Corvese, Nunes, Mattiello, and Chippendale
Date Introduced: April 24, 2013
Referred To: House read and passed

WHEREAS, Armenians living in their historic homeland in Asia Minor were subjected to severe persecution and brutal injustice by the Turkish rulers of the Ottoman Empire before and after the turn of the twentieth century, including widespread acts of destruction, mayhem, and murder during the period from 1894 to 1896, and again in 1909; and

WHEREAS, The horrible experience of the Armenians at the hands of their Turkish oppressors culminated with what is known by historians as the “First Genocide of the Twentieth Century” or the “Forgotten Genocide”; and

WHEREAS, The Armenian Genocide began with the murder of hundreds of Armenian intellectuals and political, religious, and business leaders who were arrested and taken from their homes in Constantinople before dawn on April 24, 1915; and

WHEREAS, The Young Turk regime then in control of the empire planned and executed the unspeakable atrocities committed against the Armenians from 1915 through 1923, including the torture, starvation, and murder of 1.5 million Armenians, death marches into the Syrian desert, and the exile of more than 500,000 innocent people; and

WHEREAS, While there were some Turks who jeopardized their safety in order to protect Armenians from the slaughter being perpetrated by the Young Turk regime, the massacres of the Armenians constituted one of the most atrocious violations of human rights in the history of the world; 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 other 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 accompanied 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 like the New York Times carried headlines including, “Tales of Armenian Horrors Confirmed,” “Million Armenians Killed or in Exile,” and “Wholesale Massacre of Armenians by Turks”; and

WHEREAS, Adolph Hitler, in persuading his army commanders that the merciless persecution and killing of Jews, Poles, and other groups of people would bring no retribution, declared, “Who after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians”; and

WHEREAS, Unlike other groups and governments that have admitted the abuses and crimes of predecessor regimes, and despite the overwhelming weight of the evidence, the Republic of Turkey has denied the occurrence of the crimes against humanity committed by the Young Turk rulers, and those denials compound the grief of the few remaining survivors of the atrocities and desecrate the memory of the victims; and

WHEREAS, Nations of the world have suffered reprisals and condemnations by Turkey because of efforts to commemorate the Armenian Genocide; and

WHEREAS, There have been concerted efforts to revise history through the dissemination of propaganda suggesting that Armenians were responsible for their fate in the period from 1915 through 1923 and by the funding of programs at American educational institutions for the purpose of furthering the cause of this revisionism and to counter, in the words of a Turkish official, “the Armenian view”; and

WHEREAS, Leaders of nations with strategic, commercial, and cultural ties to the Republic of Turkey should be reminded of their duty to encourage Turkish officials to cease efforts to distort facts and deny the history of events surrounding the Armenian Genocide; and

WHEREAS, The accelerated level and scope of denial and revisionism, coupled with the passage of time and the fact that very few survivors remain who serve as reminders of indescribable brutality and tormented lives, compel a sense of urgency in efforts to solidify recognition of historical truth; and

WHEREAS, By consistently remembering and forcefully condemning the atrocities committed against the Armenians and honoring the survivors, as well as other victims of similar heinous conduct, we guard against repetition of those acts of genocide; and

WHEREAS, Rhode Island is home to a large population of Armenians, and those citizens have enriched our state through their leadership in the fields of business, agriculture, academia, medicine, government, and the arts and are proud and patriotic practitioners of American citizenship; now, therefore be it

RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations hereby designates April 24, 2013, as “Rhode Island Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide of 1915 – 1923”; and be it further

RESOLVED, That this House hereby respectfully memorializes the Congress of the United States to likewise act to commemorate the Armenian Genocide; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to The Honorable Barack Obama, President of the United States, the Rhode Island Congressional Delegation, The Honorable Lincoln Chafee, Governor of the State of Rhode Island, and The Armenian National Committee in Washington, D.C.
======= LC02411 =======

2014 — H 8108
======== LC005437========
STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2014
____________
HOUSE RESOLUTION
PROCLAIMING APRIL 24, 2014, AS “ARMENIAN GENOCIDE REMEMBRANCE DAY” TO COMMEMORATE THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE OF 1915 TO 1923 AND IN HONOR OF ARMENIAN-AMERICANS
Introduced By: Representatives Kazarian, Corvese, Mattiello, Casey, and Palangio
Date Introduced: April 30, 2014
Referred To: House read and passed

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

WHEREAS, The United States Ambassador to the Turkish Ottoman Empire, Henry Morgenthau, , 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.”; 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 three thousand 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, Around the globe the Armenian genocide has been acknowledged by countries and international bodies such as Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Cyprus, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Lebanon, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, Uruguay, Vatican City, Venezuela, and the United Nations; and

WHEREAS, Each year Armenians throughout the world honor those who perished from 1915 to 1923, but truly 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, 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 better help us 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 in order 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 recognizes April 24, 2014, as “Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day” in the State of Rhode Island; and be it further

RESOLVED, That this House respectfully urges the Congress of the United States to likewise commemorate the Armenian genocide and acknowledge that genocide is relevant to and affects all nations; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Honorable Barack Obama, President of the United States, the Rhode Island Congressional Delegation, the Honorable Lincoln Chafee, Governor of the State of Rhode Island, the Armenian Assembly of America in Washington, and the Armenian National Committee in Washington.
======== LC005437 ========

2015 — H 6053
===== LC001 488=====
S T A T E  O F  R H O D E  I S L A N D
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2015
____________
H O U S E  R E S O L U T I O N
PROCLAIMING APRIL 24. 2015. AS “ARMENIAN GENOCIDE REMEMBRANCE DAY” TO COMMEMORATE THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE OF 1915 TO 1923 AND IN HONOR OF ARMENIAN-AMERICANS
Introduced By: Representatives Kazarian, Mattiello, DeSimone, Corvese, and Newberry
Date Introduced: April 08,2015
Referred To: House read and passed

WHEREAS, The Armenian Genocide was conceived and carried out by the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1923, and resulted in the deportation of nearly 2,000,000 Armenians, of whom 1,500,000 men, women, and children were killed, and the remaining 500,000 survived but were expelled from their homes. This act succeeded in the elimination of the Armenians from their historic ancestral homeland where they had resided for over 2,500 years; and

WHEREAS, On May 24, 1915, for the first time ever, the Allied Powers of England, France, and Russia. jointly issued a statement explicitly charging another government of committing “a crime against humanity”; and

WHEREAS, This joint statement declared, “the Allied Governments announce publicly to the Sublime Porte that they will hold personally responsible for these crimes all members of the Ottoman Government, as well as those of their
agents who are implicated in such massacres”; and

WHEREAS, United States Ambassador Henry Morgenthau, Sr. explicitly described the policy of the Ottoman Empire’s government to the United States Department of State as “a campaign of race extermination.” and on July 16. 1915, was informed by United States Secretary of State Robert Lansing that the “Department approves your procedure…to stop Armenian persecution”; and

WHEREAS, The post-World War I Turkish government indicted the top leaders involved in the organization and execution of the Armenian Genocide and in the “massacre and destruction of the Armenians,” and in a series of court-martials, officials of the Young Turk regime were charged, tried and convicted, for organizing and executing massacres against the Armenian people; and

WHEREAS, In 1948, the United Nations War Crimes Commission invoked the Armenian Genocide as “precisely…one of the types of acts which the modem term ‘crimes against humanity’ is intended to cover” as a precedent for the Nuremberg tribunals; and

WHEREAS, The United States National Archives and Record Administration holds extensive and thorough documentation on the Armenian Genocide, especially in its holdings under Record Group 59 of the United States Department of State, files 867.00 and 867.40, which are open and widely available to the public and interested institutions; and

WHEREAS, The United States Holocaust Memorial Council, an independent federal agency, unanimously resolved on April 30, 1981, that the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum would include the Armenian Genocide in the museum and has since done so; and

WHEREAS, When one enters the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, there is an exhibit depicting Adolf Hitler, who on ordering his military commanders to attack Poland without provocation in 1939, dismissed objections by stating “[w]ho, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?”, thus setting the stage for the Holocaust; now, therefore be it

RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations hereby recognizes April 24, 2015, as “Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day” in the State of Rhode Island; and be it further

RESOLVED, That this House, on the occasion of the Centennial Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, respectfully requests the President of the United States and the United States Congress to call on the government of Turkey to face history and acknowledge this crime of genocide committed by the Ottoman Turks in 1915 and further, urge the Turkish government to make restitution for the loss of lives, confiscated properties, and general unlawful deportations, separating the indigenous population from their homeland ; and be it further

RESOLVED, That this House expresses its deepest sympathy to the Armenian-American community of Rhode Island and assures them that this genocide will always be commemorated and never forgotten; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Honorable Barack Obama, President of the United States, the Rhode Island Congressional Delegation, the Honorable Gina Raimondo, Governor of the State of Rhode Island, the Armenian Assembly of America in Washington, and the Armenian National Committee in Washington.

2016 — H 8084
========
LC004578
========
STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2016
____________
HOUSE RESOLUION
PROCLAIMING APRIL 24, 2016, AS “ARMENIAN GENOCIDE REMEMBRANCE DAY”
TO COMMEMORATE THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE OF 1915 TO 1923, AND IN HONOR
OF ARMENIAN-AMERICANS
Introduced By: Representatives Kazarian, Mattiello, DeSimone, Corvese, and Nunes
Date Introduced: April 14, 2016
Referred To: House read and passed

WHEREAS, The Armenian Genocide was conceived and carried out by the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1923, and resulted in the deportation of nearly 2,000,000 Armenians, of whom 1,500,000 men, women, and children were killed, and the remaining 500,000 survived but were expelled from their homes. This act succeeded in the elimination of the Armenians from their historic ancestral homeland where they had resided for over 2,500 years; and

WHEREAS, On May 24, 1915, for the first time ever, the Allied Powers of England, France, and Russia, jointly issued a statement explicitly charging another government of committing “a crime against humanity”; and

WHEREAS, This joint statement declared, “the Allied Governments announce publicly to the Sublime Porte that they will hold personally responsible for these crimes all members of the Ottoman Government, as well as those of their agents who are implicated in such massacres”; and

WHEREAS, United States Ambassador Henry Morgenthau, Sr. explicitly described the policy of the Ottoman Empire’s government to the United States Department of State as “a campaign of race extermination,” and on July 16, 1915, was informed by United States Secretary of State Robert Lansing that the “Department approves your procedure . . . to stop Armenian persecution”; and

WHEREAS, The post-World War I Turkish government indicted the top leaders involved in the organization and execution of the Armenian Genocide and in the “massacre and destruction of the Armenians,” and in a series of court-martials, officials of the Young Turk regime were charged, tried and convicted, for organizing and executing massacres against the Armenian people; and

WHEREAS, In 1948, the United Nations War Crimes Commission invoked the Armenian Genocide as “precisely . . . one of the types of acts which the modern term ‘crimes against humanity’ is intended to cover” as a precedent for the Nuremberg tribunals; and

WHEREAS, The United States National Archives and Record Administration holds extensive and thorough documentation on the Armenian Genocide, especially in its holdings under Record Group 59 of the United States Department of State, files 867.00 and 67.40, which are open and widely available to the public and interested institutions; and

WHEREAS, The United States Holocaust Memorial Council, an independent federal agency, unanimously resolved on April 30, 1981, that the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum would include the Armenian Genocide in the museum and has since done so; and

WHEREAS, When one enters the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, there is an exhibit depicting Adolf Hitler, who on ordering his military commanders to attack Poland without provocation in 1939, dismissed objections by stating “[w]ho, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?”, thus setting the stage for the Holocaust; now, therefore be it

RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations hereby recognizes April 24, 2016, as “Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day” in the State of Rhode Island; and be it further

RESOLVED, That this House respectfully requests the President of the United States and the United States Congress to call on the government of Turkey to face history and acknowledge this crime of genocide committed by the Ottoman Turks in 1915 and further, urge the Turkish government to make restitution for the loss of lives, confiscated properties, and general unlawful deportations, separating the indigenous population from their homeland; and be it further

RESOLVED, That this House expresses its deepest sympathy to the Armenian-American community of Rhode Island and assures them that this genocide will always be commemorated and never forgotten; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Honorable Barack Obama, President of the United States, the Rhode Island Congressional Delegation, the Honorable Gina Raimondo, Governor of the State of Rhode Island, the Armenian Assembly of America in Washington, and the Armenian National Committee in Washington.
========
LC004578

2017 — H 6120
========
LC002370
========
S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2017
____________
H O U S E R E S O L U T I O N
COMMEMORATING “HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE DAY” AND “ARMENIAN
GENOCIDE REMEMBRANCE DAY” AND AVOWING THAT THESE ATROCITIES
SHALL NEVER BE REPEATED
Introduced By: Representatives Kazarian, Ackerman, Regunberg, Knight, and Corvese
Date Introduced: April 13, 2017
Referred To: House read and passed

WHEREAS, The State of Rhode Island has consistently demonstrated its concerns and interests regarding raising awareness on the subjects of Holocaust and Genocide, and the necessity for civic education, of which Genocide education should be a component; and

WHEREAS, In 2016, the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island and the Armenian community spearheaded the drive to amend the Rhode Island General Laws in order to require more comprehensive and inclusive educational requirements on the subjects of Holocaust and Genocide; and

WHEREAS, Resultantly, House Bill 7488 SUB A was passed by the General Assembly and subsequently signed into law on June 17, 2016; and

WHEREAS, The legislation requires the Rhode Island Board of Education to include instruction on the subjects of Holocaust and Genocide studies in an appropriate place in the curriculum, for all middle and high school students; and

WHEREAS, The Armenian Genocide was conceived and carried out by the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1923, and resulted in the deportation of nearly 2,000,000 Armenians, of whom 1,500,000 men, women, and children were killed, and the remaining 500,000 survived but were expelled from their homes. This act succeeded in the elimination of the Armenians from their historic ancestral homeland where they had resided for over 2,500 years; and

WHEREAS, United States Ambassador Henry Morgenthau, Sr. explicitly described the policy of the Ottoman Empire’s government to the United States Department of State as “a campaign of race extermination.” The post-World War I Turkish government indicted the top leaders involved in the organization and execution of the Armenian Genocide and in the “massacre and destruction of the Armenians,” and in a series of court-martials, officials of the Young Turk regime were charged, tried and convicted, for organizing and executing massacres against the Armenian people; and

WHEREAS, Holocaust is the term used to refer to the period in world history from 1933 to 1945, before and during World War II, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazis systematically and barbarically persecuted and murdered nearly six million Jews and another five million non-Jews throughout Europe because they were perceived to be “racially inferior” and “life unworthy of life”; and

WHEREAS, The infamous and brutal killing grounds of Auschwitz, Buchenwald, Dachau and Belson, today house the unnatural quiet and ghostly calm of somber rows of sanitized barracks and rusting ovens, and stand as speechless memorials to the six million Jews and eleven million total victims who succumbed to the deliberate Nazi program of Genocide that was the Holocaust; and

WHEREAS, This year marks the 102nd Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide committed by the Ottoman Turks in 1915, and the 74th Anniversary of the 1943 Warsaw Ghetto Uprising; and

WHEREAS, The United States Holocaust Memorial Council, an independent federal agency, unanimously resolved on April 30, 1981, that the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum would include the Armenian Genocide in the museum and has since done so; and

WHEREAS, When one enters the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, there is an exhibit depicting Adolf Hitler, who on ordering his military commanders to attack Poland without provocation in 1939, dismissed objections by stating “[w]ho, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?”, thus setting the stage for the Holocaust; and

WHEREAS, The citizens of Rhode Island, having our own rich heritage of resistance and intolerance for those who would trample individual liberty and dignity, applaud the courageous efforts of the Armenians in their brave fight for their survival and their ancestral homeland and the valiant efforts of ghetto residents for whom day to day survival was a relentless struggle. The brave actions of the Armenian and Jewish people stand as testimony to a rare and indomitable human spirit and extraordinary courage exhibited in the darkest hours of man’s inhumanity; and

WHEREAS, Rhode Islanders and people of all nations must take the time to remember and educate their youth about the millions of men, women and children who were slaughtered simply because of their beliefs and their heritage, or their strengths or their frailties, and we must firmly avow that the atrocities of the Armenian Genocide and the Holocaust will never be repeated; now, therefore be it

RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations hereby commemorates “Holocaust Remembrance Day” and “Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day”; and be it further

RESOLVED, That this House hereby expresses its deepest sympathy to the Jewish-American and Armenian-American communities of Rhode Island and thanks them for their efforts to assure that these atrocious and unconscionable events will always be commemorated and never forgotten by future generations; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Honorable Donald Trump, President of the United States, the Rhode Island Congressional Delegation, and the Honorable Gina Raimondo, Governor of the State of Rhode Island.
========
LC002370

2017 — H 6235
S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2017
H O U S E R E S O L U T I O N PROCLAIMING MAY 19TH OF 2017 AS “GREEK PONTIAN GENOCIDE
REMEMBRANCE DAY” IN THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND Introduced By: Representatives Solomon, Serpa, Shekarchi, Kazarian, and McNamara Date Introduced: May 18, 2017 Referred To: House read and passed

WHEREAS, Rhode Island is proud to be the home of numerous ethnic communities, 1
many of whom have prospered and enjoyed the freedom and democracy upon which our nation 2
was founded; tragically, throughout history, the people of many countries have not realized the 3
same autonomy and equality; and 4

WHEREAS, From 1914 until 1922, in a systematic attempt to exterminate an entire 5
population, the Ottoman Turks directed the killing of 353,000 Pontian and Anatolian Greeks and 6
over a million Armenians and Assyrians living in Pontos, and an equal number who were forced 7
to flee their homeland in one of the most condemnable atrocities in the history of the world; and 8

WHEREAS, The Ottoman and Kemals Neoturks engaged in exile, starvation, slaughter, 9
and murder, using axes and fire to massacre the Pontic Greek population and perpetrate the first 10
mass genocide of the 20th century, and the Armenian Genocide was conceived and carried out by 11
the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1923, and resulted in the deportation of nearly 2,000,000 12
Armenians, of whom 1,500,000 men, women, and children were killed, and the remaining 13
500,000 survived but were expelled from their homes; and 14

WHEREAS, It is vital and proper to remember those who lost their lives in the Pontian 15
Genocide, and it is paramount that people of all nations look at this horrific event in our world’s 16
not-so-distant history as a way to learn a valuable lesson, so that such atrocities are not tolerated 17
and are never committed again; and 18

WHEREAS, It is likewise important to pay tribute to the survivors of this atrocious 19 as well as their descendents, who have made countless contributions to the enrichment of 1
our culture and our way of life here in the Ocean State and who stand as an inspiration to 2
oppressed people around the world; now, therefore be it 3

RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island and 4
Providence Plantations hereby joins the Greek-American community on May 19th of each year in 5
a solemn commemoration of the Pontian Genocide of 1914-1922; and be it further 6

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to 7
transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to Gus Tsilfides President Pan-Pontain Federation 8
of USA and Canada and Panagiotis Petridis at the Panagia Soumela Pontian Society of Boston.

2017 — H 6120
S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2017
____________ H O U S E R E S O L U T I O N COMMEMORATING “HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE DAY” AND “ARMENIAN
GENOCIDE REMEMBRANCE DAY” AND AVOWING THAT THESE ATROCITIES
SHALL NEVER BE REPEATED Introduced By: Representatives Kazarian, Ackerman, Regunberg, Knight, and Corvese Date Introduced: April 13, 2017 Referred To: House read and passed

WHEREAS, The State of Rhode Island has consistently demonstrated its concerns and 1
interests regarding raising awareness on the subjects of Holocaust and Genocide, and the 2
necessity for civic education, of which Genocide education should be a component; and 3

WHEREAS, In 2016, the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island and the Armenian 4
community spearheaded the drive to amend the Rhode Island General Laws in order to require 5
more comprehensive and inclusive educational requirements on the subjects of Holocaust and 6
Genocide; and 7

WHEREAS, Resultantly, House Bill 7488 SUB A was passed by the General Assembly 8
and subsequently signed into law on June 17, 2016; and 9

WHEREAS, The legislation requires the Rhode Island Board of Education to include 10
instruction on the subjects of Holocaust and Genocide studies in an appropriate place in the 11
curriculum, for all middle and high school students; and 12

WHEREAS, The Armenian Genocide was conceived and carried out by the Ottoman 13
Empire from 1915 to 1923, and resulted in the deportation of nearly 2,000,000 Armenians, of 14
whom 1,500,000 men, women, and children were killed, and the remaining 500,000 survived but 15
were expelled from their homes. This act succeeded in the elimination of the Armenians from 16
their historic ancestral homeland where they had resided for over 2,500 years; and 17

WHEREAS, United States Ambassador Henry Morgenthau, Sr. explicitly described the 18
policy of the Ottoman Empire’s government to the United States Department of State as “a 19 campaign of race extermination.” The post-World War I Turkish government indicted the top 1
leaders involved in the organization and execution of the Armenian Genocide and in the 2
“massacre and destruction of the Armenians,” and in a series of court-martials, officials of the 3
Young Turk regime were charged, tried and convicted, for organizing and executing massacres 4
against the Armenian people; and 5

WHEREAS, Holocaust is the term used to refer to the period in world history from 1933 6
to 1945, before and during World War II, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazis systematically and 7
barbarically persecuted and murdered nearly six million Jews and another five million non-Jews 8
throughout Europe because they were perceived to be “racially inferior” and “life unworthy of 9
life”; and 10

WHEREAS, The infamous and brutal killing grounds of Auschwitz, Buchenwald, 11
Dachau and Belson, today house the unnatural quiet and ghostly calm of somber rows of sanitized 12
barracks and rusting ovens, and stand as speechless memorials to the six million Jews and eleven 13
million total victims who succumbed to the deliberate Nazi program of Genocide that was the 14
Holocaust; and 15

WHEREAS, This year marks the 102nd Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide 16
committed by the Ottoman Turks in 1915, and the 74th Anniversary of the 1943 Warsaw Ghetto 17
Uprising; and 18

WHEREAS, The United States Holocaust Memorial Council, an independent federal 19
agency, unanimously resolved on April 30, 1981, that the United States Holocaust Memorial 20
Museum would include the Armenian Genocide in the museum and has since done so; and 21

WHEREAS, When one enters the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, there is an 22
exhibit depicting Adolf Hitler, who on ordering his military commanders to attack Poland without 23
provocation in 1939, dismissed objections by stating “[w]ho, after all, speaks today of the 24
annihilation of the Armenians?”, thus setting the stage for the Holocaust; and 25

WHEREAS, The citizens of Rhode Island, having our own rich heritage of resistance and 26
intolerance for those who would trample individual liberty and dignity, applaud the courageous 27
efforts of the Armenians in their brave fight for their survival and their ancestral homeland and 28
the valiant efforts of ghetto residents for whom day to day survival was a relentless struggle. The 29
brave actions of the Armenian and Jewish people stand as testimony to a rare and indomitable 30
human spirit and extraordinary courage exhibited in the darkest hours of man’s inhumanity; and 31

WHEREAS, Rhode Islanders and people of all nations must take the time to remember 32
and educate their youth about the millions of men, women and children who were slaughtered 33
simply because of their beliefs and their heritage, or their strengths or their frailties, and we must 34 firmly avow that the atrocities of the Armenian Genocide and the Holocaust will never be 1
repeated; now, therefore be it 2

RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island and 3
Providence Plantations hereby commemorates “Holocaust Remembrance Day” and “Armenian 4
Genocide Remembrance Day”; and be it further 5

RESOLVED, That this House hereby expresses its deepest sympathy to the Jewish-6
American and Armenian-American communities of Rhode Island and thanks them for their 7
efforts to assure that these atrocious and unconscionable events will always be commemorated 8
and never forgotten by future generations; and be it further 9

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to 10
transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Honorable Donald Trump, President of the 11
United States, the Rhode Island Congressional Delegation, and the Honorable Gina Raimondo, 12
Governor of the State of Rhode Island.

2018 — H 8144
S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2018
____________ H O U S E R E S O L U T I O N EXTENDING CONGRATULATIONS Introduced By: Representatives Shekarchi, and Filippi Date Introduced: May 01, 2018 Referred To: House read and passed

Representative McNamara 1 Ara Boligian; being honored for your outstanding contribution to the Rhode Island 2
Armenian Community at the 103rd Annual Armenian Flag Raising in Cranston, Rhode Island in 3
commemoration of those who perished during the Armenian Genocide; 4 Representative Kazarian 5 Armen Janigian; being honored for your outstanding contribution to the Rhode Island 6
Armenian Community at the 103rd Annual Armenian Flag Raising in North Providence, Rhode 7
Island in commemoration of those who perished during the Armenian Genocide; 8 Representative Kazarian 9 Larry Winkler; the joyous and momentous occasion of your 65th Birthday;

018 — H 8107
S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2018
____________ H O U S E R E S O L U T I O N EXTENDING CONGRATULATIONS Introduced By: Representatives Shekarchi, and Morgan Date Introduced: April 24, 2018 Referred To: House read and passed

Vartges “Gus” Eugustian; being honored by the Armenian National Committee of Rhode 15
Island on April 18, 2018 during the ceremony in remembrance of the victims and survivors of the 16
Armenian Genocide; 17 Representatives Amore and Kazarian

2018 — H 8046
S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2018
____________ H O U S E R E S O L U T I O N PROCLAIMING APRIL 24, 2018, AS “ARMENIAN GENOCIDE REMEMBRANCE DAY”
TO COMMEMORATE THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE OF 1915 TO 1923, AND IN HONOR
OF ARMENIAN-AMERCIANS Introduced By: Representatives Kazarian, Mattiello, Shekarchi, Corvese, and Nunes Date Introduced: April 04, 2018 Referred To: House read and passed

WHEREAS, The Armenian Genocide was conceived and carried out by the Ottoman 1
Empire from 1915 to 1923, and resulted in the deportation of nearly 2,000,000 Armenians, of 2
whom 1,500,000 men, women, and children were killed, and the remaining 500,000 survived but 3
were expelled from their homes. This act succeeded in the elimination of the Armenians from 4
their historic ancestral homeland where they had resided for over 2,500 years; and 5

WHEREAS, On May 24, 1915, for the first time ever, the Allied Powers of England, 6
France, and Russia, jointly issued a statement explicitly charging another government of 7
committing “a crime against humanity”; and 8

WHEREAS, This joint statement declared, “the Allied Governments announce publicly 9
to the Sublime Porte that they will hold personally responsible for these crimes all members of 10
the Ottoman Government, as well as those of their agents who are implicated in such massacres”; 11
and 12

WHEREAS, United States Ambassador Henry Morgenthau, Sr. explicitly described the 13
policy of the Ottoman Empire’s government to the United States Department of State as “a 14
campaign of race extermination,” and on July 16, 1915, was informed by United States Secretary 15
of State Robert Lansing that the “Department approves your procedure . . . to stop Armenian 16
persecution”; and 17

WHEREAS, The post-World War I Turkish government indicted the top leaders involved 18
in the organization and execution of the Armenian Genocide and in the “massacre and destruction 19 of the Armenians,” and in a series of court-martials, officials of the Young Turk regime were 1
charged, tried and convicted, for organizing and executing massacres against the Armenian 2
people; and 3

WHEREAS, In 1948, the United Nations War Crimes Commission invoked the 4
Armenian Genocide as “precisely . . . one of the types of acts which the modern term ‘crimes 5
against humanity’ is intended to cover” as a precedent for the Nuremberg tribunals; and 6

WHEREAS, The United States National Archives and Record Administration holds 7
extensive and thorough documentation on the Armenian Genocide, especially in its holdings 8
under Record Group 59 of the United States Department of State, files 867.00 and 867.40, which 9
are open and widely available to the public and interested institutions; and 10

WHEREAS, The United States Holocaust Memorial Council, an independent federal 11
agency, unanimously resolved on April 30, 1981, that the United States Holocaust Memorial 12
Museum would include the Armenian Genocide in the museum and has since done so; and 13

WHEREAS, When one enters the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, there is an 14
exhibit depicting Adolf Hitler, who on ordering his military commanders to attack Poland without 15
provocation in 1939, dismissed objections by stating “[w]ho, after all, speaks today of the 16
annihilation of the Armenians?”, thus setting the stage for the Holocaust; now, therefore be it 17

RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island and 18
Providence Plantations hereby recognizes April 24, 2018, as “Armenian Genocide Remembrance 19
Day” in the State of Rhode Island; and be it further 20

RESOLVED, That this House respectfully requests the President of the United States and 21
the United States Congress to call on the government of Turkey to face history and acknowledge 22
this crime of genocide committed by the Ottoman Turks in 1915 and further, urge the Turkish 23
government to make restitution for the loss of lives, confiscated properties, and general unlawful 24
deportations, separating the indigenous population from their homeland; and be it further 25

RESOLVED, That this House expresses its deepest sympathy to the Armenian-American 26
community of Rhode Island and assures them that this genocide will always be commemorated 27
and never forgotten; and be it further 28

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to 29
transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Honorable Donald Trump, President of the 30
United States, the Rhode Island Congressional Delegation, the Honorable Gina Raimondo, 31
Governor of the State of Rhode Island, the Armenian Assembly of America in Washington, and 32 the Armenian National Committee in Washington.

2018 — H 8210
S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2018
____________ H O U S E R E S O L U T I O N PROCLAIMING MAY 19TH OF 2018 AS “GREEK PONTIAN GENOCIDE
REMEMBRANCE DAY” IN THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND Introduced By: Representatives Solomon, Mattiello, Kazarian, McNamara, and Jacquard Date Introduced: May 17, 2018 Referred To: House read and passed

WHEREAS, Rhode Island is proud to be the home of numerous ethnic communities, 1
many of whom have prospered and enjoyed the freedom and democracy upon which our nation 2
was founded; tragically, throughout history, the people of many countries have not realized the 3
same autonomy and equality; and 4

WHEREAS, From 1914 until 1922, in a systematic attempt to exterminate an entire 5
population, the Ottoman Turks directed the killing of 353,000 Pontian and Anatolian Greeks and 6
over a million Armenians and Assyrians living in Pontos, and an equal number were forced to 7
flee their homeland in one of the most condemnable atrocities in the history of the world; and 8

WHEREAS, The Ottoman and Kemals Neoturks engaged in exile, starvation, slaughter, 9
and murder, using axes and fire to massacre the Pontic Greek population and perpetrate the first 10
mass genocide of the 20th century, and the Armenian Genocide was conceived and carried out by 11
the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1923, and resulted in the deportation of nearly 2,000,000 12
Armenians, of whom 1,500,000 men, women, and children were killed, and the remaining 13
500,000 survived but were expelled from their homes; and 14

WHEREAS, It is vital and proper to remember those who lost their lives in the Pontian 15
Genocide, and it is paramount that people of all nations look at this horrific event in our world’s 16
not-so-distant history as a way to learn a valuable lesson, so that such atrocities are not tolerated 17
and are never committed again; and 18

WHEREAS, It is likewise important to pay tribute to the survivors of this atrocious 19, as well as their descendants, who have made countless contributions to the enrichment of 1
our culture and our way of life here in the Ocean State and who stand as an inspiration to 2
oppressed people around the world; now, therefore be it 3

RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island and 4
Providence Plantations hereby joins the Greek-American community on May 19th of each year in 5
a solemn commemoration of the Pontian Genocide of 1914-1922; and be it further 6

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to 7
transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to Gus Tsilfides President Pan-Pontian Federation 8
of USA and Canada and John Katsaros at the Panagia Soumela Pontian Society of Boston.

2020 — H 8028
S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2020
____________ H O U S E R E S O L U T I O N PROCLAIMING APRIL 24, 2020, AS “ARMENIAN GENOCIDE REMEMBRANCE DAY”
TO COMMEMORATE THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE OF 1915 TO 1923, AND IN HONOR
OF ARMENIAN-AMERCIANS Introduced By: Representatives Kazarian, Shekarchi, Corvese, Mattiello, and Solomon Date Introduced: June 17, 2020 Referred To: House read and passed

WHEREAS, The Armenian Genocide was conceived and carried out by the Ottoman 1
Empire from 1915 to 1923, and resulted in the deportation of nearly 2,000,000 Armenians, of 2
whom 1,500,000 men, women, and children were killed, and the remaining 500,000 survived but 3
were expelled from their homes. This act succeeded in the elimination of the Armenians from 4
their historic ancestral homeland where they had resided for over 2,500 years; and 5

WHEREAS, On May 24, 1915, for the first time ever, the Allied Powers of England, 6
France, and Russia, jointly issued a statement explicitly charging another government of 7
committing “a crime against humanity”; and 8

WHEREAS, This joint statement declared, “the Allied Governments announce publicly 9
to the Sublime Porte that they will hold personally responsible for these crimes all members of 10
the Ottoman Government, as well as those of their agents who are implicated in such massacres”; 11
and 12

WHEREAS, United States Ambassador Henry Morgenthau, Sr. explicitly described the 13
policy of the Ottoman Empire’s government to the United States Department of State as “a 14
campaign of race extermination,” and on July 16, 1915, was informed by United States Secretary 15
of State Robert Lansing that the “Department approves your procedure . . . to stop Armenian 16
persecution”; and 17

WHEREAS, The post-World War I Turkish government indicted the top leaders involved 18
in the organization and execution of the Armenian Genocide and in the “massacre and destruction 19 of the Armenians,” and in a series of court-martials, officials of the Young Turk regime were 1
charged, tried and convicted, for organizing and executing massacres against the Armenian 2
people; and 3

WHEREAS, In 1948, the United Nations War Crimes Commission invoked the 4
Armenian Genocide as “precisely . . . one of the types of acts which the modern term ‘crimes 5
against humanity’ is intended to cover” as a precedent for the Nuremberg tribunals; and 6

WHEREAS, The United States National Archives and Record Administration holds 7
extensive and thorough documentation on the Armenian Genocide, especially in its holdings 8
under Record Group 59 of the United States Department of State, files 867.00 and 867.40, which 9
are open and widely available to the public and interested institutions; and 10

WHEREAS, The United States Holocaust Memorial Council, an independent federal 11
agency, unanimously resolved on April 30, 1981, that the United States Holocaust Memorial 12
Museum would include the Armenian Genocide in the museum and has since done so; and 13

WHEREAS, When one enters the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, there is an 14
exhibit depicting Adolf Hitler, who on ordering his military commanders to attack Poland without 15
provocation in 1939, dismissed objections by stating “[w]ho, after all, speaks today of the 16
annihilation of the Armenians?”, thus setting the stage for the Holocaust; now, therefore be it 17

RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island and 18
Providence Plantations hereby recognizes April 24, 2020, as “Armenian Genocide Remembrance 19
Day” in the State of Rhode Island; and be it further 20

RESOLVED, That this House respectfully requests the President of the United States and 21
the United States Congress to call on the government of Turkey to face history and acknowledge 22
this crime of genocide committed by the Ottoman Turks in 1915 and further, urge the Turkish 23
government to make restitution for the loss of lives, confiscated properties, and general unlawful 24
deportations, separating the indigenous population from their homeland; and be it further 25

RESOLVED, That this House expresses its deepest sympathy to the Armenian-American 26
community of Rhode Island and assures them that this genocide will always be commemorated 27
and never forgotten; and be it further 28

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to 29
transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Honorable Donald Trump, President of the 30
United States, the Rhode Island Congressional Delegation, the Honorable Gina Raimondo, 31
Governor of the State of Rhode Island, the Armenian Assembly of America in Washington, and 32 the Armenian National Committee in Washington.

2021 — H 6244
S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2021
____________ H O U S E R E S O L U T I O N PROCLAIMING APRIL 24, 2021, AS “ARMENIAN GENOCIDE REMEMBRANCE DAY”
TO COMMEMORATE THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE OF 1915 TO 1923, AND IN HONOR
OF ARMENIAN-AMERICANS Introduced By: Representatives Kazarian, Corvese, Shekarchi, Blazejewski, Fenton-
Fung, Potter, Baginski, Williams, Hawkins, and Alzate Date Introduced: April 15, 2021 Referred To: House read and passed

WHEREAS, The Armenian Genocide was conceived and carried out by the Ottoman 1
Empire from 1915 to 1923, and resulted in the deportation of nearly 2,000,000 Armenians, of 2
whom 1,500,000 men, women, and children were killed, and the remaining 500,000 survived but 3
were expelled from their homes. This act succeeded in the elimination of the Armenians from 4
their historic ancestral homeland where they had resided for over 2,500 years; and 5

WHEREAS, On May 24, 1915, for the first time ever, the Allied Powers of England, 6
France, and Russia, jointly issued a statement explicitly charging another government of 7
committing “a crime against humanity”; and 8

WHEREAS, This joint statement declared, “the Allied Governments announce publicly 9
to the Sublime Porte that they will hold personally responsible for these crimes all members of 10
the Ottoman Government, as well as those of their agents who are implicated in such massacres”; 11
and 12

WHEREAS, United States Ambassador Henry Morgenthau, Sr. explicitly described the 13
policy of the Ottoman Empire’s government to the United States Department of State as “a 14
campaign of race extermination,” and on July 16, 1915, was informed by United States Secretary 15
of State Robert Lansing that the “Department approves your procedure . . . to stop Armenian 16
persecution”; and 17

WHEREAS, The post-World War I Turkish government indicted the top leaders involved 18
in the organization and execution of the Armenian Genocide and in the “massacre and destruction 19 of the Armenians,” and in a series of court-martials, officials of the Young Turk regime were 1
charged, tried and convicted, for organizing and executing massacres against the Armenian 2
people; and 3

WHEREAS, In 1948, the United Nations War Crimes Commission invoked the 4
Armenian Genocide as “precisely . . . one of the types of acts which the modern term ‘crimes 5
against humanity’ is intended to cover” as a precedent for the Nuremberg tribunals; and 6

WHEREAS, The United States National Archives and Record Administration holds 7
extensive and thorough documentation on the Armenian Genocide, especially in its holdings 8
under Record Group 59 of the United States Department of State, files 867.00 and 867.40, which 9
are open and widely available to the public and interested institutions; and 10

WHEREAS, The United States Holocaust Memorial Council, an independent federal 11
agency, unanimously resolved on April 30, 1981, that the United States Holocaust Memorial 12
Museum would include the Armenian Genocide in the museum and has since done so; and 13

WHEREAS, When one enters the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, there is an 14
exhibit depicting Adolf Hitler, who on ordering his military commanders to attack Poland without 15
provocation in 1939, dismissed objections by stating “[w]ho, after all, speaks today of the 16
annihilation of the Armenians?”, thus setting the stage for the Holocaust; and 17

WHEREAS, In 1918, after the fall of the Russian Empire, the Azerbaijan Democratic 18
Republic and the First Republic of Armenia both declared independence; however, shortly 19
thereafter, they became part of the Soviet Union. The modern Republic of Azerbaijan once again 20
proclaimed its independence in August of 1991, shortly before the dissolution of the USSR. 21
Within its borders, however, the predominantly Armenian enclave known as the Republic of 22
Artsakh officially voted to become part of Armenia; and 23

WHEREAS, Azerbaijan sought to suppress the separatist movement, while Armenia 24
backed it. Turkey has close ties to Azerbaijan and was the first nation to recognize Azerbaijan’s 25
independence in 1991. In 1993, Turkey, in addition to engaging in numerous hostilities, shut its 26
border with Armenia in support of Azerbaijan during the war over the Republic of Artsakh; and 27

WHEREAS, In Turkey’s continuing aggression and genocide of Armenians that began 28
more than 100 years ago, an armed conflict between Azerbaijan, with military support provided 29
by Turkey, and the Republic of Artsakh resulted in Armenia being forced to return many of the 30
surrounding territories it had occupied for decades, and although current ceasefire and 31
negotiations were agreed upon, Azerbaijan continues to seek unilateral concessions through 32
threats of the use of force; now, therefore be it 33

RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island hereby 34 recognizes April 24, 2021, as “Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day” in the State of Rhode 1
Island; and be it further 2

RESOLVED, That this House hereby respectfully requests the President of the United 3
States and the United States Congress to call on the government of Turkey to face history and 4
acknowledge this crime of genocide committed by the Ottoman Turks in 1915, and urge the 5
Turkish government to make restitution for the loss of lives, confiscated properties, and general 6
unlawful deportations, separating the indigenous population from their homeland; and be it 7
further 8

RESOLVED, That this House expresses its deepest sympathy to the Armenian-American 9
community of Rhode Island and assures them that this genocide will always be commemorated 10
and never forgotten; and be it further 11

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to 12
transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Honorable Joseph Biden, President of the 13
United States, the Rhode Island Congressional Delegation, the Governor of the State of Rhode 14
Island, the Armenian Assembly of America in Washington, and the Armenian National 15
Committee in Washington.

THE CITY OF CRANSTON
RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL
PROCLAIMING APRIL 24, 2007 AS “RHODE ISLAND DAY OF REMEMBRANCE OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE” IN COMMEMORATION OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE FROM 1915 TO 1923 AND HONORING ARMENIAN-AMERICANS
No. 2007-13
/s/ Aram G. Garabedian, Council President

WHEREAS, one and one half 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”. 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 three thousand 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 world’s 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 in order 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 the Cranston City Council, hereby proclaims April 24, 2007 as “Rhode Island Day of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide”.
Co-Sponsored by: Council President Garabedian, Council Vice-President McFarland and Councilmen Lanni, Livingston, Santamaria, Navarro, Lupino, Barone and Council Member Bucci

/s/ Aram G. Garabedian, Council President
 
 
WHEREAS, one and one half 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”. 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 three thousand 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 world’s 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 in order 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 the Cranston City Council, hereby proclaims April 24, 2007 as “Rhode Island Day of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide”.

Co-Sponsored by: Council President Garabedian, Council Vice-President McFarland and Councilmen Lanni, Livingston, Santamaria, Navarro, Lupino, Barone and Council Member Bucci

CITY OF PROVIDENCE RHODE ISLAND

DOCKET OF THE REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL
ON
THURSDAY, APRIL 2, 2015 COUNCIL PRESIDENT
LUIS A. APONTE PRESIDING

ROLL CALL

INVOCATION

1. The Invocation will be given by Councilman John J. Igliozzi.

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

2. Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America Led by Councilman Kevin Jackson.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

3. Journal of Proceedings No. 5 of the Regular Meeting of the City Council held March 5, 2015 and Journal of Proceedings No. 6 of the Special Meeting of the City Council held March 5, 2015.

APPOINTMENT BY HIS HONOR THE MAYOR

4. Communication from His Honor the Mayor, dated March 25, 2015, Informing the Honorable Members of the City Council that pursuant to Sections 302(b) and 1002 of the Providence Home Rule Charter of 1980, as amended and Public Law Chapter 45-50, Sections 1 through 31 passed in 1987, he is this day appointing Capt. Russell P. Knight, USN (ret.), of 163 Peirce Street, East Greenwich, Rhode Island 02818, to the position of Director of Public Works, and respectfully submits the same for your approval.

ORDINANCE(S) SECOND READING

The Following Ordinances were in City Council March 19, 2015, Read and Passed the First Time and are Severally Returned for Passage the Second Time:

5. An Ordinance in Amendment of Article I, Chapter 23, “Streets, Sidewalks and Public Places, Section 23-26, “Special Event Permits.” (Sponsored by Councilman Correia)

6. An Ordinance Amending Chapter 15, Article VII of the Code of Ordinances of the City of Providence “Snowmobiles and Recreation Vehicles.” (Sponsored by Councilman Correia)

PRESENTATION OF ORDINANCES

7. COUNCIL PRESIDENT APONTE, (By Request):

An Ordinance Relating to Article IV, Chapter 17, Section 17-189(6) of the Code of Ordinances. (Disability Waiver Request).

8. COUNCILMAN ZURIER

An Ordinance adding Section 14-311 to the Code of Ordinances (Board of Licenses).

9. An Ordinance Amending Section 8-13 of the Code of Ordinances (Housing Court).

10.
An Ordinance Enacting a new Section 8-10 of the Code of Ordinances (Municipal Court).

11. An Ordinance Adding a new Section 8-10 to the Code of Ordinances(Probate Court).

12.
An Ordinance Adding a new Section 25-84 to the Code of Ordinances (Water Supply Board).

13.
An Ordinance Amending Chapter 27, Article IX of the Code of Ordinances (Zoning Board of Review).

PRESENTATION OF RESOLUTIONS

14. COUNCIL PRESIDENT APONTE, (By Request):

Resolution Endorsing and Urging Passage by the General Assembly of House Bill 2015 H-5819 and Senate Bill 2015 S-0269, An Acting Relating to Motor and Other Vehicles – Comprehensive Community – Police Relationship Act of 2015.

15. Resolution Endorsing and Urging Passage by the General Assembly of House Bill 2015 H-5047 Sub A and Senate Bill 2015 S-0154, An Act Relating to Education – Health and Safety of Pupils.

16. Resolution Endorsing and Urging Passage by the General Assembly of House Bill 2015 H-5074 and Senate Bill 2015 S-0194, An Act Relating to Labor and Labor Relations – Minimum Wage.

17. Resolution Endorsing and Urging Passage by the General Assembly of House Bill 2015 H-5140, An Act Relating to Public Finance – State Funds.

18. Resolution Endorsing and Urging Passage by the General Assembly of House Bill 2015 H-5349 and Senate Bill 2015 S-0195, An Act Relating to Highways – Sidewalks.

19. Resolution Endorsing and Urging Passage by the General Assembly of House Bill 2015 H-5394 and Senate Bill 2015 S-0648, An Act Relating to Education – The Education Equity and Property Tax Relief Act.

20. Resolution Endorsing and Urging Passage by the General Assembly of House Bill 2015 H-5434 and Senate Bill 2015 S-0100, An Act Relating to Towns and Cities – Health and Educational Building Corporation.

21. COUNCIL PRESIDENT APONTE, COUNCILMAN HASSETT

Resolution Proclaiming April 24, 2015 as “Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day” to Commemorate the Armenian Genocide of 1915 to 1923 and to Honor Armenian-Americans.

22. COUNCILMAN CORREIA, (By Request):

Resolution Requesting the Traffic Engineer to cause the removal of Four (4) Parking Meters and to cause the installation of “Loading Zone Only” Signs at 3 Regency Plaza.

23. COUNCILMAN CORREIA

Resolution Requesting the Traffic Engineer to cause the installation of “No Thru Trucks” Signs on Linton Street between Academy Avenue and Canton Street.

24. Resolution Requesting the Acting Director of Public Works and the Director of Operations to appear before the Committee on Public Works to update and explain the Street Sweeping Schedule.

25. Resolution Requesting the Acting Director of Public Works and the Director of Operations to appear before the Committee on Public Works to give an update on the number of pending Clean & Lien properties by Ward and a schedule to complete the requests.

26. Resolution Requesting the Acting Director of Public Works and the Director of Operations to appear before the Committee on Public Works for discussion on implementing a Citywide Cleanup by Ward.

27. Resolution Requesting the Acting Director of Public Works and the Director of Operations to hire Fifteen (15) Seasonal Laborers for the Department of Public Works.

28. Resolution Requesting the Traffic Engineer to cause the replacement of the faded “No Parking” Signs located on Amity Street (Dead End Portion).

29. Resolution Requesting the Director of Operations purchase through the Master Lease Two (2) Chevy 2500 HD Ex-Cab Short Bed Pickup Trucks.

30. Resolution Requesting the Recreational Advisory Board to look into the use of Camp Cronin for the 2015 Season and thereafter.

31.
Resolution Requesting the Director of Operations to prepare written estimates of the repairs needed at Camp Cronin.

32. Resolution Requesting the City Building Official raze 35 Erastus Street (two structures) due to its hazardous condition and blight to surrounding homes.

33. Resolution Requesting the City Building Official raze 29 Stuben Street due to its hazardous condition and blight to surrounding homes.

34. COUNCILMAN JENNINGS, COUNCIL PRESIDENT
APONTE

Resolution Establishing Sister City Relationships with Santo Domingo and Santiago de los Caballeros.

35. COUNCILWOMAN MATOS

Resolution Requesting the Traffic Engineer to cause Parking on One Side of the Street Only on Progress Avenue from Whitehall Street to Webster Avenue.

36. Resolution Requesting the Traffic Engineer to cause the installation of a “15 Minute Parking” Sign located at 113 Valley Street.

37. COUNCILMAN YURDIN

Resolution Endorsing and Urging Passage by the General Assembly of House Bill 2015 H-5872, An Act Relating to Criminal Offenses – Weapons.

38. Resolution Endorsing and Urging Passage by the General Assembly of Senate Bill 2015 S-0520, An Act Relating to Criminal Offenses – Weapons.

39. COUNCILMAN ZURIER

Resolution Endorsing and Urging Passage by the General Assembly of House Bill 2015 H-5819, An Acting Relating to Motor and Other Vehicles – Comprehensive Community – Police Relationship Act of 2015.

REPORT(S) FROM COMMITTEES

COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC WORKS COUNCILMAN MICHAEL J. CORREIA, Chairman

Transmits the Following with Recommendation the Same be Severally Approved:

40. Resolution Requesting the Traffic Engineer to cause the feasibility of a traffic study for Priscilla Avenue and Dora Street due to excessive speeding.

41. Resolution Requesting the Traffic Engineer to cause Thayer Street to become a “One-Way” in a southerly direction from Waterman Street to George Street.

42. Resolution Requesting the Traffic Engineer to cause the installation of speed bumps along Ayrault Street. (Sponsored by Councilman Hassett)

43.
Resolution Authorizing the City of Providence to enter into a Construction and Maintenance Agreement with the State of Rhode Island for Providence Station Surface Improvements. (Sponsored by Councilman Hassett)

44. Resolution Requesting the Traffic Engineer to cause San Souci Drive to be established as “One-Way” westbound between Valley Street and Manton Avenue. (Sponsored by Councilwoman Matos)

COMMITTEE ON FINANCE COUNCILMAN JOHN J. IGLIOZZI, Chairman

Transmits the Following with Recommendation the Same be Adopted:

45. An Ordinance Relating to Article IV, Chapter 17, Section 17-189(6) of the Code of Ordinances. (Disability Waiver Request). (Sponsored by Councilman Jennings, By Request)

Transmits the Following with Recommendation the Same be Severally Approved:

46. Resolution Requesting to cancel or abate, in whole, the taxes assessed upon Assessor’s Plat 68, Lot 838 (233 Douglas Avenue), in the amount of Eight Thousand One Hundred Eighty Six Dollars and Six ($8,186.06) Cents, or any taxes accrued, on behalf of the Smith Hill Community Development Corporation. (Sponsored by Councilman Hassett)

47. Resolution Requesting to cancel or abate, in whole, the taxes assessed upon Assessor’s Plat 68, Lot 838 (231 Douglas Avenue), in the amount of Forty Eight Thousand Seven Hundred Eighty Six Dollars and Eighty Two ($48,786.82) Cents, or any taxes accrued, on behalf of the Smith Hill Community Development Corporation. (Sponsored by Councilman Hassett)

48. Resolution Requesting to cancel or abate, in whole, the taxes assessed upon Assessor’s Plat 68, Lot 838 (231 Douglas Avenue, C3), in the amount of Thirty One Thousand Nine Hundred Forty Seven Dollars and Thirty Six ($31,947.36) Cents, or any taxes accrued, on behalf of the Smith Hill Community Development Corporation. (Sponsored by Councilman Hassett)

49. Certificates from City Assessor (3C and 4C), recommending the same be severally cancelled pursuant to the provisions of Section 14 and 15 of Title 44, Chapter 7 of the General Laws of Rhode Island, As Amended.

50. Certificates from City Assessor (5D and 6D), recommending the same be severally cancelled pursuant to the provisions of Section 14 and 15 of Title 44, Chapter 7 of the General Laws of Rhode Island, As Amended.

51. Communication from His Honor the Mayor, dated February 23, 2015, Informing the Honorable Members of the City Council that pursuant to Sections 302(b) and 1011 of the Providence Home Rule Charter of 1980, as amended and Public Law Chapter 45-50, Sections 1 through 31 passed in 1987, he is this day re-appointing Bruce Bartel of 114 Jastram Street, Providence, Rhode Island 02908, as a civil engineer member of the Building Board of Review for a term to end January 1, 2020, and respectfully submits the same for your approval.

52. Communication from His Honor the Mayor, dated February 23, 2015, Informing the Honorable Members of the City Council that pursuant to Sections 302(b) and 1011 of the Providence Home Rule Charter of 1980, as amended and Public Law Chapter 45-50, Sections 1 through 31 passed in 1987, he is this day appointing Steve Wilkinson of 18 Napsah Road, Warwick, Rhode Island 02818, as a mechanical engineer member of the Building Board of Review for a term to end January 31, 2018, and respectfully submits the same for your approval. (Mr. Wilkinson fills a vacant position on the Board.)

53.
Communication from His Honor the Mayor, dated February 23, 2015, Informing the Honorable Members of the City Council that pursuant to Sections 302(b) and 1009 of the Providence Home Rule Charter of 1980, as amended, he is this day appointing James McLoughlin of 150 Dexterdale Road, Providence, Rhode Island 02906, as a member of the Providence Public Building Authority for a term ending on January 31, 2020, and respectfully submits the same for your approval. (Mr. McLoughlin fills a vacant position on the Board.

54. Communication from His Honor the Mayor, dated February 24, 2015, Informing the Honorable Members of the City Council that pursuant to Sections 302(b) and 1103 of the Providence Home Rule Charter of 1980, as amended and Public Law Chapter 45-50, Sections 1 through 31 passed in 1987, he is this day appointing Maria Monteiro of 218 Home Avenue, Providence, Rhode Island 02908, as a member of the Human Relations Commission for a term to end on January 31, 2018, and respectfully submits the same for your approval. (Ms. Monteiro will replace Praxedis Rodriguez whose term expired.)

55. Communication from His Honor the Mayor, dated February 5, 2015, Informing the Honorable Members of the City Council that pursuant to Section 302(b) of the Providence Home Rule Charter of 1980, as amended and Public Law, Chapter 45-50, Sections 1 through 31 passed in 1987, he is this day appointing Kathryn M. Sabatini of 163 8th Street, Providence, Rhode Island 02906, as the Municipal Integrity Officer for the Ethics Commission, and respectfully submits the same for your approval.

56. Communication from His Honor the Mayor, dated March 5, 2015, Informing the Honorable Members of the City Council that pursuant to Section 302(b) of the Providence Home Rule Charter of 1980, as amended and Public Law, Chapter 45-50, Sections 1 through 31 passed in 1987, he is this day appointing Dennis Dolan Crook of 255 Promenade Street, Providence, Rhode Island 02908, as a member of the Providence Harbor Management Commission for a term to expire on December 31, 2016, and respectfully submits the same for your approval. (Mr. Crook will replace Jason Pezullo who has resigned.)

Transmits the Following with Recommendation the Same be Withdrawn:

57. Communication from His Honor the Mayor, dated February 23, 2015, Informing the Honorable Members of the City Council that pursuant to Sections 302(b) and 1009 of the Providence Home Rule Charter of 1980, as amended, he is this day appointing Vincent Kilbridge of 88 Lorimer Avenue, Providence, Rhode Island 02906, as a member of the Providence Public Building Authority for a term ending on January 31, 2020, and respectfully submits the same for your approval. (Mr. Kilbridge will replace Wascar Montilla.)

FROM THE CLERK’S DESK

58. Petition from Providence Piers, LLC, requesting an abatement of the Public Nuisance located at 242 Allens Avenue.

59.
Petitions for Compensation for Injuries and Damages.

PRESENTATION OF RESOLUTIONS “IN CONGRATULATIONS”

60. COUNCIL PRESIDENT APONTE AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL

Resolution Extending Congratulations.

PRESENTATION OF RESOLUTIONS “IN MEMORIAM”

61. COUNCIL PRESIDENT APONTE AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL

Resolution Extending Sympathy.

CONVENTION

The City Council will Convene in the Chamber of the City Council, City Hall on Thursday, April 2, 2015 at 7:00 o’clock PM.

LORI L. HAGEN CITY CLERK

COVENTRY TOWN COUNCIL MEETING

Coventry Town Hall

1670 Flat River Road, Coventry, RI

April 13, 2015

WORK SESSION – 6:00 PM

A. Town FY 2015/2016 School Department FY 2015/2016 Budget Request Review

TOWN COUNCIL MEETING – 7:00 PM

A. Roll call by Clerk

B. Pledge of Allegiance

C. Invocation

D. Review of Emergency Evacuation Plan

E. President’s Comments

F. Approval of Town Council minutes March 23 and March 30, 2015

G.  PROCLAMATIONS

1. Proclaiming April 24, 2015 in the Town of Coventry as Recognition of the 100th Anniversary of the beginning of the Armenian Genocide Day

H. COUNCIL DISTRICT UPDATES

I. PUBLIC COMMENT

J. CONSENT AGENDA

1. Discussion and resulting action on renewal application for Private Detective license by David Cross (Ref. #1)
2. Discussion and resulting action on tax abatements and additions for March 2015 (Ref. #2)

K. LICENSES

1. Application for new victualling license by Shiv Shankar Foods, LLC dba Subway, located at 650 Centre of New England Blvd. (Ref. #3)
2. Application by Airport Road Development for 90 day hawker license located at 1320 Main Street (Ref. #4)
3. Application by Airport Road Development for 90 day hawker license located at 792 Tiogue Avenue (Ref. #5)

I. RESOLUTIONS

1. Discussion and resulting action on appointing Julie Stefanik to the expired term on the Coventry Board of Canvassers (Ref. #6)
2. Discussion and resulting action on appointing George Glover III and Evelyn Inman as Alternate Members of the Coventry Board of Canvassers (Ref. #7)
3. Discussion and resulting action supporting Senate Bill 2015-S 0172 amending Section 42-128-8.1 of the Rhode Island General Laws in Chapter 42-128 supporting the inclusion of mobile homes as defined in paragraph 31-44.2-2 as affordable housing in accordance with the “Low and Moderate Income Housing Act” (Ref. #8)
4. Discussion and resulting action opposing House Bill 5847 which empowers the State of Rhode Island to determine ‘who’ gets a municipal waters mooring, ‘when’ they get it and ‘what they will pay for it (Ref. #9)
5. Discussion and resulting action on awarding a contract to DiPrete Engineering of Cranston , RI for survey services on the Coventry Land Trust’s ‘Grote Property’ at a cost of $12,900, to be funded by the Coventry Land Trust (Ref. #10)
6. Discussion and resulting action on awarding a contract to Southworth-Milton, Inc. of Milford, MA for a used backhoe for the Department of Public Works at a cost of $60,000, with trade-in (Ref. #11)

M. PUBLIC HEARING

1. Transfer of liquor license from Madeline’s Family Restaurant, LLC, 915 Tiogue Avenue to Filippou’s Twisted Pizzeria Coventry, Inc. with new victualling and live show licenses (Ref. #12)
2. Amending Zoning Ordinance Article 6, Table 6-1, Section B Agricultural Uses (Ref. #13)N. ADJOURNMENTThe public is welcome to any meeting of the Town Council or its committees. If communication assistance is needed or any other accommodation to ensure equal participation, please contact the Town Clerk at(401) 822-9173 at least two (2) business days prior to the meeting.