ANCA Backs Expansion of Federal Funding Programs to Include Armenian Genocide Education Grants

January 28, 2020

WASHINGTON, DC — The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) welcomes U.S. House passage of H.R.943, the Never Again Education Act, a measure that – if passed by the Senate and signed into law by President Trump – would authorize the Department of Education to make annual $2 million grants to support Holocaust education in each of the next five years.

In the wake of last year’s unanimous (100-0) Senate adoption of S.Res.150 and near-unanimous passage (405-11) of H.Res.296, the ANCA is exploring both administrative and legislative avenues to secure federal funding for public education regarding the Ottoman Empire’s World-War I-era genocide of Armenians, Greeks, Assyrians, Chaldeans, Syriacs, Arameans, and Maronites.

“Turkey’s extermination and exile of millions of Christians has been condemned by Congress and recognized by past presidents, yet is still actively denied by Turkey, including through a vast campaign of toxic lies and distortions dumped into America’s schools and universities,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “Our federal government needs to arm America’s schoolchildren with the truth as a barrier against this sort of destructive foreign influence in our nation’s schools.”

The House version of the Never Again Education Act was authored by Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY). The Senate version was introduced by Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and currently has 28 cosponsors.

A resolution along the same lines as the Never Again Education Act, H.Res.27, encourages more states and school districts to include Holocaust education in their curriculum. This measure has been referred to the House Education and Workforce Committee. The ANCA has written to encourage this panel’s Chairman, Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA), to allow for the consideration of amendments supporting increased public education regarding the Ottoman Empire’s genocide of Armenians, Greeks, Assyrians, Chaldeans, Syriacs, Arameans, and Maronites.

The Genocide Education Project reports that among the numerous states that require instruction on genocide, fifteen specifically note the Armenian Genocide as a primary example: California, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, Texas, and Virginia. Review the various genocide education curriculum requirements and curriculum education materials offered by the Genocide Education Project by visiting their website: www.genocideeducation.org

To learn more about state-by-state advocacy for Armenian Genocide education, reach out to:
ANCA Eastern Region: ancaer@anca.org
ANCA Western Region: info@ancawr.org

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