Armenian National Committee of Illinois
1701 North Greenwood Road
Glenview, IL 60026
Contact: Greg Bedian
E-mail: [email protected]
Internet:
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 21, 2005
Illinois Governor Blagojevich Designates April 24
“Armenian Martyrs Day”
Chicago, IL – On the occasion of the 90th anniversary
of the genocide of over 1.5 million Armenians at the
hands of the Ottoman Turks, Illinois Governor Rod
Blagojevich has issued a proclamation naming April 24,
2005, “Armenian Martyrs Day” in the state of Illinois.
“Armenian Americans across Illinois, from Chicago to
Granite City, deeply appreciate the Governor’s efforts
to mark the 90th anniversary of the Armenian
Genocide,” stated Greg Bedian, Chairperson of the
Armenian National Committee of Illinois. “It is
especially important to know that the people of
Illinois will be joining with Armenians and others
worldwide as we pause to remember this horrible
tragedy.”
Under the cover of WWI, the Turkish government
implemented a systematic plan to annihilate the
indigenous Armenian population of Turkey. From 1915
to 1923, over 1.5 million Armenians perished as a
result of massacre and deportation, resulting in the
complete erasure of over 3000 years of Armenian
existence an area which is now located in eastern
Turkey. Armenians traditionally commemorate the
Armenian Genocide on April 24 as it was the day when
the Turkish government set its plans into motion in
1915 by arresting several hundred prominent Armenians
including members of the Turkish parliament, newspaper
editors and political party leaders.
Blagojevich is the most recent in a long line of
Illinois governors who have issues similar
proclamations. Various other Illinois public figures
have also joined the Armenian community in remembering
the victims of the Armenian Genocide, including
Cardinal Francis George of the Chicago Archdiocese and
Cook County Treasurer Maria Papas.
The proclamation will be officially presented to the
Armenian community on Saturday, April 23, 2005, at a
commemorative event held in Glenview, IL, honoring
genocide victims and survivors. Armenian Americans in
Illinois have organized a series of events throughout
the state to mark the date when the Turkish government
began its systematic annihilation of the indigenous
Armenian population of Turkey. Numerous events are
scheduled in Chicago, Glenview, Waukegan, Evanston,
Palos Heights as well as in Champaign-Urbana, Granite
City, and Fairview Heights in southern Illinois.
The Armenian National Committee of Illinois is a
grassroots public affairs organization serving to
inform, educate, and act on a wide range of issues
concerning Armenian Americans throughout the state of
Illinois.
———————————————
Text of Proclamation
———————————————
WHEREAS, the Armenian community, as well as the
global community, remembers the Armenian Genocide,
which occurred 90 years ago; and
WHEREAS, during this tragic historical period between
the years of 1915 and 1923, Armenians were forced to
witness the genocide of their loved ones, and the loss
of their ancestral homelands; and
WHEREAS, this extermination and forced relocation of
over 1.5 million Armenians by the Ottoman Turks is
recognized every year; and
WHEREAS, Armenians continue to be a people full of
hope, courage, faith and pride in their heritage,
working together to rebuild a firm foundation for
Armenia; and
WHEREAS, many of the fifteen-thousand
Armenian-Americans in Illinois are descendents or
survivors of the Armenian genocide, and have been
forthright in their efforts to preserve their culture,
heritage and language, while contributing much to our
state and our nation ‘s diverse society and economy;
and
WHEREAS, both recognition and education concerning
past atrocities such as the Armenian Genocide is
crucial in the prevention of future crimes against
humanity:
THEREFORE, I, Rod Blagojevich, Governor of the State
of Illinois, do hereby proclaim April 24, 2005 as
ARMENIAN MARTYRS DAY in Illinois, in honor of the 90th
Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.
In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and
caused the Great Seal of the State of Illinois to be
affixed. Done at the Capitol, in the City of
Springfield, this eleventh day of March, in the Year
of Our Lord two thousand and five, and of the State of
Illinois the one hundred and eighty-seventh.
Rod Blagojevich
GOVERNOR
Jesse White
SECRETARY OF STATE