OBAMA’S HOME STATE BECOMES 42ND TO RECOGNIZE GENOCIDE

1218_4/7/2009_1
Monday, April 6, 2009

Hawaii Officially Marks Atrocity During President’s Visit to Turkey

HONOLULU, HI -Hawaii, home to President Barack Obama, became the 42nd
U.S. state to recognize the Armenian Genocide, with the State House
of Representatives earlier Monday adopting a formal measure (HR192)
that both condemned this crime and noted Turkey’s ongoing denial of
this atrocity.

The measure, which was adopted unanimously on the day of the
President’s trip to Turkey, declares April 24th as a "Day of
Remembrance in Recognition of and Commemoration of the Armenian
Genocide of 1915." The "Aloha State" proclamation makes Hawaii the
42nd state to recognize the Armenian Genocide.

"Hawaii’s recognition today of the Armenian Genocide reflects the
broad-based and growing tide of civil society support throughout
the United States for a strong, moral American stand against all
genocides," said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. "In this
spirit, and keeping faith with the citizens of Hawaii and the forty-one
other states that have officially marked this crime, we look forward,
in the coming days, to the President honoring his pledge to recognize
the Armenian Genocide."

The legislation, HR192, states that, "approximately 1.5 million
Armenian men, women, and children living within the Ottoman Empire’s
borders were killed in a brutal genocide," and that, "the Armenian
Genocide remains unacknowledged by the Republic of Turkey to this
day." The measure also notes that, "this body joins with Hawaii’s
Armenian-American community and all Armenians worldwide in recognizing
and honoring those who were killed and persecuted during the Armenian
Genocide, and urging people throughout the world to never forget
these horrific crimes against humanity."

The full text of the Hawaii proclamation is provided below.

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HR192 H.D.1

House of Representatives

Twenty-fifth Legislature, 2009

State of Hawaii

House Resolution

Declaring April 24 as a Day of Remembrance in Recognition and
Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide of 1915

WHEREAS, during the chaos of World War I between the years of
1915-1923, approximately 1,500,000 Armenian men, women, and children
living within the Ottoman Empire’s borders were killed in a brutal
genocide; and

WHEREAS, hundreds of thousands of Armenians were forced to flee to
foreign countries after being stripped of their possessions, national
identities, and homeland; and

WHEREAS, documented as the first instance of genocide in the 20th
century, the Armenian genocide remains unacknowledged by the Republic
of Turkey to this day; and

WHEREAS, even though over 90 years have passed since these mass
killings took place, present-day atrocities continue to resonate
throughout the world; and

WHEREAS, it is every person’s responsibility to recognize the brutal
slayings of so many innocents, remember their suffering, and vow to
help prevent future occurrences of genocide; and

WHEREAS, Armenia’s ties to Hawaii started in the 1920s with the gifted
painter Arman T. Manookian, a genocide survivor, who lived in Hawaii
for almost six years before his tragic death in 1931, and who became
known as Hawaii’s Van Gogh; and

WHEREAS, Hawaii has a growing Armenian-American community that is
involved in all aspects of public life, including business, education,
and government; and

WHEREAS, each year, Armenians throughout the world honor those who
perished in the first genocide of the 20th century, and all the people
of the world should join in recognizing and commemorating the Armenian
genocide to ensure that this ugly testament to man’s inhumanity to
man is never forgotten; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-fifth
Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2009, that this
body hereby declares April 24 as a day of remembrance in recognition
and commemoration of the Armenian genocide; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this body joins with Hawaii’s Armenian-
American community and all Armenians worldwide in recognizing and
honoring those who were killed and persecuted during the Armenian
genocide, and urging people throughout the world to never forget
these horrific crimes against humanity; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be
transmitted to the Governor, who in turn is requested to transmit
copies to the Executive Director of the Armenian National Committee
of America and Armenian National Committee of Hawaii.