Armenian National Committee of America
1711 N Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036
Tel. (202) 775-1918
Fax. (202) 775-5648
Email.anca@anca.org
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PRESS RELEASE

April 6, 2009
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918

PRESIDENT OBAMA’S HOME STATE BECOMES
42nd TO RECOGNIZE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

— Aloha State 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 today 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.

#####

HR192 H.D.1
House of Representatives
Twenty-fifth Legislature, 2009
State of Hawaii

lists/measure_indiv.aspx?
billtype=HR&billnumb er=192

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.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress