Colorado Governor Jared Polis (center) met with local Armenian American community leaders and a visiting craftsman, who restored the Colorado State Capitol khachkar in early April 2022. © 2022 Governor Polis's Office
DENVER—The Colorado chapter of the Armenian National Committee of America endorsed Colorado Governor Jared Polis’ reelection bid in the upcoming June 28 Colorado Primary.
“Gov. Polis has stood with the Armenian community locally and globally in recognizing the Armenian Genocide and has spoken out against Armenophobia and the genocidal onslaught against Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh),” said ANCA Colorado board member Kim Christianian. “We are thrilled and honored to endorse Gov. Polis’ reelection bid.”
On April 24, Governor Polis commemorated the Armenian Genocide in a video address, highlighting the ongoing threats to Armenian existence. “I stand today with the Armenian community in Colorado and across the world as they commemorate the 107th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide,” said the Governor.
“Colorado has always stood with the Armenian people — whether through humanitarian fundraising during and after WWI, the permanent installation of the State Capitol Khachkar in memory of the victims of all crimes against humanity, and raising our voice against Armenophobic hate crimes globally,” added Gov. Polis. “I know that as Armenians remember the Genocide this week, they are concerned about attempts at repeating the Armenian Genocide in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Never again should mean never again — anywhere and everywhere in the world.”
As part of the governor’s ongoing engagement with the Armenian community in Colorado, on April 7, during the restoration of the Colorado State Capitol Armenian Memorial Khachkar, Gov. Polis met with restoration craftsman Gaspar Gharibyan, accompanied by ANCA Colorado board member Simon Maghakyan, Armenians of Colorado (AOC) Board President Byuzand Yeremyan, and AOC Board member Narek Sargsyan.
On April 1, Gov. Polis proclaimed the month of April as Genocide Awareness Month, noting that “the State of Colorado has commemorated all genocides and crimes against humanity with a permanent Khachkar memorial on the Colorado State Capitol grounds,” and how “it is important to remember and commemorate the 20th-century genocides perpetrated against Armenians, Jews, Cambodians, Bosnians, and Rwandans, among others.”
In previous years, Gov. Polis similarly issued statements in commemoration of the Armenian Genocide and in solidarity of the Armenian community. ANCA Colorado is a chapter of the Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region, which is the largest and most influential Armenian American grassroots organization in the Western United States. Working with its network of local offices and chapters throughout the region, the ANCA-WR ensures that the concerns of the Armenian American community are heard in the halls of government. All members of the community who are U.S. citizens are encouraged to support the Armenian Cause by voting in each election.