HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.C.R. NO.

224

TWENTY-FIFTH LEGISLATURE, 2009

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

HOUSE CONCURRENT

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 1915 and 1923, one and a half million 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, their national identities, and their homeland; and

 

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

 

     WHEREAS, even though over ninety 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 twentieth 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, the Senate concurring, that the Legislature hereby declares April 24 as a day of remembrance in recognition and commemoration of the Armenian genocide; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature 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 Concurrent 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 State Committee of Hawaii.

 

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

 

 

Report Title: 

Recognizing the Armenian Genocide Of 1915