REMEMBRANCE OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
House Bill 4674
Sponsor: Rep. Marc Shulman
Committee: House Oversight and Operations
Complete to 5-1-01
A SUMMARY OF HOUSE BILL 4674 AS INTRODUCED 4-26-01
The bill would create a new act to designate April 24 of each year as the Michigan Day of Remembrance of the Armenian genocide of 1915-1923, and the period beginning on the Sunday before that date through the following Sunday as the Days of Remembrance in the state of Michigan, in memory of the victims of the genocide, and in honor of the survivors.
The bill states that:
The legislature recognizes that 1,500,000 men, women, and children of Armenian descent-more than 1/2 of the Armenian population at the time-were victims of a brutal genocide perpetrated by the Turkish Ottoman Empire from 1915-1923. The Armenian genocide represented a deliberate attempt to eliminate all traces of a thriving noble civilization over 3,000 years old.
Recognition of the anniversary of this genocide and open condemnation of these crimes against an entire people are crucial to ensure against the repetition of similar future atrocities committed against any culture of people.
Armenians all over the world commemorate this great tragedy on April 24, because it was on this day in 1915 when 300 Armenian leaders, writers, thinkers, and professionals in Constantinople (present-day Istanbul) were rounded up, deported, and killed. Also on that day, 5,000 of the poorest Armenians were butchered in the streets and in their homes.
The bill says that the legislature encourages the state's public schools to develop educational programs similar to those in California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York that focus on human rights, with specific attention given to the Armenian genocide.
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This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan House staff for use by House members in their deliberations, and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.