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The Newton Tab
Newton, Massachusetts
City Update
Tuesday June 3, 2008
Recognizing one of Newton's strongest voices
David Boyajian, who ignited a nationwide debate with a letter to the
TAB's sister paper, the Watertown TAB & Press, last summer, was
honored with a resolution from the Governor's Council on April 30.
The resolution recognizes Boyajian for his role in the campaign
against the Anti-Defamation League's denial of the Armenian Genocide
and for questioning the appropriateness of towns' affiliation with the
ADL's No Place for Hate anti-bias program.
The resolution mentioned Boyajian's `successful efforts to have
communities sever ties with the ADL's No Place for Hate and to end the
Massachusetts Municipal Association's sponsorship' of the program. The
resolution further described the ADL's opposition to Congressional
affirmation of the Armenian Genocide as `depriving the Armenians of
their history.'
The ADL has yet to unambiguously acknowledge the genocide and has
opposed recognition of it by the U.S. Congress.
Boyajian, Armenian-Americans and human rights advocates have argued
that No Place for Hate's human rights mission is incompatible with the
stance of the ADL on the widely recognized genocide committed against
Armenians by Turkey from 1915 to 1923.
Boyajian's letter in the Watertown TAB & Press on July 6, 2007, and
his subsequent activism sparked the issue, which soon became
international news.
About 50 people attended the proceedings, many of them
Armenian-Americans. A group of Wellesley High School political
science students on a field trip to the State House also
attended. Wellesley is affiliated with No Place for Hate.
Watertown decertified its No Place for Hate on Aug. 11, 2007. In the
months following, Arlington, Bedford, Belmont, Lexington, Medford,
Needham, Newburyport, Newton, Northampton, Peabody, Somerville and
Westwood followed suit.
The Newton Tab
Newton, Massachusetts
City Update
Tuesday June 3, 2008
Recognizing one of Newton's strongest voices
David Boyajian, who ignited a nationwide debate with a letter to the
TAB's sister paper, the Watertown TAB & Press, last summer, was
honored with a resolution from the Governor's Council on April 30.
The resolution recognizes Boyajian for his role in the campaign
against the Anti-Defamation League's denial of the Armenian Genocide
and for questioning the appropriateness of towns' affiliation with the
ADL's No Place for Hate anti-bias program.
The resolution mentioned Boyajian's `successful efforts to have
communities sever ties with the ADL's No Place for Hate and to end the
Massachusetts Municipal Association's sponsorship' of the program. The
resolution further described the ADL's opposition to Congressional
affirmation of the Armenian Genocide as `depriving the Armenians of
their history.'
The ADL has yet to unambiguously acknowledge the genocide and has
opposed recognition of it by the U.S. Congress.
Boyajian, Armenian-Americans and human rights advocates have argued
that No Place for Hate's human rights mission is incompatible with the
stance of the ADL on the widely recognized genocide committed against
Armenians by Turkey from 1915 to 1923.
Boyajian's letter in the Watertown TAB & Press on July 6, 2007, and
his subsequent activism sparked the issue, which soon became
international news.
About 50 people attended the proceedings, many of them
Armenian-Americans. A group of Wellesley High School political
science students on a field trip to the State House also
attended. Wellesley is affiliated with No Place for Hate.
Watertown decertified its No Place for Hate on Aug. 11, 2007. In the
months following, Arlington, Bedford, Belmont, Lexington, Medford,
Needham, Newburyport, Newton, Northampton, Peabody, Somerville and
Westwood followed suit.