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OVER 30 LEGISLATORS URGE WHITE HOUSE TO ALLOW 'ORPHAN RUG' DISPLAY
http://asbarez.com/115971/over-30-legislators-urge-white-house-to-allow-%E2%80%98orphan-rug%E2%80%99-display/
Thursday, November 7th, 2013
Photo: President Calvin Coolidge pictured standing on the rug with
Near East Relief Vice-Chairman, Dr. John Finley. Source: Barton, Story
of Near East Relief, 362. Courtesy: The Missak Kelechian Collection.
As published in "President Calvin Coolidge and the Armenian Orphan
Rug," by Dr. Hagop Martin Deranian.
WASHINGTON--A bipartisan group of U.S. Representatives - including
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA), joined
today with Congressmen Adam Schiff (D-CA) and David Valadao (R-CA)
in calling upon the White House to reverse its decision to block
the public display of a rug woven by Armenian orphans and gifted
to President Calvin Coolidge in appreciation for U.S. humanitarian
assistance following the Armenian Genocide, the Armenian National
Committee of America.
The Congressional letter comes in the wake of Washington Post and
National Public Radio reports and a series of Capitol Hill inquiries
regarding the White House's abrupt and unexplained reversal of its
agreement to lend the rug for a December 16th exhibition at the
Smithsonian Institute, organized in cooperation with the Armenian
Cultural Foundation and the Armenian Rug Society. In an interview
with Public Radio International (PRI), Washington Post Art Critic
Philip Kennicott noted that while the White House has not offered an
explanation for the reversal in decision, it is likely due to the U.S.
government's deference to Turkey's international campaign of genocide
denial.
In the Congressional letter they spearheaded, Reps. Valadao and
Schiff, who are the lead sponsors of the Armenian Genocide Resolution
(H.Res.227), noted: "The Armenian Orphan Rug is a shared piece
of American and Armenian history that belongs to the American
people. For over a decade, Armenian-American organizations have
repeatedly asked the White House and the State Department to allow
the rug to be displayed publicly. Unfortunately, these requests have
not been granted. "
"We join with Armenian Americans from across the country in thanking
Reps. Schiff and Valadao for their leadership and in expressing our
appreciation to each and every supporter of this principled effort
to encourage our White House to reject Turkey's decades-long veto on
the display of the Armenian Orphan Rug and - more broadly - for our
President to rise above Ankara's gag-rule on the proper condemnation
and commemoration of this still unpunished crime against all humanity,"
said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian.
In addition to Congressmen Adam Schiff (D-CA) and David Valadao (R-CA),
the Valadao-Schiff letter was signed by: Foreign Affairs Committee
Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA); Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Nita
Lowey (D-NY); Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Sander Levin
(D-MI); Armenian Caucus Co-Chairmen Michael Grimm (R-NY) and Frank
Pallone (D-NJ); the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission Co-Chairmen
Frank Wolf (R-VA) and James McGovern (D-MA); and Representatives
Tony Cardenas (D-CA), David Cicilline (D-RI), Jim Costa (D-CA),
Jeff Denham (R-CA), John Dingell (D-MI), Scott Garrett (R-NJ), Raul
Grijalva (D-AZ), Rush Holt (D-NJ), Mike Honda (D-CA), Jim Langevin
(D-RI), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Grace Napolitano
(D-CA), Devin Nunes (R-CA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Raul Ruiz (D-CA),
John Sarbanes (D-MD), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Aaron Schock (R-IL),
Brad Sherman (D-CA), Jackie Speier (D-CA), John Tierney (D-MA),
and Dina Titus (D-NV).
The ANCA has, over the past several weeks, organized a grassroots
campaign, worked with Members of Congress, and consulted with the
Administration, making the case to all relevant stakeholders for the
prominent and permanent public display of this historic rug.
The Armenian orphan rug measures 11â~@² 7â~@³ x 18â~@² 5â~@³ and
is comprised of 4,404,206 individual knots. It took Armenian girls
in the Ghazir Orphanage of Near East Relief 10 months to weave. The
rug was delivered to the President Coolidge on December 4, 1925, in
time for Christmas, with a label on the back of the rug, which reads
"IN GOLDEN RULE GRATITUDE TO PRESIDENT COOLIDGE."
According to Missak Kelechian, an expert on this topic, the gift of
the Armenian Orphan rug was widely covered in U.S. media, including in
the New York Times in 1925 and the Washington Post in 1926. Kelechian
describes the journey of the rug in the CNN clip below.
Additional information about the history of the Armenian Orphan Rug
is available in Dr. Hagop Martin Deranian's book, "President Coolidge
and the Armenian Orphan Rug," published on October 20, 2013, by the
Armenian Cultural Foundation and soon to be available on Amazon.com.
http://asbarez.com/115971/over-30-legislators-urge-white-house-to-allow-%E2%80%98orphan-rug%E2%80%99-display/
Thursday, November 7th, 2013
Photo: President Calvin Coolidge pictured standing on the rug with
Near East Relief Vice-Chairman, Dr. John Finley. Source: Barton, Story
of Near East Relief, 362. Courtesy: The Missak Kelechian Collection.
As published in "President Calvin Coolidge and the Armenian Orphan
Rug," by Dr. Hagop Martin Deranian.
WASHINGTON--A bipartisan group of U.S. Representatives - including
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA), joined
today with Congressmen Adam Schiff (D-CA) and David Valadao (R-CA)
in calling upon the White House to reverse its decision to block
the public display of a rug woven by Armenian orphans and gifted
to President Calvin Coolidge in appreciation for U.S. humanitarian
assistance following the Armenian Genocide, the Armenian National
Committee of America.
The Congressional letter comes in the wake of Washington Post and
National Public Radio reports and a series of Capitol Hill inquiries
regarding the White House's abrupt and unexplained reversal of its
agreement to lend the rug for a December 16th exhibition at the
Smithsonian Institute, organized in cooperation with the Armenian
Cultural Foundation and the Armenian Rug Society. In an interview
with Public Radio International (PRI), Washington Post Art Critic
Philip Kennicott noted that while the White House has not offered an
explanation for the reversal in decision, it is likely due to the U.S.
government's deference to Turkey's international campaign of genocide
denial.
In the Congressional letter they spearheaded, Reps. Valadao and
Schiff, who are the lead sponsors of the Armenian Genocide Resolution
(H.Res.227), noted: "The Armenian Orphan Rug is a shared piece
of American and Armenian history that belongs to the American
people. For over a decade, Armenian-American organizations have
repeatedly asked the White House and the State Department to allow
the rug to be displayed publicly. Unfortunately, these requests have
not been granted. "
"We join with Armenian Americans from across the country in thanking
Reps. Schiff and Valadao for their leadership and in expressing our
appreciation to each and every supporter of this principled effort
to encourage our White House to reject Turkey's decades-long veto on
the display of the Armenian Orphan Rug and - more broadly - for our
President to rise above Ankara's gag-rule on the proper condemnation
and commemoration of this still unpunished crime against all humanity,"
said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian.
In addition to Congressmen Adam Schiff (D-CA) and David Valadao (R-CA),
the Valadao-Schiff letter was signed by: Foreign Affairs Committee
Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA); Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Nita
Lowey (D-NY); Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Sander Levin
(D-MI); Armenian Caucus Co-Chairmen Michael Grimm (R-NY) and Frank
Pallone (D-NJ); the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission Co-Chairmen
Frank Wolf (R-VA) and James McGovern (D-MA); and Representatives
Tony Cardenas (D-CA), David Cicilline (D-RI), Jim Costa (D-CA),
Jeff Denham (R-CA), John Dingell (D-MI), Scott Garrett (R-NJ), Raul
Grijalva (D-AZ), Rush Holt (D-NJ), Mike Honda (D-CA), Jim Langevin
(D-RI), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Grace Napolitano
(D-CA), Devin Nunes (R-CA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Raul Ruiz (D-CA),
John Sarbanes (D-MD), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Aaron Schock (R-IL),
Brad Sherman (D-CA), Jackie Speier (D-CA), John Tierney (D-MA),
and Dina Titus (D-NV).
The ANCA has, over the past several weeks, organized a grassroots
campaign, worked with Members of Congress, and consulted with the
Administration, making the case to all relevant stakeholders for the
prominent and permanent public display of this historic rug.
The Armenian orphan rug measures 11â~@² 7â~@³ x 18â~@² 5â~@³ and
is comprised of 4,404,206 individual knots. It took Armenian girls
in the Ghazir Orphanage of Near East Relief 10 months to weave. The
rug was delivered to the President Coolidge on December 4, 1925, in
time for Christmas, with a label on the back of the rug, which reads
"IN GOLDEN RULE GRATITUDE TO PRESIDENT COOLIDGE."
According to Missak Kelechian, an expert on this topic, the gift of
the Armenian Orphan rug was widely covered in U.S. media, including in
the New York Times in 1925 and the Washington Post in 1926. Kelechian
describes the journey of the rug in the CNN clip below.
Additional information about the history of the Armenian Orphan Rug
is available in Dr. Hagop Martin Deranian's book, "President Coolidge
and the Armenian Orphan Rug," published on October 20, 2013, by the
Armenian Cultural Foundation and soon to be available on Amazon.com.