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Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region
104 North Belmont Street, Suite 200
Glendale, California 91206
Phone: 818.500.1918
[email protected]
www.ancawr.org
PRESS RELEASE January 17, 2014
Contact: Haig Baghdassarian
E-Mail: [email protected]
Phone: (415) 596-6163
California Assembly Panel Unanimously Adopts Genocide Curriculum Measure
SACRAMENTO, CA - Standing strong against Armenian Genocide denial, the
California State Assembly Education Committee unanimously adopted AB-659 on
Wednesday, a measure introduced by Assemblymember Adrin Nazarian which
would bolster the commitment of the State of California to teach of the
Armenian Genocide to public school students in Grades 7-12.
Following the hearing, Nazarian said, `It was with great pride that I
introduced AB 659, a bill that will call for the adoption of an oral
testimony component in teaching students about the Armenian Genocide. I
would like to thank the ANCA-WR for their assistance with this bill and
look forward to their continued support as AB 659 makes its way to the
Assembly floor. I would like to also commend my fellow colleagues on the
Assembly Committee on Education in voting unanimously on the side of truth
and justice'
Testifying forcefully in support of the measure was ANCA Western Region
Legislative Affairs Director Haig Baghdassarian. Turkish American groups
presented a diatribe of genocide denial, which compelled Committee
Chairwoman Joan Buchanan and fellow Committee members Rocky Chavez and
Shirley Weber to set the record straight about the importance of speaking
clearly about genocide and historical injustices.
In his remarks, Baghdassarian commended the Assembly members `for
recognizing Turkey's transparent attempt to distract [them] by engaging in
genocide denial campaigns every time that the issue comes up before the
Legislature. Following a 30 minute discussion, the Education Committee
adopted the measure with a unanimous vote of 7-0. The bill now goes to the
Assembly Committee on Appropriations for consideration.
In addition to the Armenian Genocide, the bill also `encourages the
incorporation of survivor, rescuer, liberator and witness oral testimony
into the teaching of human rights, the Holocaust, and genocide, including
but not limited to, the Armenian Genocide, Cambodian, Darfur, and Rwandan
genocides.' Furthermore, it encourages activities which would provide
training and teaching resources to be able to more thoroughly teach about
the Armenian Genocide.
This measure may also enhance the opportunities for the Genocide Education
Project (GenEd), a non-profit organization, to conduct more teacher
training sessions and further disseminate teacher resources.
Last year, The Genocide Education Project and the California Department of
Education surveyed California high schools and learned that social studies
teachers are lacking the resources and training they need to incorporate
the Armenian Genocide appropriate in their curriculum. `Teachers seem very
eager to teach about this important history, if provided the necessary
tools,' said GenEd's Roxanne Makasdjian. `Social Studies educators have
told us that instruction on the Armenian Genocide is a good means of
demonstrating to students that there is a continuum of genocide and human
rights, not just isolated acts of evil. Learning about them in isolation,
without studying the Armenian Genocide deprives students of an
understanding of how denial, accountability, and reconciliation can
significantly influence the tide of history.'
Video of introduction, statements, and adoption of the bill may be found at
http://ancawr.org/2014/01/15/ab659adopted/
Below is the text Baghdassarian's testimony in Sacramento
Madame. Chair and distinguished members of the committee:
I appear before you today to speak in support of this bill on behalf of
Armenian-American community of California. In the brief time that I have
I'd like to touch on three points. The first is to commend you for
recognizing the transparency of the genocide denial campaigns that occur
every time that the issue comes up before the Legislature. The second is to
stress the significance of the Armenian genocide in 20th century history.
And third, to take note of the fact that this legislation isn't a departure
from existing policy with respect to our meeting genocide education, but
simply further codifies it those policies.
With respect to genocide denial, I don't feel that it's necessary to engage
in a debate with deniers. As the grandson of four Armenian Genocide
survivors, and the great-grandson of one of its victims, I can tell you
unequivocally that there is question as to the truth. The only issue of
controversy is to determine the consequences of those genocidal acts. And
at the end of day that's what the denial is about, the fear of consequences.
With respect to the significance of the Armenian genocide, scholars will
tell you that there is a clear nexus between the Armenian genocide which
precipitated the Holocaust. Adolf Hitler notoriously said immediately
before setting the Holocaust in motion in 1939, `Who remembers the
annihilation of the Armenians today?' When we consider that statement, in
addition to the German complicity in the Armenian genocide, and many other
factors, the totality suggests that the Holocaust and subsequent genocides
cannot fully be understood by our children without an understanding of the
Armenian Genocide.
Third and last is the fact that the legislature and the Board of Education
have acted on this issue consistently over the years. In fact is also
included in the History-Social Science Curriculum Framework which provides
as follows:
Within the context of human rights and genocide, students should learn of
the Ottoman government's planned mass deportation and systematic
annihilation of the Armenian population in 1915. Students should also
examine the reactions of other governments, including that of the United
States, and world opinion during and after the Armenian genocide. They
should examine the effects of the genocide on the remaining Armenian
people, who were deprived of their historic homeland, and the ways in which
it became a prototype of subsequent genocides.
So the only thing that this bill will do is to bring the Education Code
closer in line to the existing framework and content standards. Once again,
I urge you to support this bill, and I thank you for your time.
The Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region is the largest
and most influential Armenian American grassroots advocacy organization in
the Western United States. Working in coordination with a network of
offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the Western United States and
affiliated organizations around the country, the ANCA-WR advances the
concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.
###
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
104 North Belmont Street, Suite 200
Glendale, California 91206
Phone: 818.500.1918
[email protected]
www.ancawr.org
PRESS RELEASE January 17, 2014
Contact: Haig Baghdassarian
E-Mail: [email protected]
Phone: (415) 596-6163
California Assembly Panel Unanimously Adopts Genocide Curriculum Measure
SACRAMENTO, CA - Standing strong against Armenian Genocide denial, the
California State Assembly Education Committee unanimously adopted AB-659 on
Wednesday, a measure introduced by Assemblymember Adrin Nazarian which
would bolster the commitment of the State of California to teach of the
Armenian Genocide to public school students in Grades 7-12.
Following the hearing, Nazarian said, `It was with great pride that I
introduced AB 659, a bill that will call for the adoption of an oral
testimony component in teaching students about the Armenian Genocide. I
would like to thank the ANCA-WR for their assistance with this bill and
look forward to their continued support as AB 659 makes its way to the
Assembly floor. I would like to also commend my fellow colleagues on the
Assembly Committee on Education in voting unanimously on the side of truth
and justice'
Testifying forcefully in support of the measure was ANCA Western Region
Legislative Affairs Director Haig Baghdassarian. Turkish American groups
presented a diatribe of genocide denial, which compelled Committee
Chairwoman Joan Buchanan and fellow Committee members Rocky Chavez and
Shirley Weber to set the record straight about the importance of speaking
clearly about genocide and historical injustices.
In his remarks, Baghdassarian commended the Assembly members `for
recognizing Turkey's transparent attempt to distract [them] by engaging in
genocide denial campaigns every time that the issue comes up before the
Legislature. Following a 30 minute discussion, the Education Committee
adopted the measure with a unanimous vote of 7-0. The bill now goes to the
Assembly Committee on Appropriations for consideration.
In addition to the Armenian Genocide, the bill also `encourages the
incorporation of survivor, rescuer, liberator and witness oral testimony
into the teaching of human rights, the Holocaust, and genocide, including
but not limited to, the Armenian Genocide, Cambodian, Darfur, and Rwandan
genocides.' Furthermore, it encourages activities which would provide
training and teaching resources to be able to more thoroughly teach about
the Armenian Genocide.
This measure may also enhance the opportunities for the Genocide Education
Project (GenEd), a non-profit organization, to conduct more teacher
training sessions and further disseminate teacher resources.
Last year, The Genocide Education Project and the California Department of
Education surveyed California high schools and learned that social studies
teachers are lacking the resources and training they need to incorporate
the Armenian Genocide appropriate in their curriculum. `Teachers seem very
eager to teach about this important history, if provided the necessary
tools,' said GenEd's Roxanne Makasdjian. `Social Studies educators have
told us that instruction on the Armenian Genocide is a good means of
demonstrating to students that there is a continuum of genocide and human
rights, not just isolated acts of evil. Learning about them in isolation,
without studying the Armenian Genocide deprives students of an
understanding of how denial, accountability, and reconciliation can
significantly influence the tide of history.'
Video of introduction, statements, and adoption of the bill may be found at
http://ancawr.org/2014/01/15/ab659adopted/
Below is the text Baghdassarian's testimony in Sacramento
Madame. Chair and distinguished members of the committee:
I appear before you today to speak in support of this bill on behalf of
Armenian-American community of California. In the brief time that I have
I'd like to touch on three points. The first is to commend you for
recognizing the transparency of the genocide denial campaigns that occur
every time that the issue comes up before the Legislature. The second is to
stress the significance of the Armenian genocide in 20th century history.
And third, to take note of the fact that this legislation isn't a departure
from existing policy with respect to our meeting genocide education, but
simply further codifies it those policies.
With respect to genocide denial, I don't feel that it's necessary to engage
in a debate with deniers. As the grandson of four Armenian Genocide
survivors, and the great-grandson of one of its victims, I can tell you
unequivocally that there is question as to the truth. The only issue of
controversy is to determine the consequences of those genocidal acts. And
at the end of day that's what the denial is about, the fear of consequences.
With respect to the significance of the Armenian genocide, scholars will
tell you that there is a clear nexus between the Armenian genocide which
precipitated the Holocaust. Adolf Hitler notoriously said immediately
before setting the Holocaust in motion in 1939, `Who remembers the
annihilation of the Armenians today?' When we consider that statement, in
addition to the German complicity in the Armenian genocide, and many other
factors, the totality suggests that the Holocaust and subsequent genocides
cannot fully be understood by our children without an understanding of the
Armenian Genocide.
Third and last is the fact that the legislature and the Board of Education
have acted on this issue consistently over the years. In fact is also
included in the History-Social Science Curriculum Framework which provides
as follows:
Within the context of human rights and genocide, students should learn of
the Ottoman government's planned mass deportation and systematic
annihilation of the Armenian population in 1915. Students should also
examine the reactions of other governments, including that of the United
States, and world opinion during and after the Armenian genocide. They
should examine the effects of the genocide on the remaining Armenian
people, who were deprived of their historic homeland, and the ways in which
it became a prototype of subsequent genocides.
So the only thing that this bill will do is to bring the Education Code
closer in line to the existing framework and content standards. Once again,
I urge you to support this bill, and I thank you for your time.
The Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region is the largest
and most influential Armenian American grassroots advocacy organization in
the Western United States. Working in coordination with a network of
offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the Western United States and
affiliated organizations around the country, the ANCA-WR advances the
concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.
###
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress