{"id":930,"date":"2017-05-19T17:55:54","date_gmt":"2017-05-19T13:55:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/armeniancause.net\/?p=930"},"modified":"2017-05-20T18:11:49","modified_gmt":"2017-05-20T14:11:49","slug":"texas-becomes-46th-u-s-state-to-recognize-armenian-genocide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/armeniancause.net\/?p=930","title":{"rendered":"Texas Becomes 46th U.S. State to Recognize Armenian Genocide"},"content":{"rendered":"

(ancawr.org<\/a>) Austin, TX \u2014 The Texas House of Representatives passed House Resolution 191, titled \u201cRecognizing the Armenian genocide,\u201d today, thus making The Lone Star State the 46th state in the USA to officially classify and commemorate the 1915-1923 annihilation of Ottoman Turkey\u2019s indigenous Christian Armenian community as genocide.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are grateful to the Texas House of Representatives for standing on the right side of history by making their dynamic state the latest member of our Union to unequivocally and vociferously honor the memory of the 1.5 million victims of the Armenian Genocide despite overwhelming Turkish opposition,\u201d remarked ANCA-WR Chair Nora Hovsepian.<\/p>\n

\"Texas<\/a>
Texas State Representative Scott Sanford, a longtime advocate for Armenian Genocide awareness, gives remarks at the ANCA-Dallas \u2018Texas We Thank You\u2019 Gala after accepting the Advocate of Justice award on April 2, 2016.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThis incredible victory, which achieves universal recognition of the Armenian Genocide in the Western Region\u2019s 19 states, was possible because of the outstanding unity and activism demonstrated by the diverse Armenian community of Texas, the unflinching leadership of State Representative Scott Sanford and his fellow lawmakers, as well as the dedication and persistent work of our grassroots \u2013 ANCA-Houston and ANCA-Dallas \u2013 and staff. While many Texan Armenians and community groups were instrumental in the passage of and building ground for HR191, I would like to specifically recognize the former ANCA-Dallas founding chair Lucia Nazarian for initiating Texas\u2019 recognition of the Armenian Genocide, as well as Focused Advocacy President Brandon Todd Aghamalian and University of Texas Austin Professor and Armenian Church of Austin representative Mihran Aroian for their leadership in bringing the Armenian community together to make this important recognition a reality,\u201d continued Hovsepian.<\/p>\n

The resolution, which had over 50 original bipartisan cosponsors and passed unanimously, declares, in part, that \u201cDuring World War I, the crumbling Ottoman Empire began a systematic campaign to eradicate its Armenian population, which then numbered more than two million; and\u2026 as many as 1.5 million Armenians perished and today, only 3 million live in Armenia, a country that covers no more than 10 percent of the ancient Armenian homeland, while the Armenian diaspora numbers 8 to 10 million in countries around the world, including the United States,\u201d concluding with the resolved clause \u201cThat the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas Legislature hereby recognize the Armenian genocide.\u201d<\/p>\n

The recognition of the Armenian Genocide by Texas follows renewed activism in The Lone Star State, including the 2015 defeat of anti-Armenian resolutions<\/a> as well as adoption of HR 1541<\/a>, which recognized Texans\u2019 contributions to the Near East Relief that saved 132,000 orphans of the Armenian Genocide. The latter humanitarian effort was recognized by ANCA-Dallas during its April 2, 2016 \u2018Texas We Thank You\u2019 Gala, at which Rep. Sanford received the ANCA-Dallas Advocate of Justice award<\/a> for his long-time support for Armenian Genocide awareness.<\/p>\n

HR 191 was introduced by Rep. Sanford on January 26, followed by a public hearing in the International Trade & Intergovernmental Affairs committee on April 24, during which ANCA-WR Chief Legislative Consultant Haig Baghdassarian joined a large group of Armenian Americans as well as representatives from the Texas Holocaust and Genocide Commission and Houston\u2019s Holocaust Museum in testifying in support of HR 191<\/a>. Following the testimony, ANCA-WR called its online activists in Texas to action, as a result of which hundreds of letters were emailed to state legislators. Many more phone calls were made through joint efforts of the Armenian community in a strong demonstration of unity and grassroots activism.<\/p>\n

Texas\u2019 passage of HR 191 follows the Wyoming Governor\u2019s recognition of the Armenian Genocide in April 2017, thus completing universal recognition in the ANCA-Western Region, which consists of Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. An interactive map of all US states\u2019 official record on the Armenian Genocide is available on https:\/\/anca.org\/us-genocide-recognition\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The full text of the Texas House resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide is available on ftp:\/\/ftp.legis.state.tx.us\/bills\/85R\/billtext\/html\/house_resolutions\/HR00100_HR00199\/HR00191I.htm.<\/a><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

85R6921 BPG-D<\/a><\/p>\n

By: Sanford H.R. No. 191<\/p>\n

R E S O L U T I O N
\nWHEREAS, During World War I, the crumbling Ottoman Empire
\nbegan a systematic campaign to eradicate its Armenian population,
\nwhich then numbered more than two million; and
\nWHEREAS, Armenians and other minority populations had
\ncontributed to the prosperity of the once-mighty empire for
\ncenturies, but as its borders shrank and its influence diminished,
\nethnic tensions flared; after the Ottomans entered World War I,
\ntheir armies suffered heavy losses to Russian forces in the
\nCaucasus, and Armenians in the region were accused of aiding the
\nRussian victory; on April 24, 1915, the government arrested several
\nhundred Armenian intellectuals, who were later executed; Armenian
\nsoldiers were disarmed and transferred to labor battalions, in
\nwhich they were worked to death or killed outright; and
\nWHEREAS, In the spring and summer of 1915, under the guise of
\n“resettlement,” Armenians were driven from their homes in Armenia
\nand Anatolia and herded through the Syrian desert to concentration
\ncamps; many of the deportees died along the way from hunger, thirst,
\nand exhaustion, while others were massacred; by 1918, an estimated
\none million Armenians had lost their lives, and survivors endured
\ntremendous hardships as refugees; and
\nWHEREAS, The end of the war brought a temporary respite, but
\nin 1920, the atrocities resumed until the ultimate collapse of the
\nempire and formation of the Republic of Turkey; as many as 1.5
\nmillion Armenians perished and today, only 3 million live in
\nArmenia, a country that covers no more than 10 percent of the
\nancient Armenian homeland, while the Armenian diaspora numbers 8 to
\n10 million in countries around the world, including the United
\nStates; and
\nWHEREAS, In 1915, the governments of France, Great Britain,
\nand Russia decried the slaughter of Armenians as “a crime against
\nhumanity”; American ambassador Henry Morgenthau, who led the
\nhumanitarian response, characterized the imperial deportation
\norders as “the death warrant to a whole race”; the persecution is
\nconsidered genocide by most historians and has been officially
\nacknowledged as such by numerous countries, among them France,
\nArgentina, Greece, and Russia; this horrific event is a dark
\nchapter in modern history, and the world must never forget the
\nsuffering of the Armenian people; now, therefore, be it
\nRESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas
\nLegislature hereby recognize the Armenian genocide.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(ancawr.org) Austin, TX \u2014 The Texas House of Representatives passed House Resolution 191, titled \u201cRecognizing the Armenian genocide,\u201d today, thus making The Lone Star State the 46th state in the USA to officially classify and commemorate the 1915-1923 annihilation of Ottoman Turkey\u2019s indigenous Christian Armenian community as genocide. \u201cWe are grateful to the Texas House […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":932,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-930","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-documents","category-news"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/armeniancause.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/ANCA-Dallas-State-Representative-Scott-Sanford-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/armeniancause.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/930","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/armeniancause.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/armeniancause.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/armeniancause.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/armeniancause.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=930"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/armeniancause.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/930\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":933,"href":"https:\/\/armeniancause.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/930\/revisions\/933"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/armeniancause.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/932"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/armeniancause.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=930"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/armeniancause.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=930"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/armeniancause.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=930"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}