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ANC ILLINOIS APPLAUDS GOV. BLAGOJEVICH FOR SIGNING GENOCIDE CURRICULUM BILL
Armenians Praise the Governor for Honoring His Pledge to the Community
Chicago, IL- The Armenian National Committee (ANC) of Illinois praised Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich for honoring his pledge to sign legislation mandating that Illinois public school students receive instruction on the Armenian Genocide and other acts of genocide.
"The Armenian American community is pleased that the Governor has signed this bill to successfully complete the enactment process," stated Greg Bedian, ANC of Illinois chairperson. "By signing this bill, the Governor not only demonstrated his concern for victims of previous genocides, he has played an active part in a process that will hopefully help deter future genocides."
The bill, HB312, cleared the legislature with commanding margins earlier this spring, passing the Illinois House on March 1st and passing the Senate on May 11th. Soon after the bill won passage, the Illinois Information Service (part of the state's official government media communications office) reported that Gov. Blagojevich confirmed that he would sign the bill. That commitment was later confirmed by community members who met with the Governor. Blagojevich also mentioned his support for genocide education in a recent gubernatorial proclamation issued to mark the 90th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. In it the Governor stated "both recognition and education concerning past atrocities such as the Armenian Genocide is crucial in the prevention of future crimes against humanity."
After the bill was introduced, the ANC helped to mobilize Armenian and non-Armenians alike to work for passage of the bill, which was introduced by Representatives John A, Fritchey (D-11) and Paul D. Froelich (R-56). Upon passage in the Illinois House by a vote of 96-11, HB312 was forwarded to the Senate where Senators Jacqueline Y. Collins (D-16) and Ira Silverstein (D-8) led the effort to a 47-5 victory in the Senate. During the weeks leading up to the bill's passage, the ANC lobbied Illinois House and Senate members to work for passage of the bill by organizing grassroots email, telephone and letter-writing campaigns as well as conducting office visits with legislators. The ANC also made presentations to various groups to encourage their participation in this activity.
"It was gratifying to see that our efforts led to a successful outcome," stated Karine Birazian, who heads up the ANC of Illinois' Genocide Education Committee. "It's important for the many constituents, and especially the public school students, who participated in this endeavor to see that their voices were heard and that their actions could make a difference on such an important issue as Genocide education."
HB312 provides "that in addition to the unit of instruction studying the events of the Holocaust, the curriculum of every public elementary school and high school shall include a unit of instruction studying other acts of genocide across the globe, including, but not limited to, the Armenian Genocide, the Famine-Genocide in Ukraine, and more recent atrocities in Cambodia, Bosnia, Rwanda, and Sudan." With the passage of HB312, Illinois joins several other states, including California and Massachusetts, which have mandated expanded genocide education. Birazian added that the ANC will be working with groups in those states as well as other organizations to help assemble the necessary resources to help schools implement the new requirements.
The Armenian National Committee of Illinois is a grassroots public affairs organization serving to inform, educate, and act on a wide range of issues concerning Armenian Americans throughout the state of Illinois.
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