Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Armenian Genocide in Schools Calendar

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Armenian Genocide in Schools Calendar

    Paul Krekorian
    Member of the Burbank Board of Education
    1900 West Olive Avenue
    Burbank CA 91505
    818-848-7750 office tel
    818-848-7749 office fax
    [email protected]


    PRESS RELEASE
    April 5, 2004


    PAUL KREKORIAN ENSURES INCLUSION OF COMMEMORATION OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
    IN COUNTY SCHOOLS CALENDAR

    At the request of Burbank Board of Education Member Paul Krekorian,
    the April 24 commemoration of the Armenian Genocide will be added to
    the annual calendar of important educational events published by the
    Los Angeles County Office of Education. In response to Krekorian's
    request, the County Office agreed that the commemoration of the
    Genocide is a `significant educational event.' Expressing regret that
    it had previously been excluded, the County Office gave written
    assurance to Krekorian that the commemoration of the Genocide will be
    included in all future editions of the educational events calendar.

    The calendar is distributed to educators throughout Los Angeles
    County. It is an important tool for teachers and administrators
    because it identifies important religious holidays and cultural
    commemorations that occur during the school year. When Krekorian
    learned that the calendar currently omits the April 24 remembrance of
    the Armenian Genocide, he immediately contacted the County
    Superintendent, Dr. Darline Robles, to remedy the omission.

    In his letter to Robles on February 17, Krekorian wrote:

    `April 24 of each year is the annual worldwide commemoration of
    thebeginning of the Armenian Genocide in 1915. As you may know,
    approximately one and a half million Armenians were killed at the
    hands of the Ottoman Turks in Anatolia between 1915 and 1923, in the
    first genocide of the 20th Century. In fact, it was the mass
    killings, `ethnic cleansing' and attempted extermination of the
    Armenians that caused Polish jurist Rafael Lempkin to coin the very
    word `genocide.''

    `In the Burbank Unified School District and many other parts of the
    County, notably including the Los Angeles, Glendale and Montebello
    unified school districts, a significant number of Armenian-American
    students recognize April 24 as a day of mourning and attend church
    services, community gatherings and other commemorative events on that
    day. Further, instruction about the Armenian Genocide is now mandated
    in high school world history classes, and April 24 provides an
    opportunity for teachers to address important issues involving bigotry
    and intolerance as well as the historical facts of the Genocide. I
    believe it is imperative that all teachers in the County be informed
    about the tragic significance of this date to Armenians and to the
    world.'

    Paul Krekorian, a lawyer, was elected to the Burbank Board of
    Education in April of 2003. He is believed to be the first
    Armenian-American ever elected to any public office in the city of
    Burbank.

    This is a media release from the office of Paul Krekorian, a member of
    the Burbank Board of Education. It does not necessarily reflect the
    policies or opinions of the Burbank Unified School District or of its
    Board of Education as a whole.
Working...
X