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Armenian National Committee of America
1711 N Street NW
Washington, DC 20036
Tel. (202) 775-1918
Fax. (202) 775-5648
Email [email protected]
Internet www.anca.org
PRESS RELEASE
June 29, 2007
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918
MAJORITY OF U.S. HOUSE MEMBERS COSPONSOR ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
RESOLUTION
WASHINGTON, DC - The Armenian Genocide Resolution (H.Res.106)
reached an important milestone today with the number of cosponsors
for the human rights measure growing to 218 - a majority of the
U.S. House of Representatives, reported the Armenian National
Committee of America (ANCA).
"We welcome the growth of Armenian Genocide Resolution cosponsors
to the 218 threshold - and want to extend our appreciation to
Congressman Schiff and his colleagues who helped us reach this
mark, as well as to each and everyone of the two hundred and
eighteen cosponsors of this measure," said Aram Hamparian,
Executive Director of the ANCA. "We look forward in the coming
days and weeks to working with our chapters and activists across
the country in maintaining and expanding the bipartisan majority in
favor of the timely adoption of this human rights legislation."
"In gaining 218 cosponsors, we have demonstrated that a majority of
the House strongly supports recognizing the facts of the Armenian
Genocide," said lead sponsor, Congressman Adam Schiff. "While
there are still survivors left, we feel a great sense of urgency in
calling attention to the attempted murder of an entire people. Our
failure to acknowledge these dark chapters of history prevents us
from taking more effective action against ongoing genocides, like
Darfur."
Introduced on January 30th by Rep. Adam Schiff along with
Representative George Radanovich (R-CA), Congressional Armenian
Caucus Co-Chairs Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Joe Knollenberg (R-MI),
Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA) and Rep. Thaddeus
McCotter (R-MI), the Armenian Genocide resolution calls upon the
President to ensure that the foreign policy of the United States
reflects appropriate understanding and sensitivity concerning
issues related to human rights, ethnic cleansing, and genocide
documented in the United States record relating to the Armenian
Genocide. A similar resolution in the Senate (S.Res.106),
introduced by Assistant Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Sen.
John Ensign (R-NV) currently has 31 cosponsors, including Senate
Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and presidential candidate
Hillary Clinton (D-NY).
Over the past five months, Armenian Americans and human rights
advocates have joined with Members of Congress in educating their
colleagues about the Armenian Genocide and the importance of proper
recognition of this crime against humanity.
Just this week, thousands participated in the ANCA "Call for
Justice Campaign," a national Congressional call-in effort in
support of H.Res.106. The campaign was a follow up to the weeklong
ANCA "Click for Justice" web campaign in April.
On March 22nd and 23rd, over 100 activists from 25 states
participated in the Washington, DC advocacy days, titled "End the
Cycle of Genocide: Grassroots Capitol Campaign." By the end of the
whirlwind two-day campaign, organized by the ANCA and the Genocide
Intervention Network (GI-Net), activists had visited all 100 Senate
and 435 House of Representatives offices, meeting with Members of
Congress and their staff, and dropping off information regarding
pending Armenian and Darfur genocide legislation.
The grassroots campaign continued with the launching of the ANCA
Western and Eastern Region POWER Initiatives designed to
significantly expand community outreach and support. Dubbed
"Project Outreach Western Region" in the West and "Project Outreach
Waves the Eastern Region" in the East, the program has generated
renewed grassroots activism in large and small communities.
Travels to traditional strongholds in California, Massachusetts,
Rhode Island, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan and
Illinois have been complemented with visits to Arizona, Florida,
Idaho, Nevada, North Carolina and South Carolina, expanded outreach
to established communities in Ohio, Wisconsin and Missouri and
burgeoning communities in Alabama, Colorado, Hawaii, New Mexico,
Oregon, Tennessee, Texas and Washington state.
The Armenian Genocide resolution is supported by a broad-based
coalition of over 47 human rights, religious, civic, and ethnic
organizations, including the (in alphabetical order): American
Federation of Jews from Central Europe (New York, NY), American
Hellenic Council of CA (Los Angeles, CA), American Hellenic
Institute (Washington, DC), American Hungarian Federation
(Washington, DC), American Jewish World Service (New York, NY),
American Latvian Association in the U.S. (Rockville, MD), American
Values (Washington, DC), Arab American Institute (Washington, DC),
Belarusan-American Association (Jamaica, NY), Bulgarian Institute
for Research and Analysis (Bethesda, MD), Center for Russian Jewry
with Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry (New York, NY), Center for
World Indigenous Studies (Olympia, WA), Christian Solidarity
International (Washington, DC), Congress of Romanian Americans
(McLean, VA), Council for the Development of French in Louisiana
(Lafayette, LA), Estonian American National Council (Rockville,
MD), Genocide Intervention Network (Washington, DC), Global Rights
(Washington, DC), Hmong National Development, Inc., Hungarian
American Coalition (Washington, DC), Institute on Religion and
Public Policy (Washington, DC), International Association of
Genocide Scholars (New York, NY), Jewish Social Policy Action
Network (Philadelphia, PA), Jewish War Veterans of the USA
(Washington, DC), Jewish World Watch (Encino, CA), Joint Baltic
American National Committee (Rockville, MD), Leadership Council for
Human Rights (Washington, DC), Lithuanian American Community
(Philadelphia, PA), Lithuanian American Council (Rockville, MD),
National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations (New York, NY), National
Council of Churches USA (New York, NY), National Federation of
American Hungarians (Washington, DC), National Federation of
Filipino American Associations (Washington, DC), National Lawyer's
Guild (New York, NY), Polish American Congress (Chicago, IL),
Progressive Jewish Alliance (Los Angeles, CA), Reconstructionist
Rabbinical College (Wyncote, PA), Slovak League of America
(Passaic, New Jersey), The Georgian Association in the USA
(Washington, DC), The Workmen's Circle/Arbeter Ring (New York, NY),
U.S. Baltic Foundation (Washington, DC), Ukrainian Congress
Committee of America (New York, NY), Ukrainian National Association
(Parsippany, NJ), Unitarian Universalist Association of
Congregations (Washington, DC), United Hellenic American Congress
(Chicago, IL), Washington Chapter Czechoslovak National Council of
America (Washington, DC), and the Women's International League for
Peace and Freedom (Philadelphia, PA).
1711 N Street NW
Washington, DC 20036
Tel. (202) 775-1918
Fax. (202) 775-5648
Email [email protected]
Internet www.anca.org
PRESS RELEASE
June 29, 2007
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918
MAJORITY OF U.S. HOUSE MEMBERS COSPONSOR ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
RESOLUTION
WASHINGTON, DC - The Armenian Genocide Resolution (H.Res.106)
reached an important milestone today with the number of cosponsors
for the human rights measure growing to 218 - a majority of the
U.S. House of Representatives, reported the Armenian National
Committee of America (ANCA).
"We welcome the growth of Armenian Genocide Resolution cosponsors
to the 218 threshold - and want to extend our appreciation to
Congressman Schiff and his colleagues who helped us reach this
mark, as well as to each and everyone of the two hundred and
eighteen cosponsors of this measure," said Aram Hamparian,
Executive Director of the ANCA. "We look forward in the coming
days and weeks to working with our chapters and activists across
the country in maintaining and expanding the bipartisan majority in
favor of the timely adoption of this human rights legislation."
"In gaining 218 cosponsors, we have demonstrated that a majority of
the House strongly supports recognizing the facts of the Armenian
Genocide," said lead sponsor, Congressman Adam Schiff. "While
there are still survivors left, we feel a great sense of urgency in
calling attention to the attempted murder of an entire people. Our
failure to acknowledge these dark chapters of history prevents us
from taking more effective action against ongoing genocides, like
Darfur."
Introduced on January 30th by Rep. Adam Schiff along with
Representative George Radanovich (R-CA), Congressional Armenian
Caucus Co-Chairs Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Joe Knollenberg (R-MI),
Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA) and Rep. Thaddeus
McCotter (R-MI), the Armenian Genocide resolution calls upon the
President to ensure that the foreign policy of the United States
reflects appropriate understanding and sensitivity concerning
issues related to human rights, ethnic cleansing, and genocide
documented in the United States record relating to the Armenian
Genocide. A similar resolution in the Senate (S.Res.106),
introduced by Assistant Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Sen.
John Ensign (R-NV) currently has 31 cosponsors, including Senate
Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and presidential candidate
Hillary Clinton (D-NY).
Over the past five months, Armenian Americans and human rights
advocates have joined with Members of Congress in educating their
colleagues about the Armenian Genocide and the importance of proper
recognition of this crime against humanity.
Just this week, thousands participated in the ANCA "Call for
Justice Campaign," a national Congressional call-in effort in
support of H.Res.106. The campaign was a follow up to the weeklong
ANCA "Click for Justice" web campaign in April.
On March 22nd and 23rd, over 100 activists from 25 states
participated in the Washington, DC advocacy days, titled "End the
Cycle of Genocide: Grassroots Capitol Campaign." By the end of the
whirlwind two-day campaign, organized by the ANCA and the Genocide
Intervention Network (GI-Net), activists had visited all 100 Senate
and 435 House of Representatives offices, meeting with Members of
Congress and their staff, and dropping off information regarding
pending Armenian and Darfur genocide legislation.
The grassroots campaign continued with the launching of the ANCA
Western and Eastern Region POWER Initiatives designed to
significantly expand community outreach and support. Dubbed
"Project Outreach Western Region" in the West and "Project Outreach
Waves the Eastern Region" in the East, the program has generated
renewed grassroots activism in large and small communities.
Travels to traditional strongholds in California, Massachusetts,
Rhode Island, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan and
Illinois have been complemented with visits to Arizona, Florida,
Idaho, Nevada, North Carolina and South Carolina, expanded outreach
to established communities in Ohio, Wisconsin and Missouri and
burgeoning communities in Alabama, Colorado, Hawaii, New Mexico,
Oregon, Tennessee, Texas and Washington state.
The Armenian Genocide resolution is supported by a broad-based
coalition of over 47 human rights, religious, civic, and ethnic
organizations, including the (in alphabetical order): American
Federation of Jews from Central Europe (New York, NY), American
Hellenic Council of CA (Los Angeles, CA), American Hellenic
Institute (Washington, DC), American Hungarian Federation
(Washington, DC), American Jewish World Service (New York, NY),
American Latvian Association in the U.S. (Rockville, MD), American
Values (Washington, DC), Arab American Institute (Washington, DC),
Belarusan-American Association (Jamaica, NY), Bulgarian Institute
for Research and Analysis (Bethesda, MD), Center for Russian Jewry
with Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry (New York, NY), Center for
World Indigenous Studies (Olympia, WA), Christian Solidarity
International (Washington, DC), Congress of Romanian Americans
(McLean, VA), Council for the Development of French in Louisiana
(Lafayette, LA), Estonian American National Council (Rockville,
MD), Genocide Intervention Network (Washington, DC), Global Rights
(Washington, DC), Hmong National Development, Inc., Hungarian
American Coalition (Washington, DC), Institute on Religion and
Public Policy (Washington, DC), International Association of
Genocide Scholars (New York, NY), Jewish Social Policy Action
Network (Philadelphia, PA), Jewish War Veterans of the USA
(Washington, DC), Jewish World Watch (Encino, CA), Joint Baltic
American National Committee (Rockville, MD), Leadership Council for
Human Rights (Washington, DC), Lithuanian American Community
(Philadelphia, PA), Lithuanian American Council (Rockville, MD),
National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations (New York, NY), National
Council of Churches USA (New York, NY), National Federation of
American Hungarians (Washington, DC), National Federation of
Filipino American Associations (Washington, DC), National Lawyer's
Guild (New York, NY), Polish American Congress (Chicago, IL),
Progressive Jewish Alliance (Los Angeles, CA), Reconstructionist
Rabbinical College (Wyncote, PA), Slovak League of America
(Passaic, New Jersey), The Georgian Association in the USA
(Washington, DC), The Workmen's Circle/Arbeter Ring (New York, NY),
U.S. Baltic Foundation (Washington, DC), Ukrainian Congress
Committee of America (New York, NY), Ukrainian National Association
(Parsippany, NJ), Unitarian Universalist Association of
Congregations (Washington, DC), United Hellenic American Congress
(Chicago, IL), Washington Chapter Czechoslovak National Council of
America (Washington, DC), and the Women's International League for
Peace and Freedom (Philadelphia, PA).