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Gov. Blagojevich signs law expanding genocide education in Illinois

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  • Gov. Blagojevich signs law expanding genocide education in Illinois

    Gov. Blagojevich signs law expanding genocide education in Illinois

    Studies will now include recent atrocities in Armenia, Ukraine,
    Cambodia, Bosnia, Rwanda and Sudan

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    Office of the Governor of Illinois
    August 5, 2005


    SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS - Governor Rod R. Blagojevich today signed House
    Bill (HB) 312 into law, expanding Holocaust and genocide education for
    Illinois elementary and high school students. In addition to learning
    about the Nazi atrocities of the 20th century, students will now learn
    about more recent acts of genocide around the world, including those
    in Armenia, Ukraine, Cambodia, Bosnia, Rwanda and Sudan. In June,
    the governor signed legislation making Illinois the first state in the
    nation to end state investment in Sudan, cutting all state financial
    ties with the oppressive and genocidal Sudanese government.

    "As we teach our kids the important lessons of history, we have to be
    sure that they understand that racial, national, ethnic and religious
    hatred can lead to horrible tragedies," said Gov. Blagojevich. "Sadly,
    these are not just the problems of our parents' or grandparents'
    generations. We have to make sure our schools teach the importance
    of embracing differences among people and encourage students to fight
    intolerance and hatred wherever they see it."

    Sponsored by Rep. John Fritchey (D-Chicago) and Sen. Jacqueline Collins
    (D-Chicago), HB 312 expands the previous requirement for Illinois
    public elementary schools and high schools to teach a unit on genocide
    focused on the events of the Nazi Holocaust of 1933 to 1945. The
    new unit of instruction required by HB 312 will include, but is not
    limited to: the Armenian Genocide; the Famine-Genocide in Ukraine;
    and more recent atrocities in Cambodia, Bosnia, Rwanda and Sudan.

    "In light of the culturally diverse population in Illinois and our
    increasingly global society, we must ensure that the tragedy of the
    Holocaust is not painted with an isolated brush," stated the bill's
    chief sponsor, Rep. John Fritchey (D-Chicago). "In order to fully
    comprehend the inhumanity of genocide, students need to be able to
    understand the indifference that has allowed it to repeatedly occur
    around the world through history and up to today."

    The law states that the State Board of Education may make available
    to Illinois schools instructional materials for the development of
    this unit of instruction. Each local school district will set the
    specifics of the instruction for each grade level in its schools.

    "By studying these tragic lessons from history, we can
    help our children understand the importance of freedom," said
    Sen. Collins. "When they recognize that crimes of genocide continue
    in some corners of the world, even in the 21st century, it will raise
    their awareness and help them understand what can happen when you
    judge people by their race, their homeland or their beliefs."

    "We applaud Governor Blagojevich for breaking new ground by signing
    into law this important educational initiative, a measure which comes
    fifteen years after the landmark Illinois Holocaust Education Mandate
    was first enacted," said Richard S. Hirschhaut, Project and Executive
    Director of the new Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center.
    "The new law affirms the continuing relevance of applying the universal
    lessons of the Holocaust to the tragedies of genocide in our world
    today. We look forward to bringing these important lessons to future
    generations through the facilities of the new Illinois Holocaust
    Museum and Education Center."

    In June, the governor signed Senate Bill 23, making Illinois the
    first state in the nation to cut all state financial ties with the
    oppressive and genocidal Sudanese government. The bill, sponsored by
    Sen. Jacqueline Collins (D-Chicago) and Rep Lovana Jones (D-Chicago),
    prohibits Illinois from investing in foreign government bonds of Sudan,
    investing in companies doing business in or with Sudan, and investing
    the State pension in companies doing business in or with Sudan.

    HB 312 goes into effect immediately.
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