California Governor signs Armenian Genocide Education Act into law

September 19, 2014 - 10:41 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - California Governor Jerry Brown signed AB 1915, the Armenian Genocide Education Act into law, Asbarez reported.

The bill adds Armenian Genocide survivor and witness oral testimonies into the teachings of human rights in California public schools and encourages professional development activities and resource development for teachers to teach about the Genocide.

Earlier, the California Senate, with a vote of 36-0, unanimously passed the AB 1915. This bill, authored by Assemblymember Adrin Nazarian, builds upon the first legislation passed in 1985, AB 1273, which incorporated the Armenian Genocide in the Social Studies Curriculum.

Currently, California is one of 11 states, including Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, and Virginia, which have the Armenian Genocide included in their curriculum.

The Armenian Genocide

The Armenian Genocide (1915-23) was the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I. It was characterized by massacres and deportations, involving forced marches under conditions designed to lead to the death of the deportees, with the total number of deaths reaching 1.5 million.

The majority of Armenian Diaspora communities were formed by the Genocide survivors.

Present-day Turkey denies the fact of the Armenian Genocide, justifying the atrocities as “deportation to secure Armenians”. Only a few Turkish intellectuals, including Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk and scholar Taner Akcam, speak openly about the necessity to recognize this crime against humanity.

The Armenian Genocide was recognized by Uruguay, Russia, France, Lithuania, Italy, 45 U.S. states, Greece, Cyprus, Lebanon, Argentina, Belgium, Austria, Wales, Switzerland, Canada, Poland, Venezuela, Chile, Bolivia, the Vatican, Luxembourg, Brazil, Germany, the Netherlands, Paraguay, Sweden, Venezuela, Slovakia, Syria, Vatican, as well as the European Parliament and the World Council of Churches.