Colorado legislature to read Armenian Genocide Resolution this Friday April 24, 2009

The Colorado state legislature will pause to recognize the Armenian genocide on Friday, April 24. It will be the eighth consecutive year both houses will read a joint resolution originally passed in 2006. The ceremony begins at 8:45 a.m.

April 24 is commemorated as the beginning of the Armenian genocide in 1915. Around the world, ceremonies and events are held to honor the event. In Colorado this year, the reading of the joint resolution will be preceded by lectures and events earlier in the week. Some state representatives and senators are also expected to join Armenians in Colorado and their supporters for an Armenian genocide commemoration ceremony at noon Sunday, April 26, at the Armenian Genocide Memorial Plaque in the northeast corner of the state capitol grounds.

The legislative joint resolution reads in part: "This year marks the 94th anniversary of the first genocide of the 20th century, the Armenian Genocide, when 1.5 million men, women, and children of Armenian descent were victims of a brutal genocide perpetrated by the Turkish Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1923."

The 800-word resolution continues with a thorough history of the genocide, its aftermath and the American response. It quotes former U.S. Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, Henry Morgenthau, Sr.

"I am confident that the whole history of the human race contains no such horrible episode as this," he said at the time. "The great massacres and persecutions of the past seem almost insignificant when compared to the sufferings of the Armenian race in 1915."

Each year, the state also sends a copy of the resolution to the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues and the president. President Obama will receive the resolution less than a month after visiting Turkey. Addressing the Turkish parliament and in a Turkish press conference, Obama obliquely referred to the Armenian genocide, but he disappointed Armenians in the United States by not using the word genocide or urging the Turkish government to do the same.

On the campaign trail in 2008, Obama promised "As president, I will recognize the Armenian genocide."
This month, Obama's home state of Hawaii became the 42nd state in the nation to join Colorado in recognizing the Armenian genocide. The European Parliament, the World Council of Churches and dozens of nations also recognize the Armenian genocide.

Other events in Colorado during the week leading up to the April 24 reading of the Armenian genocide joint resolution include:

• A lecture by Baylor University scholar Artyom Tonoyan at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, April 19, at Sturm Hall on the University of Denver campus, 2000 E. Asbury Ave. The lecture by the Armenian native is named "From Velvet Gloves to an Iron Fist: The Rise of Turkish Nationalism and the Armenian Genocide." A reception will follow, and books and DVDs will be sold.

• A panel discussion on "Breaking the Cycle of Genocide" at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 23, at Sturm Hall on the University of Denver campus, 2000 E. Asbury Ave. Panelists include Native American Professor Glenn Morris, Darfur anti-genocide activist Pastor Heidi McGinness, speaker and author Barbara Coloroso, and Fran Sterling, director of the Rocky Mountain region for Facing History and Ourselves. Simon Maghakyan, co-chair of the Armenian Genocide Commemoration Committee, will moderate the discussion.

Both events are free and open to the public.