Washington D.C. – Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) introduced a bipartisan bill to support Armenian Genocide education programs, reported the Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly). Both Houses of Congress approved resolutions in 2019 that “encourage education and public understanding about the Armenian Genocide.”
The legislation, S.1329, has a companion measure in the House, H.R.2803, introduced by Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA), joined by Reps. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Ted Lieu (D-CA), David Valadao (R-CA), on April 24, 2023, and currently has 48 cosponsors. The proposed bill directs the Librarian of Congress to carry out activities in support of Armenian Genocide education.
“We welcome these bipartisan bills intended to further bolster Armenian Genocide education and awareness,” said Assembly Congressional Relations Director Mariam Khaloyan. “President Biden’s acknowledgment of the Armenian Genocide in 2021, which he reaffirmed this April, following upon Congressional resolutions in 2019 stating that ‘it is U.S. policy’ to commemorate the Armenian Genocide through education, paved the way to enact further legislation strengthening human rights education.”
She continued: “Genocide prevention remains a central objective of human rights education striving to protect the rights of individuals and entire peoples at risk, which Armenians know all too well given the specter of another Armenian Genocide looming.”
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Several states in recent years had adopted educational mandates encouraging the development of human rights curricula. The Assembly, and particularly its sister organization, the Armenian National Institute, have long supported educators and teachers by developing the necessary instructional tools to support these efforts.
