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2000 SESSION

001232536
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 298
AMENDMENT IN THE NATURE OF A SUBSTITUTE
(Proposed by the Senate Committee on Rules
on March 6, 2000)
(Patron Prior to Substitute--Delegate Cantor)
Designating April 24 as Virginia Day of Remembrance and Commemoration of the Armenian Martyr's Day.

WHEREAS, in the Turkish Ottoman Empire, between 600,000 and 1.5 million men, women, and children of Armenian descent were killed from 1915 to 1923; and

WHEREAS, continued loss of life of the Armenian people would have eliminated all traces of a thriving and noble civilization more than 3,000 years old; and

WHEREAS, many citizens of Virginia honor parents, grandparents, and other relatives who suffered and were killed during this period; and

WHEREAS, by consistently remembering and openly condemning such atrocities, Virginians are highly sensitive to the need for constant vigilance to prevent similar events in the future; and

WHEREAS, recognition of prior events is crucial to ensuring against future tragedies by educating people about past horrors; and

WHEREAS, Armenia is now a free and independent republic, having embraced democracy following nearly 70 years of oppressive Soviet domination; and

WHEREAS, Armenian-Americans have found safe refuge living in Virginia and have greatly enriched the Commonwealth through their leadership in business, agriculture, academia, government, and the arts; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly designate April 24 as Virginia Day of Remembrance and Commemoration of the Armenian Martyr's Day; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates transmit copies of this resolution to the Governor of Virginia, the Virginia congressional delegation, and the Armenian National Committee of Virginia for appropriate distribution.