Bill Text: NY J03172 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Memorializing Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim August 7, 2020, as Assyrian Memorial Day in the State of New York

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2020-07-22 - ADOPTED [J03172 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-J03172-Introduced.html

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Senate Resolution No. 3172

BY: Senator KAPLAN

        MEMORIALIZING Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim
        August  7,  2020,  as  Assyrian  Memorial Day in the
        State of New York

  WHEREAS, This  Legislative  Body  is  justly  proud  to  memorialize
Governor  Andrew  M.  Cuomo  to  proclaim  August  7,  2020, as Assyrian
Memorial Day in the State of New York, as it is  observed  by  Assyrians
worldwide, celebrating the Assyrian cultural identity; and

  WHEREAS,  During  the  Assyrian  Genocide of 1915-1918, 750,000 men,
women, and children of Assyrian descent lost their lives at the hands of
the Ottoman Turkish Empire in its attempt  to  systematically  eliminate
the  Assyrian  race,  while  hundreds  of  thousands became homeless and
stateless refugees; and

  WHEREAS,  August  7,  1933,  is  recognized  by  the   International
Association  of  Genocide  Scholars as the date on which 3,000 Assyrians
were killed at the orders of the Iraqi government in an event  known  as
the   Simele   Massacre,  which  continued  the  legacy  of  persecution
exemplified by the 1915 Assyrian Genocide; and

  WHEREAS, August 7th, globally observed by the Assyrian community  as
Assyrian  Memorial  Day, is in remembrance of the Simele Massacre and of
all persecution the Assyrian people have faced  as  a  result  of  their
distinct and ancient ethnic and religious identity; and

  WHEREAS,  Starting  in  2014,  following ISIS' takeover of the Iraqi
government, the Assyrians have suffered persecution at the hands of ISIS
which has been recognized as a genocide by the European Parliament,  the
United States Department of State and House of Representatives, and now,
with this Resolution, the New York State Government; and

  WHEREAS, Between the years of 2003 and 2018, the Assyrian population
in  its ancestral homeland of Mesopotamia, where it has existed for over
6,000 years, dropped from 1,500,000 to under 250,000 people, due to  the
genocide committed against it by ISIS; and

  WHEREAS,  The  crimes  against  humanity  committed  by ISIS against
Assyrians have not only resulted in  the  killing  and  displacement  of
disturbing numbers of innocent people, but have also had the consequence
of  the  enslavement  and  rape of countless women and children, and the
destroying of ancient churches, artifacts, and cities that were bastions
of the Assyrian cultural heritage; and

  WHEREAS,  The  Assyrian  people  have  been  denied  the  right   to
self-determination  on their ancestral lands; they have received no form
of reparations for their tragic losses; and without an autonomous  state
in  their ancestral homeland, they lack protection from targeted attacks
that have been historically persistent; and

  WHEREAS, The Assyrians living in their homeland of Mesopotamia speak
the Assyrian-Aramaic language, practice their distinct and ancient  rite
of  Christianity,  and  celebrate  their cultural customs regularly; and

Assyrians in diaspora cannot practice, and  in  effect  preserve,  these
cultural bastions to the degree that the homeland population does due to
the  effects  of cultural assimilation; therefore, the Assyrian homeland
population is the foundation that keeps the Assyrian identity alive; and

  WHEREAS,  With  the  Assyrian  population in Mesopotamia having been
nearly destroyed  by  the  genocide  committed  by  ISIS,  Assyrians  in
diaspora  are  losing hope for the future of their venerable and storied
ethnic identity, as it is now quickly fading away; and

  WHEREAS, The response of the people of New York State to the  recent
refugee crisis shows there is a strong desire for government to stand in
solidarity with persecuted and downtrodden ethnic groups; and

  WHEREAS,  The  State  of New York endeavors to champion human rights
and  the  recognition  of  diverse  cultural,  ethnic,   and   religious
identities,  and  to uphold the support that constituents have shown for
underserved and persecuted minorities; and

  WHEREAS, Assyrians in New York, and throughout the world,  have  not
been  provided  with  justice  for  the  crimes  perpetrated against the
Assyrian nation; and, as a  result  of  this,  these  crimes  have  been
repeated  several  times  in  recent  history,  to  the  point  of  near
annihilation of the Assyrian homeland community; and

  WHEREAS, New York State is a leader in terms of progress and  social
justice;  we  acknowledge  that this Resolution makes New York State the
first State to recognize Assyrian Memorial Day,  and  to  recognize  the
Assyrian  Genocide  as  a distinct historical event; it is our hope that
other states will follow this model and recognize  these  two  important
events; and

  WHEREAS,  By  consistently remembering and forcefully condemning the
atrocities  committed  against  the  Assyrians,  honoring  the  cultural
identity  of this suffering group, and calling for action to aid them in
their struggles, we can provide  the  American  public  with  a  greater
awareness  of  their plight, and provide the Assyrian diaspora community
with a symbol of hope for the future, which can in turn spur efforts  to
enact justice on their behalf; now, therefore, be it

  RESOLVED,  That  this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
memorialize Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to  proclaim  August  7,  2020,  as
Assyrian Memorial Day in the State of New York; and be it further

  RESOLVED,  That  copies  of  this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to The Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo, Governor of the  State  of
New York; and the Assyrian American Association of Yonkers.