Proclaiming April to Be "Holocaust & Genocide Awareness Month" in the State of Rhode Island

WHEREAS, The State of Rhode Island and the Rhode Island General Assembly passed legislation in 2016 requiring Holocaust and genocide education for secondary public education; and

WHEREAS, The State of Rhode Island passed legislation establishing the RI Holocaust and Genocide Education Commission to oversee the implementation of Holocaust and genocide education in the state’s secondary schools with the hopes of better understanding how the Holocaust and genocides can be averted in the future; and

WHEREAS, Each year, the RI House of Representatives overwhelmingly passes resolutions remembering the Holocaust, Armenian Genocide and other genocides, recognizing the importance of “Never Again”; and

WHEREAS, It is essential to our State and our Nation that we educate our youth about the millions of men, women, and children who have and continue to be slaughtered and ostracized simply because of their beliefs and their heritage, or their strength or frailty, in order to not let this brutality and senseless hatred and carnage continue; now, therefore be it

RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island hereby proclaims April to be “Holocaust & Genocide Awareness Month” and strongly encourages Rhode Island’s history and social science educators to incorporate lessons on past and current genocide atrocities into their curriculum and classroom discussions in order to encourage and foster a new generation with insight and the pledge to work to eradicate bigotry, prejudice, brutality, and injustice; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to Angélica Infante-Green, Commissioner of the Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Rhode Island Holocaust and Genocide Education Commission.