November 6, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 177 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session

[Page S6443]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              S. RES. 150

  Ms. STABENOW. Mr. President, this week, the United States House of 
Representatives made history. For the very first time, an overwhelming 
majority of its members--more than 400--adopted a resolution 
recognizing the Armenian genocide. I rise today to urge my colleagues 
in the Senate to do the same thing--the right thing--and pass S. Res. 
150.
  It has now been 104 years since the Armenian people became targets of 
the most evil and hate-filled campaign of violence that the world had 
ever seen. From 1915 to 1923, a million and a half Armenian men, women, 
and children were murdered at the hands of the Ottoman Turkish 
Government. It was so atrocious that no word yet existed to describe 
what was happening--not until the creation of the word ``genocide,'' 
the deliberate and systematic destruction of a racial, political, or 
cultural group.
  Unfortunately, nobody has ever been held accountable, and the events 
surrounding the Armenian genocide continue to be denied, but the truth 
is simple: What happened to the Armenian people was absolutely 
genocide, and the Armenian community is right to insist that it be 
described that way.
  This is why I have always supported Senate resolutions calling for 
the recognition of the Armenian genocide and urged my colleagues to 
join me.
  We know that the deeper the wound, the longer it takes to heal, and 
nothing cuts deeper into the collective consciousness of a people than 
genocide.
  At the same time, we know now that the Ottoman Empire's determination 
to exterminate the Armenian people was no match for their will to 
survive, and those who survived embodied the best qualities of the 
human spirit: hope, resilience, perseverance, and love.
  Some survivors made their way to America, and many of them built 
their new lives in Michigan. They have created thriving communities, 
built businesses, raised families, founded schools, and contributed 
their rich culture to the fabric of our State.
  The more than 20,000 Armenians who are living in Michigan today have 
not forgotten what happened--none of us should, for we know that, if we 
do not recognize the atrocities of the past, we risk blinding ourselves 
to atrocities in the future.
  Recognition of the Armenian genocide is long overdue. A crime like 
this casts a long shadow, and this shadow can be conquered only by 
light, the light of truth that comes from fully acknowledging the full 
scale of the horror that the Armenians endured.
  I urge my colleagues to take up and support this resolution.
  Thank you.

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