Senator Warren Joins Colleagues in Calling on Library of Congress to Recognize Armenian Genocide Despite Trump Administration's Denial
"Given that the role of the Library of Congress is to inform Congress and the public, we would submit that the Library has an obligation to describe historical events like the Armenian Genocide in the most historically accurate manner."
WASHINGTON - United States Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) joined Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Senators Shelton Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Cory Booker (D-N.J), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), and Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) in calling for the Library of Congress' record on the Armenian Genocide to reflect both scholarly and Congressional consensus. In a letter to the Librarian of Congress Dr. Carla D. Hayden, the Senators declared their support for both UCLA's and the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA)'s proposals to formally change the Library of Congress Subject Heading from "Armenian massacres, 1915-1923" to "Armenian Genocide, 1915-1923."
"Leading academic authorities, including experts on genocide issues, all agree that the Armenian Genocide was a genocide," the senators wrote. "The International Association of Genocide Scholars unanimously passed a resolution on June 13, 1997, that 'reaffirms that the mass murder of over a million Armenians in Turkey in 1915 is a case of genocide.' Encyclopedia Britannica's article on the Armenian Genocide is titled 'Armenian Genocide' and describes the event as a genocide throughout the article. The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum's Holocaust Encyclopedia does the same with its article on 'The Armenian Genocide (1915-16): Overview,' as does Yale University's Genocide Studies Program in its case study on the "Armenian Genocide.'"
"Given that the role of the Library of Congress is to inform Congress and the public, we would submit that the Library has an obligation to describe historical events like the Armenian Genocide in the most historically accurate manner. We therefore urge you to follow the scholarly consensus, rather than wrongly deferring to the executive branch, and accept the proposals submitted by UCLA and ANCA to designate 'Armenian Genocide, 1915-1923' as a Subject Heading and make 'Armenian massacres, 1915-1923' a see reference," the senators continued.
Senator Warren has a history of recognizing the Armenian Genocide. Last year, Senator Warren joined Senators Bob Menendez and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) to introduce a bipartisan Senate resolution ensuring the foreign policy of the United States reflects appropriate understanding and sensitivity concerning the Armenian Genocide, and celebrated the historic passage of this resolution in December 2019. In 2015, the Senator delivered remarks at a ceremony commemorating the 100th anniversary of this atrocity in Armenian Heritage Park in Boston, along with other members of the Massachusetts Congressional delegation and local residents.
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