John Shaw: “Today marks the eighty-seventh anniversary of an event none of us would wish we have to remember--the genocide of the…”

“Today marks the eighty-seventh anniversary of an event none of us would wish we have to remember--the genocide of the Armenian people. On April 24, 1915, hundreds of Armenian political, religious and intellectual leaders were forcibly rounded up, exiled and eventually murdered. Over the course of the next eight years, over a million Armenian men, women, and children lost their lives. Untold numbers of Armenian villages were destroyed. Peace-loving people the world over pause today to reflect on these most tragic events. I urge my fellow Members of Congress and Americans throughout the country to join me in commemorating the Armenian people and to honor the memory of so many who fell to the horrible injustices inflicted upon them. The plight of the Armenian people can be overshadowed by more recent and more visible acts of genocide, such as that suffered by Jews in World War II. But all acts of inhumanity can have no place in civilized societies. We must not forget the death of even a single child, whether in Auschwitz or Anatolia.”