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Agenda Item No. 5(H) CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF EL CERRITO PROCLAMATION Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day – April 24, 2014 WHEREAS, the City of El Cerrito is a diverse community that prides itself on being a welcoming, tolerant and inclusive city that embraces all who live and work here; and WHEREAS, the Armenian Genocide began with the arrest, exile, and murder of hundreds of Armenian intellectuals, and political, religious, and business leaders, starting on April 24, 1915; and WHEREAS, during the Genocide, Armenians were forced to witness the slaughter of their relatives and the loss of their ancestral homeland and property, culminating in what is known by historians as the ‘‘First Genocide of the Twentieth Century;” and WHEREAS, California is home to the largest Armenian-American population in the United States, and Armenians living in California have enriched our state through their leadership in business, agriculture, academia, government, and the arts; and WHEREAS, Assembly Bill 659 unanimously passed the California Assembly in January 2014, encouraging all state and local development activities to provide teachers with content background and resources to assist in teaching about civil rights, human rights violations, genocide, slavery, the Great Irish Famine of 1845-50, the Holocaust and Armenian Genocide; and WHEREAS, the El Cerrito City Council is proud to join the Armenian-American community in its commemoration of the 99th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide in an effort to educate others about the tragic loss of life, land, and human rights of the Armenian people and the crimes of genocide committed against them. NOW THEREFORE, the City Council of the City of El Cerrito commemorates the 99th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide and hereby proclaims April 24, 2014 as the “Day of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide” in the City of El Cerrito and encourages all residents to participate in join in the solemn remembrance and mourning of the loss of innocent lives. Dated: April 22, 2014 Janet Abelson, Mayor