California Senate Unanimously Passes Genocide Education Act

SACRAMENTO, Calif.—On Aug. 26, the California Senate, with a vote of 36-0, unanimously passed the Armenian Genocide Education Act (AB 1915), which adds Armenian Genocide survivor and witness oral testimonies into the teachings of human rights in California public schools, and encourages state and local professional development activities to provide teachers with resources to teach about the henocide, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) Western Region.

This bill, authored by Assemblymember Adrin Nazarian, builds upon AB 1273, the first legislation passed in 1985, which incorporated the Armenian Genocide in the social studies curriculum.

AB 1915 received unanimous support in the California State Assembly in April and was swiftly moved on to the Senate floor under the watchful leadership and full support of incoming Senate President Pro-Tem, Kevin De Leon. The bill will now be forwarded to the governor to be signed into law.

“The ANCA WR applauds the California State Senate for their steadfast support on this critical education bill and Senators De Leon and Mark Wyland, along with co-authors Assemblymembers Nazarian and Katcho Achadjian, for their unwavering commitment and leadership,” said Nora Hovsepian, chair of the ANCA Western Region.

“At every step, we had an unprecedented response from the grassroots on this bill. We can’t thank you enough and want you to know that our collective voice was heard loud and clear throughout the halls of the California State Capitol,” added Elen Asatryan, executive director of the ANCA WR. “We look forward to having the governor sign the bill into law and continuing our work alongside our elected officials and our schools to ensure that future generations learn about the Armenian Genocide of 1915,”

In his introductory remarks, Sen. Wyland gave resounding remarks about the importance of genocide education in public schools, provided background information on AB 1915, and discussed the importance of the oral history component that comes with the AB 1915.

In the months, weeks, and days leading up to the vote, the ANCA Western Region worked closely with legislators to ensure they had learned of the broad, enthusiastic support for the measure. Just since Aug. 21, close to 5,000 community members responded to the ANCA WR action alert, communicating their support for the bill to Sen. De Leon.

Currently, California is one of 11 states, including Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, and Virginia, which have the Armenian Genocide included in their curriculum.

Co-authors of AB 1915 on the Assembly side include Assemblymembers Achadjian, Ammiano, Ian Calderon, Fox, Hall, Holden, Nestande, Patterson, and Wilk. Co-authors on the Senate side include Senators Berryhill, Lara, Vidak, and Yee.

“I am so glad that my colleagues in the Senate unanimously voted for AB 1915. As this bill comes back to the Assembly, and ultimately advances to Governor Brown’s desk, I look forward to its swift implementation. The teaching of human rights and, more specifically, the Armenian Genocide is significant in ensuring that future generations of Californians are educated about our past, in hopes of deterring such acts in the future by being better informed,“ said Assemblymember Nazarian.