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Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker has reaffirmed the US state’s recognition of the Armenian Genocide with a proclamation issued on Thursday, April 1, 2021, at the request of the ANC of Illinois, reported the Armenian National Committee of America Eastern Region (ANCA-ER). On the heels of the state’s proclamation, Mayor William D. McLeod, Village of Hoffman Estates, also declared April 24, 2021, Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day.

“On behalf of the Armenian American community of Illinois, we want to thank the Governor, the State of Illinois and Mayor for standing on the right side of history and reaffirming the recognition of the Armenian Genocide. This reaffirmation is important now more than ever, at a time where the Armenian state is once again at risk of annihilation as evidenced by the events in Artsakh,” said Maral Abrahamian, Chair, ANC of Illinois.

Illinois, which is the home to more than 20,000 Armenian Americans, has seen the support of city, state and federal leaders with regard to recognition of the Armenian Genocide over the last six decades. In fact, the Illinois House of Representatives first recognized the Armenian Genocide on April 22, 1965.

The Armenian American community in Illinois is part of a network of nearly 200,000 Assyrians, Chaldeans and Greeks who stand in solidarity with the state’s commitment to truth and justice for the persecution of the more than 2 million Armenians, Assyrians, Chaldeans and Greeks who suffered at the hands of the Ottoman Turkish government from 1915-1923. This shared understanding has led to several partnerships on the grassroots level, including the work the communities did that led to statewide passage of a Holocaust and Genocide Commission as well as genocide education mandates in public schools.