09/18 The Enterprise: Affirmative Action Committee Issues Statement On Armenian Genocide

Posted in: Falmouth News
By MARTHA V. SCANLON
Sep 18, 2007 - 10:39:18 AM


The No Place For Hate/ Affirmative Action Committee has issued a statement to the Anti-Defamation League asking it to acknowledge the Armenian genocide of the early 1900s.
Edward H. Sahagian of East Falmouth came before the committee last Tuesday at its monthly meeting to ask the committee where it stands on the issue.
According to town Affirmative Action/ Equity officer George R. Spivey, the national Anti-Defamation League, which formed No Place For Hate, recently stated that it did not acknowledge the genocide. The state league, however, did acknowledge the genocide, he said.
Committee Chairman Betty J. Rodman said that it was her understanding that the national Anti-Defamation League did acknowledge the atrocities, but did not want to use the term genocide. Ms. Rodman said that the No Place For Hate/ Affirmative Action Committee was formed to stand up against such injustices and favored issuing a statement.
Committee member James C. Lancaster agreed, telling the committee and Mr. Sahagian that he had been researching Armenian history lately and he believed what occurred was genocide. “I don’t know how any reasonable person… cannot understand that they were targeting a specific group of people. Genocide is genocide,” he said.
The committee voted unanimously to send the statement to state, regional, and national offices of the Anti-Defamation League.