Illinois governor signs bill requiring teaching about genocides worldwide

by Andrew Nynka

PARSIPPANY, N.J. - Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich has signed a bill which requires that public high schools in the state teach about genocides worldwide, including the Ukrainian Famine-Genocide of 1932-1933.

According to a statement released by the governor's office on August 5, Mr. Blagojevich signed House Bill 312 into law the same day, "expanding Holocaust and genocide education for Illinois elementary and high school students."

"In addition to learning about the Nazi atrocities of the 20th century, students will now learn about more recent acts of genocide around the world, including those in Armenia, Ukraine, Cambodia, Bosnia, Rwanda and Sudan," the governor's statement said.

Previously, the state required that public elementary and high schools teach a unit on genocide, focusing primarily on the events of the Nazi Holocaust of 1933-1945.

School districts have the entire academic year to meet the law's requirement, State Board of Education spokeswoman Becky Watts told The Ukrainian Weekly. The law took effect immediately.

Local politicians said the measure would allow students to learn about a broader range of genocides that took place throughout the 20th century.

"In light of the culturally diverse population in Illinois and our increasingly global society, we must ensure that the tragedy of the Holocaust is not painted with an isolated brush," the bill's chief sponsor, Rep. John Fritchey (D-Chicago), said, according to the statement released by the governor's office. State Sen. Jacqueline Collins (D-Chicago) co-sponsored the bill.

The law says that the State Board of Education can provide any necessary instructional materials, but each individual school district will be able to decide on its own what is taught in each grade level.

No decision has been made yet about whether the board will recommend a curriculum or help schools access others that have already been created, Mrs. Watts said.

The State Board of Education said it was not familiar with the curriculum guide on the Ukrainian Famine-Genocide of 1932-1933 prepared by Dr. Myron Kuropas, an educator and historian. Mrs. Watts told The Weekly that the board was interested in learning about any existing Ukrainian curriculum.

The state board's curriculum and instruction division, which is responsible for learning standards, was researching what curricula exist and which ones would be most helpful to schools to teach about genocides, Mrs. Watts said. Schools will teach a unit on genocide and the lessons can last for different lengths of time, she said.

"As we teach our kids the important lessons of history, we have to be sure that they understand that racial, national, ethnic and religious hatred can lead to horrible tragedies," Mr. Blagojevich said. "Sadly, these are not just the problems of our parents' or grandparents' generations. We have to make sure our schools teach the importance of embracing differences among people and encourage students to fight intolerance and hatred wherever they see it."

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, August 21, 2005, No. 34, Vol. LXXIII

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