SENATE MEMORIAL 54

54th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2019

INTRODUCED BY

Linda M. Lopez

 

 

 

 

 

A MEMORIAL

RECOGNIZING THE HOLOCAUST AND INTOLERANCE MUSEUM OF NEW MEXICO AND ITS MISSION TO COMBAT HATE AND INTOLERANCE BY THE PROMOTION OF UNDERSTANDING THROUGH EDUCATION.

 

     WHEREAS, the holocaust and intolerance museum of New Mexico was incorporated in 1998 by seventeen founding members led by Werner and Frances "Frankie" Gellert and Julianna Lerner; and

     WHEREAS, the holocaust and intolerance museum of New Mexico, located in Albuquerque, opened officially in January 2001 and was the first such museum in the southwest to address issues of genocides and forms of bullying that have affected people around the world; and

     WHEREAS, the holocaust and intolerance museum of New Mexico is not limited to one religion, culture, geographic area or time in history; and

     WHEREAS, the holocaust and intolerance museum of New Mexico's mission is to eliminate hate and intolerance, and it focuses on education with youth as the target audience through outreach to students and teachers; and

     WHEREAS, the holocaust and intolerance museum of New Mexico exhibits reflect a history of mankind's cruelty caused by indifference, prejudice and hate; and

     WHEREAS, about half of the holocaust and intolerance museum of New Mexico focuses on the holocaust and the horrors perpetuated by the Nazis against Jews and other targeted populations, while another portion of the museum is dedicated to other forms of intolerance worldwide; and

     WHEREAS, the holocaust and intolerance museum of New Mexico includes exhibits of the African American experience, genocide of Christian minorities in the Ottoman empire and hate in America; and

     WHEREAS, the holocaust and intolerance museum of New Mexico was the first United States museum to have an exhibit on "Rwanda, the tolerated genocide"; and

     WHEREAS, the holocaust and intolerance museum of New Mexico is currently researching and designing an upgraded exhibit on the changing destinies of Native Americans; and

     WHEREAS, the holocaust and intolerance museum of New Mexico hosted almost four thousand visitors in 2018, with one thousand eight hundred visitors from New Mexico, one thousand eight hundred twenty-four visitors from other states and one hundred forty-six international visitors; and

     WHEREAS, group visits included middle and high school students, previously incarcerated adults working on general educational development certificates, road scholars, educational travel groups and others; and

     WHEREAS, the holocaust and intolerance museum of New Mexico's education program includes internships for college and high school students, including university of New Mexico political science students who intern with the museum, and has provided several grants to schools throughout the state; and

     WHEREAS, the holocaust and intolerance museum of New Mexico is actively involved in the community by sponsoring and co-sponsoring a wide variety of events such as lectures, panel discussions, film screenings, plays and dance performances; and

     WHEREAS, the holocaust and intolerance museum of New Mexico also distributes a newsletter and makes holocaust teaching materials available to educators statewide; and

     WHEREAS, the holocaust and intolerance museum of New Mexico deliberately avoids the use of the word "tolerate" in order to encourage individuals to warmly accept one another rather than just tolerate one another;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the holocaust and intolerance museum of New Mexico be recognized for its mission to combat hate and intolerance by the promotion of understanding through education; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this memorial be transmitted to the holocaust and intolerance museum of New Mexico.

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