Senate Resolution No. 4882

BY: Senator MARCHIONE

COMMEMORATING the 85th Anniversary of the
Ukrainian Famine-Genocide, known as Holodomor

WHEREAS, The Ukrainian famine-genocide of 1932-1933, known as
Holodomor, was a man-made famine that caused the deaths of at least five
million innocent men, women and children in Ukraine, resulting in the
annihilation of an estimated 25 percent of the rural population of that
country, at the time one of the most productive agricultural areas of
the Soviet Union; and

WHEREAS, The man-made famine also resulted in the deaths of an
estimated one million to two million people in regions outside Ukraine,
mostly in the largely ethnically Ukrainian North Caucasus territory; and

WHEREAS, These people were starved to death by forced agricultural
collectivization and grain seizures by the Soviet Union; and

WHEREAS, Western observers and scholars who accurately reported on
the existence of the famine as it was occurring were subjected to
disparagement and criticism; and

WHEREAS, The Soviet Union and many scholars in the West denied the
existence of the famine until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991
made access to Soviet Union archives, and thereby the documentation of
the premeditated nature of the famine and its harsh enforcement,
possible; and

WHEREAS, The final report, delivered to Congress on April 22, 1988,
of the United States Commission on the Ukraine Famine concluded that the
victims "starved to death in a man-made famine" and also that (Soviet
dictator) "Joseph Stalin and those around him committed genocide against
the Ukrainians in 1932-1933"; and

WHEREAS, Although the famine resulted in one of the largest losses
of human life in the 20th Century, its occurrence remains insufficiently
known in the United States and throughout the world; and

WHEREAS, The official recognition of the famine by the government of
Ukraine, including by the country's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada of
Ukraine, represents a significant step in the reestablishment of
Ukraine's national identity and the advancement of efforts to establish
a democratic and free Ukraine that is fully integrated into the Western
community of nations; and

WHEREAS, Whether it was political oppression or religious
persecution that caused Ukrainian immigrants to pursue better lives for
themselves and their families, their desire to live in peace and enjoy
liberty was so strong that it drew generations of Ukrainian immigrants
to New York State and elsewhere in the United States in an effort to
rebuild their lives; and

WHEREAS, New York State is now home to over one-hundred and fifty
thousand of Ukrainian-Americans; Ukrainians living in New York State

have enriched our state through their leadership and contributions in
agriculture, business, academia, government and the arts; and

WHEREAS, Since 2006, Ukraine has marked November as the month of
commemoration for the victims of the famine; and

WHEREAS, A memorial to the millions who perished in the Holodomor
was erected in Washington, D.C. in August of 2015, and the dedication
ceremony took place in November of that same year; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the 85th Anniversary of the Ukrainian Famine-Genocide of
1932-1933, known as Holodomor, and to solemnly remember and honor its
millions of victims; and be it further

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause further to encourage
individuals, educators, businesses, groups, organizations and public
institutions to observe Holodomor Remembrance Month with appropriate
activities designed to honor the victims and educate New Yorkers about
this tragedy; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to the Capital District Holodomor, Ukrainian Genocide
Commemoration Committee.