A JOINT MEMORIAL
REQUESTING THE CREATION OF A TASK
FORCE TO STUDY THE NEED FOR AND FUNDING OF A NEW LOCATION FOR THE NEW MEXICO
HOLOCAUST AND INTOLERANCE MUSEUM AND STUDY CENTER.
WHEREAS, the New Mexico
holocaust and intolerance museum and study center provides a service to all New
Mexicans by increasing their knowledge of the holocaust and their awareness of
the suffering that is caused by hate and intolerance; and
WHEREAS, the museum is
dedicated to combating hate and intolerance through education; and
WHEREAS, the museum ensures the
preservation of the memory of all who suffered in the holocaust during World
War II and in other incidents of hate and intolerance; and
WHEREAS, the museum has
exhibits that provide information about and depictions of the cultural genocide
against Native Americans, the Armenian genocide, the Greek genocide, Danish and
Bulgarian assistance to Jews during the holocaust, the Nuremberg trial and the
Bataan death march; and
WHEREAS, the museum also
provides information concerning the five million non-Jews who perished at the
hands of the Nazis, as a result of incarceration in the Russian Gulag system or
as a result of the Japanese incarceration in the United States during World War
II; and
WHEREAS, extensive resources
are available at the museum to advance the prevention of hate and intolerance,
including videos, symposiums and speakers, including holocaust survivors, and
an educational outreach program, which includes a component for training school
administrators; and
WHEREAS, the museum serves the
entire nation because of its extensive array of exhibits and educational
resources that include all areas of intolerance and hate; and
WHEREAS, the museum board and
President Werner Gellert have determined that more space is needed to continue
the invaluable education provided by the museum and to expand its services,
including a proposed children's museum; and
WHEREAS, the museum needs
approximately one million five hundred thousand dollars ($1,500,000) for a new
location and cannot immediately raise the money on its own;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED
BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that a task force be created to
assess the need for a new location for the New Mexico holocaust and intolerance
museum and study center; and
BE
IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force include representatives from the
legislature, the governor, the office of cultural affairs, the mayor of the
city of Albuquerque, the city council of Albuquerque, the Bernalillo county
commission, the university of New Mexico, the Albuquerque public school system,
the Albuquerque chamber of commerce and the Hispano chamber of commerce; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the
task force be requested to study possible funding sources for the move,
including any governmental agencies that can provide assistance, such as the
city of Albuquerque, the state of New Mexico and the federal government, and to
determine if there is a need for incorporation of the museum; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that
copies of this memorial be transmitted to New Mexico legislative council, the
governor, the office of cultural affairs, the mayor of the city of Albuquerque,
the city council of Albuquerque, the Bernalillo county commission, the
university of New Mexico, the Albuquerque public school system, the Albuquerque
chamber of commerce and the Hispano chamber of commerce.