46th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2003

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.