By: Parker S.C.R. No. 16
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, Each November, individuals around the globe mark the
somber anniversary of the Holodomor, the brutal and systematic
starvation inflicted on the Ukrainian people by Joseph Stalin's
Soviet regime in 1932 and 1933, an atrocity that resulted in the
deaths of millions of people; and
WHEREAS, In the years following the formation of the Soviet
Union, political and ethnic tensions remained high in Ukraine, and
a series of independence movements and revolts occurred throughout
the 1920s, threatening Soviet rule; in response, the Stalinist
government sought to erode the Ukrainian national identity and
quash any resistance; and
WHEREAS, Beginning in 1932, an artificial famine was created
when Soviet officials greatly increased farm quotas and confiscated
livestock, grain, and other crops; residents were confined to the
region and purposefully left to starve, even as the Soviets
continued to export locally grown grain to other areas; in
addition, Ukrainian intellectual, cultural, and religious leaders
were targeted for arrest and execution; and
WHEREAS, While estimates vary, it is thought that between 3.5
and 10 million Ukrainians perished in the Holodomor, a term meaning
"murder by starvation"; moreover, those who spoke out about the
true nature of the famine were prosecuted or executed; and
WHEREAS, The Holodomor has been recognized as an act of
genocide by the United States Senate and the U.S. Commission on the
Ukrainian Famine, as well as by legislative bodies in Australia,
Canada, Mexico, Poland, and numerous other nations; and
WHEREAS, With the threat of genocide and tyranny still
present in our world, this horrific episode in human history offers
warnings that remain strikingly relevant, and it is incumbent upon
the global community to learn from the past in order to prevent
similar atrocities from occurring in the future; now, therefore, be
it
RESOLVED, That the 88th Legislature of the State of Texas
hereby designate the month of November as Ukrainian Genocide
Remembrance Month and urge the state's residents to reflect on the
Holodomor and honor the memory of those who perished; and, be it
further
RESOLVED, That, in accordance with the provisions of Section
391.004(d), Government Code, this designation remain in effect
until the 10th anniversary of the date this resolution is finally
passed by the legislature.