In March 2011, at the University of Toronto, the Canadian non-governmental association "Canadians for Genocide Education" conferred upon Alfred de Zayas the "Educator's Award 2011."
In past years de Zayas lectured at the University of Toronto, including on matters of the Armenian Genocide, the genocide against the Greeks of Pontos and Smyrna, the Expulsion of the Germans, the Expulsion of the Cypriot Greeks 1974, ethnic cleansing in Yugoslavia, etc.
Below is some information on the award:
CANADIANS FOR GENOCIDE EDUCATION 2011 EDUCATOR'S AWARD
Canadians for Genocide Education (CGE) represents a broad spectrum of Canadian community associations seeking to promote inclusivity and equity in genocide education and commemoration. To this end, CGE has created an awards program to recognize those leading institutions, groups and/or individuals that have made the effort to promote these values in our society.
Past winners of the award include:
2010 – John B. Gregorovich, Human Rights Activist & Community Leader. Co-founder of Canadians for Genocide Education (CGE) and first chairman (1998-2008). He is the architect of the present structure of CGE. Working by concensus toward "Inclusivity and Equity" in genocide education and commemoration he led CGE associations to common ground in a common struggle. All Canadians have benefited from his decades of service as a community leader and civil liberties advocate.
2009 – Dr. Brian Senewiratne, Human Rights Activist & Lecturer
Dr. Senewiratne has for decades been a champion for Tamil human and civil rights even though he is Singalese and closely related to the ruling families in Sri Lanka. Since he was a teenager he faced danger repeatedly inside and outside of Sri Lanka to advocate for democracy and decry the genocidal acts of the Sri Lankan Government.
2008 – Dr. Ilan Pappe, Historian. Professor Pappe is the head of the department of History at Exetor University in the United Kingdom. He is an Israeli academic who has courageously researched and documented the ethnic cleansing of Palestine in 1948 and for doing so has himself been subject to persecution.
2007 – Ahmed Motiar, Retired Educator, Toronto, Ontario. Mr. Motiar, a retired special education teacher, received this award for his critical behind the scenes work to promote inclusive and equitable genocide curriculum in our education system. His dedication in the fight against injustice and racism in our society was marked by his personal experience in the fight against South African Apartheid.
2006 – Not Awarded 2005 – Sisler High School, Winnipeg District School Board Awarded for its development and delivery of cutting edge curriculum in genocide and human rights education. Although still a work in progress, the level of equity and inclusivity already achieved is vastly superior to that found in other jurisdictions.
2004 – Bob Wood, Member of the Ontario Legislative Assembly Awarded for his sponsorship of a Bill to proclaim Genocide Memorial Week in OntarioGenocide Memorial Week would provide an occasion for inclusive and equitable genocide education and commemoration.
2003 – York Region District School Board (YRDSB) - located just north of Toronto. Awarded for its commitment to equity and inclusivity to education on genocide and its efforts on a curriculum project designed to supplement the limited case studies mentioned in the provincial curriculum. This project has resulted in the development of the YRDSB teacher’s guide on genocide education (see attached).
Canadians for Genocide Education (CGE) was established in 1998 to promote equity and inclusivity in genocide education and commemoration. CGE believes that this approach, taken globally, in conjunction with other measures, can have a transformative impact on humanity. CGE has long advocated for the establishment of a federally funded Canadian museum to teach about genocide on an equitable and inclusive basis. The newly established Canadian Museum for Human Rights is expected to serve this purpose. However, CGE has also worked generally with various levels of government and school boards to promote these twin principles across Canada.
CGE MEMBER ASSOCIATIONS
Almae Matris Croaticae Alumni; Armenian General Benevolent Union; Armenian National Federation; Association of Serbian Women ; Canada-Azerbaijan Cultural and Education Centre; Belarusan Canadian Alliance; Belarusan-Canadian Coordinating Committee; Bosnian Islamic Association ; Gazi Husrev Beg; Buddhist Communities of Greater Toronto; Canadian Arab Federation; Canadian Cambodian Association of Ontario; Canadian Croatian Congress; Canadian Hungarian Federation; Canadian Islamic Congress; Canadian Tamil Congress; Canadian Ukrainian Immigrant Aid Society; Chinese Canadian National Council; Council of the Muslim Community of Canada; Cypriot Federation of Canada; Federation of Canadian Turkish Associations; German Canadian Congress; Hellenic Canadian Congress; Hellenic Committee for Human Rights and National Issues; Kurdish League Against Genocide; Latvian National Federation of Canada; League of Ukrainian Canadians; League of Ukrainian Canadian Women; Lithuanian Canadian Community; Macedonian Human Rights; Movement International; National Alliance of Canadian Sikhs; National Association of Canadians With Origins in India; National Association of Pakistani Canadians; National Congress of Chinese Canadians; Niagara Palestinian Association; Not In Our Name (NION): Jewish Voices Against Israel's Wars; Palestine Heritage Canada; Pan African Movement of Canada; Rwandese Canadian Association of Greater Toronto; Serbian National Shield; Society of Canada; Slovenian National Federation; The Federation of Turkish Cypriot Associations of Canada; The Greater Toronto Kurdish House ; Ukrainian Canadian Civil Liberties Association; Ukrainian Canadian Human Rights Society; Ukrainian Canadian Professional and Business Federation; Ukrainian National Federation of Canada; Ukrainian Women’s Organization of Canada; United Macedonian Organization of Canada.
De Zayas responded to the award:
“Remembrance is a noble duty, which we owe to the past and to the future. Memory is identity, and identity is a fundamental human right. The first United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Dr. Jose Ayala Lasso, always spoke about human dignity as the source of all human rights. He insisted on the equality in dignity of all human beings and the right of all victims to our compassion. He reminded us that there can be no discrimination or competition among victims. I agree with Ayala Lasso and encourage you to persevere in your work of remembrance. You owe it to yourselves and to future generations.
The current UN High Commissioner, Judge Navi Pillay, is committed to giving a voice to all victims and to reaffirm a fundamental right that has yet to be codified: The right to truth. This right also entails the right to historical memory.
All victims are entitled to the truth, to their history, to their honour, to recognition of their status as victims. Such recognition represents an essential form of rehabilitation to victims… But reconciliation is only possible on the basis of an acceptance of historical facts and on a sincere commitment to make amends for past wrongs. Indeed, truth must be lived in society, every day. It must be conveyed in the media, in the classroom, in universities, in history books, in museums.”
To see a photograph and read a biographical note on Alfred de Zayas, see two articles by him in this issue.