Democratic V.P. Candidate Tim Walz’s Record on Armenian-American Issues
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, recently picked as the Democratic Vice Presidential candidate alongside Kamala Harris for the 2024 election, has a multifaceted record that reflects his broad political experience and evolving positions on various issues, including those affecting Armenian-Americans.
Walz’s career has been marked by his focus on veterans’ issues, education, and bipartisan cooperation. During his tenure in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2007 to 2019, Walz earned a reputation for working across the aisle. His legislative work often focused on veterans’ affairs, reflecting his own background as a National Guard veteran.
Less well-known is Walz’s particular interest in Holocaust and genocide education, which developed during his time as a teacher in rural, predominantly white Midwestern school districts. In 1993, while teaching in Nebraska, he participated in an inaugural conference of U.S. educators convened by the then-upcoming U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. Eight years later, after moving to Minnesota, he wrote a thesis advocating changes in Holocaust education. In the 27-page thesis titled “Improving Human Rights and Genocide Studies in the American High School Classroom,” Walz contended that teaching the Holocaust in isolation as a unique historical event limits students’ ability to understand and apply its lessons to other instances of genocide. He argued that the Holocaust should be taught as part of a broader pattern of human rights violations to help students recognize similarities with other genocides, such as the Armenian and Rwandan genocides.
As a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Walz cosponsored various bills and resolutions supported by the Armenian-American community. These include resolutions reaffirming the United States’ record on the Armenian Genocide and urging the President to work towards equitable Armenian-Turkish relations based on Turkey’s acknowledgment of the Armenian Genocide. Walz also supported resolutions condemning the assassination of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, a vocal advocate for human rights and freedom of the press in Turkey.
Despite the lack of a significant Armenian constituency in Governor Tim Walz’s former congressional district, his record on issues important to Armenian-Americans is noteworthy, reflecting a broader political philosophy and actions that align with the values important to the Armenian community.
