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Remarks at Holocaust Remembrance Day April 20, 2007

Thank you very much for having me here today for what is definitely a solemn and moving occasion. I am honored to be able to take part, and on behalf of the Georgia State Senate, I want to welcome all of you here to the Capitol.

I want to thank the members of the Commission for your hard work and for what you do to pay tribute to the lives and the memories of all those who suffered through one of the darkest periods in our world's history.

Further, I want to thank all of those here today who work so diligently to preserve the lessons learned from that dark time in our past. You honor the memory of the victims of the Holocaust by living lives that exemplify tolerance and by passing on that message of tolerance to the next generation of Georgians.

It is fitting that we set aside a day for remembrance. One day to reflect upon a thousand days of horror that so many people would rather forget. One day to recognize that though evil exists in the world, it will never triumph as long as good people act to preserve and protect the values that we cherish.

It is indeed of the utmost importance that we remember. It is our moral obligation. For with remembrance comes resolve, that steely determination which guided the heroes of our greatest generation to take up arms against tyranny.  That faith in ultimate justice which allowed those suffering to keep their senses in the midst of such senseless violence.  That commitment to humanity which drives us today to ensure that long, dark night in our history will never diminish the brightness of our future.

Someone who knew this all too well was Liviu Librescu, a Holocaust survivor who was one of those tragically killed at Virginia Tech on Monday. This professor, who had experienced the depths of man's depravity, sacrificed his life to save his students. His commitment to humanity was so strong that he was willing to die so that others may live.

We have a duty to remember the past. But we have a greater duty to learn from it. Bigotry and injustice have no place in the sphere of human emotions, and no place in the language of civilized nations.

With remembrance comes resolve and so today I hope that we will honor Liviu's memory and the memories of so many others who suffered at the hands of evil by recommitting ourselves to shaping a brighter future, a future that will never again cause us to witness such horrible acts of human cruelty.

Let us resolve not to become victims of indifference but rather agents of change. Let us resolve not to be silent witnesses to intolerance but rather voices of unity and hope. For next to persecution itself, silence and indifference are the most unforgivable of sins.

It is our responsibility as citizens to be active participants in the drive to rid the world of that which holds us back, to make a conscious effort to improve the lives of those around us. Those of you here today who have made that conscious effort should be very proud of your accomplishments, for your work will have a long-lasting impact in the lives of future generations.

So I thank you all for what you do, for your service to Georgia and for your service to the memories of those who paid the ultimate price to resist injustice. I hope that we will all go forth today further emboldened, further resolved and further committed to the duty of creating a positive world for everyone. We owe no less to those who have sacrificed so much.