Concord, NH – Today, Governor Chris Sununu was joined by Kati Preston, a Holocaust survivor who lives in Center Barnstead, to sign HB 1135 into law, naming a portion of route 49 in honor of Specialist Marc P. Decoteau; designating a portion of state route 125 as Officer Stephen Arkell Memorial Highway; declaring June 6 as D-Day Remembrance Day; proclaiming August 31 as Overdose Awareness Day; naming certain courtrooms in the tenth circuit district court and relative to circuit court, district and family division cases in Rockingham county; and relative to Holocaust and genocide studies legislation and establishing a commission to study genocide education.
“Until today, New Hampshire did not require that stories like Kati’s are told, ensuring our children learn from the past and that the atrocities of the Holocaust are not forgotten,” said Governor Chris Sununu. “It was an honor to sign HB 1135 into law with Kati by my side. Kati is a Granite State treasure, and this bill could not have happened if not for her leadership and that of so many other stakeholders.”
HB 1135 makes Holocaust education compulsory in New Hampshire schools and establishes a commission to study best teaching practices for the subject.
“I honestly think this generation of kids in school today will save the world,” said Kati Preston. “I want to give them the opportunity to hear, to learn – to learn the history of what can happen with prejudice and how far it can be pushed. I thank you very very much, Governor Sununu, and I am very proud of my state.”
NOTE: You can learn more about Kati Preston here.
