Governor Gretchen Whitmer is a lifelong Michigander. She is a lawyer, an educator, former prosecutor, State Representative and Senator. She was the first woman to lead a Senate caucus. But the most important title she boasts is MOM. Inspired by her family, she’s devoted her life to building a stronger Michigan for everyone.
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April 01, 2025
WHEREAS, Chaldeans Assyrians Syriacs, a Semitic people who speak Aramaic, are the indigenous people of Mesopotamia who have lived in the Middle East since ancient times, including in what is today Iraq, Syria, Turkey, and Iran; and,
WHEREAS, collectively, there are nearly half a million Chaldeans Assyrians Syriacs in the United States, including about 160,000 in Michigan, the largest concentration in the country; and,
WHEREAS, the Assyrian/Babylonian New Year, Akitu, is a celebration of spring, rebirth, and renewal which often culminates in a celebration on April 1st; and,
WHEREAS, April 24th marks the anniversary of Seyfo, or the Genocide that claimed the lives of a million Chaldeans Assyrians Syriacs, Armenians, and Greeks; and,
WHEREAS, the Chaldean Catholic Church, descended from the Church of the East, commemorates All Martyrs & Confessors Day during the month of April, remembering the church’s devoted priests, nuns, and laypeople; and,
WHEREAS, the Chaldean Assyrian Syriac community enrich Michigan’s cultural tapestry and prosperity through their success in the arts, business, law, politics, education, medicine, architecture, and engineering;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Gretchen Whitmer, governor of Michigan, and Garlin Gilchrist II, lieutenant governor of Michigan, do hereby proclaim April 2025 as Chaldean American Month in Michigan.