State of Illinois includes Sayfo Genocide to high school curriculum for 2025-2026

SPRINGFIELD (IL), United States — The state of Illinois has officially included the 1915 Sayfo Genocide—committed by Turks and Kurds against the Syriacs (Arameans–Assyrians–Chaldeans), Armenians, and Greeks during the final years of the Ottoman Empire —in its high school curriculum for 2025-2026 as part of a dedicated broader instructional unit on genocide. 

According to the June Resource Guide Overview issued by the Illinois State Board of Education, the state has long been a pioneer in incorporating genocide education into school curricula. The new instruction unit about the Sayfo Genocide joins existing lessons on the Holocaust (core unit) and other recognized genocides. The curriculum is governed by strict educational standards. The goal is to raise awareness among students, foster deeper understanding of genocide and its lasting impact on communities, and encourage future initiatives to formally and comprehensively integrate the Sayfo Genocide into educational systems nationwide. 

The Resource Guide Overview further notes that the decision follows persistent advocacy efforts and was inspired by a similar initiative in Arizona—the first U.S. state to formally include the Sayfo Genocide in its high school curriculum. Arizona included the Sayfo in the school year 2024-2025. 

The Illinois educational unit, valid for grades 9-12 (~ages 14-18), was developed with contributions from Dr. Erin Hughes and Prof. Hannibal Travis. The curriculum aims to educate students about the history, causes, and lasting effects of the Sayfo Genocide on the affected peoples. It will include books, materials, photographs, and personal stories of descendants of the Sayfo martyrs. 

The Sayfo unit will be taught in Illinois high schools during the 2025–2026 school year.