Res. No. 146
Title
Resolution calling upon the New York City Department of Education to establish Diwali as an official holiday for New York City public school students.
Body
By Council Member Dromm
Whereas, According to the U.S. Census Bureau's latest American Religious Identification Survey in 2008, there were 582,000 Hindus, 78,000 Sikhs, and 1,189,000 Buddhists in the United States; and
Whereas, According to the Census Bureau's 2016 American Community Survey, there were about 227,825 New York City residents who identify themselves as Asian Indian, of which many are adherents of Hinduism, Sikhism, Jainism, or Buddhism; and
Whereas, Diwali, a five-day festival that begins on the 15th day of the Hindu month of Kartik (October/November), is the most important festival on the Hindu calendar, celebrating the triumph of good over evil and marking the New Year; and
Whereas, Diwali is commonly known as the Festival of Lights, with celebrants lighting millions of lanterns, symbols of knowledge and inner light, to dispel ignorance and darkness; and
Whereas, For Sikhs, Diwali is the day the Mughal Emperor released Hargobind, the revered sixth Guru, from captivity; and
Whereas, For Jains, Diwali marks the anniversary of the attainment of moksha, or liberation, by Mahavira, who was the last of the Tirthankaras, or the great teachers of Jain dharma; and
Whereas, Some Buddhists celebrate Diwali to commemorate the day King Ashok converted to Buddhism; and
Whereas, Despite the large number of Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, and Buddhists in New York City, Diwali is not recognized as a school holiday in the New York City public school system; and
Whereas, In 2007, the United States House of Representatives passed a resolution recognizing the religious and historical significance of Diwali, and in 2013 hosted the first-ever Congressional Diwali celebration; and
Whereas, In 2011 and 2013, the US Senate passed a resolution ...
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