Beginning in 2023, Diwali will be observed as a public holiday in New York City, according to Mayor Eric Adams, who claims that the importance of the city's inclusivity and that the "long overdue" move will encourage kids to learn about the festival of lights.
Adams, including New York Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar and New York City Schools Chancellor David Banks stated on Thursday that he "learned so much" about Diwali and the significance of the festival of lights from conversations with people while campaigning.
By designating Diwali as a holiday in New York City's public schools, he claimed, "We wanted to send a loud and clear message to the countless people who acknowledge this period of celebration.
"At the same time, this is a life lesson because when we recognize Diwali, we'll encourage kids to learn about it. We'll start by having them discuss what it means to celebrate the festival of lights and how to bring light into your own life, he said.
"The Indian-American community had long been pressing for this. In addition to allowing people from all walks of life to experience, celebrate, and enjoy Indian ideology and tradition, the recognition gives variety and inclusivity in New York City, he told PTI.
Rajkumar, who became the first South Asian-American woman to be chosen for a state office in New York, declared that "our time has come." It is now appropriate to acknowledge the over 200,000 members of the Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, and Jain faiths who celebrate Diwali, the festival of lights, in New York. said Adams.
"Because there is so much darkness all around us, we often don't notice the enormous amount of light. And when we observe Diwali during this time, we are honoring the light that resides within us, the light that can undeniably drive out darkness, which is why this is so important. The city has marked public holidays like Eid and the Lunar New Year, according to Adams.
It is past time to let our students and communities who are Buddhist, Sikh, Hindu, and Jain know that we are aware of them. This is our chance to make a strong statement about how important this city's inclusiveness is.
Given the hundreds of thousands of Indian residents in the area, there have been growing calls from the Hindu community to make Diwali a school holiday over the years. If the legislation is approved, in the following year, Diwali will be observed as a holiday in the City of New York.
Rajkumar noted that some have claimed that the New York City School calendar simply does not allow for a holiday for Diwali. Rajkumar introduced legislation this week in the state capital to accommodate Diwali in the academic calendar. She claimed that by doing away with Anniversary Day, a "obscure and antiquated" holiday that was instituted in the 1800s, Diwali, which is "celebrated by a growing number of New Yorkers," will take its place.
She added that she has brought this bill to the table so that all South Asian and Indo-Caribbean New Yorkers will have a seat at the table, adding that once this is done, the New York City Department of Education will be able to institute the Diwali holiday on the school calendar.
"South Asians and Indo-Caribbeans in New York have been fighting for the Diwali school holiday for more than 20 years. On the shoulders of those supporters, I stand. And right now, we're going to achieve that goal," she further said.
"Next week, we will celebrate Diwali, a festival that honors the triumph of good over evil, light over darkness, and human perseverance as demonstrated by Rama's victory over evil. We will honor the Hindu values of tolerance, love, and respect for all New Yorkers.
The great American civil rights leader Martin Luther King was inspired by Hindu principles, and he will commemorate our culture's contribution to the long history of civil rights in our nation. For our community, the sky's the limit, she declared.
"And it's essential that we value and honor each and every one of our young people. Thus, the celebration of Diwali provides us with yet another chance to start honoring those young people, their families, and their faith. It's highly essential to celebrate light and the victory of light over darkness, according to Banks.
