US lawmakers, including Indian-American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, have introduced a resolution in the House of Representatives to designate April 14 as National Sikh Day.
The resolution supported the designation of ‘National Sikh Day’ to honour and celebrate the vital role played by the Sikh community in strengthening and inspiring the people of the United States. While moving the resolution, the lawmakers observed that the Sikh community, which began immigrating into the United States over 100 years ago, has played an essential role in developing the United States.
“Sikhs celebrate Vaisakhi on the first day of the month of Vaisakh in the Sikh calendar, which typically falls on April 14; Whereas Vaisakhi is a special occasion in which Sikhs remember the founding in 1699 of the Order of Khalsa, a fellowship of devout saint-soldier Sikhs, by the 10th Sikh Guru to fight tyranny and oppression, which played an important role in shaping the religion’s history and identity; and whereas it is altogether fitting and proper to celebrate the day of Vaisakhi alongside Sikhs throughout the world”, said the resolution.
Sikhism is the world’s fifth-largest religion with nearly 30,000,000 adherents, roughly 1,000,000 of whom call the US home.
The resolution was introduced in the House on March 28 by Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon. It was co-sponsored by over a dozen lawmakers: Karen Bass, Paul Tonko, Brian K Fitzpatrick, Daniel Meuser, Eric Swalwell, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Donald Norcross, Andy Kim, John Garamendi, Richard E Neal, Brendan F Boyle and David G Valadao.
Both John Garamendi and David Valadao are Co-Chairs of the Sikh Caucus.
The resolution was welcomed by the Sikh caucus committee, Sikh coordination committee and American Sikh Gurdwara Parbhandhak Committee.
Pritpal Singh, the coordinator of AGPC, said that this would not only help in generating awareness about Sikh Religion, culture, and customs in the US but also help in bringing down the cases of hate crime.
Harpreet Singh Sandhu, an executive director and Yadwinder Singh of the Sikh caucus committee, said that they were glad that the US understands the importance of recognizing communities living in the US and contributing to its growth.
