SENATE RESOLUTION 357--CELEBRATING THE 150TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BIRTH OF MAHATMA GANDHI; Congressional Record Vol. 165, No. 156
(Senate - September 26, 2019)
Formatting necessary for an accurate reading of this text may be shown by tags (e.g., <DELETED> or <BOLD>) or may be missing from this TXT display. For complete and accurate display of this text, see the PDF.
[Page S5757]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SENATE RESOLUTION 357--CELEBRATING THE 150TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BIRTH
OF MAHATMA GANDHI
Mr. MENENDEZ (for himself, Mr. Cruz, Mr. Warner, and Mr. Cornyn)
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee
on the Judiciary:
S. res. 357
Whereas Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born on October 2,
1869, in the modern-day state of Gujarat, India, and October
2, 2019, represents the 150th anniversary of his birth;
Whereas, following his admission as a lawyer to the bar in
England, Mohandas Gandhi moved to South Africa, where he
experienced state-sanctioned racial discrimination firsthand;
Whereas that experience motivated Mohandas Gandhi to
develop and teach the concept of ``satyagraha,'' meaning
``truth-force,'' which involves using methods of nonviolent
dissent such as civil disobedience in the face of injustice;
Whereas Mohandas Gandhi would spend nearly 20 years in
South Africa using the principles of satyagraha to speak out
and organize against the injustices of racial segregation;
Whereas, in 1919, several years after his return to India,
Mohandas Gandhi called for a campaign of satyagraha in
response to British authorities issuing the Rowlatt Acts;
Whereas Mohandas Gandhi began a decades-long movement of
nonviolent dissent to gain self-rule for India, including
campaigns to boycott British goods and develop the economic
independence of India;
Whereas Mohandas Gandhi persisted in his advocacy for self-
rule for India despite multiple arrests;
Whereas Mohandas Gandhi advocated for the rights of the
lowest classes in India, whom he renamed the ``Harijans,'' or
``children of God,'' and thereby spurred reforms that
improved the legal status of those individuals;
Whereas the vision of Mohandas Gandhi for India was of a
secular and pluralistic home for people of different
religions and backgrounds;
Whereas the followers of Mohandas Gandhi named him
``Mahatma,'' meaning ``great soul'' in Sanskrit;
Whereas the nonviolent dissent movement started by Mahatma
Gandhi resulted in India gaining its independence from the
British Empire;
Whereas the principles of satyagraha inspired civil rights
leaders and movements around the world, including Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr., in the United States;
Whereas Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., said that the
philosophy of nonviolent dissent of Mahatma Gandhi is ``the
only morally and practically sound method open to oppressed
people in their struggle for freedom''; and
Whereas the teachings and work of Mahatma Gandhi and Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr., continue to inspire countless people
worldwide: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) celebrates the 150th anniversary of the birth of
Mahatma Gandhi;
(2) honors the accomplishments of Mahatma Gandhi and the
impact of his philosophy of satyagraha, including its
influence on civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,
and on the civil rights movement in the United States;
(3) recognizes that the principles of nonviolent dissent in
the face of injustice remain relevant and necessary today;
and
(4) continues to champion the principles of peaceful
protest and nonviolent dissent advanced by Mahatma Gandhi and
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
____________________