SR0251 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0251 LRB101 11271 MST 56609 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Mahatma Karamchand Gandhi was a world-renowned civil rights and spiritual leader, who experienced injustices early in life and learned to embrace the principles of non-violence as a vehicle for social and political change; and

WHEREAS, Mahatma Gandhi was influenced by religious teachings in Hinduism, Jainism, and Christianity in the development of his philosophy; and

WHEREAS, Mahatma Gandhi led the Indian people to independence from British rule in August 1947 through non-violent means, staging massive peaceful demonstrations against poverty while supporting women's rights and religious tolerance; and

WHEREAS, For his efforts, Mahatma Gandhi was given the title of Mahatma, or "Great Soul" and was often called Bapu in India, which means "father"; India acknowledges him as the "Father of the Nation"; and

WHEREAS, Mahatma Gandhi's legacy has inspired hundreds of millions of people around the world to pursue non-violence as a means to achieve freedom and equality, including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s movement to end racial injustice in the United States and Nelson Mandela's fight to end apartheid in South Africa; and

WHEREAS, Few people have had as significant and as positive an impact on the world and freedom movements than Mohandas Gandhi; and

WHEREAS, Over 2,000,000 people attended Mahatma Gandhi's funeral in 1948, and his memory and teachings still persist today; and

WHEREAS, October 2, Mahatma Gandhi's birthday, was declared as International Day of Non-Violence by the United Nations to "disseminate the message of non-violence, including through education and public awareness" and reaffirm "the universal relevance of the principle of non-violence" and desire "to secure a culture of peace, tolerance, and understanding through non-violence"; and

WHEREAS, People around the world commemorate the International Day of Non-Violence by participating in volunteer projects as a way to give back to their communities; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we declare Mahatma Gandhi's birthday, October 2, 2019, as the "State Day of Peace to Non-Violence" to coincide with the International Day of Non-Violence; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we encourage the people of Illinois to observe the State Day of Peace to Non-Violence with appropriate ceremonies, programs, and activities.