Richmond Hill community leaders rally to make
Diwali a New York City public school holiday
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
Community leaders joined
local elected officials and residents
for a rally in Richmond
Hill on Sunday, Nov. 7, during
which they called on the city,
yet again, to make Diwali an official
public school holiday.
Their message was loud and
clear: “What do we want? Diwali!
When do we want it? Now!”
Members of the South
Queens Women’s March, the
Caribbean Equality Project,
Jahajee Sisters and the United
Madrassi Association were
gathered across the street from
Sybil’s Bakery, located at 132-17
Liberty Ave.
According to organizers,
it’s been a decades-long fight to
have Diwali — a five-day festival
of lights celebrated by millions
of Hindus, Sikhs, Jains
and Buddhists across the world
— recognized as a holiday in
New York City.
“The last administration
promised that they would do
it, and that administration is
coming to an end, and we are
still celebrating Diwali at our
desks,” said Vijah Ramjattan,
founder and president of the
United Madrassi Association,
which promotes unity in the
community. “Our children
should not have to choose between
their faith and an education.”
A major festival in South
Asia and in Indo-Caribbean
countries, Diwali celebrates
the triumph of light over darkness,
good over evil and knowledge
over ignorance. During
the holiday, families decorate
their homes and illuminate
them with lights, and partake
in family feasts and gift-giving.
Hundreds of thousands of
New Yorkers with South Asian
and Indo-Caribbean Heritage
celebrate the festival.
When Mayor Bill de Blasio
approved the Muslim holidays
Eid Al-Fitr and Eid-Al Adha
and the Asian Lunar New Year
celebrations joining the Jewish
holidays of Rosh Hashanah
and Yom Kippur, along with
Christmas, on the city school
calendar, but not Diwali, activists
formed the Diwali Coalition
of New York City to push
for change.
This year, Diwali, also
known as Deepavali or Deepawali,
Community leaders and residents in Richmond Hill are calling on Mayor-elect Eric Adams to make Diwali a New York City public school
holiday. Photo by Carlotta Mohamed
was celebrated on Nov. 4,
a school day and also a parentteacher
conference afternoon
for thousands of New York City
elementary schoolchildren.
For Aminta Kilawan-
Narine, founder and director of
South Queens Women’s March,
it should be a basic right for educators,
parents and children
to observe Diwali at home.
“When I was a kid, my mom
worked all day long, came
home and made her sweets, and
made sure we had time to light
our diyas,” Kilawan-Narine
said. “We didn’t have time to
clean; we would have to clean
our home the weekend before
because we knew we wouldn’t
get the day off.”
Community advocate Albert
Baldeo echoed Kilawan-
Narine’s sentiments.
“Diwali is part of our fundamental
right that we deserve
and have a right in America,
which has also been observed
in other parts of the world, and
thank God that we are getting
there,” Baldeo said.
As de Blasio’s term comes
to an end, advocates are hoping
TIMESLEDGER | Q 2 NS.COM | NOV. 12 - NOV. 18, 2021
that Mayor-elect Eric Adams
will fulfill his promise of signing
Diwali into a holiday after
he takes office on Jan. 1, 2022.
Mohamed Amin, founder
and executive director of the
Caribbean Equality Project,
said they’re holding Adams, as
well as their community leaders,
accountable to ensure that
Diwali does become a holiday.
“Oftentimes, elected officials
and candidates will come
to our community and make
promises and tokenize our
vote and they will tell us what
we want to hear so we can vote
for them, and when they get in
office, they will forget us. That
will not happen this time,”
Amin said.
District Leader Richard
David, who is a member of the
Diwali Coalition of New York
City, reassured the community
that he will see that Richmond
Hill is served at every level of
government.
“There are many people
who tell you all kinds of things
before they get into office, and
that’s why it’s so important for
this community to never give
up,” said Richards, who also
urged residents to register to
vote. “The fight ahead of us is
going to be getting Diwali, Gifted
& Talented programs and
communities that are overburdened
by taxes. It’s going to be
for all of us, and we are going to
need you in that fight.”
The community is also receiving
support from Queens
lawmakers such as Congress
members Carolyn Maloney
and Gregory Meeks, Assemblywoman
Jenifer Rajkumar and
Councilwoman-elect Joann
Ariola. Maloney and Meeks on
Nov. 3 announced the Deepavali
Day Act, which would make
Diwali a nationally recognized
federal holiday.
Meanwhile, Rajkumar, the
first South Asian-American
woman ever to be elected to a
state office in New York, was
proud to say one of her first
bills introduced in the state
Capitol was to make Diwali a
public school holiday.
“The time has come. We
are going to make it happen,”
said Rajkumar, who presented
proclamations to the United
Madrassi Association and
Ramjattan for his leadership.
“It’s not the end of representation,
as I have introduced a
resolution at the state level to
celebrate Indian Arrival Day in
New York state. Next year will
be the first time we celebrate it
in New York, and this will be
the last time we will be standing
here rallying for Diwali to
be a school holiday.”
Ariola said it’s an honor to
be elected into the City Council
to serve the community and to
see that legislation is signed
into law making Diwali a holiday
for New Yorkers to celebrate
it the way they should.
“It is a wonderful holiday
— a holiday that brings joy,
love and light. It shouldn’t have
to be rushed and it shouldn’t
have to be a day a child loses
at school,” Ariola said. “And
when children go to school,
they should be asked, ‘How was
your holiday?’”
Reach reporter Carlotta Mohamed
by e-mail at cmohamed@
schnepsmedia.com or by phone
at (718) 260–4526.
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