Mayor’s Commission on Asian American Affairs Honors 150th Anniversary of the Birth of Mahatma Gandhi
“Mahatma Gandhi and Our Single Garment of Destiny: Our Inescapable Struggle for Peace and Justice” will include a full day of celebratory activities.
PHILADELPHIA — October 2, 2019 marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi. Outside of India, the impact of Gandhi’s thought and vision has historically had its most profound impact on the United States of America and African Americans in particular. To honor the relationship between the Indian freedom struggle and the American Civil Rights Movement, the Mayor’s Commission on Asian American Affairs will co-host a celebration of Mahatma Gandhi on October 3.
The Commission, Philadelphia City Council, community and religious organizations, and Philadelphia residents will celebrate Gandhi’s 150th Birthday with a day-long event entitled “Mahatma Gandhi and Our Single Garment of Destiny: Our Inescapable Struggle for Peace and Justice.” The event will feature Civil Rights leader Reverend James Lawson, whom Dr. King called “the leading theorist and strategist of nonviolence in the world.” Reverend Lawson’s extraordinary life is one of constant struggle for peace and justice. He was deeply involved in the student sit-ins, Freedom Rides and the struggle of Black sanitation workers in Memphis. He is also one link in a long chain that deeply connects the Indian and Black freedom movements.
Event Details:
City Council Resolution
10 a.m. to 11 a.m.
City Hall, Council Chambers, Room 400
Presentation of City Citations and Lecture from Reverend James Lawson
1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
City Hall, Mayor’s Reception Room, Room 202
Honorees: Civil Rights leaders Reverend James Lawson, Bernard Lafayette and Diane Nash; anti-apartheid activist ES Reddy; world peace leader Romesh Chandra*; Black labor leader Henry Nicholas; former City Councilman Lucien Blackwell*.
[*Posthumous honor]
Reception and Cultural Performances
3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
City Hall, Conversation Hall, Room 201
Performers: Universal African Dance Ensemble, Indian classical dancer Ramya Shankaran, and other artists.
In addition to the event on October 3, there will be an exhibition on the second floor of City Hall from September 30, 2019 to November 29, 2019 showcasing the work of local artists interpreting the theme A Single Garment of Destiny and a photo exhibition covering the Indian freedom struggle, Black freedom movement, Bandung Conference and the world movement for peace.
These celebrations do not serve merely as a reminder of past struggles but are a call to continue to fight today.
Event organizers and partners include: Council of Indian Organizations in Greater Philadelphia, The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute, American Friends Service Committee, Mother Bethel AME Church, Mayor’s Commission on Asian American Affairs, Office of Councilwoman Jannie L. Blackwell, Sree Narayana Guru Dharma Paripalana Yogam (SNDP), Bangladeshi Association of Delaware Valley, Railway Workers Union (Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees Division), District 1199C Union of Hospital and Healthcare Employees, Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, and Gandhi Global Family.
Additional information is available at www.yearofgandhi2019.org.