[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 156 (Thursday, September 26, 2019)]
[Senate]
[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.

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