```

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 357 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>

116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 357

   Celebrating the 150th anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 26, 2019

   Mr. Menendez (for himself, Mr. Cruz, Mr. Warner, and Mr. Cornyn) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
                            on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
   Celebrating the 150th anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi.

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.
                                 <all>
```