IV 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 921 

Celebrating the 129th anniversary of the birth of Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 14, 2020 

Mr. KHANNA (for himself, Mr. ENGEL, Mr. BERA, Ms. JAYAPAL, and Mr. 

KRISHNAMOORTHI) submitted the following resolution; which was referred 

to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

RESOLUTION 

Celebrating the 129th anniversary of the birth of Bhimrao 

Ramji Ambedkar. 

Whereas Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar is recognized as a singular historical figure, celebrated in India and around the 

world for his lasting contributions as a jurist, economist, 

socioeconomic reformer, civil rights leader, spiritual icon, 

freedom fighter, feminist, and the architect of India’s 

constitution; 

Whereas Ambedkar’s slogan, ‘‘Educate, Agitate, Organize’’ 

mobilized millions around the world to organize against 

discrimination based on religion, gender, race, class, and 

caste, and to promote universal equality and human 

rights; 

Whereas Ambedkar was born on April 14, 1891, in the town 

and military cantonment of the Mhow in the Central 

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Provinces in the modern-day state of Madhya Pradesh, 

India, and April 14, 2020, represents the 129th anniversary of his birth; 

Whereas Ambedkar was born into a family that belonged to 

the Hindu Mahar community, one of the untouchable 

castes in India at the time; 

Whereas Ambedkar overcame systemic discrimination and 

went on to succeed against the odds to champion the 

rights of the most marginalized people in Indian society; 

Whereas Ambedkar became one of the first Indians to gain 

international repute as a scholar for his research in law, 

economics and political science, earning doctorates in economics from Columbia University and the London School 

of Economics; 

Whereas Ambedkar was deeply moved by witnessing the discrimination against African Americans and women in the 

United States, which informed his pursuit to guarantee 

equal rights for all in the Constitution of India; 

Whereas Ambedkar contacted W.E.B. Du Bois in the 1940s, 

writing that ‘‘there is so much similarity between the position of the Untouchables in India and of the position 

of the Negroes in America that the study of the latter is 

not only natural but necessary’’, and Du Bois wrote with 

encouragement that he had ‘‘every sympathy with the 

Untouchables of India’’; 

Whereas, on August 29, 1947, Ambedkar was appointed as 

the Chairman of India’s Constitution Drafting Committee, and became the father and architect of the Constitution of India; 

Whereas Ambedkar advocated for the inclusion of women’s 

rights in the Constitution of India and India’s political 

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system, writing ‘‘I measure the progress of a community 

by the degree of progress which women have achieved’’; 

Whereas Ambedkar served as India’s first Minister of Law 

and Justice from August 29, 1947, to January 24, 1950, 

when he resigned after India’s parliament stalled his 

draft of legislation enshrining gender equality in the laws 

of inheritance and marriage; 

Whereas Ambedkar led one of the largest civil rights movements in history, working to establish basic rights for 

hundreds of millions of Dalits, and succeeded in including 

Article 17 in the Constitution of India which abolishes 

untouchability and its practice in any form; 

Whereas Ambedkar devoted his life to fighting the segregation, stigma, and discrimination against Dalits, and was 

a leader of the 1927 Mahad Satyagraha March in which 

Dalits crossed caste lines to desegregate water tanks, 

temples, and common roadways to oppose the illegal but 

pervasive segregation against Dalits; 

Whereas Ambedkar’s influence as an economist is evidenced 

by his seminal texts on India’s financial systems, his establishment of the Finance Commission of India, and his 

role in the creation of The Reserve Bank of India (RBI); 

Whereas Ambedkar championed labor reforms such as changing the daily work schedule from 12 hours to 8 hours and 

introduced measures like employee insurance, medical 

leave, ‘‘dearness pay’’, equal pay for equal work for 

women, minimum wages, and timely revision of scale of 

pay; 

Whereas Columbia University honored Ambedkar as one of 

the top ‘‘250 Columbians Ahead of Their Time’’, and 

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American democratic intellectual Dr. Cornel West called 

Ambedkar ‘‘one of the greatest public intellectuals’’; 

Whereas the Constitution of India enshrined fundamental 

human rights for all, preventing discrimination against 

any citizen on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex, 

or place of birth; 

Whereas the Constitution of India was the first legal document in Indian history to have Dalits at the helm of its 

creation, and influenced the inclusion of minority rights 

in postcolonial constitutions around the world; 

Whereas in Ambedkar’s final speech in India’s Constituent 

Assembly on November 25, 1949, Ambedkar advocated 

for the active preservation of democracy, warning: ‘‘If we 

wish to preserve the Constitution in which we have 

sought to enshrine the principle of Government of the 

people, for the people and by the people, let us resolve 

not to be tardy in the recognition of the evils that lie 

across our path and which induce people to prefer Government for the people to Government by the people, nor 

to be weak in our initiative to remove them’’; 

Whereas President Barack Obama invoked Ambedkar’s contribution to the Indian constitution and Indian society in 

an address before the Indian parliament in 2010, affirming ‘‘We believe that no matter who you are or where you 

come from, every person can fulfill their God-given potential. Just as a Dalit like Dr. Ambedkar could lift himself 

up and pen the words of the constitution that protects 

the rights of all Indians,’’; 

Whereas former Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh 

encouraged the people of India and all peoples around the 

world to take inspiration from Ambedkar on the 70th anVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:27 Apr 15, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR921.IH HR921
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niversary of the adoption of the Indian Constitution in 

2019, remarking that ‘‘Dr. Ambedkar once worried that 

the day may come when people may prefer government 

for the people to government by and of the people. He 

saw that as a great danger. On this 70th anniversary, we 

must ensure that we do not fall into the trap of choosing 

government for the people over government by and of the 

people.’’; 

Whereas Ambedkar’s birthday is observed as an annual official public holiday throughout India, and his birth month 

of April is observed worldwide as Dalit History Month; 

and 

Whereas Dr. Ambedkar’s contributions to economics, political 

science, civil rights, religious harmony, and jurisprudence 

have had a profound impact around the world, promoting 

democratic values, unfettered equality, and justice for 

peoples of all castes, races, genders, religions, and backgrounds: Now therefore, be it: 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) celebrates the life of Bhimrao Ramji 

3 Ambedkar on the 129th anniversary of his birth; 

4 (2) honors the accomplishments of Ambedkar 

5 and the impact of his legacy on the Constitution of 

6 India and jurisprudence and legal scholarship 

7 around the world; 

8 (3) affirms the prohibition of untouchability 

9 and birth-descent discrimination in all forms as pro10 claimed by the Universal Declaration of Human 

11 Rights; and 

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1 (4) recognizes that equality, justice, and liberty 

2 are essential rights for all people. 

Æ