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 sin-
gular 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 anniver-
sary 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 eco-
nomics from Columbia University and the London School 
of Economics; 
Whereas Ambedkar was deeply moved by witnessing the dis-
crimination 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 po-
sition 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 Com-
mittee, and became the father and architect of the Con-
stitution 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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•HRES 921 IH 
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 move-
ments 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 segrega-
tion, 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 es-
tablishment 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 chang-
ing 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 docu-
ment 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 Gov-
ernment 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 con-
tribution to the Indian constitution and Indian society in 
an address before the Indian parliament in 2010, affirm-
ing ‘‘We believe that no matter who you are or where you 
come from, every person can fulfill their God-given poten-
tial. 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 an-
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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 offi-
cial 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 back-
grounds: Now therefore, be it: 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) celebrates the life of Bhimrao Ramji 
Ambedkar on the 129th anniversary of his birth; 
(2) honors the accomplishments of Ambedkar 
and the impact of his legacy on the Constitution of 
India and jurisprudence and legal scholarship 
around the world; 
(3) affirms the prohibition of untouchability 
and birth-descent discrimination in all forms as pro-
claimed by the Universal Declaration of Human 
Rights; and 
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