Bill Text: IL SR0251 | 2019-2020 | 101st General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Declares Mahatma Gandhi's birthday, October 2, 2019, as the State Day of Peace to Non-Violence in the State of Illinois.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-0)

Status: (Passed) 2019-11-13 - Resolution Adopted [SR0251 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2019-SR0251-Introduced.html

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SENATE RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, Mahatma Karamchand Gandhi was a world-renowned
civil rights and spiritual leader, who experienced injustices
early in life and learned to embrace the principles of
non-violence as a vehicle for social and political change; and
WHEREAS, Mahatma Gandhi was influenced by religious
teachings in Hinduism, Jainism, and Christianity in the
development of his philosophy; and
WHEREAS, Mahatma Gandhi led the Indian people to
independence from British rule in August 1947 through
non-violent means, staging massive peaceful demonstrations
against poverty while supporting women's rights and religious
tolerance; and
WHEREAS, For his efforts, Mahatma Gandhi was given the
title of Mahatma, or "Great Soul" and was often called Bapu in
India, which means "father"; India acknowledges him as the
"Father of the Nation"; and
WHEREAS, Mahatma Gandhi's legacy has inspired hundreds of
millions of people around the world to pursue non-violence as a
means to achieve freedom and equality, including Dr. Martin
Luther King Jr.'s movement to end racial injustice in the

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United States and Nelson Mandela's fight to end apartheid in
South Africa; and
WHEREAS, Few people have had as significant and as positive
an impact on the world and freedom movements than Mohandas
Gandhi; and
WHEREAS, Over 2,000,000 people attended Mahatma Gandhi's
funeral in 1948, and his memory and teachings still persist
today; and
WHEREAS, October 2, Mahatma Gandhi's birthday, was
declared as International Day of Non-Violence by the United
Nations to "disseminate the message of non-violence, including
through education and public awareness" and reaffirm "the
universal relevance of the principle of non-violence" and
desire "to secure a culture of peace, tolerance, and
understanding through non-violence"; and
WHEREAS, People around the world commemorate the
International Day of Non-Violence by participating in
volunteer projects as a way to give back to their communities;
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL
ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we declare Mahatma

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Gandhi's birthday, October 2, 2019, as the "State Day of Peace
to Non-Violence" to coincide with the International Day of
Non-Violence; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we encourage the people of Illinois to
observe the State Day of Peace to Non-Violence with appropriate
ceremonies, programs, and activities.