WEB DESK
Diwali will be a holiday for the New York City public school starting next year. Announcing the decision on Thursday, New York Mayor Eric Adams said, this sends a message about the significance of the city’s inclusiveness and this long overdue step will encourage children to learn about the festival of lights. Adams was joined by New York Assembly Member Jenifer Rajkumar, who had introduced the legislation to recognize Diwali and New York City Schools Chancellor David Banks.
Legislators swapped out Anniversary Day, better known to old-timers as “Brooklyn-Queens Day,” which is celebrated on the first Thursday in June, for Diwali in the public school calendar. Jenifer Rajkumar, the first South Asian-American woman ever to be elected to a state office in New York, while talking to media said, the time has come to recognize over two lakh New Yorkers of the Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh and Jain faiths who celebrate Diwali, the Festival of Lights.