,,iv #aafth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,,res4 #iba ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,april #ad1 #bjbj,mr4 ,khanna 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,engel1 ,mr4 ,bera1 ,ms4 ,jayapal1 and ,mr4 ,krishnamoorthi7 submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs ,,resolution ,celebrating the #abith anniversary of the birth of ,bhimrao ,ramji ,ambedkar4 ,whereas ,bhimrao ,ramji ,ambedkar is recognized as a singular historical figure1 celebrated in ,india and around the world for his lasting contributions as a jurist1 economist1 socioeconomic reformer1 civil rights leader1 spiritual icon1 freedom fighter1 feminist1 and the architect of ,india's constitution2 ,whereas ,ambedkar's slogan1 ,educate1 ,agitate1 ,organize mobilized millions around the world to organize against discrimination based on religion1 gender1 race1 class1 and caste1 and to promote universal equality and human rights2 ,whereas ,ambedkar was born on ,april #ad1 #ahia1 in the town and military cantonment of the ,mhow in the ,central ,provinces in the modern-day state of ,madhya ,pradesh1 ,india1 and ,april #ad1 #bjbj1 represents the #abith anniversary of his birth2 ,whereas ,ambedkar was born into a family that belonged to the ,hindu ,mahar community1 one of the untouchable castes in ,india at the time2 ,whereas ,ambedkar overcame systemic discrimination and went on to succeed against the odds to champion the rights of the most marginalized people in ,indian society2 ,whereas ,ambedkar became one of the first ,indians to gain international repute as a scholar for his research in law1 economics and political science1 earning doctorates in economics from ,columbia ,university and the ,london ,school of ,economics2 ,whereas ,ambedkar was deeply moved by witnessing the discrimination against ,african ,americans and women in the ,united ,states1 which informed his pursuit to guarantee equal rights for all in the ,constitution of ,india2 ,whereas ,ambedkar contacted ,w4,e4,b4 ,du ,bois in the #aidjs1 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 necessary1 and ,du ,bois wrote with encouragement that he had every sympathy with the ,untouchables of ,india2 ,whereas1 on ,august #bi1 #aidg1 ,ambedkar was appointed as the ,chairman of ,india's ,constitution ,drafting ,committee1 and became the father and architect of the ,constitution of ,india2 ,whereas ,ambedkar advocated for the inclusion of women's rights in the ,constitution of ,india and ,india's political system1 writing ,i measure the progress of a community by the degree of progress which women have achieved2 ,whereas ,ambedkar served as ,india's first ,minister of ,law and ,justice from ,august #bi1 #aidg1 to ,january #bd1 #aiej1 when he resigned after ,india's parliament stalled his draft of legislation enshrining gender equality in the laws of inheritance and marriage2 ,whereas ,ambedkar led one of the largest civil rights movements in history1 working to establish basic rights for hundreds of millions of ,dalits1 and succeeded in including ,article #ag in the ,constitution of ,india which abolishes untouchability and its practice in any form2 ,whereas ,ambedkar devoted his life to fighting the segregation1 stigma1 and discrimination against ,dalits1 and was a leader of the #aibg ,mahad ,satyagraha ,march in which ,dalits crossed caste lines to desegregate water tanks1 temples1 and common roadways to oppose the illegal but pervasive segregation against ,dalits2 ,whereas ,ambedkar's influence as an economist is evidenced by his seminal texts on ,india's financial systems1 his establishment of the ,finance ,commission of ,india1 and his role in the creation of ,the ,reserve ,bank of ,india 7,,rbi72 ,whereas ,ambedkar championed labor reforms such as changing the daily work schedule from #ab hours to #h hours and introduced measures like employee insurance1 medical leave1 dearness pay1 equal pay for equal work for women1 minimum wages1 and timely revision of scale of pay2 ,whereas ,columbia ,university honored ,ambedkar as one of the top #bej ,columbians ,ahead of ,their ,time1 and ,american democratic intellectual ,dr4 ,cornel ,west called ,ambedkar one of the greatest public intellectuals2 ,whereas the ,constitution of ,india enshrined fundamental human rights for all1 preventing discrimination against any citizen on grounds only of religion1 race1 caste1 sex1 or place of birth2 ,whereas the ,constitution of ,india was the first legal document in ,indian history to have ,dalits at the helm of its creation1 and influenced the inclusion of minority rights in postcolonial constitutions around the world2 ,whereas in ,ambedkar's final speech in ,india's ,constituent ,assembly on ,november #be1 #aidi1 ,ambedkar advocated for the active preservation of democracy1 warning3 ,if we wish to preserve the ,constitution in which we have sought to enshrine the principle of ,government of the people1 for the people and by the people1 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 people1 nor to be weak in our initiative to remove them2 ,whereas ,president ,barack ,obama invoked ,ambedkar's contribution to the ,indian constitution and ,indian society in an address before the ,indian parliament in #bjaj1 affirming ,we believe that no matter who you are or where you come from1 every person can fulfill their ,god-given potential4 ,just as a ,dalit like ,dr4 ,ambedkar could lift himself up and pen the words of the constitution that protects the rights of all ,indians12 ,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 #gjth anniversary of the adoption of the ,indian ,constitution in #bjai1 remarking that ,dr4 ,ambedkar once worried that the day may come when people may prefer government for the people to government by and of the people4 ,he saw that as a great danger4 ,on this #gjth anniversary1 we must ensure that we do not fall into the trap of choosing government for the people over government by and of the people42 ,whereas ,ambedkar's birthday is observed as an annual official public holiday throughout ,india1 and his birth month of ,april is observed worldwide as ,dalit ,history ,month2 and ,whereas ,dr4 ,ambedkar's contributions to economics1 political science1 civil rights1 religious harmony1 and jurisprudence have had a profound impact around the world1 promoting democratic values1 unfettered equality1 and justice for peoples of all castes1 races1 genders1 religions1 and backgrounds3 ,now therefore1 be it3 ,that the ,house of ,representatives-- 7#a7 celebrates the life of ,bhimrao ,ramji ,ambedkar on the #abith anniversary of his birth2 7#b7 honors the accomplishments of ,ambedkar and the impact of his legacy on the ,constitution of ,india and jurisprudence and legal scholarship around the world2 7#c7 affirms the prohibition of untouchability and birth-descent discrimination in all forms as proclaimed by the ,universal ,declaration of ,human ,rights2 and 7#d7 recognizes that equality1 justice1 and liberty are essential rights for all people4