New York – Today, Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar (D-AD 38) and New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced an historic city-state partnership to designate Diwali as a public school holiday in New York City. A celebration of light over darkness, good over evil, and the human ability to overcome, Diwali is one of the most sacred holidays for Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, and Buddhists. An estimated 200,000 New Yorkers celebrate Diwali, with elaborate festivities each year in New York’s South Asian and Indo-Caribbean community. 

The announcement is available in its entirety at https://youtu.be/IHvUvMuRne4.

For at least 20 years, community activists campaigned for Diwali to become a school holiday, so that thousands of students, parents, and faculty would no longer have to choose between observing the day or missing school or work. This would accommodate their holiday the same as the public school calendar accommodates religious holidays such as Yom Kippur, Christmas, Eid al-Fitr, and Lunar New Year.

“People said that there was no room on the school calendar for Diwali. Today, my legislation makes the room, and the mayor joins with me to commit the New York City Department of Education to instituting the Diwali holiday,” said Assemblywoman Rajkumar. “Our time has come: our city will officially recognize South Asian and Indo-Caribbean New Yorkers, one of the fastest-growing communities in the city, who contribute to every facet of city life. When I became the first South Asian woman elected to New York State Office, all South Asian communities got a seat at the table too. Mayor Adams is the first mayor in the history of our city to get done what South Asians have been advocating for over 20 years. I am grateful for his partnership and commitment to our community.”

“Our public school calendar is not just a list of days off; it is a testament to New York City’s diversity, inclusiveness, and character,” said Mayor Adams. “That is why, as borough president and now as mayor, I’ve pushed to make our schools not only academically astute but emotionally intelligent as well. I am proud to partner with Assemblymember Rajkumar to announce my full-fledged support in adding Diwali to the holidays on our Department of Education calendar. By calling for Diwali to be marked as a public school holiday, we are celebrating our fellow New Yorkers’ traditions and the tradition of inclusiveness in the city we call home.”

“Supporting the effort to make Diwali an official public school holiday is an acknowledgement of the way our city has grown and evolved, and it’s time for our commemorations to catch up,” said New York City Department of Education Chancellor David Banks. “The diversity of our city is what makes us powerful, and it’s an honor to stand in support of the members of our community who are Hindu, Sikh, Jain and Buddhist to show how much we value their heritage.” 

As the first Hindu American and first South Asian woman elected to New York State Office, Assemblywoman Rajkumar spent months working with Mayor Adams to develop a strategy to achieve the long-sought goal of the Diwali School Holiday. Mayor Adams has been a consistent supporter of designating Diwali as a school holiday dating back to his days as Borough President, throughout his mayoral campaign and throughout his first 10 months. Rajkumar has introduced a bill in Albany to modify the state law to open up room in the school calendar for Diwali.Upon its signage into law, the New York City Department of Education will designate the Diwali School Holiday.

Section 3604 of the State Education Law requires there to be a minimum of 180 days of instruction. Rajkumar’s bill removes one holiday to make space for a Diwali holiday. Specifically, the Assemblywoman has introduced legislation to eliminate the school holiday of Anniversary Day.

Anniversary Day, also known as Brooklyn-Queens Day, is an antiquated holiday recognizing the anniversary of the founding of the first Sunday school in Brooklyn in the 1800s. Despite the day bearing little religious or cultural significance today, state law requires schools in Brooklyn and Queens to close on Anniversary Day, prompting the city to close all schools that day. Passage of the Assemblywoman’s bill will eliminate this holiday and free up a day, so that Mayor Adams can designate Diwali as a holiday.