Senator Stavisky Celebrates Sarvodaya Day (Mahatma Gandhi Day) and Martin Luther King Day

STATE SENATOR TOBY ANN STAVISKY, STATE ASSEMBLYMAN RON KIM,

AND CITY COUNCILMAN PETER KOO, JOIN DR. UMA MYSOREKAR AND THE

HINDU TEMPLE SOCIETY OF NORTH AMERICA TO CELEBRATE LIVES OF MAHATMA GANDHI AND DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR

Sarvodaya Day (aka Mahatma Gandhi Day) and Martin Luther King Day

Celebrations Held in Flushing

(L to R: Councilman Peter Koo, Dr. Uma Mysorekar of the Hindu Temple Society of North America,

State Senator Toby Ann Stavisky, and State Assemblyman Ron Kim)

FLUSHING, NY – State Senator Toby Ann Stavisky joined fellow elected officials and community leaders in celebrating the lives of non-violent India independence leader Mahatma Gandhi and civil rights icon Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.. The event, sponsored by the Hindu Temple Society of North America, was held at Sarswati Hall in Flushing.

"The lives and legacies of Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. are intertwined like no two other figures in history," Senator Stavisky, Assemblyman Kim, and Councilman Koo said in a joint statement. "Both were guided by the principle that non-violent civil disobedience was the best way to achieve justice and equality. Both employed boycotts in an effort to achieve their goals and were willing to be imprisoned to demonstrate their resolve. In overcoming numerous obstacles and the interference of the enemies of change and progress, both changed the world."

"I was honored to have been invited to the Hindu Temple’s Gandhi/King event," added Councilman Koo. The influences of Dr. King, who drew his inspiration directly from Mahatma Gandhi, were felt and embraced at the occasion. The ability to stand together and commemorate them in the most diverse county in the country is a testament to how far we have come, both as a nation, and as a global society.