To the editor: As a 13-year-old scholar in New York Metropolis, I wish to share what it meant to me when my faculty closed for Diwali for the primary time in 2024 (“California might add new state vacation. What’s Diwali and who celebrates it?,” Sept. 15).
Earlier than then, I didn’t actually get the prospect to study or have a good time Diwali at college as a result of it wasn’t official. I used to be born right here within the U.S. and so had been my mother and father. However with out recognition, it typically felt like my a part of American tradition didn’t rely the identical method others’ did.
When my faculty lastly acknowledged Diwali, I felt proud. Since then, I’ve develop into an advocate for celebrating everybody’s tradition. I imagine all Individuals needs to be celebrated for his or her variations, not deported due to them. Celebrating holidays like Diwali collectively helps us construct understanding and connection.
California now has that probability by Meeting Invoice 268. Youngsters in Los Angeles and throughout California deserve the identical as children in New York.
Arjay Paruchuri, New York Metropolis
