After two years of intense hate, violence and policies that have targeted the South Asian community, religious minorities and immigrants, we celebrate the fact that millions of Americans came out yesterday to reject the politics of division and stand up for diversity, equality and economic justice.
Democracy is larger than any one election. It lives in people choosing to participate, organize, speak out, protect one another, and insist that every person belongs. Many in our own communities have been part of that democratic participation: voting, organizing, having difficult conversations and working to shape the communities and country we share.
HfHR is committed to values of ahimsa, pluralism, and democracy. A healthy democracy must protect immigrants and religious minorities, defend freedom of conscience and expression, and reject racism and authoritarianism. Our Hindu traditions teach us that moral courage is not passive. It asks us to stand with those who are targeted, to tell the truth when it is difficult, and to act with compassion without surrendering clarity about injustice. There is enormous work ahead. And there is also reason for enormous hope.
Across this country, millions of people continue to choose participation over cynicism, solidarity over isolation, and the difficult work of building a more just and inclusive society. We enter the days ahead with renewed resolve: to defend democracy, protect one another, and help build a country in which every community can live with dignity and freedom.