OLYMPIA – The Washington State Senate passed a resolution Monday honoring the contributions of Indian Americans to the culture and history of Washington state and the United States.
The measure was sponsored by Sen. Manka Dhingra (D-Redmond), the first Sikh American elected to a state legislature in American history, who spoke about the shared democratic values of India and the United States.
“More than 100,000 Indian Americans live here and reflect the values of inclusion and pluralism through their many cultural and religious identities. Indian Americans enrich every facet of our society — from the classroom to the boardroom,” Dhingra said. “Now more than ever each and every one of us has a role to play in standing up to ensure the rights, values and ideals of the two largest democracies are safeguarded. I am proud to honor Republic Day 2025 as a symbol of our shared values of democracy, diversity and inclusion and the bonds between the nation of India and our state and country.”
The floor session was opened with a prayer by Mustafa Mohamedali of the Islamic Center of Olympia and Karandeep Singh of the Khalsa Gurmat Center in Federal Way.
The Senate also recognized members of the Indian community in attendance, including Consul General Prakash Gupta; Jagdish Sharma, a board member of Indo-American Friendship Forum Foundation; Nickhath Sheriff, the founder and CEO of Essentials First; Preeti Shridhar, Woodinville Water District commissioner; and Nilesh Patel, board member of BAPS temple in Redmond.
Dhingra’s remarks can be viewed and downloaded here.
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