| 1 | 1 | | 89R17019 KRT-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Bhojani H.C.R. No. 97 |
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| 7 | 7 | | CONCURRENT RESOLUTION |
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| 8 | 8 | | WHEREAS, For more than a century, members of the Sikh faith |
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| 9 | 9 | | have benefited the Lone Star State in countless ways, and their |
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| 10 | 10 | | achievements are indeed deserving of special recognition; and |
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| 11 | 11 | | WHEREAS, First arriving in the U.S. and Texas in the early |
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| 12 | 12 | | 1900s, the initial Sikh immigrants often worked as farmers, |
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| 13 | 13 | | laborers, and entrepreneurs; though they often experienced |
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| 14 | 14 | | discrimination and other hardships, these industrious individuals |
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| 15 | 15 | | persevered; through the years, Sikhs have made notable |
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| 16 | 16 | | contributions in such fields as medicine, law enforcement, |
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| 17 | 17 | | business, and agriculture, and their efforts have helped advance |
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| 18 | 18 | | the economic well-being of the entire state; and |
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| 19 | 19 | | WHEREAS, Numerous Sikh Americans have emerged as prominent |
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| 20 | 20 | | figures; notable examples at the national level include civic |
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| 21 | 21 | | leader and philanthropist Dr. Amarjit Singh Marwah, U.S. |
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| 22 | 22 | | Representative Dalip Singh Saund, and scholar and author Simran |
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| 23 | 23 | | Jeet Singh; moreover, Harris County Deputy Sheriff Sandeep Dhaliwal |
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| 24 | 24 | | became the first officer in Texas to serve with traditional |
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| 25 | 25 | | articles of the Sikh faith, including a turban and beard, and he |
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| 26 | 26 | | distinguished himself in his work until he was tragically shot and |
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| 27 | 27 | | killed in the line of duty in 2019; and |
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| 28 | 28 | | WHEREAS, Today, there are an estimated 500,000 Sikhs in the |
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| 29 | 29 | | U.S., with thousands residing in Texas, and Sikh communities have |
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| 30 | 30 | | flourished in such cities as Houston, Dallas, and Austin; in |
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| 31 | 31 | | addition, the state is home to several prominent gurdwaras, or |
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| 32 | 32 | | places of worship, among them, the Gurdwara Sahib of Houston and the |
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| 33 | 33 | | Sikh Center of San Antonio; and |
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| 34 | 34 | | WHEREAS, Members of the Sikh community play a vital role in |
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| 35 | 35 | | myriad social and humanitarian initiatives, with Sikh |
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| 36 | 36 | | organizations proving especially valuable in providing disaster |
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| 37 | 37 | | relief to those affected by Hurricane Harvey in 2017; and |
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| 38 | 38 | | WHEREAS, Each year, the Sikh holiday of Vaisakhi takes place |
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| 39 | 39 | | on April 13 or 14; originally established to commemorate the |
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| 40 | 40 | | beginning of the spring harvest in the Indian state of Punjab, the |
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| 41 | 41 | | festival gained religious significance in 1699 when the last living |
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| 42 | 42 | | guru for Sikhs, Guru Gobind Singh, chose the occasion to found the |
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| 43 | 43 | | Khalsa order of Sikhism; and |
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| 44 | 44 | | WHEREAS, The passage of this important observance provides a |
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| 45 | 45 | | welcome opportunity to recognize Texas' Sikh community, which has |
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| 46 | 46 | | become an integral part of the Lone Star State's vibrant and diverse |
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| 47 | 47 | | mix of cultures; now, therefore, be it |
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| 48 | 48 | | RESOLVED, That the 89th Legislature of the State of Texas |
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| 49 | 49 | | hereby designate April 14 as Sikh Day; and, be it further |
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| 50 | 50 | | RESOLVED, That, in accordance with the provisions of Section |
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| 51 | 51 | | 391.004(d), Government Code, this designation remain in effect |
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| 52 | 52 | | until the 10th anniversary of the date this resolution is finally |
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| 53 | 53 | | passed by the legislature. |
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