Art and Music Spotlight
This month, we’re spotlighting Aarya Wachasunder and the students Madelyn Kiernan, Giselle Kiernan, Anne Li, Arav Arora, and Rachael Friedman from the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Club at Littleton High School for their work in getting Diwali approved as a district holiday!
We interviewed Aarya Wachasunder to find out more about her project.
What drove you to begin pushing for Diwali as a district holiday?
I have been living in the United States since I was 5 and had noticed that every Diwali went by in an uneventful flash… More importantly, I realized that Indian Americans were not able to enjoy our culture’s biggest festival without its customs feeling like chores. This January, after hearing about Acton-Boxborough’s decision to give their schools a day off for Diwali, I realized that not only was this doable, it was something I could invoke to create positive change in my community.
How did you and your team go about the process?
We made a presentation, started two petitions, gathered statements from teachers and students, and met with our local school committee. There, we showed our presentation which included statistics on Asian Americans in Littleton, background information on the festival, as well as personal statements. We also spoke with Acton-Boxborough’s Diwali initiative starter, Deepika Prakash, and Acton-Boxborough student representative Rohan Ravindran, who both gave crucial assistance. I reached out to Ms. Vaishali Gade to ask whether IAGB would be interested in creating a statement of support. She agreed and made a video for us to present at the meeting, which was met with positively impressed reactions. The school committee found it well that we had an official organization speaking on our behalf.
In petitioning the high school, Aarya’s team received 311 signatures. For their second petition, they gathered 421 signatures from the Littleton community!
At the team’s second meeting with their school committee, Aarya shared the IAGB video and another student-created video. After the team addressed concerns centered around the number of holidays in the school calendar by highlighting the town’s changing demographics, the school committee voted unanimously to establish Diwali as a district holiday!
In what ways do you see Diwali becoming a district holiday as meaningful to you and your community?
I am so glad that this change was made in Littleton so that Indian American students, especially in younger grades, will not have to feel uncomfortable or out of place when celebrating their culture. I want them to celebrate Diwali with as much joy and enthusiasm as they do Christmas. To me, it was absolutely imperative that Indian Americans in the town of Littleton were properly represented, and I think that this initiative was a fitting way to help recognize our culture.
~ IAGB Youth Editorial Director, Aarushi Pant