Join FIS in MLK Grand Parade 2018

Picture from last years parade.

Picture from last years parade.

By Pranav Konduri

HOUSTON: Foundation for India Studies is gearing up to participate in the 24th Annual Houston MLK Jr. Grand Parade. This participation for seventh year in a row takes a unique significance for all Indian Americans in Greater Houston because of the parade’s theme “The Color of Unity”

The word “unity” is defined as “the state of being united or joined as a whole.” While the international community is thought of to be a “union” comprising of every race, religion, and nationality, there are still innumerable amounts of discrimination and turmoil fueled by indestructible differences that span from culture and religion to entire nations engaging in never ending conflict. So, how can the world “unite” and prosper when every nook and cranny of it is experiencing infighting on a daily basis? The answer lies in the phenomenal men and women who have fueled movements against hate and injustice.

These movements have shaped the narrative of history by providing a vehicle for hope and unity for the entire world to see. Martin Luther King Jr., for example, was one of these people. He recognized that non-violence and civil protest were the key to solving for some of the most discriminatory and hateful of dynamics. On the other side of the world, Mahatma Gandhi preached the belief of non-violent protest as a method to break free from the tyrannical rule of the British. Over the years, the Color of Unity has become a culture that holds everyone accountable for standing up against hate and injustice. It has become a guideline to do whatever is in one’s full capacity in an effort to not only treat everyone equally, but see them equally as well. It is with the actions of progressive human beings like MLK and Mahatma Gandhi that unity and inclusion has become an expectation, not a higher standard. However, it is not only the responsibility of those kinds of people. If there is one thing we have been taught from the actions of others, it is that we may be from different backgrounds, but we all fall under the color of unity. That part of our identity is the most important.

All Indian-Americans are welcome to join under FIS banner to reinforce your support for unity of diverse humanity. Please contact Raghavender Nednur, Event Chair at (713) 927-8126 (Cell) for further details.