Diwali to become public school holiday in NYC from 2023

What they're saying: "For over two decades, South Asians and Indo-Caribbeans in New York have been fighting for the Diwali school holiday," Rajkumar, the first South Asian American woman elected to state-level office in New York, said at a press conference with Adams.

• "To New Yorkers from India, Guyana, Trinidad, the Indo-Caribbean, Nepal, Bangladesh and across the South Asian diaspora — we see you."

The big picture: Adding Diwali to the school calendar replaces the little-known Brooklyn-Queens Day and fulfills a campaign pledge by Adams, who noted the action was "long overdue" for the city's Hindu, Sikh, Jain and Buddhist students and communities.

• "We’ve done it with Eid, we've done it with Lunar New Year. We do it with so many other days and so many other cultures that we acknowledge," Adams said.
• "We are going to encourage children to learn about what is Diwali," he added. "We’re going to have them start talking about what it is to celebrate the Festival of Lights, and how do you turn a light on within yourself."