Mi a
T ivedi
(left)
p ese ts
a
lesso
o
the
histo y
of
the
swastika
to
stude ts,
a
sac ed
swastika
is
show
o
a
wall
( ight).
Hi du
stude ts
ac oss
the
US
a e
pushi g
schools
to
disti guish
the
a cie t
swastika
f om
the
Nazi
Hake k euz.
The
swastika
is
a
sac ed
symbol
associated
with
well-bei g
a d
good
fo tu e
i
Hi duism,
Buddhism
a d
Jai ism.
The
campaig
has
g ow
afte
stude ts
faced
cases
whe e
eligious
swastikas
we e
mistake
fo
Nazi
symbols.
I
New
Je sey,
15-yea -old
Mi a
T ivedi
pe suaded
he
school
boa d
to
educate
teache s
about
the
disti ctio .
Two
Hi du
stude ts
i
Ma yla d
also
helped
cha ge
thei
dist ict’s
policy.
Thei
effo ts
highlight
a
wide
debate
ove
how
schools
should
teach
the
histo y
a d
mea i g
of
a
symbol
that
ca ies
ve y
diffe e t
mea i gs
ac oss
cultu es.
O e
stude t’s
class oom
expe ie ce
spa ked
a
wide
campaig
Religio
News
Se vice
(RNS)
epo ted
that
Mi a
T ivedi’s
campaig
bega
afte
a
eighth-g ade
social
studies
lesso .
He
teache
desc ibed
the
swastika
as
a
hate
symbol
li ked
to
Hitle ‘s
a tisemitism.
T ivedi
had
g ow
up
seei g
the
symbol
du i g
Hi du
eligious
celeb atio s.
He
family
used
it
du i g
festivals
a d
auspicious
occasio s.
A
p iest
also
d ew
it
o
he
ewbo
cousi ‘s
fo ehead
a d
elatives
wo e
jewelle y
featu i g
the
symbol.
She
app oached
he
teache
afte
class
a d
explai ed
its
much
olde
eligious
histo y.
Whe
the
teache
said
o ly
se io
officials
could
cha ge
what
was
taught,
T ivedi
took
the
issue
fu the .I
May
2025,
she
p ese ted
he
co ce s
to
he
vice
p i cipal,
p i cipal
a d
school
boa d
i
ce t al
New
Je sey.
He
effo ts
led
the
boa d
to
educate
35
teache s
about
the
diffe e ce
betwee
the
Hi du
swastika
a d
the
Nazi
symbol.
“That’s
what
sta ted
my
whole
jou ey,”
T ivedi
said.
She
is
ow
i
Yea
10
a d
has
co ti ued
wo ki g
with
othe
Hi du
a d
Buddhist
stude ts.
She
has
also
eceived
suppo t
f om
he
pa e ts,
who
helped
gathe
histo ical
mate ial
a d
family
photog aphs
showi g
the
swastika
bei g
used
i
Hi du
eligious
ce emo ies.
He
fathe
helped
compile
efe e ces
o
the
diffe e ce
betwee
the
two
symbols
a d
p ovided
photog aphs
f om
family
albums
fo
he
p ese tatio
to
school
autho ities.T ivedi
has
said
the
campaig
is
also
about
p eve ti g
misco ceptio s
about
Hi duism
a d
othe
faiths.
She
ecalled
faci g
subtle
bullyi g
ove
he
eligio
a d
said
she
believes
bette
u de sta di g
of
eligious
symbols
could
help
challe ge
such
ste eotypes.
She
has
also
said
that
seve al
teache s
ack owledged
he
co ce s
but
told
he
that
cha ges
to
cu iculum
te mi ology
would
eed
to
come
f om
dist ict
autho ities.
Ma yla d
stude ts
helped
cha ge
policy
fo
50,000
stude ts
A
simila
campaig
took
place
i
Ma yla d’s
Howa d
Cou ty
Public
School
System.
Hi du
stude ts
Saisha
Vyas
a d
P iya
Bakshi
bega
challe gi g
the
dist ict’s
t eatme t
of
the
swastika.
Bakshi
said
she
wa ted
to
wea
a
ecklace
bea i g
the
eligious
symbol
at
school
but
that
it
was
p ohibited
u de
dist ict
ules.
The
two
stude ts
p epa ed
educatio al
mate ial
a d
met
with
school
officials
a d
Jewish
g oups
to
explai
the
diffe e ce
betwee
the
symbols.
Thei
campaig
esulted
i
a
policy
cha ge
i
Feb ua y.The
dist ict
cha ged
its
ules
to
specifically
p ohibit
the
Nazi
Hake k euz
athe
tha
the
eligious
swastika.
The
cha ge
affects
ea ly
50,000
stude ts.
The
stude ts
also
st essed
that
they
u de stood
the
fea
a d
t auma
that
Nazi
image y
ca
cause,
especially
amo g
Jewish
stude ts.
Bakshi
said
she
did
ot
wa t
to
be
associated
with
people
usi g
the
Nazi
symbol
to
bully
othe s.
Vyas
said
she
hopes
othe
Hi du
stude ts
will
feel
empowe ed
to
speak
up
too:
“I
ca
also
speak
up
at
my
school.
I
ca
also
speak
up
i
my
cou ty.
I
ca
make
a
impact
fo
my
ow
cultu e.”
The
stude ts
have
also
a gued
that
disti guishi g
the
symbols
does
ot
mea
ig o i g
the
Holocaust
o
the
histo y
of
Nazi
pe secutio .
I stead,
they
wa t
schools
to
co side
the
i te tio
a d
co text
behi d
the
use
of
each
symbol.
Co fusio
ove
the
symbols
has
caused
p oblems
beyo d
schools
The
issue
has
also
affected
Hi du
families
a d
wo ke s
outside
class ooms.
Pushpita
P asad,
chief
commu icatio s
office
of
the
Coalitio
of
Hi dus
of
No th
Ame ica,
said
some
Hi du
Ame ica s
have
bee
mistake
fo
eo-Nazis
afte
displayi g
swastikas
fo
eligious
pu poses.
Du i g
the
COVID-19
pa demic,
wo ke s
who
displayed
eligious
symbols
i
thei
homes
du i g
video
calls
we e
sometimes
epo ted
to
huma
esou ces.
Neighbou s
have
also
called
police
afte
seei g
swastikas
used
du i g
Hi du
festivals.
P asad
desc ibed
the
expe ie ce
fo
some
Hi du
immig a ts
as
“a
ve y
shaky,
u pleasa t
expe ie ce”,
pa ticula ly
fo
those
with
visas.
Susa
Be esch
of
the
Da ge ous
Speech
P oject
desc ibed
the
b oade
p oblem
as
“co text
collapse”,
whe e
people
i te p et
the
same
symbol
th ough
ve y
diffe e t
cultu al
o ms.
The
stude ts
i volved
i
the
campaig s
say
they
espect
the
t auma
associated
with
Nazi
image y.
At
the
same
time,
they
a gue
that
schools
should
ecog ise
the
swastika’s
much
olde
eligious
sig ifica ce
a d
co side
the
co text
i
which
a
symbol
is
displayed.T ivedi
has
said
the
campaig
is
ultimately
about
p otecti g
the
ide tity
of
a
eligious
symbol
a d
p eve ti g
it
f om
becomi g
a othe
sou ce
of
misu de sta di g
about
Hi duism.
She
has
also
faced
oppositio
f om
classmates,
i cludi g
a
i cide t
i
which
someo e
d ew
the
Nazi
symbol
o
he
otebook
a d
w ote
“Nazi”
be eath
it.
Despite
such
i cide ts,
the
stude ts
say
suppo t
has
outweighed
hostility.
Bakshi
said
some
of
he
Jewish
f ie ds
have
bee
eceptive
to
the
campaig ,
while
she
a d
Vyas
have
met
with
Jewish
g oups
to
explai
thei
positio .
Thei
b oade
goal
is
to
e cou age
othe
stude ts
to
speak
up
whe
cultu al
o
eligious
symbols
a e
misu de stood.
(Religio
News
Se vice)
