Hindu Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill Celebrates America 250. Draws Bipartisan Support From Congressional Reps Against Rising Hinduphobia and Hate

CoHNA event connects lawmakers, community members, scholars, Hindu youth and allies

WASHINGTON, July 3, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Bipartisan concern for rising Hinduphobia, a celebration of America at 250 and Hindu youth voices were among the highlights of the 5th Day of Advocacy on Capitol Hill, hosted by the Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA). Over 130 Hindus from 15 states gathered to celebrate America's 250th anniversary, explore its history, and hear heartfelt testimony on what it means to be an American—from young students, veterans, entrepreneurs, researchers and lawmakers. Seven Congressional representatives and 12 staffers from both parties, joined to hear about issues impacting the community.

Ahead of the event, Hindu delegates held more than 50 meetings with the staff of Senators and Congressional Representatives. They also visited over 120 Congressional offices to educate and to connect lawmakers with their Hindu constituents.

"It was a powerful day on Capitol Hill. We came together as Americans, sharing stories, and building relationships and singing the national anthem," said Nikunj Trivedi, president of CoHNA. "American Hindus come from all walks of life—students, entrepreneurs, cab drivers, pharmacists, homemakers, retail workers, engineers, bankers and scientists. We are thinkers, teachers, writers and veterans. It was an honor and privilege to share insights, to educate, and to come together with our lawmakers and our interfaith allies to celebrate the grand anniversary of our country."

Community Voices

Allies from the Armenian and Jewish communities as well as a city council member from Maple Grove, MN, spoke at the event. A youth panel featuring CoHNA Youth Action Network (CYAN)'s Rutgers University chapter shared the learnings from their multi-year journey of college advocacy—starting with the battle to secure representation, protest Hinduphobic campus events, engage with the administration and finally to host their own academic conference on Hinduism. A CYAN national level leader discussed Hinduism in American history dating back to the Founding Fathers and American Hindus shared their diverse life journeys.

Hindu veteran Ruchir Bakshi spoke about his combat service in Afghanistan and Iraq during his years in the U.S. Army, and how the Bhagavad Gita taught him that true service means acting with discipline and integrity without attachment to outcome. And self-mastery can guide civic engagement—without giving up one's Hindu identity.

Bipartisan Congressional Support

Lawmakers from both parties called out the need to confront rising anti-Hindu hate and hailed CoHNA's efforts on this issue. They also joined in the celebration of America 250, affirming the  Hindu community's place in the American story.

Marking America's 250th anniversary, Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA) noted that "Freedom of religion is one of our greatest rights," and condemned temple vandalism. He thanked Hindu Americans for their role in "this great experiment of democracy".

Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-MI) also highlighted the contribution of immigrant communities to "America's greatness," and urged the Hindu community to "demand respect for our contributions in science, medicine, academia, and politics."

Speaking directly to the young Hindus in the audience, Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA) called upon them to call out hate and not stay silent. "Embrace who you are as Hindus," explaining that "being different becomes cool later in life—be proud now."

All the lawmakers specifically addressed the rise in temple vandalism, hateful rhetoric, and debates affecting Hindu Americans. In addition, Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) warned that caste-based legislation risks deepening discrimination rather than solving it. Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-GA), one of the most senior members of the House, said in no uncertain terms that "Hinduphobia is un-American," and called out Georgia as the first state to condemn it.

He and other Georgia lawmakers also pointed to their state as an example of how advocacy can translate into action for change. Rep. Brian Jack (R-GA) highlighted how "Georgia is leading the way against Hinduphobia," referencing the state's pioneering recognition of anti-Hindu hate. He also emphasized the importance of sustained civic engagement: "Your annual CoHNA Advocacy Day matters enormously."

Closing the day on a note of optimism, Rep. Rich McCormick (R-GA) praised Hindu Americans for their many successes and contributions. He said Hindu Americans were "hardworking, intelligent, family-oriented, robust—that's the American Dream."

Expert Testimony

Dr. Joel Finkelstein, co-director of Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI) and a fellow at the Miller Institute for Secure Communities at Rutgers University, presented on the push to insert caste into U.S. policymaking despite no evidence of a pervasive caste hierarchy in American Hindu life. Drawing from his recent study, he noted that "caste has almost no pre-existing narrative in US civic life, making it an ideal test case for isolating the effect of a training narrative." Against the background of a recent failed attempt to add caste into New York State law, Dr. Finkelstein urged policymakers to demand stronger evidence before encoding activist narratives into law and curricula.

Prasiddha Sudhakar,  NCRI Analyst and Researcher, presented research, titled "From Policy Drift to Purity Grift", on how a debate over US immigration curdled into a coordinated campaign against American Hindus. Her findings showed what was reported as "anti-Indian" was, in fact, aimed at Hindus, with attempts to weaponize contempt against a religion, its festivals, and temples. Research showed hate incidents compounded—driven by viral posts and a coordinated core of prominent voices. All of this was fueled by geopolitics; with hate seeded by foreign states being amplified by American influencers.

Political strategist and former Capitol Hill staffer Anang Mittal presented the Citation Integrity Dashboard: an independent, non-partisan initiative, designed to evaluate the transparency and methodology of institutional reports, and test if high-profile claims about Hindu Americans and India are supported by verifiable evidence. The tool encourages readers to scrutinize how information is built versus trusting it blindly.

"It was gratifying to see so many lawmakers—both Democrats and Republicans—unite against temple attacks and anti-Hindu hate, and speak up for religious freedom for American Hindus," said Sudha Jagannathan, director of government relations at CoHNA. "This is the sort of bipartisan support that we at CoHNA are building for the Hindu American community because the future belongs to those who show up and advocate."

About CoHNA
CoHNA is a grassroots level advocacy and civil rights organization dedicated to improving the understanding of Hinduism in North America by working on matters related to the Hindu community and by educating the public about Hindu heritage and tradition. For more information, please visit https://cohna.org or follow us on X, Facebook, LinkedIn and on Instagram.

SOURCE Coalition of Hindus of North America