UK commemorates Mahatma Gandhi minting a new coin?
Britain is considering minting a coin to commemorate India’s independence hero Mahatma Gandhi, amid growing interest in recognizing the contributions of people from the Black, Asian and other minority ethnic communities.
British Finance Minister Rishi Sunak asked the Royal Mint Advisory Committee (RMAC) in a letter to pursue recognition of individuals from those communities, the UK Treasury said in an emailed statement just yesterday.
“RMAC is currently considering a coin to commemorate Gandhi”, the Treasury declared yesterday in the evening.
Gandhi, who was born in 1869, advocated for non-violence throughout his life and played a key role in India’s struggle for independence. His birthday, October 2, is observed as the International Day of Non-Violence.
Gandhi originally was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethicist, who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful campaign for India's independence from British Rule, and in turn, inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world. The honorific Mahātmā (which means "great-souled", "venerable"), first applied to him in 1914 in South Africa but is now used throughout the world.
Often referred to as India’s “father of the nation”, he was assassinated by a Hindu radical on January 30, 1948, just a few months after he led India to freedom from British rule.
As part of a global reassessment of history, colonialism and racism triggered by the brutal murder in May of a Black man, George Floyd, in the United States after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes, some British institutions have begun re-examining their past.
Gandhi indeed influenced important leaders and political movements throughout history. Leaders of the civil rights movement in the United States, including Martin Luther King Jr., James Lawson, and James Bevel, all drew from the writings of Gandhi in the development of their theories about nonviolence, and now he even influenced the ex-coloniser Britain.
Many organizations have taken initiatives to make investments to help the Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities and to support racial diversity. Floyd’s death has led to global protests against racism, colonialism and police brutality.
In his letter to the RMAC, Sunak said members of the BAME communities have made a “profound contribution” and that the committee should consider recognizing it on the UK’s coinage.
The RMAC is an independent committee made up of experts who recommend themes and designs for coins to Britain’s finance minister, the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
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