Lexington Observer speaks with Mona Roy of Indian Americans of Lexington (IAL).
LexObserver: When was IAL established and what is its purpose?
MR: Indian Americans of Lexington has been around in various precursor formats since the 1990s, but really took more formal shape in the early 2000s as the Indian community in Lexington grew. IAL’s function, first and foremost, is as a cultural organization. The “I” in IAL represents how we are dedicated to supporting the Indian diaspora and anyone of Indian and broader South Asian origin (desi) – so, Indian, Indian in origin, and Indian in culture.
We are proud of our heritage, and we are also all proud to be American. That’s the “A” in IAL. Whether some of us arrived here last week or were born and raised here, we embrace and lean into the privilege of being part of this wonderful country.
We also emphasize being part of Lexington. If you look around town, you’ll see Indian Americans involved in every aspect, from town committees and government, nonprofit and volunteer organizations, school groups, and more. As the numbers of Indian Americans in Lexington has increased, the population has also grown more active in our community because, for us, being part of Lexington – the “L” of IAL – is a right and a privilege. We are happy to contribute.
In IAL, there are only three letters in our acronym, but each stands for something equally important to who we are.
LexObserver: IAL’s annual Diwali celebration is fast approaching (October 19th). What is the event about?
MR: IAL’s signature event is our annual IAL Diwali celebration. Diwali is both a religious and cultural celebration, and a pan-Indian holiday. Indulge me for just a moment while I share a bit of background: In one Hindu version, Prince Rama was far from home when he defeated the demon Ravana. To help Rama find his way back home from the bottom of India to the top – an enormous distance! – every person along the route lit lamps to mark the path. People gave Rama fresh horses to ride, helped feed and care for him along the journey, and because of that help, and the lights of so many people, Rama made it home. It’s a story about achieving something almost impossible if we all come together. That is what we are celebrating this weekend.
Our event is multi-layered with food, music, dance – there’s even a flash mob! It is an explosion of colors and flavors and friendship and fun. The event is in Cary Hall this year, which we are so lucky to have secured. Whole families attend, local officials come, there are grandparents and young children and people from all of Lexington. I want to stress that we – IAL – welcome and encourage all backgrounds, ages, and abilities to attend. We want you to be there to celebrate with us.
And we want you to wear Indian fashion if you have it! Our Diwali event is a celebration of culture, so we welcome you to wear Indian clothing, jewelry, etc. when you attend, regardless of your cultural background.
LexObserver: The IAL Diwali event is also a major fundraiser for IAL. What does the organization do with those funds?
MR: One of IAL’s goals is to enable opportunities to celebrate and support our cultural heritage year-round, so we fund a lot of efforts that contribute to education and understanding of the Indian community. So, for example, our active library committee works with Cary Memorial Library to identify and procure books and arrange displays that reflect the cultural value we add to Lexington.
We also provide funding to other groups that are providing services that help a much larger section of the population. For example, in addition to funding college and career workshops that are open to the general public, we have made significant donations in the past to LexSEPTA to bring in speakers that educate parents on key topics such as executive functioning in students – that was a discussion that benefitted more than the special education and Indian American communities only.
It comes back to those three letters: I-A-L. We support important initiatives that enrich the lives of and celebrate Indians, Americans, and Lexingtonians.
LexObserver: What is your role in IAL?
MR: At the moment, I am one of the co-chairs of the education committee. I also help with communications and sometimes act as a government liaison. But my biggest role is on the education committee, as curriculum reform is a passion of mine – it’s a role I take on over and over in all my different spaces.
Outside of IAL, I’m also the Vice Chair of the Lex250 Commission, which has an important connection to my work with IAL, in that Lex250 very intentionally planned the Lex250 Drone Show for the evening after the IAL Diwali celebration in an effort to create a unified Weekend of Light. The drone show will mark the halfway point in the year leading up to the 250th anniversary of the first shot – the start of the American Revolution and another example of how people came together, making collective and individual sacrifices to achieve something that probably seemed impossible at the time.
LexObserver: What would you like Lexingtonians to know about IAL?
MR: We are fortunate in Lexington to have an incredible diversity of Indians, across careers, languages, cultures, cuisines, and faith traditions. I think what’s lovely about IAL is that we don’t shy away from diversity. We celebrate it. We give everyone the space to be who they are within subgroups, but at same time provide an umbrella for all to support Indian-ness.
And those many subgroups and the larger IAL community comprises a big part of the Lexington population. I’m very proud of the work IAL is doing, scaffolding people and meeting them where they are, within both the Indian and non-Indian communities. It is important that we make space and grace for each other, but we can only do all these things together. So I would encourage Lexingtonians to embrace diverse groups and be open to having authentic relationships with people of different cultural backgrounds – whether it’s someone from the Indian community or a different group.
To purchase tickets to the Diwali celebration on October 19th, visit https://www.indianamericansoflexington.org