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Congresswoman Betty McCollum logo

Remarks on the Tibetan New Year

March 3, 2014

I am so pleased to be here to celebrate Losar with
His Holiness the Dali Lama and our Minnesota Tibetan community.

Your Holiness, welcome to Minnesota, it is an honor to have you here with us to say goodbye to the old year and start the new year.

Your presence is historic for all of us gathered here today,

So, allow me to congratulate the Tibetan American Federation of Minnesota for organizing and hosting today’s very special event.

Thank you President Namgyal Dorgee..

The Federation is the heart of the Tibetan community in Minnesota and they have done important work in promoting education and social services to support the community’s children and families.

It has been exciting for me to watch thousands of Tibetans practice and preserve your beautiful culture and traditions, while also becoming new Americans and contributing so much to Minnesota.

I am proud to represent Tibetan Minnesotans in the United States Congress and to work to advance the issues that are important to you..

I know that His Holiness was recently in Washington DC.I was very happy to see that President Obama and His Holiness had the opportunity to meet.Next time His Holiness is in Washington,I would very much like for him to meet with us in Congress,where we have much to learn from his wisdom and teachings.

In a world filled with too much violence, too much poverty,and too much suffering,people all around the world,and especially political leaders,have much to learn from the teachings of His Holiness.

Our children – all of our children – deserve a better world. Filled with more peace, more hope, more opportunity..That is what I pray for and it is what we all must work for in this new year.

Your Holiness, your commitment to peace, for the world and especially for the Tibetan people, is inspiring. To bring about peace, we must do more.This is especially true as we when we pray for the people of Tibet.

The people of Tibet, including all of you in exile,have suffered far too long and far too much. It is my hope to continue to work with Tibetans,across Minnesota and across the world, to one day bring about a Tibet free of violence, free of religious persecution, and free of political and cultural repression.

In other words,let us work for Tibet that is as peaceful as the Tibetan people.So today, as we celebrate Losar,let us begin anew in our own lives and to work to make the lives of all of our brothers and sisters around the world more peaceful and full of hope.

Thank you for inviting me to share this special moment with you.
Good bye to the old year and enjoy celebrating the new year.

Your Holiness, thank you for honoring us with your presence and your blessings.