Trouble in Troy

Troy, Michigan, like many other American cities, observed the National Day of Prayer (NDP) each year on the first Thursday in May. Here the observance took place on the steps of city hall. The event was well-attended, including the mayor, city council members, and community leaders. Often, the city of Troy would issue a proclamation, drafted by the local NDP Task Force, to mark the event. But when Padma Kuppa asked the local NDP Task Force to include a Hindu voice in the observance, she was rebuffed. Undaunted, Kuppa approached the mayor, who welcomed more diverse participation. The mayor granted part of her time for Kuppa to offer a prayer, and the words “Om Shanti” echoed across City Hall Plaza. The following year, Troy’s NDP Task Force made a new request for a “National Day of Prayer–Troy Judeo-Christian observance” on the city hall steps. 

Would the city opt for two celebrations of the National Day of Prayer, move the observance, or cancel it? Is the Troy NDP Task Force coordinator correct that the committee shouldn’t be forced to include other faiths? What options do the Mayor and Kuppa have? And what is the relationship between the NDP Task Force and the congressionally sanctioned observance?

The complete, updated case is included in the volume Pluralism in Practice.