; Whereas Columbia University honored Ambedkar as one of the top 250 Columbians Ahead of Their Time , and American democratic intellectual Dr. Cornel West called Ambedkar one of the greatest public intellectuals ; Whereas the Constitution of India enshrined fundamental human rights for all, preventing discrimination against any citizen on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex, or place of birth; Whereas the Constitution of India was the first legal document in Indian history to have Dalits at the helm of its creation, and influenced the inclusion of minority rights in postcolonial constitutions around the world; Whereas in Ambedkar’s final speech in India’s Constituent Assembly on November 25, 1949, Ambedkar advocated for the active preservation of democracy, warning: If we wish to preserve the Constitution in which we have sought to enshrine the principle of Government of the people, for the people and by the people, let us resolve not to be tardy in the recognition of the evils that lie across our path and which induce people to prefer Government for the people to Government by the people, nor to be weak in our initiative to remove them ; Whereas President Barack Obama invoked Ambedkar’s contribution to the Indian constitution and Indian society in an address before the Indian parliament in 2010, affirming We believe that no matter who you are or where you come from, every person can fulfill their God-given potential. Just as a Dalit like Dr. Ambedkar could lift himself up and pen the words of the constitution that protects the rights of all Indians,