SALDEF in the Senate, White House, and Abroad
On Friday, November 21, Jasjit Singh, executive director of SALDEF, shared the Sikh American experience at “Words Matter”, a Senate briefing and panel discussion for communities beyond the Native American community to offer their voice as to why Washington’s NFL team name needs to be changed. Jasjit Singh spoke on the history of slurs used against Sikhs and reflected on the impact of hate speech against other communities. “We hear echoes of the language and slurs which were used to justify the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II in today’s calls to profile Arab and Muslim Americans. We hear echoes of the language which was used to ban Chinese immigrants from entering the country, getting jobs, and owning homes–in today’s vilification of Latino immigrants. Being targeted by language is part of our shared history. So it is incumbent on all of us, all of us who know and understand the pain and violence it causes, to speak out against it.” Read Jasjit’s address here – http://bit.ly/1Ag0SkM Other speakers included
- Hilary Shelton, Director, Washington Bureau, NAACP
- Ellen Kahn, Family Project Director, Human Rights Campaign
- Mary Pavel, staff director and chief counsel, Senate Committee on Indian Affairs
- Robert Holden, deputy director, National Congress of American Indians
This is just one of four instances of SALDEF educating national and global leaders about the Sikh American experience in the past month:
- Jasjit Singh was selected as part of a delegation of civil rights leaders from the US by the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, to attend the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) conference on anti-Semitism in Berlin, Germany
- Jesse Kaur Bawa, SALDEF Board member, gave a guest lecture to the Leadership Conference Education Fund Fall 2014 intern class, as part of its Faces of Profiling series. There she spoke on how profiling statistically does not lead to the catching of criminals, and the negative implications it has on Sikhs, Muslims, Hispanic, and Black communities.
- Finally, Indira Kaur Ahluwalia, SALDEF Board member, gave closing remarks at the White House Office of Public Engagement’s celebration of Guru Nanak, which included leaders of Sikh American organizations including EcoSikh, Sikh Coalition, and United Sikhs as well as Congressman Mike Honda (D-CA). Indira spoke on how Guru Nanak’s teachings serve as a compass for anyone trying to live a thoughtful existence in a complex and diverse world
Read Indira’s remarks here – http://bit.ly/1yM6vqO We thank the members of the community who support this important education and policy work, and encourage you to ensure this work continues through 2015 and beyond. Support SALDEF’s work to create a fair and just society for all today.