SALDEF Advocate May 2015: SALDEF Strengthened Through Your Support
APAICS Will Honor SALDEF With Achievement Award at Annual Gala On May 14, 2015 the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies will honor Jasjit Singh and SALDEF, alongside former President George H.W. Bush and MSNBC news anchor Richard Lui, at their annual national Gala in Washington, D.C. Surgeon General Vice Admiral Dr. Vivek Murthy will give the Gala’s Keynote Address. (Photo: SALDEF Executive Director Jasjit Singh, APAICS President/CEO S. Floyd Mori, and MSNBC news anchor Richard Lui) SALDEF will receive the Community Achievement Award, and this would not have been possible without the insight, support, and inspiration that the Sikh American community gives to us everyday. The entire SALDEF staff also ask that you join us in recognizing Jasjit Singh’s contributions as executive director and his six years of of service at SALDEF as he receives this award. Please join us and give back to SALDEF TODAY in recognition of this service. SALDEF Team Holds Three Major Conversations at National South Asian Summit 
On May 10-13, two hundred South Asian advocates and leaders gathered in DC for the fifth biennial South Asian summit, “Claiming Our Power” hosted by South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT) at American University School of Law in Washington, D.C. SALDEF’s Policy Director Navdeep Singh spoke on the Sikh community’s point of view in regards to hate crimes, while Education Director Jyotswaroop Kaur presented at NSAS’s Poster Session on SikhLEAD and the first-ever public perception assessment of Sikh Americans in our history: Turban Myths. SALDEF’s Communications team, Sona Simran Kaur and Sumeet Kaur, alongside Executive Director Jasjit Singh, held a media training for SAALT attendees and discussed how Sikhs are generating Sikh American awareness through media throughout the country. 
Vaisakhi Renews our Spirit This Vaisakhi, SALDEF’s Executive Director wrote on the establishment of the Khalsa and introduced members of our community to Medium and discussed Vaisakhi’s importance to the International Business Times. On April 23, alongside SikhLens and other community leaders, Singh also spoke about the significance of Vaisakhi—and how the values of Vaisakhi influence SALDEF’s work and the SikhLEAD youth leadership program—to more than 200 people at Chapman University in Los Angeles. (Photo courtesy of SikhLens) SikhLEAD Continues to Shine 
Generating Significant Sikh Awareness, One Campus at a Time SALDEF congratulates SikhLEAD graduates across the nation for holding Turban Tying days and Langars, giving their fellow students a memorable way to learn about Sikh Americans. Sikh students associations at Columbia University, UC Berkeley, UNC-Chapel Hill, and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, among others, held events. Guneet Kaur and students reported that at UNC-Chapel Hill they tied more than 300 turbans and had even more students ask to learn about Sikhism. 
SALDEF SikhLEADer Selected for Truman Scholarship SALDEF SikhLEADer Harmann Preet Singh has been awarded the prestigious Truman Scholarship. Selected from 688 candidates, Singh, the first SikhLEADer to win the award, interned at the White House and helped organize Langar on Capitol Hill, as part of SikhLEAD’s Washington Internship Program last summer. 
SikhLEAD is Growing! This year—for the first time—SikhLEAD is hosting a New Jersey specific Internship Program for state residents only. SALDEF’s New Jersey SikhLEAD Internship Program is an 8-12 week N.J.-based program that allows students and recent graduates to explore a potential career track, create a network of professional and personal contacts, develop real-world skills, and gain experience that will open doors in the future. Applicants will be placed in the New Jersey state legislature and local government agencies. 
Recognition for Sikh Community Leader Dr. Harvinder Singh Chadda, of Port Orange, Florida, was honored by the FBI on May 1, for his work with the Florida Field Office and longstanding efforts to build community relationships with local law enforcement. Chadda also specifically partnered with Navtej Singh, SALDEF’s Regional Director, in early 2013 to serve as an advocate for Kanwaljit Singh, who was shot in the torso and leg while driving home from his Daytona Beach based convenience store with his 13-year-old son. SALDEF Stands for Religious Pluralism SALDEF joined civic, community and faith leaders on April 21 in downtown Los Angeles to take a stand against persecution and hate, encouraging governments to understand that threats against one faith group are threats to everyone. The event was organized by the City of Los Angeles Human Relations Commission and Council Member Mitch O’Farrell. Don’t miss out…. 
Join Team SAIJ, American Idol contestant, Gurpreet Singh Sarin, and Captain America, Vishvajit Singh, on May 16 at Seneca Creek State Park for a 5K walk/run to fund promising research for all boys with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy from 8 a.m. to noon. TEAM SAIJ is an extension of the strength and superpower of Saij Singh of Potomac, Maryland, who was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) in 2008. Get your tickets here. Image credit: Vishvajit Singh, Sikhtoons SALDEF will speak at a media and data panel as part of NCAPA 2.0 Policy Briefing & 2nd Annual AAPI Research and Data Summit on May 14. Journalists, agency officials and allied groups are welcome at the conference. Honor your Mom this Mother’s Day and support SALDEF! 
If you are purchasing a gift for your Mom on Mother’s Day, consider shopping on Amazon Smile. Amazon Smile will make a donation to SALDEF for every purchase you make (after you designate SALDEF as your charity). 
And there’s a great way to honor Mom without spending money! Kaur Life wants to honor Sikh mothers (and mother-figures) this year too—with a photo contest. Submit “vintage,” or throw-back photos of your mom (or Sikh women) until Mother’s Day, May 10, 2015, and you might win $100 to donate towards a Sikh project on Dasvandh Network.