SALDEF in the News
UCLA Indian American Graduate Manjot Singh Named to 2019-2020 Congressional Fellows Program
Sikh American Manjot Singh was named among the cohort of 2019-2020 Congressional Fellows. Manjot will in the office of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and receive supplemental professional development training and networking opportunities through Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies. Born in Valencia, California, Singh graduated from UCLA with a B.A. in global studies. Singh also interned with SALDEF which sparked his interest in the intersection of the non-profit and government worlds and how the two actors interact within a larger ecosystem.
Recent News
Turbaned Sikh Nominated as Trustee of Palatine Library
Preet Singh has been nominated as a Library Trustee in Palatine, Chicago. Singh is a science teacher since 2003, he got his masters degree from Depaul University and also masters in educational leadership. He was guided by Thakar S. Basati, a long time community activist involved in local politics and has organized many functions in the library. The Palatine Library was the only library that got its tax increase referendum approved during the last election and Basati played role in it. Currently, there are about 50 Punjabi books available in the library.
A turban-wearing Sikh truck driver claims that he was not allowed to enter Nestlé’s distribution centre in Altona in Melbourne’s west after he refused to wear a hard hat. Singh added that “they must understand that turban is not just a piece of cloth, or a cap or a hat that you could frequently remove and put back.” Singh wishes to create awareness of this issue as he explained that he is “aware that there are other turban-wearing Sikh truck drivers who are also in a similar situation at other workplaces.”
The Smithsonian Institution will publish a book on the Japji, a sixteenth century poem authored by Guru Nanak. This announcement was made by Dr. Taylor and is being released to the press by its author, Rupinder S. Brar. The book will be published by the Asian Cultural History Program, within its Anthropology department of the National Museum of Natural History. According to Dr. Taylor, the book is intended not only for Sikhs but also for the general readers unfamiliar with Guru Nanak, the author of the Japji and the first of ten Sikh Gurus. Part biography and part translation and commentary, it highlights the Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s values of compassion and kindness.
Here Is Why Many Sikh Women Are Choosing To Wear A Turban
Many Sikh women have started wearing a turban. Guru Gobind Singh said that this turban was a mark of equality within the religion, establishing that all Sikhs were equal in the eyes of God and this is what sets them apart. However, this wave of women donning the turban came as a move to become equal within the religion. Doris Jakobs, a professor of religious studies at Waterloo University, Canada, told BBC that she carried out research into the area of this subject and found that this tradition is adopted mostly by women living outside their traditional homeland of Punjab who wish to be recognised for their religion.
Gatka — The traditional martial arts introduced by Sikhs is now a nationally recognised sport
Gatka, is a traditional form of martial arts, which is historically associated with Sikh Gurus and is popular among the masses as Sikh martial art. It was one of the basic techniques of self-defence for Sikh warriors during the martial period of great Sikh Gurus. Punjab’s resident, Gurwinder Kaur recently entered in the India Book of Records for spinning Gatka Chakkar 118 times in one minute on and by performing rope jumping 63 times in one minute while spinning the Chakkar. Today gatka competitions take place in around 30 countries, across the world, including the US, Canada, the UK, New Zealand and Australia.
Woman killed in Fresno crash was a well-known TV, radio host in the Sikh community
Guddi Sidhu, was killed in a car crash in Fresno, California on Sunday afternoon. Loved ones say she had just come from a function at a school and was on her way to do her radio show when she crashed.
Sidhu was the vice president of the Sikh Institute Fresno and a well-known television and radio host in Sikh community.
Need to educate Americans that wearing turbans doesn’t make Sikhs ‘different’: US senator
Senator Bob Menendez added that “Education is our strongest weapon at the end of the day to make the individual understand that those wear turbans doesn’t mean that they are any different from you in any other regard. Senator Menendez was recently in Amritsar visiting the Golden Temple and is pushing to send a national message that hatred based on religious discrimination will not be accepted.
Book Review – Sikhs of New Jersey – The Pioneers from Punjab
“Sikhs of New Jersey: The Pioneers from Punjab” escorts the reader back to the struggles of pioneer Sikhs who suffered torture and racial discrimination at the hands of Canadian and West Coast Americans while trying to establish themselves as a Sikh American immigrant community. This book clearly describes how a handful of New Jersey Sikh families established a vibrant community and a place of worship through their farsightedness, determination, and valor in the early 1970s. Surinder Kaur Puar, the book’s author, is hoping that the younger, educated generation will take a proactive lead in the management of their Gurdwaras and find answers to the challenges which they will face in the future.