Sikh Scouts – Where the Kids Matter

I was in 7th grade when I saw smoke bellowing out of the Twin Towers from my history class, just a few blocks away from the site whose destruction would change so many lives. Even at that age, when I saw aftermath images of terrorists with long beards and turbans being constantly flashed on screen, I knew trouble was about to hit the Sikh community. From then on, we’ve all seen or been part of the stories that brown-skinned communities faced. It’s an incident “which has trickled down to the youth of today” – something that I heard from an 8 year old while having a group discussion at the most recent Sikh Scouts event. Sikh Scouts is a mentoring program that aims to provide guidance to at-risk Sikh youth, ages 9–16, by helping them forge and develop long-lasting relationships with older Sikhs, who serve as role models and mentors. It’s a program that needs no complex planning or budget. All that’s needed is one day, a group of enthusiastic sevadars, and a bit of extra sleep the night before (kids have way too much energy) to get this program going. The day and the outcome are always so worthwhile. We take the kids out, eat some pizza, have a group discussion about current events happening within our community, and their faces light up knowing a group of people are willing to listen and help out with anything they need. At each and every Sikh Scouts event, I see what that 8 year old was talking about as I hear about the effects that have trickled down due to the backlash of misconceived hate and ignorance that derived from 9/11. Almost every kid, girl or boy, has experienced or witnessed some type of bullying. It’s painful to see their faces change to looks of embarrassment, confusion, and defeat when we ask them to share their stories with us. However, I believe that knowing they have a mentor, a new friend who they can trust and talk with is a weight being lifted off their shoulders. These kids are going to be the future leaders of the world, the next generation of Sikh-Americans; each child deserves attention, an open ear, and a little guidance. I had heard a lot of plans over the years from older generations of Sikhs in the community who wanted to improve opportunities and support for Sikh youth. However, many times, such plans or expressed sentiments are not acted upon. But I felt it was time for me to act. I realized that in some way, I could be an asset to the kids in my community – my ideas developed into what is now Sikh Scouts. Now, I call upon you to act as well. Go to your local Gurdwara, Masjid, Mandir, or Church; or just contact some kids that you know would benefit from having a big brother or sister. Get a few of your friends together and take the kids out for a day. Tailor the concept of Sikh Scouts however you wish, as long as your efforts can result in friendships being formed. I will close with an anecdote. One of the mentees I had the pleasure of being paired with during the most recent Sikh Scouts event is a very bright individual. Speaking to him, I asked what his favorite books were. Casually he mentioned a Dr. Seuss book. This puzzled me a bit because the series was below his age range. He explained to me that one of his favorite quotes was from a Dr. Seuss book, “you have brains in your head, you have feet in your shoes, you can steer yourself any direction you choose.” So to whoever is reading, steer yourself any direction you choose, but pick the path that will empower the world, even just one child at a time. – Jagdeep Singh, LDP Class of 2012

Jay-Z said it on Reasonable Doubt in 1996 and J-Cole said it on The Warm Up almost thirteen years later. Eleven years after 9/11, the question still remains. Can I live? I’m constantly asked and harassed on the street for the simple fact that I am: that I am Sikh, more precisely a Sikh American growing up in a largely Islamaphobic and xenophobic world. This was not the America I knew nor was used to. There’s always one question that always bothered me the most, a question that caused me hours of introspection and reevaluating my identity. What are you? The question wasn’t who are you or where do you come from. It was blunt and reminded me of the “Guess my race” game we used to play as kids. It didn’t matter what you were like or how athletic you were or how intelligent you came off to be. It was for the simple fact that my eyebrows were a little bushier than the average and I had a turban on my head that made me an automatic contestant for this game void of  winners or losers. They expected me to fall into some neat category, to objectify my entire being into one particular race. For me growing up in a white suburban community, I considered myself to be more American than anything else but for some reason, that wasn’t enough. I had to be exotic or something for me to appease my peers. It is this hyphenated identity that caused me to question who I really was and what I stood for. Eleven years later, I realize there’s nothing wrong with being considered both a Sikh and an American as I am able to play up on my multicultural identity that makes up my self. Because the truth is I see myself as a devout Sikh and a good American. In some sense, when you drop the hyphen, you lose an entire history and ancestral roots that at least for me adds to my sense of pride. 9/11 served as a shock to the core of many Americans, creating for many communities a call for action. Misguided hatred consumed the thought arena for many minorities as we were divided collectively as a nation into “us” and “them.” This very polarization disrupted the way things “were” and Sikhs today are still struggling to correct our misrepresented image, largely perpetrated by the media, which associates our image with scenes from the Middle East. And I reiterate my opening statement: can I just live? Peace out brothers and sisters, Manjot Singh