New Jersey Proclaims April “Sikh Awareness and Appreciation Month”

This past Monday, March 26, 2018, the New Jersey State Senate and Assembly passed a joint resolution designating April of every year as “Sikh Awareness and Appreciation Month.” The passing of the bill comes at a critical time in the U.S, as according to the FBI, there has been an unprecedented spike in hate crimes. Recently elected Hoboken, NJ Mayor Ravi Singh Bhalla continues to face threats on a daily basis.

“The passing of this bill is a testament to all the Sikh Americans in New Jersey who have worked so hard to make this happen,” said SALDEF Executive Director Baldev Singh.“We are also especially proud of SALDEF SikhLEAD Alum Karanveer Singh Pannu who led the charge for the passing of this bill and actually developed its language during his time as a SikhLEAD intern. We hope that this momentum will lead to greater awareness and acceptance of Sikhs throughout New Jersey, and in legislatures across the US.”

SikhLEAD Intern Karanveer Singh Pannu wrote the resolution AJR 93 last year during his internship at Majority Leader Louis Greenwald’s office. Mr. Pannu worked for seven months on this resolution which unanimously passed this last week.

“This is an incredible victory for the Sikh American community in New Jersey and across the country,” said Mr. Pannu., After the community efforts and countless hours working with Assemblyman Greenwald’s office this past summer, I am beyond ecstatic that it was voted on Monday and successfully passed. This is the first step in teaching citizens of our great State of New Jersey that Sikhism represents the core values of equality, freedom, and social justice. Not only are Sikh Americans a critical component of American society but our faith follows the same core values that America was founded on and make us a great nation.”

 The passing of the joint resolution AJR 93, “Sikh Awareness and Appreciation Month” also was a step towards creating a united front of Sikhs. Eight Sikh organizations came together to promote the resolution including:

American Sikh Council
Let’s Share a Meal
Sachkhand Express
Sikh American Chamber of Commerce
Sikh Coalition
Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund
Sikh American Veterans Alliance
United Sikhs

The passing this joint resolution in the  New Jersey legislature with unanimous support is a testament to the States effort to stand for acceptance of all residents and stand against hate, by acknowledging the contributions and community service made by their Sikh American constituents.

If you are interested in finding out more about how to create a similar resolution in your state please email us at info@SALDEF.org.

SALDEF is dedicated to our mission which is to empower Sikh Americans by building dialogue, deepening understanding, promoting civic and political participation, and upholding social justice and religious freedom for all Americans.

Speakers

On Sunday, March 4th, 2018, SALDEF organized the 19th Know Your Rights Forum in Lawrenceville, NJ at the Sikh Sabha Gurdwara. The forum was attended by approximately 300 members of the Sangat. The speakers included, Mr. Harpreet Singh Mokha of the Department of Justice Community Relations Service, Mr. John Paige from the NJ-Department of Homeland Security, Mr. Anthony Zampogna and Mr. Arnold B. Adams from the FBI and Mr. David Leonardis from the New Jersey Attorney General Office.

The speakers at the19th Know Your Rights talked about many topics affecting the Sikh community. There was a strong emphasis on interpreting and dealing with bias. Bias incidents are an offense against a person or property motivated by the offender’s bias against a race, religion, disability or ethnic origin, BUT may not rise to the level of a crime.  According to Mr. Leonardis of the NJ Attorney General, “every local police department has a bias crime officer,” who will assist in evaluating and reporting the incident. According to Anthony Zampogna of the FBI, “It is not easy to evaluate whether you are dealing with a matter of just hateful language to you or whether it is a crime – and you are not alone in figuring that out.”

If you are unable to attend a Know Your Rights Forum please check out our Youtube page to watch clips from this past forum in Lawrenceville NJ.

We would like to Thank Mr. Jangpartap Singh of the Sikh Sabha Gurdwara who helped us organize the event.

SALDEF is committed to empowering the Sikh American community nationwide about their rights and how to exercise them without fear or hesitation.

 If you feel your local Sangat could benefit from a Know Your Rights forum, please complete this form or contact know-your-rights@saldef.org.

Join us now to support SALDEF’s critical work at this pivotal time.

CapitolThe fear and concerns these students are expressing are valid and data supports this. According to a report by Everytown for Gun Safety, seven children are killed each day by gun violence. Additionally, for each student shot, two more are injured bringing the total to an average of 21 children shot each day. These numbers are 25% higher than other developed nations across the world and paint a somber picture along with the United States having the highest rate of gun violence, in the world.

SALDEF supports tactful legislation to combat these issues. The Sikh American community continues to face violence across the country ranging from hate crimes and attacks upon our homes, businesses, and places of worship, most notably the massacre at the Oak Creek Gurdwara in 2012, where 6 worshippers were killed.

Last year, SALDEF hosted a Gun Violence Awareness event in conjunction with Everytown for Gun Safety. At this event, Kamal Saini, who lost his mother in the tragic shooting at the Oak Creek Gurdwara said, “In the aftermath of the Oak Creek tragedy, I learned that it takes unity, and it takes communities coming together for progress to happen.”

We urge our elected officials to heed the words of Mr. Saini, and of those students protesting today, and come together on this issue that affects ALL Americans and protect our children and our communities.

Kids At White HoUse

N A T U R E

On Sunday, March 11th, 2018, SALDEF organized the 20th Know Your Rights Forum in Buena Park, CA at the Gurdwara Singh Sabha. The forum was attended by approximately 300 members of the Sangat. The speakers included, Pearl Saracho of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Puneet Sandhu of the South Asian Bar Association, Mehtab Sandhu from the San Bernardino District Attorney’s office, Michael Ramey from the FBI and James Williams for the Department of Justice Community Relations Service.

The speakers at the forum talked about many topics affecting the Sikh community including:

  • Workplace discrimination
  • Bias crimes
  • Civil Rights
  • Opportunities to improve law enforcement and community relationships

If you are unable to attend a Know Your Rights Forum please check out our youtube page to watch clips from previous forums. https://youtu.be/EK6zVrKG5xg

Finally, SALDEF would like to thank Mr. Jagjit Singh and the Committee of the Gurdwara Singh Sabha who helped us organize the event, and also thank SALDEF Western Regional Director Bhupy Kaur for coordinating and facilitating the event.

Twenty-five years oflove and adventure.

SALDEF is committed to empowering the Sikh American community nationwide about their rights and how to exercise them without fear or hesitation.

If you feel your local Sangat could benefit from a Know Your Rights forum, please complete this form or contact know-your-rights@saldef.org.

Join us now to support SALDEF’s critical work at this pivotal time.

N A T U R E (3) On Sunday, February 25th, 2018, SALDEF organized its 18th  Know Your Rights Forum in Charlotte, N.C. at the Gurdwara Sahib Charlotte. The event was attended by about 200 members of the Sangat. The speakers at the event included  Mr. Phil Jordan from the North Carolina Human Relations Commission,  Mr. Dion Lyons of the Department of Justice Community Relations Service, Ms. Patricia Fuller from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), and Mr. Don Shank  and Ms. Eudania Burrell, of the TSA, from the Charlotte International Airport. Since March 26, 2017, SALDEF has conducted 18 Know Your Rights Forums and has two planned for this coming weekend in Lawrenceville NJ and Buena Park CA. With the completion of these two Know Your Rights Forums, SALDEF will have reached its projected goal of 20 forums over a year-long period. Upcoming Know Your Rights

  • Sunday, March 4 – Sikh Sabha of New Jersey, 282 Bakers Basin Rd,  Lawrenceville NJ
  • Sunday, March 11 – Gurdwara Singh Sabha, Buena Park, 7122 Orangethorpe Ave, Buena Park, CA

We would like to thank Mr. Inderjeet Rajpal President of Gurdwara and Dr. Surendrapal Singh Mac for hosting the Know Your Rights Forum this past weekend at the Gurdwara Sahib Charlotte in Charlotte NC. Twenty-five years oflove and adventure. (1) SALDEF is committed to empowering the Sikh American community nationwide about their rights and how to exercise them without fear or hesitation. If you feel your local Sangat could benefit from a Know Your Rights forum, please complete this form or contact know-your-rights@saldef.org.  Join us now to support SALDEF’s critical work at this pivotal time.  

“This experience has given me a great opportunity to use my religious background as a means of ascertaining some sort of political engagement.”The administration of President Trump has proposed significant changes to current US immigration policies while raising restrictions on many countries while simultaneously increasing the capabilities of the Department of Homeland Security. The changes the current administration is introducing would directly affect immigrants from ALL countries. READ – https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/donald-trump-ice-tearing-families-apart This past week, the US Senate debated how to move forward with the current changes to the immigration policies. The timing of these debates is directly related to the March 5, 2018, expiration of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals DACA. DACA refers to an American immigration policy created by executive order under the Obama administration, that allowed some individuals who entered the country as minors, and had either entered or remained in the country illegally, to receive a renewable two-year period of deferred action from deportation and to be eligible for a work permit. Additionally, the Trump administration is expected to revoke work permits for thousands of young Americans, which would ultimately lead to deportation. READ:https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/2/16/17015818/daca-deadline-trump-dreamers-march-5 In 2017 Republican Senator Lindsey Graham introduced the Dream Act to allow the young Americans brought to the US as minors, living here now under the protection of DACA, a path to citizenship. However, this bipartisan bill was never brought to a vote. Thus, leaving the DACA recipients without a clear course of action. How does DACA, the Dream Act and the current Senate debate on immigration tie together? Well, the Trump Administration hoped to use the DACA expiration and the precarity of these recipients situation as a bargaining chip to

  • Reduce family-based immigration,
  • toughen interior enforcement,
  • and crack down on visa overstays.

With the Senate’s inability to strike a deal this past week, the immigration debate is not over, the DACA recipients are left without a path to citizenship and the only bill jointly agreed on by both Republicans and Democrats the Dream Act has been discarded. What does that mean for Sikh Americans? Anyone here on DACA will ultimately lose their work permit, citizens with family eager to become US citizens risk separation, and those here in the US waiting for approval will be forced to deal with toughened enforcement within the US borders. RestoReview (1) What is DACA and Dream Act? DACA – https://www.uscis.gov/archive/consideration-deferred-action-childhood-arrivals-daca Dream Act – https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/senate-bill/1615   What can you do? Write your Representatives: https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative Write your Senators: http://www.senate.gov/states/#   Take this Survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HCL96FC Tell us your story by emailing us at  media@saldef.org. All stories will remain anonymous unless otherwise stated. If you wish to reach us immediately please call (202) 393-2700 x 126

Happy 20thBirthday! Can you believe it is already February? Summer is only FOUR months away! Now is the time to apply or encourage young Sikhs to apply for internships. SALDEF is helping place students in hard-to-get internships with your NJ representatives. Click here to apply for the New Jersey SikhLEAD Summer Internship! The 2018 SALDEF SikhLEAD New Jersey Summer Internship will bring together a group of young rising  Sikh American leaders for an 8-12 week-long program that includes:

  • Summer internship with Federal, State, and local Legislators in New Jersey
  • Interactive small group discussions with State leaders of industry
  • One on one mentoring and advising for each intern
  • An opportunity to make a difference in the community through a group capstone project
  • Exclusive leadership development training

We also host a series of special programs—including leadership workshops and networking events—to develop the next generation of Sikh American leaders. SALDEF supports each participant with a stipend upon satisfactory completion of the internship. These competitive positions have advanced the Sikh policy agenda and given Sikh American students or recent graduates unique opportunities. The application deadline is 11:59 pm ET on Wednesday, February 16, 2018. Students of all academic backgrounds are encouraged to apply. Early applications will be given priority.

Join us in NJ this summer by applying now!

NOT A RISING YOUNG SIKH AMERICAN LEADER? HELP US FIND THIS YEAR’S CLASS! Please share this email with the politically engaged young people in your life, and encourage them to APPLY BY February 16. Click here for more information about the SALDEF SikhLEAD New Jersey Summer Internship, 2018.    Space is limited and applications must be submitted by February 16, 2018. For more information, please visit www.sikhlead.org. We hope you will join us!

Build our Future, Be our Future!

N A T U R E (2)

On Sunday, February 4th, 2018, SALDEF organized a Know Your Rights Forum in Chapin, SC at Sikh Religious Society of South Carolina.The event was attended by about 150 members of the Sangat. The speakers at the event included Mr. Dan Koon from the South Carolina Human Affairs Commission, Mr. Brian Jones from the FBI, Ms. Patricia Fuller from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), and Mr. Dean Cousins from the TSA.

The Gurdwara is located on the outskirts of Columbia, South Carolina and was founded by Ajit Singh Randhawa, the father of UN Ambassador Haley. Mr. Randhawa and the Sangat were grateful for the outreach done by SALDEF to communities with smaller Sikh American populations, and SALDEF’s initiative to help Sikhs across the nation better understand their rights.

Mr. Dan Koon from the South Carolina Human Affairs Commission talked about how the South Carolina Human Affairs Commission was created by the General Assembly in 1972 to encourage fair treatment, eliminate and prevent unlawful discrimination, and foster mutual understanding and respect among all people in this state. Based on the tenets of Title VII of the 1964 federal Civil Rights Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, and the Americans with Disability Act, the South Carolina General Assembly declared that the practice of discrimination within the state because of a person’s race, religion, color, sex, age, national origin, or disability to be unlawful, and in conflict with the ideals of the State of South Carolina and the nation.

Mr. Brian Jones from the FBI spoke about the recent uptick in hate-crimes, what constitutes a hate-crime, and how to report it. Following the event, young Sikhs in the Sangat who were interested in joining the FBI talked to Mr. Jones about the recruitment and application process.

Ms. Patricia Fuller from the EEOC covered the role of the EEOC, its mandate to administer and enforce civil rights laws against workplace discrimination and how it can help Sikhs in the workplace. She went on to talk about how the EEOC investigates discrimination complaints based on an individual’s race, children, national origin, religion, sex, age, disability, gender identity, genetic information, and retaliation for reporting, participating in, and/or opposing a discriminatory practice.

Mr. Dean Cousins from the Columbia International Airport’s TSA shared with the Sangat the best practices when flying. Mr. Cousins gave an overview of how TSA is training their agents about respectful protocols to engage with Sikh travelers and reviewing policies throughout the organization.

SALDEF would like to thank Mr. Amarjit Singh the Secretary of the Guru Ghar, and Mr. Ajit Singh Randhawa for their generous hospitality, and the Sangat of South Carolina for partnering with us to host a successful event

Twenty-five years oflove and adventure.

SALDEF is committed to empowering the Sikh American community nationwide about their rights and how to exercise them without fear or hesitation.

If you feel your local Sangat could benefit from a Know Your Rights forum, please complete this form or contact know-your-rights@saldef.org.

Join us now to support SALDEF’s critical work at this pivotal time.

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You are invited to a Know Your Rights Forum on Sunday, February 4, 2018, 12:30 pm est at the Sikh Religious Society of South Carolina also known as Gurdwara Nanaksar, located at 11419 Broad River Rd, Chapin, SC 29036.

We will be covering a variety of topics including school bullying, workplace discrimination, hate crimes, and information on your rights while flying.

The purpose of the Know Your Rights Forum is to: (1) introduce Sikh American community members to agencies and groups that can address complaints, incidents, or issues they may have and (2) provide local, state, and federal government agencies the opportunity to build relationships with and address the specific needs of their local Sikh American community (3) provide local, state, and federal government agencies the opportunity to build relationships with and address the specific needs of their local Sikh American community.

For more information, please contact Satnam Singh at satnam@saldef.org.

Participating agencies include representatives from the FBI, South Carolina Human Affairs Commission, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the FBI, and the TSA. Attendees will also have the chance to ask questions about specific matters during the Q&A section of the forum.

SALDEF is committed to empowering the Sikh American community nationwide about their rights and how to exercise them without fear or hesitation.

If you feel your local Sangat could benefit from a Know Your Rights forum, please complete this form or contact know-your-rights@saldef.org.

Join us now to support SALDEF’s critical work at this pivotal time.

SALDEF organized another successful Know Your Rights Forum this past weekend on Sunday, January 28, 2018, in Jersey City, NJ at Nanak Naam Jahaj Gurudwara. There were approximately 150 members of the Sangat who took part in the event and heard guest speakers from the Department of Justice, the NJ-Dept of Homeland Security, the FBI, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

Mr. Michael Rojas from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) was the first speaker, he covered the role of the EEOC, focusing on the enforcement of civil rights laws against workplace discrimination. Mr. Rojas said,  “Our ultimate goal is to prevent discrimination in the workplace.” He also noted that you have 300 days to file a report of the initial incident.

Mr. John Paige from the NJ-Dept. of Homeland Security spoke about what NJ-DHS does, how they coordinate with Federal Government on threats and about an interfaith quarterly meeting they conduct to partner with the local community. Mr. Paige encouraged the Sangat to be vigilant in reporting crimes, saying, “It empowers people (the assailant) if you don’t report hate crimes and harassment.”

Mr. Anthony Zampogna, from the FBI, spoke about the recent uptick in hate-crimes, what constitutes a hate-crime and how to report it. Mr. Zampogna said, “The matter of hate crimes is the highest priority in our civil rights program and in the past year we have engaged in a lot more investigations than in past years.”

Ms. Suzanne Buchanan of the Dept. of Justice Community Relations Service spoke about conflict resolution between communities and resolving misunderstandings between law enforcement and minority communities. She also spoke about school bullying and what to do if your child is a victim. She suggested reaching out to your local affiliate in the DOJ, to conduct in school mediation with the faculty, contacting SALDEF to help in working with your school administration, and working with local officials and representatives on introducing Sikhism to the curriculum or conducting special presentations.

Overall the Know Your Rights was a success, the speakers spoke about specific issues regarding the Sikh American community and encouraged all members of the Sangat to approach their departments.

We would like to thank the management of the  Nanak Naam Jahaj Gurudwara, and Gurdwara President Karnail Singh, for hosting a wonderful event, and the Sangat for their engagement and thoughtful questions!

SALDEF is committed to empowering the Sikh American community nationwide about their rights and how to exercise them without fear or hesitation.

If you feel your Sangat could benefit from a Know Your Rights forum, please complete this form or contact know-your-rights@saldef.org.