SikhLEAD New Jersey Begins Speakership Series

The SikhLEAD New Jersey Internship program began a speakership series designed to help the interns build relationships, learn about job opportunities and grow their workplace skills. 

The first of the series invited Assemblyman Daniel R. Benson to speak to the interns in an intimate roundtable about his experience in state government. The interns were able to speak freely to the Assemblyman about politics, legislation and their career path. In addition, he said he would available as a mentor for the SikhLEAD interns. The second speakership series invited Middlesex County Freeholder Kenneth Armwood and Chief of Staff for Assemblyman Karabinchak, Shariq Ahmad, the first South Asian Chief of Staff in the New Jersey legislature.

The SikhLEAD New Jersey Internship Program cohort will be attending these speakership series throughout the month of August. The upcoming series will include speakers such as LTC Kamal S. Kalsi and Inspiring South Asian American Women (ISAAW) president Suchitra Kamath.

Today marks the seventh anniversary of the shooting at the Oak Creek Gurdwara in Wisconsin where our community lost six members; Satwant Singh Kaleka, Paramjit Kaur, Suveg Singh Khattra, Prakash Singh, Ranjit Singh, and Sita Singh. 

This tragic day highlighted the need to combat hate and to also understand gun control yet today we are still faced with the same issues. This past weekend there were two major mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio; leaving behind 29 dead and 53 injured. Today we not only remember the six-members of the Sikh American Sangat we lost seven years ago today; but, we also mourn with our brothers and sisters who lost friends and family members in other shootings across the country. 

To pay respect to the six courageous men and women lost in the Oak Creek attack, SALDEF requests you to spread awareness about the history and significance of the Sikh religion. Sharing about who Sikhs are with your local communities will help combat hateful comments and attacks. Also, please write to your representatives to encourage them to create legislation that recognizes the Sikh community and expands our right to publicly follow our religion. Additional ways to spread awareness and bring our community together include working with SALDEF to host a Know Your Rights seminar at your local Gurdwara or a Law Enforcement Partnership Program (LEPP) at your local police station.

This week’s 2019 SikhLEAD Summer Internship Spotlight features Simarjeet Kaur! Simarjeet interned with Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote). Here is what she had to say about her SikhLEAD Experience:

My name is Simarjeet, I am from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and I go to the University of California, Berkeley. I am placed at APIAVote.

What are some important takeaways from your experience?
What I have learned from APIAVote especially in civic engagement and voter engagement is how Sikhs and other Indian communities are not represented and how this negatively impacts our communities. It has made me a lot more passionate about advocacy work and actually making a change in the government.

What skills have you learned through your internship? 
I have learned communication, writing, speaking with other people, and how to represent the Sikh community well. Whether that be with people who are not familiar with who we are or even within the Sikh community. I have also learned how to get more involved with the current events around Washington D.C and in the Sikh community.

Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLdzVEWa5aE

SALDEF in the News

Americans assemble: Meet the artist capturing the superhero in all of us
Seattle photographer Nate Gowdy featured Vishavjit Singh in his new project, The American Superhero, an ongoing, collaborative patriotic portrait project for which he is photographing people of all ages, genders, races, creeds, and abilities. When describing Singh, Gowdy noted “Captain America with a beard and a turban…I hadn’t seen that before — it made an impact.”’ 

Recent News

House votes to condemn President Trump’s racist tweets
Last Sunday, President Trump tweeted that instead of criticizing his administration, four congresswomen should “go back and help fix the totally broken and crime-infested places from which they came.” The US House of Representatives voted 240-187 condemn racist comments from the President.

Salvation Army presents Lifetime Service Award to Sikh Religious Society, Palatine, Illinois
Sikh Religious Society of Palatine, Illinois, was honored by the Salvation Army with a “Lifetime Service Award.” Additionally, Sarwan Singh Raju was also honored with “Making the Difference Award” Sarwan Singh, who has been mobilizing his local Sikh community for over two decades to participate in the events organized by the Salvation Army, was also honored with the “Making the Difference Award”.

Iowa City introduces new hate-crime ordinance
Iowa City has expanded the scope of what can be considered a hate crime in the city to now include harassment and trespassing. The city took this step in response to the increase in hate crimes over the past two years.

35 arrested in ICE operation that targeted 2,000
Latest numbers confirmed by the Department of Homeland Security reveal that the Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s officials arrested 35 migrants as part of an operation targeting families with court-ordered removals.  The raids were planned to target around 2,000 migrant families who had been ordered removed by an immigration judge.

My Response To The Woman Who Told Me To ‘Go Back’
Last week, Kanwar Singh was in Boston’s Downtown Crossing, when a woman yelled, “Go back to your country!” In a public response to the woman’s comments, Singh adds, “America is at an inflection point right now… There are some who continue to be advocates of a multicultural America. But there is also a vocal minority, emboldened by some of our elected leaders, that advocates for limited racial and ethnic diversity.”

A Historic Contender for Canada’s Top Political Job
Jagmeet Singh, the head of one of Canada’s left-leaning New Democratic Party, is an important candidate for Canada’s national elections in October. Singh is the first nonwhite contender to lead a major national political party and compete for the country’s top political job.

Growing Calls to Label Attack on Hindu Priest a Hate Crime
Last Thursday, Swami Ji Harish Chander Puri, was walking near his temple in Glen Oaks, Queens when he was assaulted and landed up in a hospital. The priest claimed that his assailant screamed, “This is my neighborhood,” when carrying out the attack. Although the suspect has been charged, many elected officials are calling for a hate crime investigation. 

Seattle Mariners to review policy after visiting Sikhs forced to remove kirpans
In Seattle, Mindip Janda’s young Sikh cousins were forced to leave their Kirpans in a locker to be able to attend the game. In response to this, the Seattle Mariners said that “although MLB policies do not make exceptions for knives such as kirpans that serve a religious purpose, we are now reviewing the policy and how it is enforced at our ballpark.”

Attack on Granthi Amarjit Singh

Washington DC – Last Friday night, Amarjit Singh a Granthi from the Gurdwara Sahib in Modesto CA was asleep at his home when he was abruptly woken up to the sound of broken glass. Seconds later he was assaulted by an unknown masked assailant said to Singh “go back to your country.” The man fled the scene of the crime and is still at large. Singh has no major injuries, but is scared after the attack. 

The attack comes just days after a Hindu Priest was attacked in New York, and follow the incendiary and racist comments from President Trump, when he  tweeted, “go back home,” to members of congress. 

SALDEF continues to highlight the implications of hateful rhetoric and the creation of policies meant to separate and stigmatize populations. Often, hateful rhetoric coincide with an increase in hate and bias motivated crimes.  We call on President Trump and all elected officials to immediately stop the use of hateful, xenophobic and divisive language. 

“We at SALDEF are horrified by the attack and will monitor the situation to ensure that this is classified as a hate crime,” said Director of Communications Gujari Singh. “We will also continue to call out and highlight the dangerous and hurtful rhetoric that is becoming more prevalent, in advance of the upcoming 2020 election.”

Following  the attack, Congressman Josh Harder posted a video recording in response to the investigation, of what he says appears to be a hate crime. Congressman Harder said, “We are not tolerating hate, discrimination or bigotry in any form.” WATCH:https://sacramento.cbslocal.com/video/4133013-harder-video-release-regarding-hate-crime-against-sikh-priest-temple-in-hughson/

We will keep the community informed as we find out more about the recent incident. If you, a friend or family member have been attacked or been discriminated against, please immediately contact your local authorities. If you have had an incident where someone has threatened you or told you to, “go back to your country,” please email us at info@saldef.org or call 202-393-2700. 

Meet Jhujhar Singh Sarna, one of the 2019 SikhLEAD DC interns! Jhujhar Singh Sarna is a rising Sophomore at Vassar College in New York. Jhujhar is from Edison, New Jersey pursuing a degree in political science. At his local community he volunteers at a local grassroots organization called Nobody Leaves MidHudson, he is a leader of the Sikh Student Association, and an actor in the Vassar theatre. He had the opportunity to intern at the Office of Senator Cory Booker in D.C. and is now interning at the office of Senator Robert Menendez in Newark, New Jersey. He has a passion for criminal justice reform, environmental justice issues, and hate crime prevention. Get to know more about Jhujhar’s time with SikhLEAD: 

Q: What are you going to take away from your experience with SikhLEAD?

A: I was always interested in government and politics, and this was definitely a great step in terms of understanding what the government is like, and seeing our role in it. This experience has brought me some clarity in that this is something that I am really passionate about and want to spend more time investigating.

Q: Do you ever feel pressure to represent the Sikh community?

A: I do not feel pressure because I feel as a turbaned Sikh person it has been my obligation since birth and it has been something that I have dealt with throughout my life. I am proud to be one of the few Sikh people in the Capitol and a part of the Senate. I constantly do my best to support my community and to represent my community in the best way that I can.

WATCH: https://youtu.be/iKVt0NnqTxU