Weekly Wrap Up 10/19-10/25

SALDEF in the News

Civil rights groups urge Facebook CEO to help prevent harm

SALDEF has joined a coalition of more than 45 civil rights groups in writing a letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, urging him to act against discrimination on the social media platform and make prevention of harm its goal. In the letter the coalition added that, “Despite years of advocacy, Facebook has failed to stop white nationalists from using event pages to target, intimidate, or harass people based on their race, religion, or other parts of their identity.” The letter published online on Monday also mentioned that the groups would like to meet the Facebook CEO to discuss the concerns outlined in the letter.

Recent News

An American Muslim Imam’s Letter to the American Sikh Community

Imam Omar Suleiman, an American Muslim scholar, published an opinion letter to thank and recognize Seva done by the Sikh Community in New Orleans. Suleiman added that one of his most enduring and treasured sights in the relief efforts for Hurricane Katrina were members of United Sikhs, bolting this way and that across the floor of the Superdome, which had been turned into a massive shelter. He added that “this despite the fact that the Sikh community in New Orleans is minimal, and I can’t recall seeing a single Sikh Katrina victim in any of the shelters…Instead of protecting themselves, Sikhs have never shied away from their mandate to service and solidarity with others.” 

Supervisors Approve Sikh Temple Expansion Plan 

The Sikh community, more than 30 years ago, began the journey to build a place to worship in Solano County, California. The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday took steps that will now allow the community to more than double the size of the Guru Nanak Sikh Temple. “We need space, even for the classrooms and future projects we may have,” Pahal said. While the old permit allowed for up to 200 people at a Sunday service, the new permit allows for up to 600. 

Norwich library removes Sikh display after complaint from Indian government

Swaranjit Singh Khalsa did a lot of work to get a Sikh memorial display, dedicated to what he says was the genocide of Sikh members in 1984, placed in the Otis Library in Norwich. Khalsa added that “I don’t feel anything political or religious in the plaque. It’s the history.” The plaque unveiled at the library in June was taken down after executive director Robert Farwell got a call from the Indian General Consulate in New York. Khalsa added that it is “very disturbing that foreign governments are interfering in our city politics or even in our national politics.”

10 years after its passage, there’s a lot we can do to build on the Hate Crimes Prevention Act 

The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, passed in 2009, widened the scope of what can be considered a hate crime and expanded their definition to include motivations based on the actual or perceived gender identity, sexual orientation, or disability of the victim. The article adds that as strong as the Hate Crimes Prevention Act was, there is still much work to be done. According to the FBI, hate crimes have been on the rise in the United States for the last three years, yet even these alarming numbers are tempered by a chronic, well-documented underreporting problem. The article also focuses on the Sikh American community knows how hard it is to achieve positive and proactive change in this space, as three years of advocacy went into pushing the federal government to begin tracking hate crimes against more communities, including Sikhs. 

Houston Police adopt religious apparel policy in wake of Indian-American officer’s killing

Three weeks after the shooting death of Harris County Sheriff’s Deputy Sandeep Dhaliwal, the Houston Police Department announced it had made a major policy change allowing law enforcement officers to wear their articles of faith while in uniform. The announcement was made by Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo to honor Dhaliwal. The Houston Police Department has become the latest major law enforcement agency to improve their religious accommodation policies and joins other large law enforcement agencies like the NYPD, Chicago Police Department, and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department to make similar changes in recent years.

Jagmeet Singh is dancing like he won the election. There’s a reason for that.

Even though Singh lost seats, there was a feeling the NDP had gained power. In his election night speech, Singh promised to exert as much pressure as he could to achieve a national pharmacare program, affordable housing, student loan interest forgiveness and meaningful reconciliation with Canada’s First Nations. Whether Singh will have as much influence as he would like in the next government is far from certain. Still, Singh’s supporters were hopeful and there wasn’t a person at his celebration at the Hilton Vancouver Metrotown who seemed to feel the campaign had failed. 

Upcoming Events

Sikh Americans’ Quest for Religious Freedom and Racial Justice, with Kiran Kaur Gill

This lecture will provide a historical perspective of the Sikh American journey over the last century highlighting the contributions and struggles faced by Sikh Americans as they pursue the American dream. It will cover early immigration of Sikhs to California in the late 1800’s to the Sikh American experience post 9/11.

Tickets: https://bit.ly/343n8mM 

Watch this lecture live-streaming on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tu-LuC_vF-c

Date And Time: Mon, October 28, 2019 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM EDT

Location: Rutgers Law School Center for Law and Justice, Baker Courtroom, 123 Washington Street, Baker Courtroom Room 125, Newark, NJ 07102

Trenton, NJ – Friday, October 18th, SALDEF saw the culmination of the year long effort to develop Sikh Cultural Diversity Training in conjunction with the CLEAR Institute, U.S. Department of Justice – Community Relations Service, New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice, and the Bridgewater Police Department. SALDEF was invited by the New Jersey Attorney General’s office last year to develop the presentation that would expand upon the current training and make it part of a statewide law enforcement curriculum available to over 30,000 police officers across the state. The presentation provides an overview of the Sikh faith, background on the articles of faith, misconceptions of the Sikh community and best practices for engaging with Sikhs.

SALDEF has been conducting Sikh Awareness Training for law enforcement officers through the Law Enforcement Partnership Program in the state of New Jersey since 2013, and nationwide since 1999. SALDEF has already trained over 3,500 officers in New Jersey and over 135,000 nationwide.  It was due to these efforts that SALDEF was invited to develop the content for the presentation. 

“SALDEF has always been on the forefront of diversity training and this latest effort is no exception. New Jersey is home to one of the largest Sikh populations in the country and this training provides law enforcement best practices on how to engage the community and a better understanding of the challenges we face. This work will help New Jersey reduce hate crimes, allow law enforcement to be better equipped to handle concerns of Sikh Americans and create a voice for Sikhs,” says Executive Director Kiran Gill.

We thank all of our partners in assisting with this effort including the Sikh organizations –  SAVA, United Sikhs and the Sikh Coalition. 

It is only through your generous support that SALDEF is able to continue to build partnerships with the Law Enforcement community. Please take a few moments and DONATE to SALDEF today with a one-time donation. Your contribution helps us create a more fostering environment for the next generation of Sikh Americans.

SALDEF in the News

Protecting religious freedom has a domino effect

Sheriff Deputy Sandeep Dhaliwal was a champion of religious freedom, as in 2015, he became the first turbaned Sikh law enforcement officer in Harris County after the county added a religious accommodation policy to its uniform regulations. The change was made thanks to advocacy by the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund and other organizations. The article adds that members of minority religious communities have not always been invited enthusiastically to serve without compromising their convictions. Richard Foltin, senior scholar at the Religious Freedom Center, explains: “Just as Sikhs are confronted with workplaces that place obstacles to their wearing a turban and beard…observant Jews sometimes face the danger of losing or being denied jobs because they are obligated to wear a yarmulke or a beard or, in a more frequent situation, must take days off from work in observance of the Sabbath or holy days.”

Recent News 

Delco Sikhs make history in Washington

To honor the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, U.S. Sen. Patrick Toomey invited Giani Sukhvinder Singh and other Sikhs from Delaware County to the morning prayer and an evening reception. In doing so, Singh became the first Sikh to deliver invocation in the Senate’s history. Senator Toomey added that “Guru Nanak’s most famous teachings include that there is only one God, that people … need not go through an intermediary such as a priest to access the one God and that all people were created equal.” 

After call from Indian official, library pulls Sikh ‘genocide’ memorial   

Three months ago, the Otis Library in Norwich, Connecticut, held a ceremony to unveil its new memorial to the thousands of Sikhs killed in India 35 years ago in a military campaign and ensuing mass violence. Then, according to local media, India’s consul general in New York called the library’s executive director to discuss the memorial. Within weeks, the entire memorial was quietly removed from the library. The memorial included a plaque in memory of the scores of Sikhs who died in a “pre-planned attack” by the Indian army on Amritsar’s Golden Temple, also known as the Harmandir Sahib and Darbar Sahib, the holiest gurdwara for the world’s Sikhs.

Citing Dhaliwal, 98 Sikh American service members and law enforcement officials call for religious accommodation     

Paying tribute to Deputy Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal’s service, recently 98 former and current Sikh service members and law enforcement officials delivered letters to the U.S. Department of Defense and national police agencies calling for changes to accommodation policies for religious minorities.  These Sikh Americans urged their respective institutions to streamline the process for all Americans that are willing and able to serve with their religious articles of faith intact.

Hundreds Experience Tying Turbans and Learn About Sikh Identity at the Ohio Culture Festival   

Sikhs from Springfield and neighboring areas of Dayton, Cincinnati by participated in the annual Ohio Cultural Festival held at the City Hall Plaza. Hundreds of visitors sat down all day at the Sikh booth to experience having a turban on their head. Sameep Singh Gumtala, a resident of Dayton, added that “It is important for our community to participate in such events to meet other people, learn about their culture and also tell them about our culture, Sikhs and its identity, especially about the Turban.”

Local religious community prepares for 9th annual Faith Fest 

20 Owensboro area faith communities and the Owensboro-Daviess County Ministerial Association will host the ninth annual Faith Fest throughout November. During the fest, Nonviolent Owensboro will sponsor the showing of two documentary films — “The Imam and the Pastor” and “Divided We Fall.” “Divided We Fall” depicts religious intolerance in the U.S. following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Violence in the Sikh community caused the death of Balbir Singh, a gas station owner in Mesa, Arizona. The 90-minute film tells the story of hate crimes and forgiveness through the eyes of Sikh Americans.

‘Sikhs have been forgotten in the hate-crime debate’

Hardeep Singh, deputy director of the Network of Sikh Organisations, says that the recent hate crimes against Sikhs are overlooked parts of the hate-crime discussion. He sat down with spiked to talk about Racialisation, Islamophobia and Mistaken Identity: The Sikh Experience, a new book he has co-authored with Jagbir Jhutti-Johal. In the interview, Singh added “I had that firsthand experience of suffering a backlash, such as people mocking you, calling you ‘bin Laden’. I remember after the Boston bombings I was just walking in town wearing my rucksack, and three guys turned round and said ‘Don’t press the button!’.” After researching the post 9/11 environment, Singh found that in America it was far worse for Sikhs as there were revenge attacks where people were murdered. 

SALDEF staff and volunteers have been traveling across the country for events highlighting the Sikh community, encouraging civic engagement and educating the community on their rights.

SALDEF attends the Department of Homeland Security Faith-Based Community Safety and Security Symposium
September 25, 2019
Washington DC – SALDEF participated in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Faith-Based Community Safety and Security Symposium at the White House in Washington, DC. SALDEF Executive Director participated on a panel  titled “Community Case Studies – Lesson Learned”. She discussed the Oak Creek Wisconsin massacre and how, subsequent to the attack, the Sikh community actively engaged with local law enforcement, other religious communities, and local government to promote understanding and keep the community safe. She also discussed the community engagement post 9/11 from sangats in New Jersey and their engagement with law enforcement and state agencies.

SALDEF is part of the DHS subcommittee looking at safety and security issues for faith-based institutions. The subcommittee is traveling across the US to sites of hate crimes at houses of worship to gather information and get firsthand accounts from survivors. 

SALDEF Speaks at the “Power up Conference”
When they’re not at the table: solidarity with Muslims and Sikhs in a post 9/11 era
September 22, 2019 
Arlington, VA –  SALDEF’s Executive Director Kiran Kaur Gill spoke at the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum’s (NAPAWF) “Power Up Conference.” The purpose of the conference is to build a movement for social, political, and structural change for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) women and girls. At the event,  Kiran gave a brief overview of Sikhism and discussed historic events in the last century that affected the Sikh community. These events included the partition of Punjab in 1947 and Operation Blue Star in 1984. She also discussed Sikh immigration to the United States starting in the late 1800’s  and the Sikh American experience post 9/11. 

Kiran spoke along with Suraiya Sharker and Shivani Parikh, both organizers with NAPAWF.

SALDEF Conducts Law Enforcement Training in Arlington, VA
September 16, 2019
Arlington VA – SALDEF conducted a Law Enforcement Training for 21 police officers and firefighters in Arlington, VA. The training was part of SALDEF’s Law Enforcement Partnership (LEPP) program that was designed to increase awareness among our law enforcement partners about who Sikhs are, the religious mandate we honor and to open doors to service. Since its inception in 1999, our award-winning program has trained thousands of members of local, state, and federal law enforcement nationwide. We are pleased to include Arlington County Police Department to our list of participants. 

SALDEF has conducted twelve LEPP trainings this year and plans to do a few more! 

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. 

Nestle accused of discrimination by Sikh truck driver in Australia after he was allegedly denied entry for not wearing hard hat 

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.”

Smithsonian’s Asian Cultural History Program to Publish New Translation of the Japji by Rupinder S. Brar on Guru Nanak’s 550th Birth Anniversary 

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. 

This week’s 2019 SikhLEAD Summer Internship Spotlight features Luchana Kaur Sagoo! Luchana interned at Senator Jeff Merkley’s Office!

Here is what she had to say about her SikhLEAD Experience:

My name is Luchana Sagoo, I am from Portland, Oregon, and I go to Reed College.

What advice would you give to future SikhLEAD interns?

Come with no expectations and be ready to dive headfirst into all of the planning we have to do (for Langar on the Hill). Make sure that you are ready to have fun and make lifelong friends. 

How would you describe Langar on the Hill and the Networking Reception to future SikhLEAD interns?

Langar on the Hill was an amazing experience for me and I think that it made a big difference in the Washington DC community. I think our event in particular turned out really wonderful, especially our service component, DC Books to Prisons. The Networking Reception was also great, it was a more intimate setting and I appreciated it being different from Langar on the Hill.  

What was the highlight of your internship in Senator Jeff Merkley’s office?

Definitely Shadow Day, where I got to spend the entire day with the Senator and followed him around to all of his daily tasks. 

Click Here to Watch

Donate now by clicking here – and ensure Sikh American youths like Luchana Kaur Sagoo get the chance to become our next generation of leaders and change-makers.

As the reality starts to set in we see the impact the loss of Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal had on the Sikh American community, the Houston community, and the Nation. Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal was a father, an officer, an immigrant, and a trailblazer. He was the epitome of what makes a “Great American.” His family came here with a dream of making a better life for their children and Sandeep excelled in every way. He was beloved by his family, colleagues, friends and all who had the honor of having him touch their lives. 

This past week we saw an outpouring of love from people nationwide including former Vice President Joe Biden, Attorney General Gurbir Singh Grewal, Senator Ted Cruz and many more. It is in these times that we are reminded that we are all brothers and sisters regardless of race or religion. 

Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal was a trailblazer in our community, not only because he paved the way for religious accommodations but because he used each day as an opportunity to teach people who Sikhs are and what they stand for. He did this through service, kindness, and honor. 

SALDEF Regional Director Bobby Singh has worked closely with Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal since 2015 and he remembers him, “You can’t escape the look (referring to the Turban). So with that, I thought he took it upon himself to make sure that he treated every person with respect. Every person with a smile, everybody with a welcoming demeanor, he attracted people, I would use the word magnet. You know when you run into somebody and you want to have a conversation with them. It was the way he carried himself, his personality, his demeanor, and nature was the way he served as a law enforcement officer”

Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal will be missed by his family, friends, and all the lives he touched through his service. Sandeep will forever be a role model for all the young Sikhs that he paved the way for in law enforcement. all immigrant families that come to the United States with a hope and dream, and by the nation who lost one of the most exemplary law enforcement officers. 

SALDEF in the News

Sandeep Dhaliwal, Sikh Sheriff’s Deputy, Is Fatally Shot Near Houston

Sandeep Dhaliwal was shot and killed Friday afternoon in the Houston suburbs during a routine traffic stop. Robert Solis has been charged with the capital murder of Dhaliwal, the sheriff’s office announced Friday. He was the first observant Sikh to become a sheriff’s deputy in Harris County, where Houston is located. The mayor of Houston, Sylvester Turner, called Deputy Dhaliwal “a bold and groundbreaking law enforcement officer in the eyes of our county, our state, our nation.” The mayor added that “The story of him putting the Sikh imperative of ‘seva’ — selfless service — on display as a peacekeeper went worldwide.”Dhaliwal was a married father of three and a 10-year veteran of the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.

Click here for the Gofundme to support Deputy Dhaliwal’s family

Recent News

Thousands say final farewell to slain Deputy Sandeep Dhaliwal

Thousands of people turned out to pay their respects at a final farewell to Sandeep Dhaliwal  at the Berry Center in Cypress. Dhaliwal was described as “a trailblazer” for being the first Sikh deputy in his agency. New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal, the nation’s first Sikh state’s attorney general, said Dhaliwal “inspired an entire generation of Sikhs to public service.”

Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher Introduces Resolution To Honor Lt. Sandeep Dhaliwal

Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher introduced a bipartisan House Resolution to honor Harris County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal. The congresswoman added that “This resolution seeks to celebrate his life and recognize his contribution to the police force both as an outstanding officer and role model for Houstonians and Sikhs alike.” Out of 15,4000 law enforcement agencies, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office is one of 25 agencies that have permitted Sikhs to wear their religious articles of faith. 

New hotline resource for local Sikh community 

The Kern County District Attorney’s Office and the Sikh’s Women’s Association partnered together to launch a resource hotline to help the Punjabi community in need. The association felt the need for the hotline after the Sikh community was rocked by two homicides this year, one involving the drowning of a newborn and the other, the shooting and killing of a woman.

10 Undeniable Facts About Mass Shootings in America 

According to a recent article in the New York Times, there have been 26 mass shootings in summer 2019 alone, leaving 126 people dead. The article includes statistics and demographics about the mass shootings that have happened in recent history. In example, Young Americans are more likely to die by gun violence than in other countries and the majority of mass shootings happen in workplaces and schools.

SEE IT: Canadian Sikh politician Jagmeet Singh urged to cut off his turban to fit in

On Wednesday, Jagmeet Singh, a Sikh and leader of the New Democratic Party, defused a likely damaging campaign encounter involving a potential voter with humor. Singh was approached during a public meet-and-greet in Montreal’s Atwater Market, by a man saying “You should cut your turban off and you’ll look like a Canadian.” Singh immediately replied, “I think Canadians look like all sorts of people. That’s the beauty of Canada.”

New York: Thousands rally for human rights in Kashmir 

On Friday, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a lawyer in New York, stood outside the United Nations alongside thousands of protesters to rally for human rights in Kashmir as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered his speech at the world body’s General Assembly (UNGA). Pannun, along with others in the Sikh community, argues the violence against them in 1984 by the Indian forces mirror the current crisis in Indian-administered Kashmir where a lockdown has been in place for almost two months following the Indian government’s decision to scrap a constitutional provision that gave special rights and a degree of autonomy to the Muslim-majority state. 

U.S. Government Plans to Collect DNA From Detained Immigrants

Senior officials at the Department of Homeland Security said that the Justice Department was developing a federal regulation that would give immigration officers the authority to collect DNA in detention facilities across the country that are currently holding more than 40,000 people. The article also adds that in supplying the F.B.I. and other law enforcement with the DNA of immigration detainees, federal authorities are jumping into an ethical debate about the use of DNA in criminal investigations. While such sampling has been crucial in securing thousands of prosecutions over the past several decades, it has also generated controversy because of the potential for abuse.

Recent News

Life After Hate: A Sikh Temple member forms bond with former white supremacist

During The Central Wisconsin Book Festival, this Monday’s lecture was called ‘Life After Hate.’ The lecture featured Pardeep Singh Kaleka, whose father was one of six people killed in the Sikh temple shooting in August 2012. The panel also featured Arno Michaeli, the founder of a white supremacist group the Sikh temple shooter belonged to. Michaelis and Kaleka created ‘Serve2Unite’ to help young people move away from extremist ideologies and gun violence.

Bill named for two hate crime victims pushes for hate crime hotlines, more police training 

Powerful forces on Capitol Hill and powerful voices for victims of hate crimes gathered Wednesday afternoon outside the US Senate to push for passage of the Jabara-Heyer No Hate Act. This act aims to target the grossly under-reporting of hate crimes. Both of the families of the victims the bill is named for, told reporters that they remain outraged that while each of their cases was prosecuted as a hate crime neither was reported in the federal database as such. 

Sikh community has a demand, ‘let’s rename our Delhi airport’ 

The Sikhs of America organization requested the Prime Minister Modi to focus on the issues of 1984 Sikh genocide, in which thousands of Sikhs were killed across the country after the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. They demanded that the name of Delhi Airport should be changed from Indira Gandhi International Airport to Guru Nanak Dev International Airport. As well as, requested the prime minister to address the issues of Article 25 of Indian Constitution and Anand Marriage Act, Visa and Passport renewal of asylees.

Sukhjit Kaur Khalsa’s Fully Sikh Theatre Debut In Perth     

As a human rights reformer, Sukhjit Kaur Khalsa strives to push for visibility and diversity in the performing arts sector through drawing on her unique experience growing up in a Sikh household. This October/November Sukhjit is preparing to take to the stage with her fleshed-out theatre debut ‘Fully Sikh’, a full-scale 75-minute theatre production, complete with an original score, props and set. The themes of her show include “growing up, racism, being a third culture kid and not really knowing what world to choose.