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.”