Forum designed to create proactive dialogue between government officials and Sikh American community Washington, DC, November 19, 2008 – The Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF) and the Sikh Society of Florida together have organized a Know Your Rights Forum for the Sikh American community of South Florida on Sunday, November 23, 2008. The following agencies will provide community members with critical information about combating employment discrimination, hate crimes, and school bullying: Nitza Wright – Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; Mildred Duprey de Robles – U.S. Department of Justice; Marcos Regalado – Miami-Dade County Equal Opportunity Board; and, Randall Mullings – Broward County Public Schools. An invitation was extended to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to discuss the recruitment of Sikh Americans into the local police force. DATE: Sunday, November 23, 2008 TIME: 1:30 p – 2:30 p LOCATION: Sikh Society of Florida (16000 SW 60th Street, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33331) The Sikh American community must continue to build bridges of understanding with government agencies to ensure that we educate ourselves about our rights, educate our public servants about the Sikh religion, and bring Sikh Americans into the mainstream. This forum falls just one week after a highly successful event held in Indiana, where Sikh Americans have felt especially vulnerable to employment discrimination. For the past three years, SALDEF has organized over a dozen KYR Forums throughout the United States, including New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Texas, Ohio, Maryland, Virginia, California, and Indiana. SALDEF urges all members of the Sikh American community to encourage their local sangat to host a SALDEF Know Rights Forum to make sure they understand their rights and build relationships with government leaders in their area. SALDEF would like to thank the management and community leaders of the Sikh Society of Florida, as well as the participating government agencies, for supporting and sponsoring this event. For additional information about this event, please contact Rajdeep Singh Jolly at legal@saldef.org or via phone at (202) 393-2700 Ext 131. PLEASE distribute this to your family, friends and at the local Gurdwara.
