- SALDEF Executive Director Participates in National Panel on Race and Religion
- California School Administrators and Principals Learn About Sikh Identity
- SALDEF Presents to International Delegation
- SALDEF Continues to Support Florida Shooting Victim; Community Urged to Donate
- SALDEF Participates at UC Berkeley Interfaith Conference
- SALDEF Executive Director Speaks at South Asian Summit
- SALDEF provides Invocation Prayer at National Civil Rights Gala
- TAKE ACTION: Ask Your Congressmen to Support the Safe Schools Improvement Act
- Upcoming Events
On April 22, Executive Director, Jasjit Singh, participated in the Aspen Institute’s Symposium on the State of Race in America. Jasjit participated on a panel titled The Impact of Faith-based Communities on Race Relations. The panel focused on the idea that religious institutions have played an important role in race issues since the 1960’s and religious leaders today are taking platforms on issues like immigration and inequality. How citizens view their faith and are practicing it continues to serve as a catalyst for the major changes that are happening in society. The panel addressed the question of what type of involvement should religious institutions have in advancing the cause for improved race relations. To watch this panel click here.
On April 30th, SALDEF Western Regional Director, Bhupinder Kaur, conducted a presentation to the Jurupa County School Board including the school board superintendent and approximately 65 principals and administrators of all the schools in the district. This presentation follows a successful partnership with the Jurupa County School Board in which they made a policy change allowing Sikh Students to wear their kirpans to school. This policy revision is the result of many months of advocacy, partnership and engagement with the Jurupa School District to first explain the significance of the kirpan, ensure that safety would be paramount, and to finally develop an accommodation policy.
Executive Director, Jasjit Singh, met with Mr. Kanwaljit Singh and his family in Port Orange, Florida. Mr. Kanwaljit Singh was shot and injured in a drive-by shooting on February 23, 2013. Jasjit also met with the Port Orange Chief of Police to get information regarding the investigation. The Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and local law enforcement continue to investigate the incident and have released information about the missing suspect truck: S-10 or GMC Sonoma-style truck, single-cab, dark blue or black truck with a license plate and Ford decal or emblem on the right rear bumper. Since the purported hate crime attack, Mr. Kanwaljit Singh and his family, including his wife and two children, have suffered from significant financial problems, due to Mr. Singh’s medical condition, he is unable to return to work at his convenience store.
The Safe School Improvement Act (SSIA) was re-introduced into the House (H.R. 1199) and Senate (S.403) earlier this year. Send a message to your Congressmen urging them to co-sponsor this historic piece of legislation or thanking them if they have already expressed support. This landmark legislation aims to require schools to implement comprehensive anti-bullying policies that address bullying and harassment and ensure the safety and well-being of all students. No such federal law or policy exists that requires schools to adopt policies to address bullying and harassment. Existing state laws vary greatly in their reach and effectiveness. The SSIA would also require that states report data on bullying and harassment to the Department of Education.Click here to ask your congressmen to support this important bill. 
SALDEF Presents to International Delegation SALDEF was invited to participate in a panel titled, Giving a Public Voice to Immigrant and Minority Communities in the U.S., for a delegation of State Department-sponsored International Visitors from Germany and Austria on April 10. The visitors included the Integration Commissioner for the Islamic Religious Authority in Austria, the political editor of the Berlin daily Der Tagesspiegel, and the chairman of the Christian Democratic Union chapter in Hannover-Linden. SALDEF Legal and Legislative Affairs Associate, Amrita Singh, educated the international audience on challenges facing Sikh Americans and the work SALDEF does to address such challenges. SALDEF was joined on the panel by representatives from the Organization of Chinese Americans and the Muslim Public Affairs Council. 
On April 12th, SALDEF Board Member Kavneet Singh participated on a panel at the University of California Berkeley Interfaith Conference. The event was co-hosted by the Sikh Student Association, Hindu Student Council, and Muslim Student Association to educate students about South Asian religious minorities on campus, the similar issues we all face, and possible ways to address these issues. Mr. Singh was joined on the panel by representatives from the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the Hindu America Foundation (HAF). Engaging with the roughly two-dozen attendees, Mr. Singh spoke on the current social and political climate faced by Sikh Americans, how race and religion intersect with each other, how the attacks of 9/11 changed the concept of what it means to be American, and how SALDEF and the community are addressing current challenges. SALDEF would like to thank the UCB SSA for asking us to participate and represent the Sikh American voice on the panel and all the organizers of this great campus wide initiative.
Executive Director, Jasjit Singh, was invited to participate in a panel at the South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT) South Asian Summit. The panel, titled, Law Enforcement in the Community: Exploring Multiple Strategies for Engagement, focused on how South Asian communities have had a complicated relationship with law enforcement, particularly in the aftermath of September 11th. For example, some law enforcement agencies base their policing efforts on stereotypes of the community while others seek to become more culturally competent when engaging with South Asians. The panel explored multiple strategies used by the South Asian community with law enforcement, including education and training, advocacy, and organizing. Fellow panelists included representatives from Desis Rising Up & Moving (DRUM), the Safe Nation Collaborative, and Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).
On April 30, Executive Director, Jasjit Singh, provided the opening interfaith invocation at the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) 100th anniversary Gala. Jasjit read an excerpt from the Guru Granth Sahib offering a prayer for the welfare of humanity to the over 1,500 guests in attendance.