Event Marking Shift from SMART includes National Civil Rights Leaders, Awards Presentation Washington, DC— The Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF) officially launched in Washington, DC today, changing from the previous name of the Sikh Mediawatch and Resource Task Force (SMART). SALDEF, the new name of the oldest national Sikh American civil rights organization, completed the transition at an event in Washington, DC with a panel of national civil rights leaders and the inaugural presentation of two awards. “We are proud to take on the SALDEF name at such a well-attended event because it more accurately reflects our programs over the last several years,” said SALDEF Board Chair Gagandeep Kaur. “We are committed to growing and strengthening the organization to better serve the Sikh American community through all our program areas, including media relations and legislative advocacy. We will continue our efforts of coalition-building and work to ensure equality for all Americans.” The launch event in Washington included a discussion entitled “Assessing the American Promise: A Discussion with National Civil Rights Leaders.” The panel featured the director of the domestic human rights program at Amnesty International USA; the director of the civil rights policy planning center at the Anti-Defamation League (ADL); and the president of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC). The panelists discussed their work with SALDEF over the years, along with the necessity to build coalitions and legislative priorities for the next congressional session. Two awards were also inaugurated at the event, including the Bhagat Singh Thind Community Empowerment Award presented to Dr. Narinder Singh Arora. Dr. Arora is a physician from Charlottesville, VA and was recognized for his volunteer efforts with a Native American tribe in Virginia. The Dorothy Height Coalition-Building Award was presented to the Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy, author of 20 books and the Executive Director of The Interfaith Alliance. Rev. Gaddy was recognized for his leadership to promote healthy interaction between religion and government and campaign against religious litmus tests on public policy.
