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!