What Can You Do? Resources for Sikh Americans In recent weeks we have seen an increase in the number of hate incidents against members of the Sikh, Muslim, Arab and South Asian communities. In the last week in California alone, a Gurdwara was vandalized in Buena Park, an elderly Sikh was assaulted in a potential hate crime in Bakersfield and Sikhs attending a football game in San Diego were harassed. Fortunately, there has been a chorus of Sikh voices speaking up in these difficult times, most recently on Melissa Harris-Perry and in Time. Additionally, MSNBC’s Richard Lui aptly quoted SALDEF data from Turban Myths on his show, Up. SALDEF encourages Sikh Americans to continue to speak out against hate towards any American. As SALDEF Speaker’s Bureau member Darsh Preet Singh recently told Lui on air, “Silence in the face of prejudice is an act of hate. We have to combat [hate]. Those who are truly faithful and those who truly care about each other as Americans have to step up and say, ‘If I believe in love, if I believe in compassion I have to live into it. I have to take my thoughts and move it into love and move it into action and that is what we can do together to build a more resilient community.” During these times, SALDEF would like to remind you of the following:
- If you feel you have been the target of a hate incident, contact your local law enforcement and report the incident to SALDEF.
- If you are contacted by media, please contact media@saldef.org.
- The Department of Homeland Security has provided an important resources on how to keep your Gurdwara safe.
- Use SALDEF resources to raise awareness in your local community