SALDEF Regional Offices Spearhead Education Activities Washington, DC – October 17, 2008: Over the past several months, regional offices of the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF), the nation’s oldest Sikh American civil rights and advocacy organization, have been organizing and spearheading efforts to educate non-Sikhs about Sikhism and to inform Sikhs about their rights in the United States. To continue and expand these efforts, we need your support TODAY! Your monthly donation will go a long way in ensuring the work to educate our neighbors, elected officials and community members keeps going strong. Camp Gian 2008 California: Los Angeles – SALDEF Western Regional Director Kavneet Singh and volunteer JaspreetSingh Sethi presented SALDEF’s bullying awareness presentation to roughly 80 Sikh children at the 10th Annual Camp Gian. The two 55-minute, interactive sessions engaged campers and encouraged them to remain confident in themselves while reaching out to parents and teachers for help. By understanding past incidents of school harassment, the children learned to recognize bullying, understood its origins, and identified appropriate action to take when bullying occurs. Rajdeep at Panel on Towelhead Hollywood – After SALDEF’s engagement with Warner Bros regarding the film ‘Towelhead,’ we have been moving swiftly to develop long-term relationships with producers, directors, actors, and studio executives to increase the number of Sikh Americans in the film industry. San Jose Gurdwara San Jose Just last week, SALDEF and the San Jose Gurdwara assisted in the rehabilitation of four youth assailants after multiple vandal attacks against a Sikh American family. Massachusetts: Boston – After continued engagement with local law enforcement across the state, SALDEF Regional Director Navjeet Singh convinced the Massachusetts State Police to issue the first-of-its-kind online training module to educate all 3,000 officers on Sikhism across the State. This follows another achievement when Navjeet and six volunteers, completed a year long campaign training all 3,000 officers Boston Police Department officers on Sikhism. Texas: Houston – For the past few years, SALDEF Regional Director Bobby Singh has been conducting quarterly Sikhism presentations for 40-50 new cadets at the Houston Police Department. New Jersey: SALDEF Regional Director Savraj Singh Dhanjal recently completed a bullying and harassment presentation for over 50 Sikh youths in New Jersey. The presentation (watch the abbreviated version) is designed to inform youth on what to do when faced with a bully and to increase their confidence. Oregon: SALDEF Regional Director Sat Hanuman Singh Khalsa has been spearheading ground-breaking training activities within TSA, local law enforcement, state police, and local legal experts on Sikhism and the challenge of Sikh Americans. His efforts have led government officials and schools to dramatically increase their desire to learn more about the community. With all of our national engagement and education efforts, the aforementioned local efforts are critical to the success of the Sikh American community. We must understand and reach our fellow Americans on the street in order to make a change in how Sikhs are perceived and treated. However, to continue our ground breaking efforts, we need your support TODAY! A monthly donation of just $25, $50 or $100 will help expand our education efforts to businesses, reach more schools and Gurdwaras, and train the next generation of Sikh youth leaders to engage their communities. To learn more about our Education Activities, please contact SALDEF at education@saldef.org Please distribute this widely to family, friends and at the local Gurdwara
Education Efforts Span the United States
Department of Justice Adds SALDEF Sikh Cultural Awareness Training to Community Relations Service (CRS) Website
SALDEF has played a leading role in improving the understanding of Sikh American religious and cultural practices among law enforcement and government agencies nationwide.
In partnership with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), SALDEF developed On Common Ground: Sikh American Cultural Competency Training for Law Enforcement, a training video designed to reduce bias, prevent misunderstandings, and strengthen relationships between Sikh communities and public institutions.
Launched: January 2007
Reach: Viewed by more than 65,000 law enforcement officials in the United States
Adoption: Used by all TSA screeners at U.S. airports
Global Impact: Requested by law enforcement agencies in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, India, and Brazil
Federal Recognition: Hosted by the DOJ’s Community Relations Service (CRS)
This work builds on SALDEF’s broader Educational Outreach efforts with federal agencies, including:
- DOJ Collaboration (2004): Common Sikh American Head Coverings — a poster educating local, state, and federal officials on Sikh articles of faith, including the dastaar (turban), and best practices for respectful engagement.
- DHS Collaboration (2006): Sikh Americans and the Kirpan — guidance developed with the Department of Homeland Security to promote awareness and ensure appropriate interactions between Sikh Americans and federal law enforcement.
Director of DOJ-CRS, Ondray T Harris remarked, “On Common Ground serves as a valuable tool in educating law enforcement officials, airport personnel, and various communities across the United States on the cultural and religious practices associated with Sikhism. Awareness of cultural and religious observations can help avoid misunderstanding and tension. Towards this goal, On Common Ground can assist the public in understanding the challenges and realizing the contributions of the Sikh community in the United States. Former CRS Director Sharee Freeman, the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF), and other local, state, and federal agencies are to be commended for their extraordinary efforts in making On Common Ground possible.”
Together, these initiatives demonstrate SALDEF’s long-standing commitment to proactive education, institutional accountability, and protecting the civil rights and dignity of Sikh Americans through partnership and policy-informed outreach.
Washington, DC— A poster explaining Sikh head-coverings was recently produced in partnership with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF). The poster is entitled Common Sikh American Head Coverings and provides a brief introduction to the Sikh religion and protocol to follow security screening by law enforcement officials. “[The posters] represent the Department of Justice’s continued efforts to educate government officials about the practices and beliefs of vulnerable minorities,” wrote Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, R. Alexander Acosta, in a letter to SALDEF. “Not only does this lead to greater understanding, but it also helps our officers do their jobs better. Thank you for your assistance in developing these posters and bringing this project to fruition.” The full-color, glossy posters are 24 inches long and 18 inches wide. They were produced following SALDEF’s regular participation in meetings with Assistant Attorney General Acosta’s working group about post-9/11 issues. The DOJ has produced 10,000 copies of the posters, which will be distributed to local, state and federal law enforcement officials. “We are extremely pleased that the DOJ not only took the initiative to produce these posters but will be distributing them to law enforcement officials across the country,” said SALDEF National Director Preetmohan Singh. “Our Law Enforcement Partnership Program has trained thousands of first-responders and this will reinforce information for some and provide a straight-forward introduction for others.” To view a copy of the poster, please click here.
The U.S. State Department recently invited SMART President Manjit Singh to address participants of their International Visitor Program. The program entitled, “Managing Diversity in a Multi-Ethnic Society,” was designed to expose participants to the contributions and challenges of immigrants in the U.S. by examining policies on immigration, refugees and citizenship, and America’s cultural diversity. This year, several government officials, academics, and journalists from Europe were invited to tour the United States. Mr. Singh spoke about SMART’s efforts in the areas of protecting civil rights, encouraging political involvement, and participating in legislative efforts affecting the Sikh American Community. He was joined by panelists from the Arab American Institute (AAI) and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), who also discussed political empowerment of minorities. The International Visitor Program is administered by the State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The emphasis of the program is to increase mutual understanding through communication at the personal and professional levels. Participants are established or potential foreign leaders in government, politics, media, education, science, labor relations, and other key fields. Over the years, hundreds of former participants under the International Visitor Program have risen to important positions in their countries. Among the alumni are over 160 current and former chiefs of state or heads of government and more than 600 are cabinet-level ministers.
On June 6th, SMART’s Western Regional Director delivered its Sikhism 101: An Introduction to Sikh Beliefs and Culture presentation to members of the Our Brother Congregational Church in Fremont, CA. Members of the congregation attended the presentation which was followed by over one hour of questions and discussion. Tentative plans were also made to take the congregants to a local Gurdwara to show a standard Sikh divaan (congregation). If you, or someone you now would like to conduct a similar presentation in your neighborhood, please contact SMART.
Before the end of the school year, SMART’s National Director Preetmohan Singh addressed the Sikh Studies class at Stanford University in Palo Alto, CA. Organizers of the class, which consists of Sikh and non-Sikh students and as well as community members, invited Mr. Singh to provide an overview of the Sikh faith and discuss current issues within the Sikh Diaspora. SMART also held workshops with college students at the East Coast Asian American Students Union (ECAASU) annual conference at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, VA. The workshops included information on critical issues facing the Asian American community, including hate crimes legislation, racial profiling, and immigration. If you would like to host a similar event on your college campus, please email SMART at info@sikhmediwatch.org.
SMART Representative Tejinder Singh recently conducted the Sikhism 101: An Introduction to Sikh Culture, Practices and Beliefs for a dozen members of the Tri City Ministerial Association at its monthly meeting in Fremont, CA. The TCMA is a group of ministers casino online real money and religious leaders in the San Francisco Bay Area that work together to carry out interfaith events and support each other”s religious centers. SMART also talked with the TCMA members about possible in-house workshops at their respective houses of worship.
The Applied Research Center recently released the report of their third “The Public’s Truth” event held in Santa Clara, CA. SMART co-sponsored and presented at the event, which was a forum for community members of different races, colors and religions to communicate with legislators and civic officials about the ill-effects they have endured since 9/11. Speakers at the event shared their personal experiences of direct harassment and discrimination they faced from law enforcement, airport security, workplace supervisors and immigration officials. SMART’s representative, who is featured in the report, discussed the Sikh community’s response to hate crimes. The Applied Research Center is a public policy, educational and research institute whose work emphasizes issues of race and social change. The report is titled “Stories of Racial Profiling & The Attack on Civil Liberties.”
Students at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine recently invited SMART to present about the prevalence of hate crimes and strategies to prevent these incidents. National Director Preetmohan Singh addressed the issue of post-9/11 hate crimes targeting those were who are or appeared to be from the Middle East.
The National Council of Jewish Women recently invited SMART to speak at its annual Washington Institute. SMART’s National Director, Preetmohan Singh, addressed conference attendees about effectively lobbying members of Congress to pass pending federal legislation designed to combat hate crimes. Mr. Singh was joined by Michael Lieberman, Washington Counsel for the Anti-Defamation League and Julie Fernandes, Senior Policy Analyst for the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights. Mr. Singh also represented SMART at the Mid-Atlantic Asian Pacific American Law Students Association (APALSA) conference at the University of Pennsylvania. He addressed the audience about pre- and post-9/11 racial profiling and SMART’s efforts within a broad civil rights coalition to pass the End Racial Profiling Act of 2004. Other presenters included Thomas Joo, a law professor at the University of California, Davis; Alberta Lee, a law student and daughter of Wen Ho Lee; and Jan Ting, a law professor at Temple University.