Raising Sikh awareness — without and within
Co-blogged by American Turban and Sundari San Quentin State Prison, California. (Image: San Quentin News.) The Sikh Coalition, a civil rights organization, was recently asked to present to a group of inmates at San Quentin State Prison in Northern California.  Organized by the Asian Prisoner Support...
Junior Sikh Coalition invites submissions for art book
The Junior Sikh Coalition is an initiative of the Sikh Coalition to help develop leaders in local communities, providing young Sikhs with experience in organizing, advocacy, diversity education and civil rights. In a new project, the Junior Sikh Coalition is harnessing the power of art in advocacy with...
An interview with Christina Antonakos-Wallace, filmmaker of with WINGS and ROOTS
Christina Antonakos-Wallace, filmmaker of with WINGS and ROOTS Christina Antonakos-Wallace is the filmmaker behind with WINGS and ROOTS, a 90-minute documentary that tells the stories of five people from different immigrant communities living in New York or Berlin, Germany, who have struggled to shape...
ANNOUNCEMENT: Study on Religious Discrimination and Race-Related Stress among North American Sikhs
University of Massachusetts – Boston Department of Counseling and School Psychology 100 Morrissey Blvd, Boston, MA 02125-3393 University of Massachusetts Boston Researcher: Dr. Kiran S. K. Arora Study: Religious Discrimination and Race-Related Stress among North American Sikhs. We are interested...
The Indian Disconnect
In a process that took three decades, Sajjan Kumar, a leader in India’s Congress Party, was recently acquitted for his well-documented involvement in the anti-Sikh pogroms during November 1984 in which thousands of Sikhs were murdered in three days in the country’s capital city. Five co-accused...
Celebrating the centenary of the Ghadar Party, in Oregon
“Indians, many of whom were Sikh, worked at the Hammond Mill before its demise in 1922. During that time period, the Indians left their mark on Astoria, participating in wrestling matches, occupying Alderbrook also known as “Hindu Alley,” and forming the Ghadar political party. Courtesy...
Atlanta, GA, Sikh family found dead in apparent murder-suicide
“The bodies of Shindiver Grover, 52, his wife Damanjit, 47, and their two sons, Sartag, 12 and Gurtej, 5, were found in their first-floor apartment in Johns Creek, Ga., at around 11:30 a.m. Monday, according to local reports.”(Source: NY Daily News. Photo credit: CBS Atlanta) Tragic news...
White Supremacy: The Unspoken Truth
Co-blogged with Nina Chanpreet Kaur (source: Daily Record and Sunday Mail) “All the talking is done and now it’s time to walk the walk / Revolution’s in the air 9mm in my hand / You can run but you can’t hide from this master plan.” (Song lyrics by Wade Michael Page’s...
CA9 candidates respond to questionnaire on Sikh American-related issues
Co-blogged by Sundari and AmericanTurban Last week, in the context of the significance of California’s 9th Congressional District to Sikh Americans, we sent the major candidates of California’s 9th Congressional District — incumbent Representative Jerry McNerney and challenger Ricky...
The Sikh Coalition Diversity Video Competition
The use of social video sites by our community has seen an upward trend. Of course, many readers of this blog will instantly recognize individuals that have emerged in the last two to three years using YouTube and other social media sites – Mandeep Sethi, Humble the Poet, JusReign, and IISuperwomanII...
Wherefore art thou, Ricky Gill?
Ricky Gill is the son of Sikh parents and is running to represent California’s 9th Congressional District (photo: Ricky Gill campaign website) I have written several times in the past about Ranjit “Ricky” Gill, the Republican Party candidate for Congress in California’s 9th Congressional...
Sikhs in the White House
Co-blogged by Sundari and American Turban Courtesy: The Sikh Coalition Likely unbeknownst to many Sikhs, last Friday marked a historic moment for America’s Sikh community. Around 7:30am on that day, about 50 people representing Sikh communities from across the country – California, Texas,...
On being a ‘mansome’ Sikh
“But, when you have a beard, a mustache, it’s like a mask. You can’t see the person’s face. It’s hidden.” As disagreeable as the words sounded, my friend’s tone was very gentle and civil. It was almost as if he was asking me the question: why bother? I was a...
Sikh Coalition hits a home run with FlyRights app
FlyRights App from the Sikh Coaltion (photo: fly-rights.org) By now, you have likely heard of the smartphone app (available for iPhone and Android devices) released by the Sikh Coalition called FlyRights, which was released yesterday (April 30), and is free of cost. The news of this app’s release...
Reflections on Sikholars: Day 2
In a previous post, I reflected on attending the Sikholars Sikh Graduate Student Conference at CSU East Bay in Hayward, California a few weeks ago. I commented on the first day’s presentations and panel discussions and now offer the same for the second day.  As before, I will refer to Jodha’s...
Reflections on Sikholars: Day 1
(photo: Twitter user @ksalag) I would like to follow up on Jodha’s recap of the third annual Sikholar’s conference that took place this past weekend at California State University, East Bay (in Hayward, California). I had attended the previous conferences in 2010 and 2011 and was happy...
Update on search for killer(s) of Surinder Singh and Gurmej Atwal
(photo: Shergill Law Firm) You may recall the murders of Elk Grove, California residents Surinder Singh and Gurmej Atwal, two senior citizens and turban-wearing Sikhs who, while on their daily walk, were shot down in a drive-by last year.  Despite last October’s Day of Action by the community...
A review of Sikh history comics from sikhcomics.com
Cover of "Guru Tegh Bahadur: The Ninth Guru of the Sikhs" (photo: sikhcomics.com) Let me first take the opportunity to thank the bloggers of TLH for welcoming me to this blog.  A few might recognize me from americanturban.com, and I’m excited about the opportunity to engage with the...