Job Openings! Working for a Professional Sikh Organization
For a long time, it was a distant dream that the Sikh community would create institutional power in the form of Sikh organizations. Having been in America for over 100 years now, we finally are in a place where professional organizations exist in parallel to our Gurdwaras. Now, young Sikhs graduating...
Holding Members of Congress Accountable on Sikh Issues
Posted by Sundari in General, Human Rights, North America, Politics, USA on 03 12th, 2014 | 18 Comments
Yesterday, the Washington Post reported that a bipartisan group of 105 Members of Congress sent a letter urging the Department of Defense to end a presumptive ban on devout Sikhs who want to serve in the U.S. Armed Forces. Â Over the past several years, civil rights group, The Sikh Coalition, has been...
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...
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...
Sikhs challenging racial profiling
Photo courtesy of the Sikh Coalition
My Facebook news feed and email inbox have been buzzing with discussion and calls to action to challenge racial profiling and, in particular, the NYPD’s infamous “stop and frisk” policy. I was happy to receive multiple emails today on the issue...
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,...
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...
Workplace Religious Freedom for Sikhs and Other Religious Minorities
Credit: Karaminder Ghuman, Courtesy: The Sikh Coalition
The Sikh community is leading the way to strengthen law that will protect Sikhs and other religious minorities from job discrimination in the workplace. AB1964 – or the Workplace Religious Freedom Act (WRFA) – has been introduced by...
A taste of Inquilab via hip hop and poetry (part 1)
As Sundari blogged about a few days ago, we just had an exciting weekend of Sikh youth art and activism in the NY/NJ area. I was lucky enough to sit in on the Sikh Coalition’s “Inquilab: Raising Our Voices” hip hop workshop for a few hours on Saturday and then ride the bus to New...
Article of Faith: A Portrait of a Sikh-American Activist
When I met Sonny, I felt that his story demanded to be told. I was moved by his willingness to share difficult stories about how racism, xenophobia, and islamophobia impact him in a very daily and intimate ways. But more importantly, I was inspired by how he had turned this hardship into a motivation...
Why September 11 Didn’t Matter – part 1
Posted by Jodha in History on 09 13th, 2011 | 48 Comments
I waited a few days. The title may be sacrilegious, but bear with me and let me explain.
Undoubtedly, for the lives lost in the World Trade Center, for victims such as Balbir Singh Sodhi, for the innocents and “collateral damage” dehumanized and murdered in the hundreds of thousands (and rising)...
Amplifying the Unheard Voices of 9/11
Posted by Brooklynwala in Human Rights, Media, USA on 09 8th, 2011 | Comments Off on Amplifying the Unheard Voices of 9/11
Today, I want to highlight an important initiative that amplifies the unheard, and often undocumented, stories of post-9/11 bigotry, harassment, and discrimination. Launched last week by the Sikh Coalition and co-sponsored by a host of organizations including the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee,...
Good PR
Many years ago, I attended a demonstration where thousands of Sikhs gathered in the city. Onlookers were curious as to who we were and why we had gathered. As I was handing out information pamphlets, a passerby approached me, took one of the pamphlets, quickly looked it over and in a thick British...
Fauji Singhs
Posted by Jodha in USA on 03 31st, 2010 | 27 Comments
Last week, many in US Sikhdom celebrated the triumphs of Captain Tejdeep Singh Rattan and Dr. Kamaljeet Singh Kalsi. For why you may ask? See previous coverage.
The NY Times Printed this short brief:
Capt. Tejdeep Singh Rattan, in a turban and full beard, graduated Monday at Fort Sam Houston in San...
North American Sikh Medical and Dental Association (NASMDA)
Guestblogged by Mewa Singh
This past weekend the North American Sikh Medical and Dental Association (NASMDA) held their 17th annual conference in San Diego, CA. The organization’s website provides a brief description:
Started in the summer of 1992 at Poncos, Pennsylvania, NASMDA has grown to an organization...
Civic Engagement And Sikh Community Leadership
We are seeing how political power is harnessed and used by the Sikh community as we engage in more civic engagement projects initiated by our own Sikh institutions. Civic engagement is not new to our community per se. The first Asian congressman was a Sikh-Dalip Singh Saund. As a child I remember local...
Sikh activists in the making, inspire
Early last week, a remarkable thing happened. Sikh children took to NYC streets again- some in strollers- and they were heard.
Last fall, the New York Department of Education passed a regulation in response to disturbing findings about the bullying that Sikh children face in schools. The regulation...
