From Stockton to Oak Creek and back to Stockton – Sept 22, 2012

The history of the Sikhs in the United States is known well in specific circles.  Bhagat Singh Thind’s famous failed case for legal recognition by the US Supreme Court, iconic images of Stockton Gurdwara, traces of the Punjabi-Mexican experience, memories of the Ghadari Babas are generally remembered in this context.  However, this is merely the tip of the iceberg.

A fascinating tale that is rarely discussed is that of Pahkar Singh.  In our new post 9/11 fad to ad nauseam repeat that we are a “peaceful religion,” we tend to dismiss those heroic Sikhs that also faced racial discrimination in their own way.  In the case of Pahkar Singh, the young Punjabi Sikh farmer living in the Imperial Valley (East of San Diego) in 1925.  After being robbed of his crops and cheated by whites that took advantages of the racist laws in the land, Pahkar Singh picked up his gun and gandasa and killed two of them.  He only stopped from killing a third, when the man’s 8 month pregnant wife, literally stood in the face of the barrel to protect her husband.  At that point, Pahkar Singh turned himself in.  At his defense, along with other Punjabi farmers, many even white small farmers came to sympathize with Pahkar Singh.  He spent 15 years in San Quentin before he was released.  It is these lesser known instances of the Sikh-American experience that I find so much more interesting.

In this vein, a number of Sikh organizations led by Stockton Gurdwara and the Sikh Information Centre have come together to host a series of events in celebration of the Sikh-American Centennial.  Beginning on SEPTEMBER 22, , there are a series of events to commemorate, remember, and reflect on the Sikh-American focus.  YOU DO NOT WANT TO MISS IT! With the recent events at Oak Creek Gurdwara, this may be a more prescient time than ever.

Beginning next weekend (Sept 22, 2012) on the campus of University of the Pacific (UOP), there will be a conference entitled “100 Years of Sikhs in the USA (A Western Perspective).”  Dr. Bruce La Brack, a pioneer on Sikh-American studies, will lead a number of scholars in an opportunity to reflect on this history.  Other scholars include, Dr. Hugh Johnston, author of The Four Quarters of the Night: the Life Story of an Emigrant Sikh (1995), Dr. Harold Gould, author of Sikhs, Swamis, Students and Spies: The India Lobby in the United States, 1900-1946 (2006), and many more distinguished speakers.  See the list of scholars and conference agenda here.

Other events include the opening of the Sikh History Museum.  The blurb from the site reads:

The premier artifact is the hand-cranked printing press used by the revolutionary Gadar Party leaders (who also founded Stockton Gurdwara) to print The Gadar, the first Punjabi-language newspaper in the USA. Published from 1913 to 1948, this paper was instrumental in achieving India’s independence from the British Empire. A wide variety of other artifacts, displays and stories of Sikh-American history will be announced in days to come.

Along with the English-language conference, there will be a Punjabi-language conference, titled “100 Years of Sikhs in the USA (An Eastern Perspective)” and will be led by scholars such as Dr. Gurdarshan Singh Dhillon, Dr. Jasbir Mann, Dr. Gurmail Sidhu, and many others.

Finally, the series of events will come to a close on October 13-14, with a “Grand Finale Celebration” at the Stockton Gurdwara.

I’ll be in attendance and hope many others in the California Sangat and beyond come as well.  Check out the website for dates, places, times, and other information.