Julianne Hing, at The Atlantic, reflects on her own feelings about being an Asian American after seeing a black-and-white photo of Sikhs from 1945:

Knowing that I have a history that is much bigger than my own small life makes me feel like I have the right to be in this country, and an obligation to defend my community and other people society would be more comfortable labeling perpetual unwelcome outsiders.

View a higher resolution of this photo here.  Similarly intriguing historical and vintage photos of Sikhs in America can be seen at sikhpioneers.org.