Stockton Gurdwara Centennial Celebration Grande Finale on October 13-14, 2012 (source: Stockton Gurdwara Centennial Celebration)

WHEREAS, The faithful service of the Sikh American community to this state and country merits appreciation as an integral thread in the fabric of American plurality; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly thereof concurring, That the Legislature recognizes October 13, 2012, as the 100-year anniversary of the Sikh American community, and calls upon the people of California to commemorate the day with appropriate celebrations;

— excerpt from the State of California Proclamation on the “One-hundred-year anniversary of the Sikh American community” (SCR 104).

The centennial celebration for what is considered the oldest Gurdwara in the United States concludes this weekend in Stockton, California:

Celebratory finale

Saturday

• 6 p.m.: A state resolution honoring 100 years of the Sikh community in California will be read inside Stockton Gurdwara, 1930 S. Grant St. Dignitaries from various levels of government will be present. The official program will be followed by a time of prayer and music.

Sunday

• 11 a.m.: Sikh Centennial Parade, starts at the temple on Grant Street and winds through south Stockton and downtown.

The Proclamation itself is an interesting read, as it outlines many key events in the history of Sikhs in the United States.  In terms of legislation, with the signing of the Workplace Religious Freedom Act and the History-Social Sciences Framework in September, and with November having again been designated as Sikh American Awareness and Appreciation Month in California, it has been a good year for California’s Sikhs, made more so in light of the Wisconsin tragedy.