June | 2013 | | Page 2

A Sikh woman with a rabab, a traditional Sikh instrument. (Photo credit: Karaminder Ghuman)

The experiences of Sikh women who wear turbans

June 14, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

The blog A Kaur’s Thoughts presents results of a survey about women who wear turbans (dastar). While it is not as common for Sikh women to wear this article of faith as it is for men, it appears that its adoption among Sikh women is growing. One chart was particularly noteworthy. On the question about whether other women in their families wear a dastar, one type of response was the most common: Interestingly, over half of the respondents (there were […]

Categories: Reports/Studies • Tags: A Kaur's Thoughts, Sikh women, turbans, Women in Sikhism

ANNOUNCEMENT: Study on Religious Discrimination and Race-Related Stress among North American Sikhs

June 13, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

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 in conducting research with Sikhs living in North America. The purpose of the study is to examine how experiences of religious discrimination and race-related stress may impact the relationships, mental health, and overall well-being of Sikhs. To gather this information, […]

Categories: Education, Reports/Studies • Tags: Boston, Dr. Kiran S. K. Arora, Massachusetts, Research, University of Massachusetts

"Bias Motivation Information" section of the FBI's Hate Crime Incident Report 1-699. (source: FBI)

Tracking anti-Sikh hate crimes is a needed first step

June 12, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Last week, to much jubilation among civil rights groups, an advisory committee to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) recommended that the FBI begin specifically recording hate crimes against Sikhs, Hindus, and Arabs (starting in 2015, as I understand), as it does for other targeted groups. It was for good reason that this announcement would be so celebrated considering the significant and lengthy effort to bring this incremental change. However, it is important to place this addition to the FBI’s […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Hate Crimes, Reports/Studies, Resources • Tags: Department of Justice, FBI, FBI Hate Crime Statistics, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Form 1-699, hate crime, National Victimation Survey, Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund, Sikh Coalition, United States Bureau of Justice Statistics

Cartoonist Vishavjit Singh poses as Captain America in New York's Central Park. (Photo Credit: Fiona Aboud. Source: Sikhtoons)

Picture of the Day: Captain America Singh

June 12, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Vishavjit Singh, the artist behind Sikhtoons, has often opined about adding diversity to America’s pop culture superheros. In October 2012, he wrote an opinion piece for The Seattle Times in which he envisioned a super hero to fight hate crimes, and in a radio interview with National Public Radio in November, he talked about the backlash he received about this vision and of his rendering of Captain America as a Sikh man. On a recent photo shoot in New York, […]

Categories: Hate Crimes, Picture of the Day • Tags: Captain America, Central Park, Fiona Aboud, hate crimes, National Public Radio, New York, NPR, Seattle Times, Sikhtoons, Vishavjit Singh

Sonny Singh at a rally in New York. (Source: with WINGS and ROOTS)

with WINGS and ROOTS seeks public support

June 11, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

with WINGS and ROOTS is a documentary currently in production by filmmaker Christina Antonakos-Wallace in which she is presenting the stories of five people, living either in Berlin or New York, who come from recent immigrant communities. The film highlights the individual and collective struggles of immigrants in their societies. Among the individuals featured in the film is Sonny Singh, a Sikh living in New York. Part of his story became the topic of the 2011 short film Article of […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Hate Crimes, TV/Movies • Tags: Article of Faith, Berlin, Christina Antonakos-Wallace, Germany, New York, Sonny Singh, Where are you from from?, with WINGS and ROOTS

"Widening the Lens on Boys and Men of Color." (Source: Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy)

The experiences of Asian American males in California

June 11, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

The website Colorlines summarizes seven findings of a study entitled “Widening the Lens on Boys and Men of Color” by the organization Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy (AAPIP). The seven findings presented by Colorlines about boys and men in the Californian Asian American/Pacific Islander (AAPI) and Arab, Middle Eastern, Muslim and South Asian (what the study abbreviates as “AMEMSA”) communities debunk the “model minority” myth that is often used to describe Asian Americans. One such conclusion discusses the experiences of […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Reports/Studies • Tags: AAPI, AAPIP, AMEMSA, Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy, Bhujangi Youth Academy, bullying, California, Colorlines, Jakara Movement, model minority, Widening the Lens on Boys and Men of Color

Snake-charming into Hollywood

June 7, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Actor/comedian Aasif Mandvi, an Indian American (though not a Sikh), talks about the stereotypical roles he was forced to accede in order to make his way in Hollywood: I got a callback, and my agent called to ask if I owned a turban. I said — a little defensively, I admit — that if I owned a turban, I would probably have worn it; it’s not something you leave home without. She laughed, saying, “Yeah, that makes sense — but […]

Categories: Profiles, TV/Movies • Tags: Aasif Mandvi, Hollywood, stereotypes

US Marine Cpl. Gurpreet Singh from Antelope, California, died in combat in Afghanistan in June, 2011. He was posthumously awarded with the Bronze Star with Combat "V" for valor last week.(Photo: News10/KXTV)

Sikh American marine awarded posthumously for valor

June 7, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

At a ceremony last week, the US Marines posthumously awarded Cpl. Gurpreet Singh (of Antelope, California) with the Bronze Star with Combat “V” (which recognizes acts of heroism). His sister, Manpreet Kaur, described how Cpl. Singh was inspired by his Sikh heritage: “When he was younger, he always looked up to people who fought wars,” Kaur said. “He would see the military men who sacrificed so much and would look up to them. He admired the courage of how people […]

Categories: Profiles • Tags: Antelope, Bronze Star Medal, California, Cpl. Gurpreet Singh, United States Marine Corps

Conflicts at Gurdwaras in NJ and CA last Sunday

June 5, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

It happens with disgusting frequency in our Gurdwaras when conflicts develop into physical acts of violence in and around our sacred spaces. Last November, an especially violent riot took place at a Gurdwara in Yuba City, California, and just this past weekend, Sikh communities in Glen Rock, New Jersey, and in Turlock, California, bore witness to the condemnable acts of the demented. It is unclear what the reasons of the conflict were in either case. At the Siri Guru Singh […]

Categories: News Bits • Tags: California, Glen Rock, Gurdwara, Gurdwara conflict, New Jersey, Turlock

Considering the experience of Sikhs in America.

Monthly Archives: June 2013