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UC Santa Cruz instructor Nirvikar Singh, left, speaks to Hannah Elston, center, Kevin Deutsch, second from right, and Virginia Perez, right, during lunch at the Sikh Gurdwara in San Jose. (David Butow, For The Times / October 21, 2012)

Sikh academics in California’s universities

November 21, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

A recent article in the Los Angeles Times looks at the growth of academic Sikh studies programs, including the Sikh and Punjabi Studies Department at the University of California, Santa Cruz, in the broader context of efforts to raise awareness about the Sikh American community: For Nirvikar Singh, leading Santa Cruz’s program has been an act of seva, or selfless service expected by the Sikh faith. “I felt I really could not pass this up,” said Singh, a professor of […]

Categories: Civil Rights, News Bits • Tags: California, Los Angeles Times, Nirvikar Singh, Santa Cruz, Sikh and Punjabi Studies, University of California

Ensaaf’s “Decade of Disappearances” art contest

November 19, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Ensaaf (meaning justice) is a non-profit organization that works to document and bring justice to those involved in state-sponsored crimes perpetrated in India, particularly in Punjab during the 1980s and 1990s when human rights violations were rampant as part of a counterinsurgency. To bring more awareness to this issue, Ensaaf is hosting the “Decade of Disappearances” art contest: We are calling on artists to create print media pieces that shed light on human rights abuses and state-sponsored disappearances in Punjab, […]

Categories: Art, Civil Rights, Events • Tags: Decade of Disappearances, Ensaaf

US DoJ investigating CA Department of Corrections over beard ban

November 8, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Earlier last year, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) reached a settlement with Trilochan Singh Oberoi in his employment discrimination case against their refusal to hire him as a correctional officer unless he shaved his uncut beard, a Sikh article of faith. Despite reaching a settlement and offering Trilochan Singh a position elsewhere in the organization, the CDCR still would not change its policy. Where the discrimination lies is in that the CDCR had made medical exemptions for […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Politics • Tags: AB1964, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, CDCR, DOJ, Harmeet Kaur Dhillon, Jerry Brown, Mariko Yamada, Trilochan Singh Oberoi, United States Justice Department, Workplace Religious Freedom Act

Know Your Rights on Election Day (source: SALDEF)

Tomorrow is election day: know your voting rights

November 5, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

With tomorrow being election day in the United States, the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF) offers voting advice and resources oriented towards the Sikh American community through their “SikhVOTE” campaign: Why should you? In 1923 the Supreme Court said Sikh Americans could not become citizens — we could not vote and were denied a voice in our country. Today, we have the right to vote, the right to share our voice and determine the direction of our […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Politics, Resources • Tags: SALDEF, Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund, SikhVOTE, Voting

CA9 candidates respond to questionnaire on Sikh American-related issues

October 30, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Co-blogged with Sundari Kaur of The Langar Hall Last week, in the context of the significance of California’s 9th Congressional District to Sikh Americans, we sent the major candidates of California’s 9th Congressional District — incumbent Representative Jerry McNerney and challenger Ricky Gill — a questionnaire to learn more about their positions about Sikh American-related issues (see previous post here). Both candidates responded. However, the nature of the responses received were quite different. Rep. Jerry McNerney’s campaign responded to the questionnaire […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Politics • Tags: California, California 9th Congressional District, Jerry McNerney, Ricky Gill

Surveying the candidates of California’s 9th Congressional District on Sikh American issues

October 26, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Co-blogged with Sundari Kaur of The Langar Hall Of recent and recurring discussion on The Langar Hall and American Turban has been the election race in California’s 9th Congressional District (map). For Sikh Americans, this district’s race is significant. Located in northern California, the 9th Congressional District contains America’s oldest and one of its largest Sikh American communities. The oldest Gurdwara in the United States (which only a couple of weeks ago celebrated its centennial anniversary) is located in this […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Politics • Tags: California 9th Congressional District, Jerry McNerney, Ricky Gill

CNN discusses a silver lining around “looking like a terrorist”

October 16, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

A recent article on CNN reinforces the media stereotype of the terrorist — a man with a turban and beard (via @jbarooah): It’s hard to say that looking like a terrorist would be a good thing, but it hasn’t gone so badly for Navid Negahban. …”I went to shoot a project in Toronto last year and I still had a full beard and my hair was a little bit longer, and I was scruffy – I mean, I was afraid […]

Categories: Civil Rights, TV/Movies • Tags: CNN, Navid Negahban

Picture of the Day: Ghadar Party Printing Press

October 14, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

On Saturday evening, I attended the Centennial festivities at the Stockton Gurdwara Sahib in Stockton, California, which, founded in 1912, is considered the first and oldest Gurdwara in the United States. In many ways, for Sikh Americans, this Gurdwara represents our first formal foothold in this country. Saturday’s event enjoyed a celebratory atmosphere that brought out many local, state and federal politicians and officials, and many of the who’s who within the Sikh American community. During this celebration, it was […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Picture of the Day, Reflections • Tags: California, Ghadar, Ghadar Party, Indian independence movement, printing press, Stockton, Stockton Gurdwara Centennial Celebration, Stockton Gurdwara Sahib, The Ghadar

Is the US becoming more hostile with respect to religion?

September 21, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Released this week, the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life’s 2010 update of its Rising Tide of Restrictions on Religion report ranks religious restrictions and “social hostility” involving religion among countries around the globe: Among the world’s 25 most populous countries, Egypt, Indonesia, Russia, Burma (Myanmar), Iran, Vietnam, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Nigeria stand out as having the most restrictions on religion as of mid-2010 when government restrictions and social hostilities both are taken into account. Brazil, Japan, Italy, […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Hate Crimes, Reports/Studies • Tags: California, New York, Pew Research Center, Rising Tide of Restrictions on Religion, Workplace Religious Freedom Act

Considering the experience of Sikhs in America.

Category Archives: Civil Rights