Politics | | Page 9

Picture of the Day: US First Lady visits Oak Creek, WI victims

August 24, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Yesterday, after a campaign event in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US First Lady Michelle Obama met privately with the victims of the August 5 shooting at the Oak Creek, Wisconsin Gurdwara shooting: She spoke briefly with temple secretary Kulwant Dhaliwal and Oak Creek Mayor Stephen Scaffidi, telling them, almost in a whisper, “It’s my honor to be here with you. I’m sorry it’s under these circumstances, but I am anxious to meet with the families and lend whatever support I can.”

Categories: Hate Crimes, Picture of the Day, Politics • Tags: FBI, FBI Hate Crime Statistics, Gurdwara, Michelle Obama, Oak Creek, Wisconsin

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Reader: Education is pivotal to combat prejudice and discrimination

August 22, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Navjot Kaur, educator and author (who has been featured on this blog before), responds to yesterday’s post “The Oak Creek, WI shooting: education is needed, but so is pursuit of justice“: I agree with the article as a whole yet I still believe education has a pivotal role to play in opening mindsets to differences. When studies show that children learn to stereotype and form prejudice as early as two years of age, those ideas will only become more concrete with […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Hate Crimes, Politics • Tags: Education, hate crimes, Navjot Kaur, Oak Creek, Sikh Coalition, Wisconsin

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US First Lady to visit Oak Creek, Wisconsin victims

August 21, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

This Thursday, First Lady Michelle Obama will be visiting the families of the victims of the shooting at the Gurdwara in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. Her visit is scheduled almost three weeks after the murders of six innocent congregants at the hands of a white supremacist: Tejpreet Kaur, a Sikh Coalition community organizer, called the first lady’s visit a “necessary step.” Victims and their families needed to have the events of Aug. 5 and the loss of family members “recognized at […]

Categories: Hate Crimes, Politics • Tags: Barack Obama, Gurdwara, hate crimes, Michelle Obama, Mitt Romney, Oak Creek, Wisconsin

CA Candidate for Congress Ricky Gill to speak at GOP Convention

August 20, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

To follow-up on last week’s post “Wherefore art thou, Ricky Gill?” that discussed Republican candidate (for California’s 9th Congressional District) Ricky Gill’s apparent reluctance to publicly acknowledge his religious background, we now learn that Gill will be speaking at the Republican National Convention later this week: “It will be an honor to speak on behalf of our Valley and Delta communities on a national stage,” Gill said. “While we face some of the greatest challenges, our communities are among the […]

Categories: Politics • Tags: California 9th Congressional District, Republican National Convention, Ricky Gill

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Wherefore art thou, Ricky Gill?

August 15, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

I have written several times about Ranjit “Ricky” Gill, the Republican Party candidate for Congress in California’s 9th Congressional District. Gill is challenging Democratic Party incumbent Jerry McNerney for the seat. Gill, 25, is the son of Sikh physicians in the Stockton, California area. Much of the donations to his campaign have come from the Sikh community, as well as interests in the healthcare and agricultural industries. The northern California constituency for which Gill is contesting is an area that […]

Categories: Hate Crimes, Politics • Tags: California, California 9th Congressional District, Gurdwara, Jerry McNerney, Oak Creek, Ricky Gill, Stockton, Wisconsin

Recent tragedy in WI highlights need to pass proposed legislation

August 14, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

The tragedy at the Gurdwara in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, has underscored the need for passage of bills and initiatives addressing the discrimination that particularly targets America’s Sikhs. There are several on-going campaigns whose demonstrable need has become heightened. If you live in California, there are two pieces of legislation that need your immediate support to move forward: The Revised Curriculum Framework Bill (source: SALDEF): “The Revised Curriculum Framework Bill was introduced in the California State Senate by Senator Hancock, and […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Politics • Tags: AB1964, FBI, FBI Hate Crime Statistics, Revised Curriculum Framework Bill, SALDEF, Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund, Sikh Coalition, Workplace Religious Freedom Act, WRFA

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Presidential campaigns speak to Sikh and Asian American issues

July 31, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Ten days ago, representatives of President Barack Obama and Republican candidate for president Mitt Romney participated in a town hall organized by APIAVote to speak to Asian American issues. Rep. Mike Honda, attending on behalf of the President, offered the Sikh greeting to acknowledge the community: Honda, a Democrat from California who is chair emeritus of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, gave a shout-out to the Sikh community before answering questions on behalf of the Obama campaign. “Saat Sri […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Events, Politics • Tags: APIAVote, Asian American, Barack Obama, Mike Honda, Mitt Romney, Presidential Town Hall, SALDEF, Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund, Tim Davis

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Presidential Town Hall discussing API Issues on July 21st

July 13, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

APIAVote (Asian Pacific Islander Vote) is a national organization that aims to increase the civic participation of the Asian American/Pacific Islander community. On July 21, the organization is holding a town hall meeting in which the presidential nominees from both major parties in this election cycle have been invited to discuss issues important to the Asian/Pacific Islander Americans. According to SALDEF (Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund), one of the event’s sponsors: Hear the campaigns of the Presidential candidates, President […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Events, Politics • Tags: APIAVote, Asian Pacific Islander Vote, Barack Obama, Mitt Romney, NAACP, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Presidential Town Hall, SALDEF, Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund

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Respecting diversity in workplace also good for employers

July 12, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

David Briggs, of the Association of Religion Data Archives, writes an article about the benefits to employers when respecting religious diversity in the workplace. Often, employers are reluctant to acknowledge their employees’ faith in the workplace, but Briggs suggests that this may have a negative affect on productivity and morale: Researchers say more studies need to be done, but past work showing positive relations between faith and better physical and mental health indicate those same benefits could extend from factory […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Politics • Tags: AB1964, Association of Religion Data Archives, California, David Briggs, Diversity, Employment, Mariko Yamada, Workplace Religious Freedom Act, WRFA

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Considering the experience of Sikhs in America.

Category Archives: Politics

Picture of the Day: US First Lady visits Oak Creek, WI victims

Reader: Education is pivotal to combat prejudice and discrimination

US First Lady to visit Oak Creek, Wisconsin victims

CA Candidate for Congress Ricky Gill to speak at GOP Convention

Wherefore art thou, Ricky Gill?

Recent tragedy in WI highlights need to pass proposed legislation

Presidential campaigns speak to Sikh and Asian American issues

Presidential Town Hall discussing API Issues on July 21st

Respecting diversity in workplace also good for employers