| Considering the experience of Sikhs in America.

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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“Letters Home” by Preeti Kaur

August 17, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Writer Preeti Kaur pens “Letters Home”, a poem in tribute to the victims of the Oak Creek, Wisconsin shooting. An excerpt: america: enter the gurdwara door is open our bare feet like cracked glass our covered heads bulletproof from ego we turn our backs on bellingham build our gurdwaras from post traumatic cinder of bombed birmingham black church nina simone sings tera bhaana meetha laage to tune of mississippi goddamn gunpowder lines noses of children left behind wailing mummy papa […]

Categories: Hate Crimes, Literature • Tags: Gurdwara, hate crimes, Oak Creek, Poetry, Preeti Kaur, Wisconsin

PGA golf pro Arjun Atwal, others to wear saffron ribbons in memory of WI victims

August 16, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

“My family and I knew we had to do something to help the victims of this horrible tragedy right after we heard about it” said Atwal, who is from India and a Sikh. “I know that we can’t bring any of the victims back, but we wanted to help out as much as we can to honor and bring awareness to those involved.” — PGA Tour golf pro Arjun Atwal discusses donning a saffron-c0lored ribbon this week in tribute to […]

Categories: Hate Crimes, News Bits • Tags: Arjun Atwal, Gurdwara, Oak Creek, PGA Tour, Wisconsin

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Murdered Sikh in armed robbery was member of Oak Creek, WI Gurdwara

August 16, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Still grieving and recovering from their attack less than two weeks ago, another tragedy has reportedly befallen the Oak Creek, Wisconsin Sikh community: Multiple media outlets are reporting that a 50-year-old man fatally shot during an armed robbery attempt in Milwaukee was a member of the Oak Creek Sikh temple. Dalbir Singh, 50, was killed about 9 p.m. during a robbery at the Harmony Food Store near 38th and Locust, according to Patch’s media partners at Fox 6. The shooting […]

Categories: Hate Crimes, News Bits • Tags: Dalbir Singh, Gurdwara, hate crimes, Milwaukee, Oak Creek, Santokh Singh, Wisconsin

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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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Reflecting on the week that was

August 13, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

This time last week was the day-after of the Oak Creek, Wisconsin Gurdwara shooting, and I found myself still processing through what had happened the day before: It was only yesterday that I was randomly switching channels to watch my one of my favorite cable news shows, but was instead confronted with bold headlines sprawled across the screen: “WISCONSIN,” “SIKH,” “SHOOTING,” “TEMPLE.” It would take me a few moments to absorb. Innocent Sikh men, women and children were being attacked […]

Categories: Hate Crimes, Reflections • Tags: Gurdwara, hate crimes, Oak Creek, Totella, Wisconsin

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Picture of the Day: Sikh children in CA reach out to WI Gurdwara victims

August 13, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Sikhs in San Jose, California, held an art therapy event for Sikh children at the Sikh Gurdwara Sahib San Jose on Sunday. Read more about the motivation behind the event to help children express their feelings about the tragedy.

Categories: Art, Hate Crimes, Picture of the Day • Tags: art therapy, Children, Gurdwara, hate crimes, Oak Creek, San Jose, Sikh Gurdwara Sahib San Jose, Wisconsin

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