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Fresno, California’s Sikh Parade

November 22, 2010 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

“We’re here to pass on as much information as we can to share our community with our heritage and our tradition with the rest of our American brothers and sisters,” Manvinder Singh said. In addition to their donation to Poverello House, Sikhs in Fresno held their parade yesterday to celebrate the birth of Guru Nanak. The weather wasn’t great, but apparently the turnout was. Check out the video from a local TV station.

Categories: News Bits • Tags: California, Fresno, Guru Nanak, Sikh Parade

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Sikhs donate to Poverello House in Fresno, California

November 22, 2010 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

On Saturday, Sikhs in California’s Central Valley presented Poverello House with a $20,000 donation: The Sikh religion teaches that we should all work to help our community. With that in mind, Sikhs from the Central Valley gave back to Fresno’s Poverello House. Members of the community present the non-profit with a check on Saturday for $20,000. The donation was featured (video) on their local TV news.

Categories: News Bits • Tags: California, Central Valley, Fresno, Poverello House

Reflections on the Redding, CA Sikh Parade

November 22, 2010 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

“I feel like I fell into a good thing,” he said. “I think they have a good idea with their independent spirit.” — Ronald Swan, 63, who lives next door to the Sikh Centre and serves as the property’s land surveyor. “There’s a pretty diverse group of people,” he said. “They’re good people.” — Steven Osborn of Redding, who led the parade on his motorcycle. Osborn, who is not a member of the Sikh faith, said he always participates in the […]

Categories: News Bits • Tags: California, Guru Nanak, Redding, Sikh Parade

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Fresno’s Sikhs are active this weekend

November 20, 2010 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Sikhs in Fresno, California are holding a parade tomorrow to celebrate the birth of Guru Nanak, who was born in 1469 in present-day Pakistan and founded Sikhism: The parade will head to downtown Fowler, where parade participants will ask blessings upon the community, and return to the temple. The parade calls attention to California Sikh American Awareness and Appreciation Month in November and educate the community about Sikhism in an effort to foster peace, harmony and understanding. That’s not all. […]

Categories: News Bits • Tags: California, Fresno, Guru Nanak Dev, Poverello House, Sikh Parade

The included have become the inclusive

November 19, 2010 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Like many Sikh communities around the United States, the Sikhs around Redding, California are having a parade to celebrate the birth of Guru Nanak (born 1469), the founder of Sikhism. It’s not only Sikhs who are taking part in this parade, however: For the first time, the parade will include Native American drummers and dancers from the Local Indians for Education center in Shasta Lake. Center Director Rod Lindsay said he felt it was important to participate in the event […]

Categories: Interfaith, News Bits • Tags: Anderson, California, interfaith, Local Indians for Education, Native Americans, Redding, Shasta Lake, Sikh Parade

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Does it only get worse from here?

November 19, 2010 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

The Bay Area is reputed to be one of the most liberal places to live in the country. It also contains one of the larger Sikh populations in the United States. On that context, the Sikh Coalition‘s recently released study, Bay Area Civil Rights Report 2010, provides some sobering data: 69% of Sikh boys who wear patkas or dastaars [both are types of turbans] have been harassed in school 2 out of 3 Sikh boys in middle school report being […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Reports/Studies • Tags: Bay area, Bay Area Civil Rights Report 2010, California, San Francisco, Sikh Coalition

TSA: Turbans, Skirts and the AIT

November 16, 2010 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

“She said ‘spread your legs.’ And then she took her full palms and started at my neck and ran all the way down my body, full palms, constant contact. And when she got down to my feet, she was in constant contact from my ankles all the way up to my groin, across my groin, and down the other leg. And she did that twice,” Gigliotti said. The TSA allegedly finds skirts as suspicious as turbans, according to a recently-searched […]

Categories: Civil Rights, News Bits • Tags: Air travel, Airport security, AIT machines, California, Department of Homeland Security, Sacramento, SALDEF, Sikh Coalition, TSA, United Sikhs

Is it a crime if done by the government?

November 15, 2010 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

“I repeated that I felt what they were doing was a sexual assault, and that if they were anyone but the government, the act would be illegal.” — a blogger describes his encounter with the TSA at the San Diego airport. His post also includes video and audio that he captured on his cell phone during the incident (1, 2, 3). It’s not just Sikhs who are finding that the TSA’s screening procedures have become much too invasive.

Categories: Civil Rights • Tags: Air travel, Airport security, AIT machines, California, San Diego, TSA

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“Why do you wear that thing on your head?”

November 15, 2010 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

The Sikh Council of Central California held a session at a Gurdwara in Selma, California this past weekend (video): “It’s quite unfortunate that right after 9/11, Bin Laden and his associates had turbans and flowing beards. They almost looked like Sikhs and in fact are different people. The Sikhs are against any terrorism,” Ranjit Singh Rajpal, M.D. said. Members say raising awareness of the Sikh culture is especially important among children because children are often teased and bullied in schools. […]

Categories: News Bits, Reflections • Tags: California, Selma, Sikh Council of Central California

Considering the experience of Sikhs in America.

Tag: California

Fresno, California’s Sikh Parade

Sikhs donate to Poverello House in Fresno, California

Reflections on the Redding, CA Sikh Parade

Fresno’s Sikhs are active this weekend

The included have become the inclusive

Does it only get worse from here?

TSA: Turbans, Skirts and the AIT

Is it a crime if done by the government?

“Why do you wear that thing on your head?”