Independence Day | American Turban

"Union workers march along the street with a huge American flag during a May Day rally in Los Angeles, Wednesday, May 1, 2013. In celebration of May Day, people have gathered across the country to rally for various topics including immigration reform." (Photo credit: AP Photo | Jae C. Hong. Source: OregonLive)

Patriotism as a double-edged sword

July 5, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

An essay in The Berkeley Blog by author Jeremy Adam Smith (via The Dish) frames patriotism as a double-edged sword — as both a unifying and dividing influence — and proposes a focus on “authentic pride” versus hubris: If we feel pride, it should be in the accomplishments of our fellow citizens and in any contributions we ourselves have made toward making our country and community a better place, however small and local. Pride of simply being born American leads […]

Categories: Reflections • Tags: Independence Day, Jeremy Adam Smith, Patriotism, United States

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Happy 4th of July!

July 4, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

During a conversation last night, a friend reminded me of one of the earliest accounts of a Sikh in the United States, in which a merchant trader from Massachusetts named Captain Stephen Phillips wrote in his journal about a Sikh man that he brought back from India in the late 1700s: After his retirement in the late 1700s, he apparently brought back to his home town of Salem a tall, intrepid Sikh who ‘stalked around town in the turban and […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Events • Tags: Declaration of Independence, Fourth of July, freedom of religion, Independence Day, Massachusetts, Salem, Stephen Phillips, William Bentley

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Picture of the Day: Sikh Scouts Troop in Fremont, CA

July 9, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

The Fremont 4th of July Parade Committee is a volunteer non-profit organization that holds the 4th of July parade in Fremont, California each year. This year, one of the participating groups in the parade was Sikh Scouts Troop 600, who was featured on the Fremont 4th of July Parade’s Facebook page. Formed in 2009 in Santa Clara County, Sikh Scouts Troop 600 was the first Sikh-oriented troop in the Boy Scouts of America organization.

Categories: Events, Picture of the Day • Tags: Boy Scouts of America, California, Fourth of July, Fremont, Fremont 4th of July Parade, Independence Day, Sikh Scouts Troop 600

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Sikhs in Stockton, CA Independence Day Parade

July 7, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Sikhs in Stockton, California, participated in the city’s Independence Day Parade on Wednesday, and enjoyed a little bit of news coverage. Stockton is home to America’s first and oldest Gurdwara, and so it is heartening to see Sikhs participating as part of that community.

Categories: Events • Tags: California, Independence Day, Stockton

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Sikh history and the legacy of American Independence

July 4, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

On this day in 1776, the American colonies declared their independence from Britain: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. In this declaration, we see the seeds of what was to become the United States we know today. At this time, Sikhs were also claiming their autonomy in the northwestern portion of the Indian […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Reflections • Tags: California, Declaration of Independence, Fourth of July, Ghadar Party, Independence Day, Maharaja Ranjit Singh, Stockton

Sikhs are America

July 4, 2011 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

(photo: sikhism.about.com) This Fourth of July – Independence Day in the United States – is my first as an American citizen. I had lived in this country for many years prior to obtaining my citizenship. Having been born and raised in another country, I only had vague notions about the principles on which this country was founded, and it was during my preparation for my U.S. citizenship test that I finally educated myself on what was the Proclamation of Independence, […]

Categories: Events, Reflections • Tags: Fourth of July, Independence Day, Pledge of Allegiance, United States, United States of America