NPR | American Turban

Cartoonist Vishavjit Singh poses as Captain America in New York's Central Park. (Photo Credit: Fiona Aboud. Source: Sikhtoons)

Picture of the Day: Captain America Singh

June 12, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Vishavjit Singh, the artist behind Sikhtoons, has often opined about adding diversity to America’s pop culture superheros. In October 2012, he wrote an opinion piece for The Seattle Times in which he envisioned a super hero to fight hate crimes, and in a radio interview with National Public Radio in November, he talked about the backlash he received about this vision and of his rendering of Captain America as a Sikh man. On a recent photo shoot in New York, […]

Categories: Hate Crimes, Picture of the Day • Tags: Captain America, Central Park, Fiona Aboud, hate crimes, National Public Radio, New York, NPR, Seattle Times, Sikhtoons, Vishavjit Singh

A rendition of "Captain America" as a Sikh, by cartoonist Vishavjit Singh (source: Seattle Times)

Cartoonist Vishavjit Singh speaks about backlash to Sikh superheroes

November 23, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

In an interview on NPR, editorial cartoonist Vishavjit Singh, of sikhtoons.com, discusses the backlash he received after he wrote an opinion piece proposing the concept of a Sikh superhero that fights hate crimes: I did not expect – I mean, I am used to critique. As an editorial cartoonist, I’m used to that. I’m actually even used to threats to my life at times, because I do very hard-hitting political cartooning. But this piece, I think what happened is people […]

Categories: Art, Hate Crimes • Tags: Captain America, cartoons, comics, hate crimes, NPR, Vishavjit Singh

California’s Workplace Religion Freedom Act rights the wrongs faced by our parents

September 19, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

When my Sikh father immigrated to America in 1970 to practice architecture, employers told him that he could have a job only if he removed his turban and shaved his beard. He refused to abandon his faith and took his first job as an office boy, sharpening pencils and making coffee for his fellow architects. For decades, Sikh fathers like mine and countless religious minorities around the nation have been offered a similarly false choice between religious freedom and self-fulfillment […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Reflections • Tags: AB1964, California, National Public Radio, NPR, Rajdeep Singh, Sikh Coalition, StoryCorps, Workplace Religious Freedom Act