Sikh Coalition |

In tribute: Hari Simran Singh Khalsa

January 19, 2015 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

I want to take a moment to pay brief tribute to Hari Simran Singh Khalsa, who passed away earlier this month in an apparent hiking accident. I had the opportunity to meet and spend a short time with Hari Simran as he participated in the Sikh Coalition’s Sikh Advocate Academy last June. It became very apparent to me early on that Hari Simran was unique. He lived his Sikhi in a way that was harmonious with his reality — his spirituality […]

Categories: Profiles, Reflections • Tags: Hari Simran Singh Khalsa, Sikh Coalition

Leave a comment

San Quentin State Prison, California. (Image: San Quentin News.)

Raising Sikh awareness — without and within

January 30, 2014 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Co-blogged with Sundari. The Sikh Coalition, a civil rights organization, was recently asked to present to a group of inmates at San Quentin State Prison in Northern California. Organized by the Asian Prisoner Support Committee, which has a weekly class inside San Quentin State Prison called SQ ROOTS (Restoring Our Original True Selves), the organization was asked to make a presentation about the Sikh community. The class is modeled after Asian American Studies courses, covering topics such as history, culture, […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Reflections • Tags: California, San Quentin State Prison, Sikh awareness, Sikh Coalition, Sikh prisoners

Have you hugged a Sikh today? (Photo: Karaminder Ghuman)

November is California Sikh American Awareness and Appreciation Month

November 5, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

As it did in 2010 and 2012, the California state legislature has declared November 2013 as “Sikh American Awareness and Appreciation Month” across the state. The bill (Assembly Concurrent Resolution 25) was introduced by Assemblymember Robert Wieckowski, and it passed through the State Assembly and Senate in September. From the resolution: Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate thereof concurring, That the Legislature hereby designates the month of November 2013 to be California’s Sikh American Awareness and […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Education, Events, Resources • Tags: ACR-25, California, California Sikh American Awareness and Appreciation Month, California State Assembly, California State Senate, Sikh American Awareness and Appreciation Month, Sikh Awareness Month, Sikh Coalition

Leave a comment

Screen shot of Walmart's website taken on September 27, 2013, in which they are selling a Halloween costume that includes a turban and beard on a man wearing military-style clothing. (Source: Walmart)

Walmart pulls turban/beard terrorist costume

September 30, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Walmart has ceased sale of a controversial Halloween costume called the “Turban Beard Adult Halloween Instant Costume,” a fake turban and beard that was promoted using a likeness of Osama bin Laden. According to the Sikh Coalition, who lobbied the retailer on Friday to stop selling the product, RiteAid has also agreed to stop selling the product as well. The Sikh Coalition has also been in contact with retailers Sears and Amazon, and the supplier of the costume, Fun World, […]

Categories: Hate Crimes • Tags: Halloween costume, Mary Elizabeth Williams, Osama bin Laden, Sikh Coalition, Turban Beard Adult Halloween Costume, Walmart

"One Step Forward, Half a Step Back" -- A study by the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund and the Sikh Coalition about bullying in NYC schools, was released earlier this month. (Source: Sikh Coalition)

Study of Asian American students in NY finds increase in reports of bullying

September 18, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Two weeks ago, the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) and the Sikh Coalition released a report entitled “One Step Forward, Half a Step Back,” gauging the implementation of New York Schools Chancellor’s Regulation A-832, issued in 2008 “which established policies and procedures on how New York City schools should respond to bias-based harassment, intimidation, and bullying in schools.” The New York City Department of Education serves 1.1 million students across 1,800 schools. For Sikh American students, the […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Education, Reports/Studies • Tags: AALDEF, Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, bullying, New York, New York City Department of Education, One Step Forward Half a Step Back, Sikh Coalition

Leave a comment

2nd Annual Sikh Coalition 5K for the 5Ks Run. (Credit: Karaminder Ghuman. Source: Sikh Coalition)

Seeking your support for the Sikh Coalition

September 11, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Named after the Sikh articles of faith, the Sikh Coalition is holding its third annual 5K For The 5Ks fundraiser on October 5 in Sunnyvale, California, in support of their work to ensure that Sikhs are able to enjoy our right to practice our faith freely in this country. I have been a volunteer for the Sikh Coalition for two and a half years, and I realize how crucial support from our community is in enabling us to continue our […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Events • Tags: 5K for the 5Ks, California, Sikh Coalition, Sunnyvale

Leave a comment

"How Do You Tie A Patka?" brochure from Little Sikhs and the Sikh Coalition. (Source: Sikh Coalition)

How to tie a patka

August 8, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Little Sikhs and the Sikh Coalition have released a new brochure with instructions on how to tie a patka, a typical turban for young Sikh boys. This would have been helpful for my kindergarten teacher, who, when my patka once came off while playing in class, had no idea how to retie it on my head. My mother later gave a modified head covering to my teacher in case such an instance happened to me again, but I would imagine […]

Categories: Education, Sikhism • Tags: Keerat Kaur, Little Sikhs, patka, Saffron Press, Sikh Coalition, Turban

Leave a comment

Bhagat Singh Thind as a member of Company #2 Development Battalion #1, 166th Depot Brigade, of Camp Lewis in Astoria, Oregon. (Source: bhagatsinghthind.com)

US citizenship versus military service

July 17, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Rajdeep Singh, of the Sikh Coalition, writes in The Hill about the irony wherein observant Sikh Americans are prevented from serving in the US military today, when almost 100 years ago, an observant Sikh served in the US Army but was denied the right to be considered as an American: Although his [right to citizenship] challenge was rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1923 on the ground that he was not a “white person” under those laws, another American […]

Categories: Civil Rights • Tags: Bhagat Singh Thind, Rajdeep Singh, Sikh Coalition, United States Armed Forces, US Army, US military

Leave a comment

"Spc. Simranpreet Lamba carries the guidon for his platoon in Company A, 3rd Battalion, 34th Infantry Regiment, during the battalion's Basic Combat Training graduation Wednesday morning." (Source: US Army)

Petition: End US military ban on Sikh articles of faith

July 16, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

The Sikh Coalition is collecting signatures to petition President Barack Obama to reverse the ban on Sikh articles of faith in the US military, which in effect bans many observant Sikhs from serving their country. In a submission to the United States Commission on Human Rights during a briefing on May 31, the Sikh Coalition provided a thorough account of the issue: In the United States, Sikhs are subjected to unusually high rates of racial profiling and employment discrimination, including […]

Categories: Civil Rights • Tags: Employment Discrimination, Sikh Coalition, United States, United States Armed Forces, US Army, US military

Considering the experience of Sikhs in America.

Tag: Sikh Coalition

In tribute: Hari Simran Singh Khalsa

Raising Sikh awareness — without and within

November is California Sikh American Awareness and Appreciation Month

Walmart pulls turban/beard terrorist costume

Study of Asian American students in NY finds increase in reports of bullying

Seeking your support for the Sikh Coalition

How to tie a patka

US citizenship versus military service

Petition: End US military ban on Sikh articles of faith