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President Barack Obama honors the 2013 National Association of Police Organizations TOP COPS award winners during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House, Saturday, May 11, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Oak Creek, WI, police officers honored by President Obama

May 14, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

At an event at the White House on Saturday, President Barack Obama paid tribute to the country’s best police officers during 2013, including the eight who responded to the mass shooting at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin in Oak Creek last August: I already talked about one of this year’s Top Cops, Brian Murphy, in my State of the Union address. When a gunman opened fire on a temple in Wisconsin and Brian was the first to arrive, he did […]

Categories: Hate Crimes • Tags: Barack Obama, hate crimes, Lt. Brian Murphy, Oak Creek, Officer Sam Lenda, Sikh Temple of Wisconsin, Top Cops of 2013, White House, Wisconsin

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President Barack Obama (source: White House)

President Obama recognizes history, challenges for AAPI communities

May 1, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

In his proclamation to commemorate the month of May as Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, President Obama not only celebrates Asian American/Pacific Islander communities, but also recognizes the continuing challenges these communities have faced in this country: For many in the AAPI community, that story is one also marked by lasting inequality and bitter wrongs. Immigrants seeking a better life were often excluded, subject to quotas, or denied citizenship because of their race. Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Events, Hate Crimes, Politics • Tags: Asian American, Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Barack Obama, hate crimes, Pacific Islander, Pacific Islander Heritage Month, White House

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A poster for the film "Sadda Haq" at an American movie theater.

Keeping the untold story untold

April 5, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

The Punjabi film “Sadda Haq” (loosely translated as “our rights”) — telling a story about the insurgency in Punjab, India, during the 1980s and 1990s — opens today around the world. Not so ironically, the film has just been banned by the Punjab government, the land in which the film is set. “The Punjab government has imposed ban on the screening of movie ‘Saada Haq’ till further orders. This step has been taken to maintain communal harmony in the state,” […]

Categories: 1984, TV/Movies • Tags: 1984, anti-Sikh pogroms, Ensaaf, Government of India, Sadda Haq, Sikh genocide petition, Sikhs for Justice, White House

Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney and the Golden Temple in Amritsar. (source: The Telegraph)

The Top 5 Sikh American Stories of 2012: Honorable mentions

January 24, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

For each of five days, I looked at what I considered as the Top 5 Sikh American Stories of 2012: The Oak Creek Massacre Bhai Balwant Singh Rajoana Victories in employment equality The inspiring grace of Balpreet Kaur Sikh Americans celebrate a century All of these stories were significant in relation to Sikh Americans during the year. However, there were several events during 2012 that arguably could be considered among the top five stories (and, while the “top five” list […]

Categories: Reflections • Tags: Barack Obama, Darbar Sahib, Democratic National Convention, Dr. Onkar Bindra, FlyRights, Golden Temple, Harpreet Singh Saini, Ishwar Singh, Jay Leno, Jusleen Kaur, Michelle Obama, Mitt Romney, Republican National Convention, Ricky Gill, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, White House

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On Friday, December 7, 2012, the White House held a ceremony to commemorate the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak. (source: Gautam Raghavan)

Picture of the Day: The White House celebrates the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak

December 7, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

As mentioned yesterday, the White House invited Sikhs from across the country to Washington, D.C. to commemorate the 543rd birth anniversary of Guru Nanak today, as it had in 2009 and 2010. Read more here.

Categories: Events, Politics • Tags: gurpurab, Guru Nanak, White House

Sikhs celebrating the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak at the White House in 2010 (source: SikhNet)

White House to commemorate birth anniversary of Guru Nanak tomorrow

December 6, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

As in 2009 and in 2010, the White House will be holding a special ceremony on Friday to commemorate the birth of Guru Nanak, the founder of the Sikh faith, born in 1469. Manmeet Singh Grewal, from Modesto, California, is among 150 Sikhs who have been invited to attend: “For me, it’s an honor,” Grewal said Wednesday morning. “Furthermore, it’s a honor for the entire Sikh community.” …What will he say if he has a chance to speak to the […]

Categories: Events, Politics • Tags: Barack Obama, California, Guru Nanak, Manmeet Singh Grewal, Modesto, White House

President Obama’s statement on birth anniversary of Guru Nanak

November 28, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Sikhs around the world are celebrating the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, the founder of the Sikh faith who was born in 1469. As he has done in his previous years in office (2010, 2011), President Barack Obama has offered his felicitations on the birth anniversary. In his remarks, the President also made mention of the victims of the shooting at the Gurdwara in Oak Creek, Wisconsin in August. It was this President who was the first to celebrate the […]

Categories: Events, Politics • Tags: Barack Obama, Guru Nanak Dev, White House

A jakara in the White House

June 12, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Last week was a historic moment for the American Sikh community, as the White House held the first-ever briefing to discuss Sikh civil rights issues: For those of us in the audience, it was a deeply moving moment – particularly when the briefing started out with Bole So Nihaal, Sat Sri Akal. Yes, a jakara in the White House! There was something symbolic in that moment. Once, a long time ago, Sikhs would have made the jakara call while raising […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Events, Politics • Tags: Sikh Advocate Academy, Sikh Coalition, The Langar Hall, White House

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President Obama commemorates birth of Guru Nanak

November 10, 2011 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Today, Sikhs across the world are celebrating the birth of Guru Nanak (the founder of Sikhism and the first in a line of ten Sikh Gurus in human form), who was born in 1469. The Guru of the Sikhs today is the Sikh holy book called the Guru Granth Sahib, which contains over 970 of Guru Nanak’s verses. The religion that sprouted from his following became Sikhism, but Guru Nanak is highly regarded among Hindu, Muslim and Buddhist communities as […]

Categories: Events, Politics, Sikhism • Tags: Barack Obama, Guru Nanak, White House

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Considering the experience of Sikhs in America.

Tag: White House

Oak Creek, WI, police officers honored by President Obama

President Obama recognizes history, challenges for AAPI communities

Keeping the untold story untold

The Top 5 Sikh American Stories of 2012: Honorable mentions

Picture of the Day: The White House celebrates the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak

White House to commemorate birth anniversary of Guru Nanak tomorrow

President Obama’s statement on birth anniversary of Guru Nanak

A jakara in the White House

President Obama commemorates birth of Guru Nanak