The Sikh Coalition

The Sikh Coalition is excited to share a new resource for our sangat, courtesy of our 2024 GOTV Fellows, that details deadlines for each states’ online voter registration, registration by mail, and in-person registration, and more!

Learn more here: http://thesikh.co/GOTV

We solemnly remember Paramjit Kaur Saini, Sita Singh, Ranjit Singh, Prakash Singh, Suveg Singh Khattra, and Satwant Singh Kaleka, who were killed on that dark day; we also honor the memory of Baba Punjab Singh, who in 2020 became the seventh person to pass away as a result of injuries sustained during the shooting.

We continue to be inspired by those who persevere through the life-altering injuries—including Bhai Santokh Singh and Lt. Brian Murphy—and trauma that they sustained.

And as ever, we remain grateful to the Oak Creek sangat, which set a remarkable standard of resilience and chardi kala spirit in the face of adversity in the days, months, and years since 2012.

The Sikh Coalition has participated in numerous commemorations of the Oak Creek shooting over the past 12 years. We’ve also held a congressional briefing, launched the Remember Oak Creek Learning Hub website alongside Revolutionary Love, and implemented a national media campaign.

Through all of these commemorative efforts and our broader work in other areas, we remain committed to remembering those we lost in the Oak Creek tragedy.

To read more about the other work we have done in relation to the Oak Creek shooting: https://thesikh.co/4caYLGh

Twelve years ago today, a white supremacist gunman with neo-Nazi ties attacked a gurdwara in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, in what was, at the time, one of the deadliest assaults on a house of worship in U.S. history.

Today, we join the broader community in Oak Creek and Sikhs across the nation to pause in remembrance of that horrific attack.

Our first guest for our Get Out the Vote speaker series this fall is from Martinez, CA - Councilmember Satinder S. Malhi!

Join us via webinar on Monday, Aug 5, 8:30 PM ET, where we will discuss his civic engagement work and Sikh representation in government.

RSVP: https://thesikh.co/gotvseries

Our inaugural class of GOTV Fellows is filled with talented and passionate high school and college students who are committed to increasing Sikh civic engagement this fall. ⁠
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Last week, the fellows held voter registration tabling events for the first time at their local gurdwaras across the county.⁠
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To learn more about what the fellows will be doing, click here: https://thesikh.co/2024-GOTV-Fellows

Our Executive Director, Harman Singh, was among a diverse group of over 130 leaders from all over the US and 11 different countries selected by the Aspen Institute to be a part of 2024 Aspen Ideas Fellows Class, who all met last month in Aspen, Colorado for the organization's annual Aspen Ideas Festival..

Harman and the other fellows were selected for their work, accomplishments and ability to transform ideas into action, as Aspen Ideas brings brilliant leaders and thinkers from around the globe to discuss the ideas that will shape tomorrow and help us understand today.

Read more about the fellowship and the other fellows here: https://bit.ly/3Svq876

Our first guest for our Get Out the Vote speaker series this fall is from Martinez, CA - Councilmember Satinder S. Malhi!

Join us via webinar next Monday on August 5, 8:30 PM ET, where we will discuss his civic engagement work and Sikh representation in government.

RSVP here:

Last week, the Sikh Coalition visited the annual camp hosted by in Rockville, Maryland.

Our Managing Director of Education and Community Development, Rucha Kaur, conducted sessions with Sikh youth sangat and taught them how to address bullying, recognize microaggressions, and how to explain Sikhi succinctly and efficiently to others.

On August 10, the Sikh Coalition will conduct a Sikh awareness presenter training for sangat members in Georgia and we invite you to join us!

This training has been successfully designed and implemented in other sangats across the country and we are excited to be bringing it to Georgia!

Hurry to RSVP because space is filling up very quickly at thesikh.co/SAP24.

The Sikh Coalition team warmly invites all Sikh educators to a webinar discussing our new national school climate report, ‘Where Are You Really From?’

The webinar will focus on exploring key findings, sharing our resources, and discussing actionable steps that educators can take to create safer and more supportive learning environments for Sikh youth in classrooms across America. ⁠

Learn more and RSVP at thesikh.co/wayrf-webinar.

Since receiving reports in summer 2022 that CBP officers were seizing and destroying the dastaars of Sikh migrants, The Sikh Coalition has been working with the ACLU, ACLU-AZ, and other partners for a range of advocacy work in response to this unacceptable behavior.

We continue on work to ensure that Sikh migrants are treated with dignity in U.S. detention centers and provided resources about the asylum system to Sikh asylees and their attorneys.

To learn more and hear from Senior Staff Attorney Sahel Kaur, read the article:https://bit.ly/4d3FuHE

Today, the Sikh Coalition is excited to announce our 2024 GOTV Fellows! ⁠
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Civic engagement of the U.S.-based Sikh community has never been more crucial, and we look forward to working with our six Fellows to inform and mobilize sangats across the country this year.⁠
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Read more: https://thesikh.co/2024-GOTV-Fellows

Some Scenes from our Chicago Stepback last week!

In addition to formulating strategy for the remainder of the year, our setback offers us a moment to connect with fellow coworkers in person and encourage one another as we work together to fight for Sikh American civil rights.

Now more than ever, it bears repeating: both engaging in and promoting political violence is always wrong.

Read our full reflection on the attempted assassination of former President Trump: https://thesikh.co/467s0Zg

Being part of this youth-led civic “translation” would ultimately inspire Yashpreet to equip the next generation of Sikh American mobilizers with the tools they need to navigate U.S. politics for themselves and their elders. He spends much of his time collaborating with colleagues in New York City, where he’s looking to mobilize Sikh communities to vote.

To this end, he started training young go-getters as part of a new fellowship program.

Sikh Coalition Community Development Manager Yashpreet Singh spoke to about our upcoming civic engagement work, including the launch of our inaugural GOTV fellowship this year.

Read the full article: https://bit.ly/4bJsGFg

The Sikh Coalition team is meeting in Chicago this week to strategize our programmatic work for 2024!

The Sikh Coalition is excited to announce our 2024 GOTV Center! This free tool allows anyone to register to vote and learn more about elections and election procedures in their area.

This Fourth of July, make sure you’re ready to be engaged civically this fall. Visit thesikh.co/GOTV-center to ensure you can make your voice heard.

“We have said repeatedly that self-investigation leading to self-absolution is an unacceptable outcome. If Canada and the United States do not stand together against Prime Minister Modi’s vision of an India that ‘comes into your home and kills you,’ Sikhs will suffer the consequences.”

Amidst slow progress to hold the government of India accountable for transnational repression against Sikhs in North America, and issue a joint statement calling for action → https://thesikh.co/45NM1E7

This past Friday, the NJ Assembly voted to advance the state’s Freedom to Read Act, which will protect access to diverse and inclusive library materials. More information here: https://bit.ly/45M60TE

As a reminder, the Sikh Coalition has advocated for this legislation with letters of support and a targeted action campaign for sangat members to contact their assemblymembers.

We also facilitated NJ high schooler Rajinder Singh's testimony in favor of this bill before the Assembly Education Committee earlier this month, as well as the publication of President of the Franklin Township Board of Education Ardaman Singh's supportive op-ed in NJ dot com.

Further coverage—and harrowing details—of an alleged hate crime in May, in which a Texas woman attempted to drown a three-year-old child after assaulting a Palestinian American woman after interrogating her about her family and heritage.

We continue to stand with those calling for justice in this egregious case.

A woman is accused of attempting to drown a 3-year-old Muslim child in possible hate crime incident | CNN A woman in Texas has been charged with attempted capital murder and injury to a child after trying to drown a 3-year-old child at an apartment complex pool and making racist statements, according to police.

🔁 REPOST from :

"And that's a wrap on our 2024 REACH Advocacy. THANK YOU for an incredible year of advocacy - swipe to read through what we've accomplished together ❤️👏.

WE WILL NOT STOP HERE. Join us as we continue our fight for representative and inclusive history curriculum in schools across New York State."