Coalition’s Legal Director Featured on Civil Rights Panel in San Antonio
April 24, 2006 (San Antonio, Texas) - Trinity University and the Sikh Research Institute organized a civil rights panel featuring the Coalition’s Legal Director as the key note speaker. The panel was titled “Sikhs, Muslims, and Arabs: Civil Rights in a post-9/11 World”. In addition to the Coalition’s Legal Director, the Executive Director of the Sikh Research Institute, as well as a Muslim Assistant Professor of Religion delivered speeches on civil rights as it pertains to Sikhs and Muslims. A question-and-answer session followed which emphasized that one of the best ways of eliminating discrimination and feelings of hate is to educate young people, specifically at the elementary and middle school level.
The Coalition would like to thank the Sikh Research Institute and Trinity University for hosting this event. To read more on the civil rights panel, please view the following new articles:
The Trinitonian article
MySA.com article
Coalition Participates in Letter to Renew Voting Rights Act to Sen. Hillary Clinton
(Washington, DC) The Coalition co-signed a letter to Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) on May 9 calling for the restoration and renewal of sections of the federal Voting Rights Act. The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) was the lead organizer of the letter to Senator Clinton.
Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act calls for the translation of voter registration forms that make it easier for Asian Americans to vote. The letter also recognizes that presently the number of Limited English Proficient (LEP) voters in a given jurisdiction must number at least 10,000 in order to be eligible for government translation of voting materials. The letter calls for that number to be reduced from 10,000 to 5,000. This reduction may require the government to translate voting materials into Punjabi in some jurisdictions.
Coalition Representatives Featured at Ethnic Pen Student’s Writer’s Conference
(Bay Shore, New York) – The Coalition organized a workshop for student writers in Bay Shore, New York on April 21. Racial and religious bias incidents have taken place in Long Island over the last couple of months. The Bay Shore School District has always been proactive and thereby successful in keeping harmony in its diverse community which is why they held the Ethnic Pen Student Writers’ Conference, a nationally recognized and award-winning program. Participants viewed Kevin Lee’s film, Dastaar, which features the work of the Sikh Coalition. Afterward participants engaged in the dialogue discussion with Coalition volunteer and hate crime victim Gurpreet Singh. Gurpreet related his experience convincing a local judge to sentence his attacker to community service with the Sikh community.. Gurpreet told the group that with the Coalition’s help, his attacker came to gurudwara to apologize for his conduct.
Coalition Supports California Assembly Resolution
(California) – The Coalition co-signed a letter to California Assemblyman calling for June to be declared “Hate Crimes Awareness Month” in California. A U.S. Department of Justice survey found that 56% of hate crimes are never reported. There are several reasons why this number is so high, but some of them include fear of retaliation and the victim’s past experience with law enforcement and other government agencies. These problems could be partially solved by passing this resolution. It would create an atmosphere of tolerance and acceptance of one another’s differences.
Divided We Fall Screening at Harvard
The Coalition supports the screening of the documentary film, “Divided We Fall: Americans in the Aftermath”. Writer and producer Valarie Kaur is currently working on the director's cut which screened at Harvard University in Cambridge on May 7 and was also highlighted on May 6 as part of the Harvard ARTS FIRST Performance Fair. “Kaur sets out to tell the story of how she responded when a Sikh man from her community was murdered in the aftermath of September 11. The film weaves expert analysis into a cross-country road trip that confronts the forces dividing Americans in times of crisis.” To see the official website for the film, click here.
American Made to be shown on PBS
The Coalition commends PBS for airing American Made. Directed by Sharat Raju, this film tells the story of a Sikh family stranded in the desert in a post 9/11 world. “…[T]heir only hope of escape is the remote desert highway and the occasional passing car. When car after car fails to stop, family members are forced to confront their notions of faith, conformity, tradition, and sacrifice -- and question what it means to be 'American' today.” To see when the film is to be aired in your city, please click here.
Coalition Encourages Sikhs in Washington to Attend SSA Event
Sikh Students Voice Empowerment Association will be hosting an event on May 24 th called, "Sikhism 101" on the University of Washington campus. Its aim is to create awareness about who Sikhs are, what they believe, and to create a dialogue on the practices of Sikhs with students, faculty and staff at the University of Washington. The event will feature UW Assistant Professor Purnima Dhavan, a community member speaking on Sikhs in America, UW students speaking on the Ideas and Beliefs of Sikhism, as well as a SIKH-sensational game. The Sikh Coalition commends the University of Washington SSA for preparing this event, and all Sikhs in the Washington area are encouraged to attend. |
(Eugene, Oregon) The Coalition assisted in the “Introduction to Arab, Muslim and Sikh Communities training series. The workshop helped government workers to discuss and appreciate the characteristics of the Muslim, Arab, and Sikh cultures. The event explained many aspects of the culture and practices of Sikh and Islamic traditions. With better understanding, government representatives can better relate to members of these religions.