The Sikh Coalition Newsletter

Justice for All - The e-Newsletter
Bhadon 11, 53 NanakShahi
August 26, 2003
Volume 23

Coalition Receives Prestigious Interfaith Tribute Award (New York, NY)

This summer, the Interfaith Center of New York presented "The James Park Morton Interfaith Tribute" to Harpreet Singh, Director of Community Relations for the Sikh Coalition. Singh received the award in recognition of his work towards making New York a safer place to live in response to the wave of hate crimes and violence that had erupted against minorities after September 11, 2001. Others who were honored at the event included Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nina and Daniel Libeskind, Uma Mysoreakar, Ratan Barua and Ayisha Al-Adawiya.

The event, which took place at the Manhattan Center, also consisted of presentations by John Whitehead and Harry Belafonte, a performance by Abdel Salaam and The Forces of Nature Dance Theater Company, a tribute to local leaders and interfaith blessings.

Coalition Presents at Vancouver Youth Night (Vancouver, Canada) Vancouver Sikh Youth Network organized a special program for Sikh youth and children on July 4th, 2003. The divaan, held at the Gurudwara Sahib Canadian Singh Sabha, was conducted entirely by youth. Raagi Jatha of Bhai Dya Singh also performed kirtan. The Sikh Coalition spoke at the event on the need for the community to rise above divisive issues and stand tall with other world communities. We thank Pavandeep Singh and others in the youth network for doing such an amazing job with the young Singhs and Kaurs.

Coalition Co-Hosts EEOC Forum with AAI (Washington, D.C.)
Arab American Institute, the Sikh Coalition and the United Stated Equal Employment Opportunity Commissions (EEOC), hosted a community forum in Washington D.C. to discuss the rights and responsibilities of employees and employers. Pggy Mastroianni, Associate Legal Counsel leading the EEOC's community outreach and several other members of the EEOC presented topics ranging including national origin discrimination, 9/11 related inquiries and the responsibilities of employers.

The Sikh Coalition has worked closely with the EEOC over the past two years, presenting testimony before the commission, presenting the case of Sikhs who were discriminated against, and participating and hosting forums related to employment discrimination.

If you are discriminated against and require advice or assistance, please contact the Sikh Coalition's legal department at legal@sikhcoalition.org.

-Links to EEOC Information
- Questions and Answers on the federal job discrimination laws
- Information for Small Employers
- National Origin Discrimination web page
- Fact Sheet on Religious Discrimination
- Post 9/11 Fact Sheet
- Post 9/11 Questions and Answers
- Questions and Answers for Small Employers about National Origin Discrimination

From Hiroshima with Hope (Seattle, WA)
The Sikh Coalition, along with other members of the Sikh community, participated in "From Hiroshima to Hope" on August 6th. "From Hiroshima to Hope" is the annual lantern floating ceremony sponsored by the Japanese American community of the Seattle, Washington area. The ceremony was in remembrance of the victims of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings, as well as all victims of war and violence.

For the first time, Sikh community calligraphers joined Japanese calligraphers in writing messages of Peace and Friendship in Gurmukhi on beautiful Japanese lanterns. The lanterns were subsequently floated on Green Lake. Children from different communities also made origami cranes that were sent to Hiroshima as a message of hope.

Tripat Singh offered a very moving speech about the relevance of Peace in today's world. The Coalition would like to offer a special thanks to Sutinder Kaur (Chawla), who helped arrange the Sikh community's participation in the ceremony.

Interfaith Center of NY Holds South Asian Religions Educational Program (New York, NY)
The Sikh Coalition participated in a panel session on South Asian religions at the Interfaith Center of New York on June 22. Savraj Singh represented the Coalition and presented on Sikhism to religious scholars, Interfaith Center staff members, and 25 teachers. His presentation included an explanation of the Gurus' basic teachings, Sikh history, and the Sikh way of life. The event was part of a pilot educational program on South Asian religions sponsored by the Interfaith Center of New York. The Coalition will maintain its close partnership with the Center, which plans to expand the program next year.