The Sikh Coalition Women's Empowerment Conference: Reclaiming Equality

The Gurus' Vision for Empowerment
June 14-15, 2003

Coming Soon - Online workshops and materials from the conference

Over 110 participants gathered at the first ever Sikh Coalition Women's Conference. Together participants explored the Guru's Vision of women, their importance in Sikh history, the challenges of the various stigmas facing women, and how to rise above these challenges through activism inspired bySikh principles.

In addition, the Kaur Seva Museum displayed literature, paintings, photographs and poetry about and by Sikh women. This inspiring exhibit helped conference attendees understand the strength, courage and compassion of a Sikh women.

Kaur Seva Museum at the Women's Conference presented art by, for and about Sikh women today and throughout history.

Topics Overview

Session I - The Guru's Vision
The Gurus, through practice and writing, propounded the radical notion that women and men are equal. We may take this ideal for granted, but our reality 500 years later still falls far short of the Gurus' vision. Our aim is to make the Gurus' vision of gender equality tangible, accessible, relevant, and empowering to Sikh women and men living in North America in the 21st century.

Please join the discussion on the following topics:

o The Gurus' actions in establishing gender equality
o The Gurus' Practice in promoting gender equality
o The Guru Granth Sahib: Vision for Sikh women through Gurbani
o The Guru Khalsa Panth: The role the panth plays in Sikh women's lives and the role Sikh women play in the panth.
o Guru Khalsa Panth, Rehat Maryada & its creation (including women's involvement)

Session II - The Mai Bhaigo Theater House: Sikh Women's History
Through a series of four plays introducing community actors, we would like to bring Sikh history to life, acknowledge Sikh women who have made significant contributions in shaping Sikh history, and transplant us to that profound Sikh era. Through the use of dialogue, inner monologue, and reading of Gurbani within these plays, we hope to bring history to the moment.

Session III: Cultural Stigmas and the Sikh response
The causes of oppression are embedded in unquestioned norms, habits, and symbols, in the assumptions underlying institutional rules and the collective of following those rules.
This session focuses on the oppression of Sikh women. One must recognize that the oppression experienced by Sikh women crosses both caste and class boundaries, thus it is not merely the uneducated and economically unstable who suffer from oppression. Women of all educational, economical, and caste echelons of society suffer from multiple manifestation of oppression - physical, economical, emotional, verbal, and psychological.

Please join us for a discussion on the following topics:
o Dichotomy Between Lajja and Izaat:
The dichotomy and conflict between accruing and maintaining Izaat (honor) while avoiding and preventing Lajja (shame) represents the unique cultural experience of Punjabi/Sikh women.
o Language:
Language is one of the many manifestations of oppression. Control over the use language via who is allowed to speak and when they can express themselves is in itself a form of oppression.
o The Sikh response to American and Punjabi cultural norms
Sikh spirituality's perspective on how to overcome the oppression and stigmas Sikh Punjabi-American women face in today's society.

Session IV - Paving the Way Forward: Empowerment through Activism
The “Paving the Way Forward: Empowerment through Activism” session seeks to emphasize the importance of overcoming cultural impediments to Sikh women’s empowerment by connecting Sikhism’s principle of gender equality and the Guru’s vision of the Sant-Sipahi. The panelists are Sikh community members who are activists in a variety of ways and at different stages in their lives. These activists will speak about their personal commitment to activism, share what inspires them, how they became involved in their respective projects, and what helps them maintain their commitment.

The session will emphasize the importance of individual and community activism in Sikh philosophy, motivate attendees to set personal activists goals, and convey a sense of hope for change by illustrating that activism can take many forms and by showcasing the accomplishments of women activists in the Sikh community.

Painting of Woman and Palki Courtesy Artist Michelle Shook