In the wake of the tragic, hate-motivated shootings in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, a United States Senate Subcommittee announced that it will hold a hearing on threats posed by extremist hate groups in the United States. Today’s announcement was motivated in part by a request from a diverse group of more than 150 organizations, led by the Sikh Coalition, that the Senate hold hearings on hate crimes and domestic extremism.

The hearing, entitled “Hate Crimes & the Threat of Domestic Extremism,” will be held before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Human Rights, chaired by Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), on Wednesday, September 19th, 2012 in the Dirksen Senate Office Building, Room 226, Washington, DC starting at 2:30 p.m.

Click here to sign up to attend the hearing

On September 8th, California Governor Jerry Brown signed AB1964 into lawmarking a historic win for civil rights. This achievement ranks among the most far-reaching victories in the Sikh Coalition’s history. It will protect the civil rights of millions of Americans. AB1964 was introduced last February by Assembly Member Mariko Yamada. The bill was first proposed to Assembly Member Yamada by the Sikh Coalition. It was then drafted and revised in direct partnership with the Sikh Coalition. The new law will promote equal employment opportunity for all workers in California, regardless of religion, and prevent job discrimination.

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California Governor Signs Senate Bill 1540

California Governor Brown signed Senate Bill 1540 (Hancock) on September 8th, which allows the California State Board of Education Curriculum Commission to complete work on the draft of the History-Social Science Framework. This Framework provides teachers with the information they need in order to teach students the content standards for each subject area.  

The Sikh Coalition would like to recognize Dr. Onkar Singh Bindra from Sacramento for his leadership in envisioning and championing this monumental achievement for the Sikh community.

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While the last few weeks in the wake of the Oak Creek tragedy have been very challenging for us as a panth, we have come together with determination to seize this opportunity to shape a positive image of Sikhs in America. We believe that the spirit of Chardi Kala and our collective tenacity will guide us in building a brighter future for generations of Sikh Americans to come.

As we all move forward and work towards this brighter future, we wanted to share a few op-eds written post the Oak Creek tragedy as a source of inspiration. Please read and share:

"How Sikhs Handle Hate" by Rajdeep Singh, Director of Law & Policy & Simran Jeet Singh, Advisory Board Member

"This Turban Stays On" by Rajdeep Singh, Director of Law & Policy

"Sikh Temple Shooting Highlights Need to Expand Boundaries of Social Circles" by Gurjot Kaur, Staff Attorney

The Sikh Coalition is proud to hold its second annual ‘5K for the 5Ks’ Walk/Runin the Bay Area!

Please join us on Saturday, September 22nd at Baylands Park, Sunnyvale, California for a fun-filled day. Take a stride for Sikh rights; register today!

Don't miss out on your opportunity to experience this exciting and one of a kind event.

There's only a few weeks left for the Sikh Coalition's Diversity Video Competition! The first place winner will receive a $1,500 cash prize and have his/her film premiered at the Sikh Art and Film Festival in New York City in November! Click here to read more about the application procedures and judging criteria.

Competition Topic - My Crown - My Faith. How does it feel to be a Sikh Why don’t you try? Film-makers are encouraged to create a 5 minute video (or less) which depicts a non-Sikh adorning/wearing a Sikh turban for a day, and presenting himself/herself as a Sikh. The turban is a Sikh article of faith and should always be treated with respect. The film should capture the reactions of passersby, friends, and family members. Pre and post interviews with main characters are encouraged.

The Coalition's Education Director led presentations in the cities of Euless and Hurst, Texas this month. Sixth grade and world geography teachers learned how to conduct a lesson on Sikhism in their classroom, now that Sikhism is included in the Social Studies standards. The Education Director was also invited as the featured speaker to Austin ISD's teacher in-service training. The Coalition led two sessions on who Sikhs are, and also distributed a resource packet containing lesson plans, film and book recommendations, and other educator resources that were created specifically for Texas teachers. Approximately 200 educators attended these sessions. One teacher commented that, "The Sikh lesson was amazing! More real stories like theirs would be helpful [for teachers]."

On August 8th, across the nation, Americans of all backgrounds gathered to send a clear message of solidarity. We remembered those lost in Oak Creek. And we pushed for action to ensure no community will ever again suffer a similar fate.

The Sikh Coalition estimates more than thirty vigils occurred across the United States and even more were planned p in the coming days. We hope these events will hasten our collective journey to stamp out hate and intolerance in our nation.

We stand in solidarity with the strength and chardi kala shown by the victims, survivors, and sangat of Oak Creek and all Americans nationwide.

Watch: Oak Creek - A Community Recovering Through Remembering

Watch: New York City Vigil

View: Vigils from Across the Country

This past July, the Sikh Coalition launched the Junior Sikh Coalition, its youth leadership program. High school and college youth now have the opportunity to work closely with Sikh Coalition staff to develop into fearless Sikh leaders.

Junior Sikh Coalition members meet weekly at the Sikh Coalition’s head office in New York City to participate in group discussions, skills-building workshops, social justice trainings, community building exercises, and strategizing on campaign development. This 1-year program enables Sikh youth to identify priority issues and develop campaign strategies to create effective, long term change in Sikh communities.

The Sikh Coalition is proud to announce its 3rd annual New York City bowl-a-thon on October 14, 2012 This year the bowl-a-thon will be at 300 Bowl (23rd St. & the Hudson River New York, NY 10011) from 5-7pm.

Please join as we bowl a strike for Sikh Rights!

Space is limited. Don’t wait until it’s too late to register! Register today!

The Sikh Coalition Internship Program allows students pursuing undergraduate or graduate studies to gain hands-on experience in promoting the civil and human rights of all individuals. Our Internship Program focuses on giving all interns the opportunity to be involved in projects that they can learn from and enjoy. Throughout the years, interns have worked to further the mission and vision of the Sikh Coalition by helping to achieve legal victories, as well as educating and empowering the community and contributing to the growth of the organization.

Fall 2012 internship applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

Click here for more information.