The Sikh Coalition Awards Banquet

On May 14th, 2002 Sikhs in America formally recognized those champions of tolerance and respect within Congress, federal agencies, advocacy groups, and the media, who were crucial in ensuring the safety of at-risk communities following the horrific events of 9/11. This historic event cemented the relationship between these advocates and the Sikh community - announcing that Sikhs will be a proactive and visible portion of the political and social fabric of our society. The evening began with a number of keynote speakers addressing the Sikh community and all Americans about the rights and responsibilities of citizens of the United States.

Congressman Christopher Shays (R-CT) - one of the co sponsors of a House Resolution supporting Sikh Americans, began by passionately reminding all of us as Americans of our collective obligation to protect the rights and freedoms of this country. Congressman Shays drew from the lessons he learned as a member of the Peace Corps to advocate the importance of understanding and embracing the diversity of America and the world.

Congressman Mike Honda (D-CA) -the initial House Co Sponsor of a resolution supporting Sikh Americans, recalled the lessons learned by this country as a result of the Japanese internment in World War II. He recalled personal stories of patriotic Japanese Americans fighting for the country abroad while their families lie imprisoned in the camps. Congressman Honda, a champion of our constitutional rights, urged Americans to cherish the freedoms that the country embodied and learn about the diversity of this nation. He asked Sikhs to accept their duties as people of this country required to raise their voices to educate the country as to "beauty of Sikhs and Sikhism" and to defend our constitutional rights.

Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) - the originator of resolutions supporting Sikh Americans, addressed the audience by sharing the story of the immigration of his mother to this country. She left her home where she practiced her faith under peril. He commended the importance of this fundamental freedom and the strength needed to maintain beliefs in challenging circumstances.

He stressed the importance of Sikhs organizing to participate in the political process to ensure their voices are heard. In this context, he shared the story of how he came to know of the Sikhs and their plight post September 11th. He spoke of how two Sikhs from the Coalition came to his office to discuss the affect of the 11th on the community and asked him to help call attention to the Sikhs. From this initial outreach began the first congressional resolutions supporting Sikh Americans.

Dr. James Zogby (President, Arab American Institute) - one of the earliest and most visible voices speaking out for tolerance and understanding after September 11th. In his speech at the dinner, he challenged America to be the ideal it advertises. Dr. Zogby advocated that government should protect the rights of its entire people collectively, without distinction. For Sikhs and the Coalition,

he commended our emergence from obscurity into a community that would have a voice at the table of the democratic process. He offered some of the lessons learned in the formation and growth of AAI twenty years earlier and emphasized the importance of constant diligence in ensuring the voice of a minority community is heard in this country. His words and support of the Sikhs post September 11th had opened numerous doors and helped launch Sikhs into the halls of government.

After the keynote speakers, Ralph Boyd, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, and Jonathan Chase, Associate Director of the Community Relations Service of the DOJ also spoke of their positive working relationships with the Sikhs and the Coalition. The awards were then distributed to the honorees as an emotion filled room of Sikhs and anon-Sikhs watched on.

• Deborah Barfield - Reporter, Newsday - sought to provide accurate about Sikhs, their faith and the issues they faced immediately after September 11th. In a time when news reports contained egregious errors about who the Sikhs were, her stories always provided fair and accurate information that highlighted important issues.
• Paul Igasaki - Vice Chairman, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission - Mr. Igasaki created an environment within government that recognized its service to all people. He helped highlight issues of employment discrimination towards minorities and introduced the Sikhs to the governmental process.
• Deepa Iyer - Department of Justice - A relentless advocate helping Sikh victims of hate crimes and opening doors within other government agencies to ensure the Sikh voice was heard. Deepa's passion and integrity inspired everyone from the Coalition that she encountered.
• Deborah Kong - Associated Press News - As a writer for AP in the Bay Area, Deborah served a one of the key media representatives for stories about Sikhs. She helped capture the human side of Sikhs and the personal nature of the stories of the people behind the turbans. She helped shed lights on hate crimes and backlash from September 11th and consistently delivered accurate and insightful stories.
• Norman Mineta - Secretary, Department of Transportation - Secretary Mineta's understanding of the importance of equal treatment for minorities led to the DOT and FAA working with the Sikh community to issue guidelines for the screening of Sikh passengers. These guidelines greatly reduced the number of profiling incidents involving Sikhs.
• Blane Workie - Department of Transportation - Blaine actively engaged in drafting the core precepts of the FAA and DOT directives to screeners and airlines on the appropriate manner to address Sikh passengers. His diligence in coordinating across numerous Sikh organizations and DOT/FAA personnel ensured expedient adoption of the new directives.
• Earnest Bayner & Susie Ahn - Office of Congressman Mike Honda - promoted the congressional resolution supporting the Sikhs and helped to arrange a press conference with nine other congressman to speak about the importance of Sikhs and America
• Natacha Blain - Chief Counsel, Senator Richard Durbin - advocated and organized the original resolution process and gathered support from key Senate offices for the Sikhs. Her tireless efforts helped begin the process for the United States Congress recognizing the Sikhs in America.
• Len Wolfson - Office of Congressman Christopher Shays - Len has known about Sikhs since becoming friends with two of them in high school. He understood the people behind the turbans and appreciated the confusion they must have felt as a result of the September 11th backlash. His ability to personalize this situation enabled him to effectively organize support for the congressional resolution supporting Sikhs.
• Karen Narasaki - Excutive Director, National Asian Pacific Legal Consortium (NAPALC) - In the aftermath of September 11th, the greater Asian community quickly adopted issues of backlash, hate crimes, and discrimination. NAPALC and Karen led the way, recognizing the importance of all minority communities standing together to ensure freedoms were not easily dismissed. NAPALC consistently helped open doors for Sikhs within government agencies and fostered collaboration between like minded non government organizations.

The Coalition also recognized Dr. Navinderdeep Singh (Nijher) for his heroic efforts in setting up one of the first medical triage centers at the World Trade Center on September 11th. His efforts helped many and displayed the character of Sikhs and their desire to help our fellow Americans in these times of need.

Overall, the dinner was a historic event for the entire Sikh community. For the first time in the United States, Senators, Congressman, and over sixty government officials and civil liberties leaders gathered to recognize Sikhs in America as a vibrant community that would be a part of the process of democracy. It was a celebration for what Sikhs accomplished in these turbulent times and a reminder that the journey for the community was only beginning.

Jeremy Wu of the Department of Transportation, and Vice Chairman of the EEOC, Paul Igasaki, discuss the awards banquet