Coalition Hires Legal Director

After almost two years of being an entirely volunteer-based organization, the Sikh Coalition hired its first full time employee, Amardeep Singh, on September 8, 2003. Amardeep, a co-founder of the Sikh Coalition, joined the Coalition as its Legal Director. His hiring marks a significant milestone--a full-time legal resource focused on the civil rights and advocacy of Sikhs and their concerns. The Coalition hopes to capitalize on Amardeep’s extensive experience to build a team of volunteer legal resources to further grow our ability to represent and protect Sikh interests.

Amardeep brings considerable legal and government expertise to the Coalition, particularly with his experience working on Sikh civil and human rights issues. As a volunteer, he had previously represented the Sikh Coalition at meetings with Attorney General Ashcroft, the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. He helped the Department of Transportation create federal guidelines for searching Sikh airline passengers. In addition, he successfully fought for the dismissal of criminal charges against Sikhs for wearing the kirpan in courts throughout the United States.

Prior to joining the Coalition, Amardeep worked as a Researcher in the U.S. Program of Human Rights Watch (HRW) where he authored the HRW report, 'We Are Not the Enemy, Hate Crimes Against Arabs, Muslims, and Those Perceived to be Arab or Muslim after September 11'. This comprehensive HRW report covered the post 9/11 backlash against minorities, analyzed measures taken to address it and provided recommendations to improve policies and procedures. As one of the leading authorities on the post-9/11 backlash, his involvement, experience and relationships will accelerate the progress of the Coalition's legal and government programs.

With the community’s support the Coalition will continue to seek equally talented individuals to further our collective objectives.