Appendix I - Select Educational Trainings

In 2004 the Coalition and its volunteers conducted several dozens of presentations and training sessions with schools, universities, law enforcement and government officials. Below is a selection of these trainings. Visit www.sikhcoalition.org for resources to help in conducting educational sessions.

• National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum, New York Chapter (June, 2005) - Co-sponsored panel on racial profiling since 9/11, with a particular interest in the impact of racial profiling on Arab, Muslim and Sikh communities and families.
• Sanctuary for Families (April, 2005) - Legal Director participated on panel titled “Domestic Violence, Immigration and the Faith-based Community”. Was part of the second annual community dialogue between government, domestic violence advocates and the faith community. New York City Councilman John Liu, state court judges, representatives from the Mayor’s office and representatives of the Sikh, Muslim and Hindu faiths participated in the forum.

• Department of Transportation Seattle, Washington (March, 2005) - 80 employees of Department of Transportation participated in an education seminar on Sikhism. They were introduced to the general principles and beliefs of Sikhism and the Sikh identity. This was followed by a tour of the Gurudwara Singh Sabha of Washington where the participants took part in a special bilingual prayer service and asked questions about the importance of Sikh articles of faith.
• The Monmouth County Police Academy(December, 2004)- Trained over one hundred bias crime detectives from throughout New Jersey on Sikh practices and hate crimes against Sikhs.
• San Jose Police Department (December, 2004) - Coalition helped the Dept create a video which is covering various issues, including basic Sikh teachings, Sikh history, significance of the 5 K’s, effects of post-9/11 backlash on Sikh community, and human rights. The Coalition’s representative discussed hate crimes against Sikhs, the prosecution of Sikhs for carrying their kirpan, and cultural tips in interacting with Sikhs from Punjab.
• Albany Police Departments (November, 2004) - In co-ordination with the Justice Department’s Community Relations Service, the Coalition conducted three separate training sessions for police departments in the Albany, New York region. The training sessions, presented law enforcement officers with common Sikh practices and guidelines on engaging with Sikhs in their law enforcement capacity.
• Bureau on Citizenship and Immigration Services (formerly INS) (Feburary, 2004) - Trained BCIS frontline employees on Sikhs and Sikhism in multi hour training session. Provided BCIS employees with information on Sikh beliefs and common practices in order to facilitate their interaction with Sikh immigrants.

• Seattle University, World Religion Series (March, 2005) - Coalition participated and presented in the World Religion series on essential teachings and practices of Sikhi. These programs intended to promote understanding, respect and good will amongst faith traditions. The presentation focused on the origin and history of Sikhism; beliefs and teachings; and values and ethics.
• Columbia University (February 2004) - The Coalition's legal director lead a conference seminar discussion on Sikh civil rights concerns at Columbia University. The conference, "Defending Immigrant Rights: Civil Liberties during Wartime and Beyond," was organized by a collection of student organizations to discuss the status of immigrant and minority rights concerns in the aftermath of September 11, 2001.
• University of Washington (January, 2005) - Presentation on the experience of the Sikh community after 9/11 for a humanities class , "Religious Fundamentalisms, Politics, and Media in America", to approximately 100 college freshman students. Included a brief lesson on Sikhism, philosophy, hate crimes against the Sikh community and the speaker's own experiences in dealing with intolerance and discrimination.
• City University of New York Law School (April, 2004) - Sikh Coalition's legal director spoke about hate crimes and other forms of bias against Sikhs. The focus of the Coalition's presentation was on how well law enforcement responded to addressing bias-motivated violence against Sikh, Arabs, Muslims and South Asians after September 11, 2001.
• Grace Church School (January, 2005) Participated in an interfaith panel discussing religious privilege and its implications for members of non-Christian faiths in a Christian society. The discussion was part of a larger effort by the school to incorporate discussion of Sikhism during a weekly religion class its students attend.
• Kent School District(Oct-Dec, 2004) - Conducted over half a dozen trainings on Sikhs and Sikhism to the staff, administration and the students. Focus was mostly on the experiences of Sikh children in district schools, basic Sikh beliefs and questions related to cultural heritage. The key presentations were to the entire leadership team of the district, which included all the school Principals, Vice Principals and the Superintendent's office, the Security Administration, Transportation Services personnel and the Diversity Task Force.