The Life of AB1964

Posted on September 8, 2012 by Satjeet

What follow are key milestones in the Sikh Coalition’s campaign to pass AB1964 in California.  This historic new law will provide workers in California the strongest protections against religious discrimination in the nation.

Aug 2011 – Idea for AB1964 expressed at Sikh Coalition’s Unheard Voices of 9/11 hearing

Dec 2011 - Assembly Member Yamada asks Sikh Coalition for bill idea, the Coalition again proposes AB 1964

Jan 2012 – The Sikh Coalition submits and drafts bill to Assembly Member Yamada and works through revisions to Assembly Member’s office.

Feb 2012 - California Assembly Member Mariko Yamada introduces AB1964

Apr 2012 - West Sacramento Gurdwara hosts press conference announcing AB1964

Apr 2012 - California Sikhs testify in favor of AB1964 at first legislative hearing

Apr 2012 - California Sikhs testify in favor of AB1964 at second legislative hearing

May 2012 - California Sikhs testify in favor of AB1964 at third legislative hearing

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Representatives of Senators’ Offices Invited to the Sikh Center of San Antonio

Posted on September 7, 2012 by Guest Blogger

Guest blogged by by Deepak Ahluwalia

On August 28, 2012, the Sikh Center of San Antonio invited Daniel Mezza (South Central Texas/El Paso Regional Director for Senator Cornyn) and Yesenia Monsour (Regional Director for Senator Hutchison) to tour the local Gurdwara (Sikh house of worship). The local Sikh American congregation that was present delivered a petition asking that both Senators join with others to request the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to track hate crimes against Sikhs. Senator Dianne Feinstein of California, who is leading the initiative, has authored this effort in the Senate.

As background, the purpose of the Hate Crimes Statistics Act is to require the DOJ to collect information on the number of bias-related crimes, including those motivated by religion. To do so, the DOJ collects this data using the Hate Crime Incident Report, which is submitted voluntarily by various law enforcement agencies.

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My Summer as a Dr. Harnand Singh Dhillon and Sardarni Mohinder Kaur Dhillon Legal Fellow

Posted on August 28, 2012 by Guest Blogger

Without fail, I am asked five times a week, “So, what type of law do you want to do.” And I have my standard reply – an uncomfortable chuckle followed by an even more uneasy “Oh, I’m not sure yet but I’m interested in [insert some random area of law here].” You walk out of your first year of law school feeling a lot of things: exhaustion, relief, hopefulness, etc. Unfortunately, the sense of knowing what exactly it is that you want to do is not as common. I’m excited by everything. After a criminal law class I want to be a District Attorney, and after hearing from an attorney from XYZ law firm, I want to be a corporate litigator. I walked into my internship at the Sikh Coalition knowing very little about employment discrimination law and am walking out passionate and more prepared for my legal future than I had expected.

For a lot of students, “summer internship” is a term that conjures up memories of photocopying, note-taking, and observing while their supervisors did the actual legal work. That’s definitely not the case at the Sikh Coalition. Within my first hour on the job – before we had even completed our orientation – our supervisor handed us a brief that was to be filed later that week and asked us to help her edit it. This was the perfect representation of the summer to follow.

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National Moment of Reflection Today

Posted on August 12, 2012 by Narinder

The Sikh community has been lifted by the support from across America for those lost in the Oak Creek tragedy. It is in the best tradition of what makes America great. On Sunday, August 12, we ask you and your congregation and community to join us in a National Moment of Reflection as we honor the memory of the victims.

At the end of every Sikh service, the congregation makes a request of the Divine in a prayer called ardas. This last request is for “sarbat da bhalla“, “May everyone in the world be blessed and may good come to all”. We hope that this National Moment of Reflection at churches, mosques, synagogues, temples, gurdwaras, and community centers across America will send the message of blessings for all, and that we stand united against hate and intolerance and as part of a common humanity.

While the official time of the shootings was at 10:20am CST, we encourage you to choose a time and reflection that will have the most meaning in your community, such as a moment of silence or a prayer during a worship service.

For more information, please visit the Facebook page setup for local communities or a list of partial participants see the SALDEF site here.

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Video From Sikh Youth On His Experience

Posted on August 12, 2012 by Narinder

From our 2011 Diversity Essay Competition (posted in 2012) and particularly relevant since Oak Creek. We must address things that contribute to hate and intolerance.

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Stay in Touch with Everything Happening in One Place

Posted on August 8, 2012 by Narinder

Visual view of all the major news and activities happening involving Oak Creek and the tragic Gurdwara shootings.
Live News and Media Gallery

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Amardeep Singh – On MSNBC Nightly News

Posted on August 8, 2012 by Narinder

Amardeep Singh, Programming Director and Co-Founder of the Sikh Coalition has been on the ground in Oak Creek, WI and gives MSNBC Brian Williams show a view of what’s important in following up to this atrocity.

Amardeep Singh, Sikh Coalition, on NBC News

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My Summer with the Sikh Coalition

Posted on August 3, 2012 by Guest Blogger

There are numerous ways to define the community of which one is a member. As a non-Sikh coming to work for the Coalition, I can now say that I have expanded the identity of the community I belong to.

Practicing law was not a career that I had strongly considered through any of my schooling. It was only until I helped facilitate a youth-led campaign fighting for undocumented student rights that I realized my role as an advocate and defender. If I had to identify a moment of realization, it would be watching an undocumented high school student excitedly grabbing a bullhorn and pouring as much of her voice as she had stored in her lungs into a rally cry to the mass of students and supporters gathered in front of City Hall in Manhattan. She is the reason I went to law school.

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AB 1964 – Equality in the Workplace

Posted on July 23, 2012 by Guest Blogger

The Sikh community has been present in the state of California for over 100 years, solidifying their place in the fabric of California’s rich history through their hard work and contributions. Like many minority groups, the Sikhs migrated to the United States with the anticipation of a better life. They too wanted the opportunity to pursue the American dream while freely practicing their religion.

Sikh pioneers had a reputation for being hard workers and took up employment in the agriculture and lumber industries, going on to become some of the most successful farmers and entrepreneurs in the state. Sikhs also played an integral role in the construction of the Western Pacific Railway system, stretching from the Bay Area to Utah.

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Fighting for Rights – Perspective of a Sikh Coalition Intern

Posted on July 9, 2012 by Guest Blogger

Growing up in a South Asian and Sikh household, I had many preconceived notions of who I was supposed to be and what I was supposed to do. My parents expected me to go to college then medical school, and eventually become a doctor. I was instilled with this mindset for the majority of my teenage years. However, junior year of high school, everything changed.

Around the age of 17, I watched the documentary ‘Divided We Fall.’ This video documented the struggles of Sikh Americans post-9/11. I saw the devastation, the fear, the anger, and the sadness that filled Sikh families who experienced or knew someone who directly experienced hate crimes due to their Sikh identity.

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