September 13, 20223 (Nationwide) — As students across the country are beginning the new school year, the Sikh Coalition is pleased to both announce the launch of our new Education Advisory Committee (EAC) and re-share our library of more than 50 free educational resources for students, parents, and educators.

The EAC is a newly formed group of Sikh educators, DEI experts, community activists and parents who bring a wealth of experience and expertise in the field of education to the Sikh Coalition. Its inaugural membership includes:

  • Amrit Kaur, an English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) teacher for Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland and the founder of the Sikh Parent Association;
  • Sonia Kaur, a freelance digital marketer and content creator on Instagram under the name @ThatPunjabiMom;
  • Deepjyot Sidhu, a career educator currently serving as Director of Professional Learning at Global Online Academy;
  • Hamdeep Singh, the Co-Chair for the Brentwood High School South Asian Family Association and former founding board member of TeachAAPI;
  • Jaspreet Singh, a Secondary Social Studies Teacher for Frederick County Public Schools in Maryland; and
  • Rubin Paul Singh, a nonprofit technology strategist who leads classes and facilitates workshops on gurmat, history, and human rights at khalsa schools, camps, retreats, and universities throughout the United States. 

“Speaking on behalf of my fellow EAC members, we are excited to be more deeply involved in the Sikh Coalition’s wide portfolio of education work,” said Deepjyot Sidhu, an EAC member. “While many efforts to counter hate and discrimination are reactive in nature, we will only address the roots of this problem in our society through sustained, comprehensive, and proactive engagement with students, parents, teachers, and administrators.”

You can learn more about the EAC, and the Sikh Coalition’s broader education work, via an Instagram Live conversation between Education Manager Upneet Kaur and EAC member Jaspreet Singh. Join us for that conversation on Instagram (@sikhcoalition) at 7 PM ET today.

The EAC will be instrumental in the continued development of the Sikh Coalition’s free resources for students, parents, and teachers. As a reminder, our ‘Back to School Toolkit’ includes a wide range of content, including our Educator’s Guide to Sikhism; lesson plans and classroom content for both elementary and middle/high school-aged students; anti-bullying content for parents and administrators; content for librarians; accommodation letters (scroll down after clicking link) for students who maintain articles of faith; and more. All of this material can be accessed for free on our website. Read the NBC News feature on our more than 10 years of work on state social studies standards across the nation here. if you have additional questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to education@sikhcoalition.org. 

As always, the Sikh Coalition urges you to practice your faith fearlessly.