In This Issue: 

• Our Work Protecting Sikh Prisoners’ Rights
• New Resources
• And More!

Resources Shared for Vaisakhi

As sangat nationwide celebrated Vaisakhi this month, the Sikh Coalition was honored to collaborate with artist Juss Kaur for our annual Vaisakhi greeting cards. Each year, we aim to work with artists from the community to create beautiful artwork that we share with our sangat. Additionally, we are also excited to share several relevant resources for the sangat, including our updated Guide To Visiting a Gurdwara and a lesson plan about the children’s book A Vaisakhi to Remember, developed in partnership with with Sikh Coalition Senior Fellow and author of Simran Jeet Singh and Penguin Random House. 

Next month, join us on Friday, May 23, at 10 AM ET for an Instagram Live discussion with Singh and illustrator Japneet Kaur for their book A Vaisakhi to Remember. 

Take Action: Protect the Right to Vote by Opposing the SAVE Act

In April, the Sikh Coalition joined more than 100 other civil rights organizations to opposing the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act (H.R.22), a misleadingly-named bill that would have imposed serious barriers to voter registration and registration renewal, potentially preventing millions of Americans—including Sikhs—from exercising their right to vote. While the bill unfortunately passed in the House of Representatives on April 10th, you can still take urgent action to email your Senators today to encourage them to oppose the bill.

Immigration Resources for the Sangat

Working in collaboration with our Senior Policy Fellow Manpreet Kaur Teji, the Sikh Coalition has produced an all-new immigration resource: a Community FAQ on New Registration Requirements for Certain Non-Citizens. Due to an executive order signed by President Trump in January, some non-citizens will be required to register with and be fingerprinted by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services starting on April 11. Many immigrants, however—including those who have green cards—may already be considered registered. This FAQ document can help you determine how the rule may or may not affect you, but we strongly recommend speaking with an immigration attorney about your situation if you have questions.

Sikh Coalition Presents at North Carolina Conference for Educators

On April 24 and 25, Senior Education Manager Upneet Kaur and Education Advisory Committee member Deepjyot Sidhu attended the North Carolina Council for the Social Studies conference. Deepjyot presented at a session titled “Creating Inclusive Classrooms: Empowering Sikh Students and Beyond.” Both women also tabled to connect with social studies educators and share with them the printed version of our newly updated guide for educators. Sikhi: An Educator’s Guide walks educators through constitutionally appropriate ways to bring learning about Sikhs and Sikhi into classrooms; an overview of issues faced by Sikh children in schools and how to deal with them; and background and reference information on the Sikh community, faith, and traditions. 

Relatedly, this month marks one year since the Sikh Coalition launched our landmark study, Where Are You Really From: A National Sikh School Climate Report. Learn more about how we’ve leveraged this report to serve the sangat and effect change here.

Our Work Protecting Sikh Prisoners’ Rights

In recent months, the Sikh Coalition’s legal team has continued to fight for incarcerated Sikh individuals, whose religious rights are too often violated by state and federal prison systems. Most recently, the Sikh Coalition retained a new client, Jasminder Singh, who has been incarcerated at the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) in Fort Dix since January 3, 2023. During his sentence, Jasminder Ji’s religious dietary restrictions have not been accommodated despite many requests—leading him to purchase commissary food at his own expense that provides little or no nutrition. Jasminder Ji is the Sikh Coalition’s second case at FCI Fort Dix. The faith of our long-term client Prabhjot Singh became a target for a group of federal corrections officers at FCI Fort Dix.

Related to this work, on April 17, the Sikh Coalition filed an amicus brief in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan in the case Owens v. Schuette on behalf of the plaintiff, Marvin Owens, a practicing Muslium who was not accommodated with Ramadan meals for several days. Read more about this brief and Jasminder’s case here.

Sikh Coalition Attends Religion News Association Conference

The Sikh Coalition’s media and communications team attended the Religion News Association (RNA) 76th anniversary conference in Arlington, Virginia, this month, where they reconnected with reporters who regularly cover issues related to hate crimes, discrimination, advocacy related to faith, and more. In addition, our colleagues were instrumental in pitching, planning, and participating in the ‘Religious Teachings in Schools’ panel with Senior State Policy Manager Harmeet Kaur Kamboj participating as a panelist. Thank you to Interfaith Alliance’s Guthrie Graves-Fitzsimmons and Los Angeles Times education reporter Jaweed Kaleem for rounding out the panelists and Sikh Coalition Senior Fellow Simran Jeet Singh for moderating the conversation. 

American Sikh Wins Best Animation Webby Award

The Oscar-qualified short film American Sikh has been named the Best Animation Video & Film in the 29th Annual Webby Awards Internet Celebration. As an executive producer of the film, the Sikh Coalition was proud to join with Vishavjit Singh, the creator of American Sikh and founder of Sikhtoons, last year to promote the public launch of the film and a series of associated lesson plans for middle and high school students. The film tells the true story of Vishavjit Singh as an American-born, NYC based turban-wearing Sikh illustrator, writer, performance artist, and diversity speaker; after a lifetime of facing prejudice, violence, and self-doubt regarding his identity, Vishavjit finds acceptance in his cosplay as a turbaned and bearded Captain America. You can watch American Sikh for free on YouTube!

Updates from the Sikh Coalition’s Legal Work

This month, the Sikh Coalition’s legal team conducted 11 new intakes, bringing our year-to-date total to 61. Our casework included retaining a new client in California in a matter related to employment discrimination, as well as a new client currently facing religious discrimination while incarcerated at Fort Dix in New Jersey (see above). The Sikh Coalition also drafted our own amicus brief in the case of Owens v. Schuette (see above), related to the rights of individuals who face discrimination in state-run prison facilities; we also signed onto briefs in Mahmoud v. Taylor, a case where religious freedom is being weaponized against diverse learning materials in public school classrooms, and State of Washington v. Donald Trump, a case led by Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund to defend birthright citizenship as defined by the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Sikh Coalition Across the Country

• On April 4, Senior Staff Attorney Sahel Kaur joined United Sikh Movement for a virtual Kirpan “Know Your Rights” session that was tailored to help college students in California navigate graduation season. 
• On April 6, Senior Education Manager Upneet Kaur attended the grand opening of the Faithful Friends: Finding Connections in a World of Difference exhibit at the Children’s Museum Houston. Kaur had served as one of the member advisory board members for the exhibit that ensures that diverse traditions are represented with authenticity and care. 
• On April 7, the Sikh Coalition, including Senior State Policy Manager Puneet Kaur, was honored to work with Assemblymember Dr. Jasmeet Bains and allied Sikh organizations on a Vaisakhi event at the California State Capitol in Sacramento. 
• On April 8 and 9, Senior State Policy Manager Harmeet Kaur Kamboj attended the “We All Belong Here” symposium hosted by the New York State Division of Human Rights (DHR) at Fordham University in the Bronx. Kamboj joined in their capacity as a member of DHR’s New York City Regional Council and shared concerns about language-accessible hate crimes reporting mechanisms and the need for stronger public education about minority religious groups. 
• On April 10 and 11, Sikh Coalition Managing Director for Policy and Communications Graham West and Federal Policy Manager Mannirmal Kaur attended the 2025 Advancing Justice Summit. Kaur spoke on the Sikh Coalition’s work during a panel session titled “Countering Anti-Asian Hate and Systemic Oppression: Renewed Threats and Building Resilient Communities.”

Sikhs Remember Four-Year Anniversary of Indianapolis FedEx Shooting

April 15 marked the four year anniversary of the deadly shootings that occurred in Indianapolis, Indiana. In 2021, eight people–including four members of the local Sikh community–were murdered by a gunman who attacked a FedEx ground facility known for employing a significant Punjabi Sikh population. The Sikh Coalition solemnly remembers the victims of the shooting: Jaswinder Singh, Jasvinder Kaur, Matthew R. Alexander, Karli Ann Smith, Amarjeet Kaur Johal, Samaria Blackwell, Amarjit Sekhon, and John Weisert.