In This Issue: 

  • Advocacy Day in Albany
  • Updated Immigration Resources
  • And More!

Sikh Coalition Joins REACH Coalition Partners in Advocacy Day in Albany New York

On February 11, the Sikh Coalition was honored to join organizations, sangat members, and advocates as part of the REACH (Representing and Empowering AANHPI Community History) Coalition’s third annual Advocacy Day at the New York State Capitol in Albany. The day centered on supporting Senate Bill 3334 and Assembly Bill 4638, sponsored by Senator John C. Liu (D-16) and Assemblymember Grace Lee (D-65), respectively. These bills call for the development of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander history curriculum and an assessment of existing implementation efforts and resource gaps in New York schools.

Representatives of the REACH Coalition, including Sikh Coalition Senior Education Manager Savleen Singh and Senior State Policy Manager Harmeet Kaur Kamboj, joined Senator Liu and Assemblymember Lee for a press conference and rally. Around 100 advocates and community leaders attended 18 in-person meetings with legislators in the Assembly and Senate, and the REACH Coalition also dropped off packets about the legislation to 108 other legislative offices. If you live in New York State, be sure to TAKE ACTION today!

 

CALIFORNIA SANGAT: Take Action on New Transnational Repression Bill

On February 19, lawmakers introduced a California state bill to combat transnational repression—including transnational repression by the government of India that continues to threaten U.S.-based Sikhs. SB 509, introduced by State Senator Anna M. Caballero (CA-D-14) and co-authored by Assemblymember Dr. Jasmeet Bains (CA-D-35) and Assemblymember Esmeralda Soria (CA-D-27), offers a formal definition of transnational repression and requires the development of a “transnational repression recognition and response” training for state and local law enforcement agencies.

The Sikh Coalition is proud to join other Sikh organizations in supporting this bill, and we look forward to submitting our letter of support and providing testimony as it moves through the legislative process. If you are a member of the California sangat, be sure to TAKE ACTION today! 

Sikh Coalition Helps Gurdwara Join Lawsuit to Protect Houses of Worship from ICE Raids

Since January, the Sikh Coalition has been coordinating with Democracy Forward (DF) as they brought forth a lawsuit against the U.S. government challenging the formal rescission of guidance that had long protected gurdwarae, other houses of worship, and other “sensitive locations” from immigration enforcement, including raids. In addition to providing DF with critical background and context on the Sikh faith and community, the Sikh Coalition worked to connect DF with several gurdwarae across the nation who considered joining the lawsuit. 

On February 5, DF filed an amendment to their lawsuit adding, among other houses of worship, Gurdwara Sahib West Sacramento as an additional plaintiff. We are thankful to our allies at DF for bringing forth this critical lawsuit in the first place, and we greatly appreciate Gurdwara Sahib West Sacramento for stepping forward as a voice for the many Sikhs across the nation who are opposed to this policy. On February 24, the lawsuit saw its first victory in court; we will continue watching its progress closely.

Creating, Translating, and Sharing Immigration Resources

As of February 20, the Sikh Coalition is pleased to share that we have made our comprehensive immigration resources—both for individuals and for gurdwarae—available in Punjabi! We have also published this guidance in a number of different formats, including Google Docs ideal for copying and pasting, designed PDFs ideal for viewing online, and individual one-page flyers ideal for printing and posting at your gurdwara. You can now view all of our immigration resources on one page of our website, accessible by an easy link: thesikh.co/immigration.

The Sikh Coalition continues to work to find new ways to share all of this information with the sangat, including via in person and virtual consultations for gurdwarae in states from Ohio to Georgia to Pennsylvania. On February 5, Sikh Coalition Executive Director Harman Singh, Managing Director of Education and Community Development Rucha Kaur, and Senior Staff Attorney Sahel Kaur joined News12 New Jersey reporter and sangat member Joti Rekhi to answer questions via an Instagram Live; on February 20, Harman Singh joined a Know Your Rights Zoom panel organized by Umeed Michigan and including experts from the ACLU of Michigan, Federal Community Defender Office, and Neighborhood Defender Service. 

Reflection on Harmeet Dhillon’s Nomination

On February 26, Harmeet Kaur Dhillon had her confirmation hearing for the position of Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights before the Senate Judiciary Committee. The nomination of Harmeet Ji has come with significant discussion, both within the Sikh community and the wider civil rights ecosystem; read our full perspective here.

Updated Educator’s Guide Now Available

This month, the Sikh Coalition debuted our newest version of its Sikhi: An Educator’s Guide. This 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. View the digital version of the updated guide here. 

Sikh Coalition in Conversation with Valarie Kaur

On February 24, Sikh Coalition Senior Community Development Manager Aasees Kaur held an Instagram Live conversation with activist, author, and award winning filmmaker and documentarian Valarie Kaur about her recent children’s book ‘World of Wonder.’ During the Live, Valarie brought the book to life with her wonderful reading and the two discussed the power of community and sisterhood. ‘World of Wonder’ is a wonderful resource for children, students, and adults alike.

SC Across The Country

  • From February 5 to 7, The Sikh Coalition team met in Houston, Texas for our bi-annual Stepback Retreat. This year’s Stepback was unique because it was the first time that our staff and our board of directors were able to meet each other in person! Stepback also serves as a great time for our staff to reconnect with fellow coworkers and encourage one another as we continue our work to fight for Sikh civil rights through 2025 and beyond. 
  • On February 11 and 12, Managing Director of Policy and Communications Graham F. West attended the Council on Foreign Relations’ 2025 Religion and Foreign Policy Workshop in New York City.. The convening raised several issues relevant to the Sikh Coalition’s advocacy work, including the failure of the U.S. State Department to designate India as a Country of Particular Concern regarding religious freedom as well as the ongoing threat of transnational repression.
  • On February 13, Sikh Coalition Legal Director Giselle Klapper, Senior State Policy Manager Harmeet Kaur Kamboj, and Staff Attorney Amreen Partap Singh Bhasin met with the new Executive Director of the Office of Hate Crime Prevention in New York City, Mr. Vijah Ramjattan, to discuss areas of collaboration and ways to serve the New York sangat. We look forward to sharing more about these plans in the weeks to come.
  • On February 23, Managing Director of Education and Community Development Rucha Kaur tabled at the Philadelphia Sikh Society to share our English and Punjabi immigration resources with around 150 to  200 people. 
  • On February 24, Sikh Coalition staff joined a 2-hour listening session with the Illinois Department of Human Rights at the Sikh Religious Society at Palatine for community members to share concerns. Organizations in attendance included ADL, State Police, CISA, DHR, Castle, Indivisible, and SALDEF.

Sikh Coalition Announces New Senior Fellow

On February 20, the Sikh Coalition was proud to announce that Manpreet Kaur Teji has joined us as a Senior Policy Fellow. Manpreet most recently served in the Biden-Harris Administration as the Director for Immigration Policy for the Domestic Policy Council at the White House; learn more about her here.

We’re Hiring!

 

We are currently hiring at the Sikh Coalition for the following positions: 

  • Legal Director 
  • Federal Advocacy Manager (Washington, DC based) 
  • Senior Federal Policy Analyst (Washington, DC based)

Applications are being accepted on a rolling basis so please apply today or share widely with your networks! 

We are also looking for summer 2025 interns on our communications and development teams. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis through April 15, 2025. Learn more here.