Middle and High School Resources

Video Resources

• CNN’s “United Shades of America with W. Kamau Bell” 60-minute episode on the Sikh community. C3 viewing and discussion guide for this episode available here (scroll down to “Viewing and discussion guide for the United Shades of America episode on the Sikh community,” and you can click to download).
• Vishavjit Singh’s Webby-winning and Oscar-qualified animated short film “American Sikh”; The Sikh Coalition served as an executive producer on this project that tells the true story of Vishavjit Singh, 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. Learn more here. 
• “Baywatana“ is a 2023 documentary produced by Nishkam TV and the Sikh Coalition that chronicles the exodus of Afghan Sikhs and Hindus fleeing religious persecution. The film highlights the, often ignored, stories of these minorities facing violence and forced displacement, specifically focusing on those seeking asylum in the US, UK, Canada, and India. 
• “Confused Islamophobes Target American Sikhs” Comedy Central Daily Show segment on Sikh identity with Trevor Noah (April 15, 2016). 5-minute video.
• “Sikhs in Seva” video series features Sikhs from across the United States who are making an impact through seva (selfless service) in their local communities. Five videos each under 4-minutes.
• “Stockton Gurdwara: A Brief History” by Bainiwal, Tejpaul S. (2021). 3-minute video.
• “Religion & Identity in Young America” is a CBS television special examining religious-based bullying in schools. It features the stories of Sikh, Jewish, and Muslim students and examines how religious minorities face bigotry with faith and resolve. Plus, check out the classroom discussion guide for the 27-minute episode.
• “Religious Groups Find Common Ground as Targets of Hate” featuring Sikh Coalition, by News 21 (2019). 10-minute video.
• “Pearson Sikhism Documentary” featuring cartoonist Vishavjit Singh by Pearson PLC in collaboration with Sikh Coalition, SALDEF, and Blue Chalk). Can be used as supplemental content for two world religions textbooks as students learn about Sikhism. 5-minute video. 
• “Drawn Together: Comics, Diversity and Stereotypes” by Kaur Films. Challenges the notion of race, appearance, and gender stereotypes through cartoons, comics, and cosplay, and it features Sikh American and comic Vishavjit Singh. 2-minute video.
• “Divided We Fall” by Valerie Kaur and Sharat Raju, on the Sikh experience following 9/11 (2008). 90-minute film – opening sequence 7 minutes. Lesson plans available here.
• “Waking in Oak Creek” by Milwaukee PBS, exploring the most widely known hate crime committed against the Sikh community, the horrific 2012 Oak Creek Massacre (2014). 60-minute documentary.
• “Who are the Sikhs” by the Sikh Coalition and Fresno Unified School District. 5 minute 30 seconds video.
• “Neel” by David Woo on bullying against Sikh students. Appropriate for grades 5 – 12 . 5-minute video.
• “Dastaar” by Kevin Lee presenting the struggle of the Sikh American community against discrimination and violence caused by ignorance of an essential Sikh article of faith—the dastaar, or turban. Appropriate for grades 7 – 12. 12-minute video. 
• “Article of Faith” by Christina Antonakos-Wallace. Appropriate for grades 7 – 12. 10-minute video.
• Walking Into the Unknown: Jutti Kasuri: Documentary exploring South Asian Punjabi women and their contributions to California over the last century. 26-minute video.
• Dalip Singh Saund: His Life, His Legacy. NCSS endorsed documentary short with educator resources.
• The Turbaned Seekers of Truth: Story of Sikhs in America A talk by Vishavjit Singh. Part of the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center’s educational webinar series, “We Are Not A Stereotype: Breaking down Asian Pacific American bias.” Accompanying interview and learning resource here. 58-minute video.

Case studies – Media Profiles of Sikhs:

• Mandeep Sethi (hip-hop artist)
• Sikh Motorcycle Club
• Vishavjit Singh (Cartoonist)
• Singh Twins (Artists)
• Rupi Kaur (Poet)
• Captain Simratpal Singh
• Inderjit Singh Mukker

Case studies – Media Profiles of Sikhs in Society:

• “How to Feed Crowds in a Protest or Pandemic? The Sikhs Know”
• Their First Temple Was a Tent. Now Sikhs Walk New Jersey’s Halls of Power.
• Sikhs, finding religious freedom on the road, take outsize role in American trucking
• Seva Truck Foundation
• Yuba City’s Sikh Parade
• Langar at Harmandir Sahib, (Golden Temple), Amritsar, Punjab, India

Books:

• Sikhism: A Guide for the Perplexed by Arvind-Pal Singh Mandair
• A Very Short Introduction to Sikhism by Eleanor Nesbitt
• The Sikhs by Patwant Singh
• Translations of passages from the Guru Granth Sahib, Sacred Scripture, and eternal Guru of the Sikhs: “The Name of My Beloved: Verses of the Sikh Gurus” by Nikki-Guninder Kaur Singh and “Teachings of the Sikh Gurus: Selections from the Sikh Scriptures” by Arvind-Pal Singh Mandair and Christopher Shackle
• Guru Nanak by Eleanor Nesbitt, Gopinder Kaur
• The Encyclopedia of Sikhism by Harbans Singh
• See No Stranger – A Memoir and Manifesto of Revolutionary Love by Valarie Kaur; learning hub can be accessed here
• Faith, Gender and Activism in the Punjab Conflict by Mallika Kaur

Short Stories and Novels:

• “Her Name is Kaur: Sikh American women write about love, courage and faith” edited by Meeta Kaur
• “A Citizen Fights for His Civil Rights after 9/11” by Amric Singh Rathour, taken from Untold Civil Rights Stories by Karen K. Narasaki  Appropriate for grades 11 – 12.  Useful information on how the Sikh community was affected by 9/11.
• Kultar’s Mime: Stories of Sikh children who survived the 1984 Delhi massacre by Sarbpreet Singh and J. Mehr Kaur. Also related is a theatrical performance, Kultar’s Mime, based on a poem written by a Sikh-American gentleman about riots in Delhi against the Sikh community in the 1980s.
• When You Ask Me Where I’m Going by Jasmin Kaur
• If I Tell You the Truth by Jasmin Kaur
• Royals and Rebels: The Rise and Fall of the Sikh Empire by Priya Atwal