California Celebrates Sikh Awareness and Appreciation Month

Transcription

1 California Celebrates Sikh Awareness and Appreciation Month Khalsa School Toolkit The California State Legislature has declared this November as Sikh Awareness and Appreciation Month. The Sikh Coalition, in collaboration with the California Sikh community, are encouraging Californians across the golden state to celebrate this month by doing a project with your Khalsa School students. This Khalsa School toolkit includes classroom lessons for different projects that you can do with your Khalsa School students to celebrate Sikh Awareness and Appreciation Month. Once these projects have been completed, we ask that the students take their projects to their public school teacher to display in the classroom. Along with their project, the Sikh student should bring a letter explaining the project and letting the teacher know that November is Sikh Awareness and Appreciation month in California. The Sikh Coalition has included a sample letter in this toolkit. The Sikh Coalition has also developed educational resources to explain Sikhism that we distribute free of charge. This toolkit contains the following information: Sample letter to public school teacher Elementary School lesson My Shield Middle School Lesson Notable Sikh Americans High School Lesson Sikh American Timeline If you have any questions or need help organizing these activities at your Khalsa School, please us at CASikhs@sikhcoalition.org or give us a call at ** To download a Word version of this letter, click here. ** Page 1

2 [Date] [School Name] [School Address] Dear [Teacher Name], My name is [name], and I am a Sikh American. My family has lived in California for [number] years, and I would like to discuss how our class can celebrate Sikhs and Sikh Americans in November. As I m sure you are aware, our state legislature has declared November as Sikh Awareness and Appreciation Month. Sikhism is the fifth largest world religion, and Sikhs first immigrated to California over one hundred years ago. We have had notable achievements as farmers, soldiers, entrepreneurs, congressmen, scientists, and actors, among countless other professions, and have made significant contributions to this state s rich history. Since Sikhism is not currently included in the Framework for History-Social Science, students do not learn about Sikhism when they learn about the rest of the world religions. As a result, many are ignorant about us, and this ignorance has often led to bias-based harassment and bullying. I understand that teachers are often overburdened with the amount of material they are mandated to teach. However, at my house of worship (gurdwara), we have been working on projects about Sikh Americans to make your job a little easier! I have made a project called [title of project], that I would like to display in our classroom during the month of November. [For elementary school students]: At my gurdwara, we have made a project that explains what the Sikh faith means to me, in the form of a shield. On this shield, I share facts about Sikhs that I think my classmates will find interesting and relate to. I would like to show and explain this shield to my classmates so it will help them learn a little more about me and about Sikh Americans. If you would like to teach this lesson to our class for Sikh Awareness and Appreciation month, please visit this link to download the lesson: [For middle school students]: At my gurdwara, my classmates and I have worked together to create a booklet on Sikh Americans. Each of us has written a biography on a Sikh American, and we have compiled those biographies into a book that can be shared and displayed in the classroom. Through this book, I think my classmates will be able to understand Sikhism better and be able to relate to Sikh Americans from different fields. If you would like to teach this lesson to our class for Sikh Awareness and Appreciation month, please visit this link to Page 2

3 download the lesson: [For high school students]: At my gurdwara, my classmates and I have created a timeline depicting the experiences of Sikh Americans in the United Statesthat I would like to present to my classmates. Through this timeline, I hope to show my classmates that Sikhs have played a role in America s rich history just as many other immigrant communities have. If you would like to teach this lesson to our class for Sikh Awareness and Appreciation month, please visit this link to download the lesson: I am sure you will agree that education is the best way to eliminate ignorance. Through teaching my classmates about Sikhs and Sikh Americans, we can all celebrate diversity and learn about different beliefs and customs. I would appreciate it if we could discuss the possibilities of celebrating Sikh American Appreciation month further with my parents at [parent s address/phone number]. We look forward to hearing from you. Regards, [Name] Page 3

4 Elementary School Lesson Objective: The student will create a visual representation of their life as a Sikh American. The student will be able to present and explain each aspect of their shield. Materials: Copies (enough for each student) of the blank shield template One copy of the shield template with instructions, displayed large enough for the class to see the instructions Markers, colored pencils, and/or crayons Tape or glue Paper images of famous Sikh Americans Several pictures of the outside and inside of your gurdwara Access to books or handouts about basic Sikh beliefs Sikh Awareness and Appreciation Poster (Optional for 5 th and 6 th grade students) Copy of the Sikh American Timeline used for the High School Lesson below Personalized letter to public school teacher Lesson Plan for Khalsa School Teacher: 1. Announce to your class that November has been designated as Sikh Awareness and Appreciation Month in California. California is the only state that has designated an entire month for Sikh Americans! Show the students the Sikh Awareness and Appreciation Poster for use in schools, libraries, etc. Ask the students why it is important for non-sikhs to know and understand the information on this poster. Ask the students if there are any facts or images that they would add to the poster. Tell the students that to celebrate this month, each student will be making their own poster in the form of a shield. This shield will illustrate different aspects of their life as a Sikh American. Distribute a copy of the blank shield template to each student. 2. Review the different sections of the shield using the large shield template with instructions. As you review each section, encourage the students to brainstorm ideas of what to include on their shields. Create a list of these ideas on the board as you discuss them. This will help the students pull from these ideas at the end of the discussion when they begin filling in their shields. a. Picture/Drawing of Your Gurdwara Show the students pictures of the outside and inside of your gurdwara. The students can choose to use those pictures in their shield or draw the images. Tell them they do not have to draw the images from the pictures. They can draw an image of the gurdwara that they like the Page 4

5 most, their favorite place in the gurudwara, or any image that reminds them of the gurdwara. b. 5 Things That I Want My Friends to Know About Sikhs These can be any five facts on the Sikh faith. The students might want to use this space to dispel any myths that people might have about Sikhs or the turban. The students can look through the books or handouts about Sikhism as well as the Sikh Awareness and Appreciation Poster to give them some ideas of what to write. c. A Picture of My Family In this section, they will draw a picture of their family. (As an alternative, you can ask them to bring a picture of their family from home.) d. Fun Facts About Me Ask the students to draw or write anything about their life in this section: their name, their favorite book, their house, all the people that live in their house, pets, where they were born, languages they speak at home, what they like to do for fun, etc. Write some of these responses on the board. e. Facts About California Sikhs Tell the class that when Sikhs first immigrated to the United States, they came to the west coast first Washington, Oregon, and California. For that reason, many of the early achievements and success stories about Sikh Americans are from California. To give the students some ideas about what to write for this section, they can look at the Sikh Awareness and Appreciation Poster. For older students 5 th and 6 th grade you can also distribute the Sikh American Timeline used for the High School Lesson. f. Famous Sikh Americans Review the handout in the Middle School lesson called Famous Sikh Americans. Pick out 5 10 famous Sikhs from this list and say a few words about the Sikhs and their achievements. Then, distribute the pictures of Sikh Americans you have collected. Tell the class that they can choose 3 4 pictures to glue in this section. 3. At this point, have them work on their shields individually to write and draw in all the sections. For really young students, an alternative is to have the students create a shield as a group, and have each student write/draw one section. 4. After everyone has completed their shield, have each student present their shields to the class. Discuss the following with the class: a. What did you learn about Sikhs that you didn t know before? b. What did you learn about your fellow classmates that you didn t know before? c. Do you think this can help non-sikhs learn about Sikhi or about Sikh Americans? d. What do you think you can do to explain Sikhi in your public school? 5. Explain to the class that they created these shields not just so that their Khalsa School class could learn about Sikhs and Sikhi, but also for their classmates in public Page 5

6 school to learn about them, too! Tell the students that they are going to present their teacher with their shield along with a signed letter from you and their parents. 6. Distribute copies of the personalized letter to each student. Designate time during diwaan that day when you can have a conversation with each Khalsa school student s parents about the project. Explain to the parents that their child will be approaching their public school teacher to display their shield in the classroom or school library for the month of November. To ensure that the teacher understands, a letter will be sent along with the project. Follow-Up The following Sunday, ask your students what happened when they gave their shield to their teachers. Were they displayed? What did their classmates say? Did your classmates make a shield, too? Does anyone need help speaking to the teacher or principal? Offer yourself as a resource for any schools that were not willing to display the shield or talk about it in class. If necessary, you can always offer to meet with the teacher yourself. Page 6

7 5 Things That I Want My Friends to Know About Sikhs Picture of my Gurdwara Picture of my Family Fun Facts About Me Facts about California Sikhs Famous Sikh Americans Page 7

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9 Middle School Lesson Objective: The student will research and study the contributions made by famous Sikh Americans using various sources. The student will write a one-page biography about one famous Sikh American. The student will compile their biography along with those of their classmates to make a book. Materials: Printed copy of the Famous Sikh Americans list Writing paper and pens Access to the internet Access to relevant magazines, books, newspapers, etc. (online and/or print) 3 hole punch One three ring binder Ability to type and print several copies of the biographies Personalized letter to public school teacher Lesson Plan for Khalsa School Teacher: 1. Announce to your class that November has been designated as Sikh Awareness and Appreciation Month in California. California is the only state that has designated an entire month for Sikh Americans! To celebrate this month, explain that your Khalsa School class will be making a project about famous Sikh Americans. Each student (or a small group of students) will select a notable Sikh American from the Famous Sikh Americans handout included in this toolkit. Once the students have made their selections, let them know that they will be writing one-page biographies about that Sikh American. 2. Please review the basic steps on how to write a biography with your class. You will find a handout titled, How Do I Write A Biography? in this toolkit. Please note: In order to do research and collect data on their famous Sikh American, the students will need to have access to reference material and be able to browse the web. For this reason, you can either take a field trip to a computer lab during Khalsa School hours or you can have them conduct the research portion from home, and they can use their Khalsa School class time to draft the biography. 3. Remind the students that before submitting their final one-page biography, they should add a picture of their famous Sikh American to their one-page biography. Page 9

10 4. Set aside one class period for each student to read aloud their biography. Before this day, remind them to do the following: a. Ask each student to bring as many copies of their biography as there are students in the class. For example, if there are 20 students in your Khalsa School class, each student should bring 20 copies of their biography b. Make sure each biography copy is three-hole punched. c. Bring one three ring binder. 5. After each student has read aloud their biography, time permitting, have a class discussion about what aspects of these Sikhs lives did students not know before? What has this project taught them about various Sikh Americans and their contributions to this country? 6. Then have each student hand out copies of their biography to each student. At the end of this class, each student should go home with a copy of each of their classmate s biographies. They can save these copies in their three ring binder. You can design the front cover and create a title for the binder or you can assign this to a particularly creative student. 7. Explain to the class that they created these biographies not just so that their Khalsa School class could learn about these cool Sikh Americans and their accomplishments, but also for their classmates in public school to learn about them, too! Tell the students that they are going to present their teacher with their binder of biographies along with a letter from their parents. 8. Distribute copies of the personalized letter to each student. Designate time during diwaan that day when you can have a conversation with each Khalsa school student s parents about the project. Explain to the parents that their child will be approaching their public school teacher to display their project in the classroom or school library for the month of November. To ensure that the teacher understands, a letter will be sent along with the project. Follow-Up The following Sunday, ask your students what happened when they gave their biography binders to their teachers. Were they displayed? What did their classmates say? Does anyone need help speaking to the teacher or principal? Offer yourself as a resource for any schools that were not willing to display the project. If necessary, you can always offer to meet with the teacher yourself. Page 10

11 How Do I Write A Biography? Research! Research! Research! 1. Select a famous Sikh American that you are interested in. 2. Think about what you would like to know about the person, and what parts of their life you want to write most about. Some questions you might want to think about include: o What makes this person special or interesting? o What kind of effect did he or she have on the world? On other people? o What are the adjectives you would use to describe this person? o What examples from their life illustrate those qualities? o What events shaped or changed this person's life? o Explore what interested, influenced and inspired the subject. What was he or she passionate about? o Did he or she overcome obstacles? Take risks? Get lucky? o What were the social norms at that time? What was going on economically and politically? o What was happening in that person's field? o Would the world be better or worse if this person hadn't lived? How and why? 3. Find anything written by or about the subject (on-line or print) in books, newspapers, magazines, journals, letters, videos, interviews, and existing biographies. Be sure to find information that helps you answer the questions above and tells an interesting story. 4. If possible, interview the subject or someone who knew your famous Sikh American. If you can, try to visit places that were significant to this person s life. Drafting Your Biography 1. Assemble a timeline. Record every event that you can such as birth, death and marriage. Be sure to include personal anecdotes as well. 2. Look for patterns. See the forest, not the trees. o Phases: Many people go through phases during their lives. Sometimes the phases are reactions to each other; for example, a person may go through a very dependent phase, then a very independent phase, then something in the middle. This can happen with relationships, too. o Progression/regression: Look for a steady refining of the person's character or work, an improvement over time, leading up to a defining event that shows how far the person's come. Alternatively, perhaps someone's life begins promisingly and gradually unravels--a tragedy of sorts. Page 11

12 o o Cycles: Pay attention to situations that repeat themselves in a person's life. Maybe this person reaches out, gets hurt, becomes reclusive, heals, and begins again. Or the subject sets a lofty goal, burns out, draws wisdom from the experience, and starts over with a new goal. Addiction also tends to play out in cycles. Whatever the situation, it repeats itself throughout a significant portion of the person's life (maybe signifying a phase) and at some point, the person might "break the cycle". Turning points: What are the moments in the subject's life when their direction changed dramatically? The birth of a child? A near-death experience? Hitting rock bottom? It's the point at which a pattern changes, a new phase begins, progression become regression (or vice versa), or a cycle ends or a new ones starts. 3. Make a thesis statement. Based on your "big picture" view of this person's life, what's a point that you can prove? This will be your twist on the biography - what makes it unlike any other biography on this subject. It answers the question posed in the introduction: what makes this person's life different and important? Some ideas: o What is the significance of this person's life? How did he or she change the world? What would happen if this person never existed? What is unique about what they did or made? o What led to the subject's success or demise? A particular relationship? A single incident of good or bad luck? A decision by the subject? A particular circumstance? 4. Decide how to recount the person's life. Write an outline and fill in the details. Try to use the information you collected to support the thesis. o Chronological: Go by the timeline, recounting each event in the order in which it happened. This is the simplest way to go, but it's difficult to support your thesis in this context. o Flashbacks: Describe a recent or current situation, then "flashback" to an earlier point in that person's life. This is good for illustrating cause and effect, or how this led to that. You can even go in complete reverse order; begin at the end, and work your way backwards. o Work: If the person's life is closely tied to his or her career, you can break it up by job positions or works created. This can be tied to phases or cycles in the subject's life. o Accomplishments/events: One idea is to start and end with events that mirror each other in some way. Maybe you can start with a toy boat that the subject made when they were 5, and end off with a military submarine that they designed at age 55. Page 12

13 5. Sit down and write. Using your outline, assemble the biography. You can start at the beginning, but you don't have to. You may find yourself rearranging the content as you go along. You should go through many drafts, and have other people read the biography before you call it a day. See if they can guess the thesis, and find out if you've made your point about this person's life. References: Page 13

14 Famous Sikh Americans Ajay Banga Ajay is the current president and CEO of Mastercard. Alexi Grewal Alexi is the first American man to win an Olympic gold medal in road cycling in Col. Amarjit Sekhon Col. Sekhon also served in the U.S. Army as one of the few Sikhs allowed to serve while retaining his Sikh articles of faith. Arpinder Kaur Arpinder is the first turbaned pilot and currently works for American Airlines. Bhagat Singh Thind Bhagat was the first Sikh soldier in the U.S. Army and is a WWI veteran. Dalip Singh Saund Dalip was the first Asian American elected to Congress in Col. G.B. Singh Col. Singh served in U.S. Army as one of the few Sikhs allowed to serve while retaining his Sikh articles of faith. Didar Singh Bains Didar is the largest peach farmer in the U.S. and owns nearly 10,000 acres of land around Yuba City. Geetanjali Chandha Geetanjali is a senior lecturer in the Women s Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program at Yale University. She teaches classes on globalization, autobiographies, family, cultural identity, and feminism. Gurinder Ahluwalia Gurinder is the President and CEO of Genworth Financial Wealth Management. Harpreet Kaur Harpreet is an award-winning filmmaker who has produced documentaries on Sikh issues, both in the U.S. and in Punjab. Harvinder Anand Harvinder is the first elected Sikh mayor in New York. Dr. I.J. Singh Dr. Singh is a public intellectual and professor of Anatomical Sciences at NYU. He has also authored several books on Sikhism and Sikhs in the diaspora. Jaskaran Kaur Jaskaran is a graduate of Harvard Law School and the co-founder and Executive Director of Ensaaf, an organization dedicated to bringing justice to human rights violations in India. Page 14

15 Major Kamaljit S. Kalsi Major Kalsi is one of the first Sikhs allowed into the US Army with his Sikh articles of faith in the last 30 years, ever since the Army changed its uniform policy. Narinder Kapany Dr. Kapany is widely recognized as the father of fiber optics, and holds more than 100 patents in fiber optics, laser technology, biomedical instrumentation and solar energy. Dr. Kapany went on to head the Optics Department at Chicago s Illinois Institute of Technology and established three companies. He also founded the Sikh Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the heritage and future of Sikhism. Mohanbir Sawhney Mohanbir is a management consultant, author and a Professor of Technology at the Kellogg School of Management. Dr. Navinderdeep Nijher - Dr. Nijher was one of the first doctors to arrive at the World Trade Center site on 9/11 and started the first triage center at the site. Nikky-Guninder Kaur Singh Dr. Singh is a Crawford Family Professor at Colby College in Maine and has published extensively in the field of Sikhism, with a particular focus on poetics and feminist issues. Preet Bharara Preet is the U.S. attorney for Southern District of New York and is named one of Time s 100 Most Influential People in the World. Snatam Kaur Snatam is a world-renowned and grammy-nominated singer who sings classical Sikh music/hymns. Valarie Kaur - Valarie is the award-winning filmmaker of Divided We Fall, a documentary on hate crimes and bias post 9/11. She also serves as the current Program Director for Groundswell, a multi-faith network that focuses on urgent social causes. Waris Ahluwalia Waris is an actor who has starred in several Hollywood films and is also a talented jewelry designer. Page 15

16 High School Lesson Objective: Students will be able to understand the historical migration of Sikh Americans to the United States. Students will be able to explore instances of discrimination and xenophobia against Sikhs at the individual, community, and policy-level. Materials: One copy of the timeline for classroom use. One copy of the timeline for each student to take home. Ability to hang each picture of the timeline around the room (string, clothespins, tape, etc.) Lesson Plan for Khalsa School Teachers: 1. Announce to your class that November has been designated as Sikh Awareness and Appreciation Month in California. California is a leader in this way because no other state has designated an entire month for Sikhs before! To celebrate this month, explain that your Khalsa School class will be making a timeline about Sikhs in the United States. 2. Explain to the class that we are going to review some words and their meanings. They have probably heard of these words before, but challenge the students by creating examples of fictional scenarios that demonstrate their knowledge of these definitions. Once you feel the class has understood these words and will be able to use them correctly, encourage the class to use these new vocabulary words throughout the remainder of the lesson. a. Harassment Any type of repeated or persistent behavior that is unwanted, unwelcome and causes emotional distress to the person it is directed at. It is typically motivated by gender, race, religion, national origin, etc. b. Nativism Literally refers to the practice of favoring the interests of those of a particular place over immigrants. In the 1900s, nativist policies in the United States made immigration policies restrictive to non-european countries. c. Prejudice Negative feelings and stereotyped attitudes towards members of a different group. Prejudice or negative prejudgments can be based on race, religion, nationality, economic status, sexual orientation, gender, age, or other factors. d. Tolerance The ability to be fair and open to people or beliefs that are different than oneself. Being tolerant means being free from prejudice and bigotry. e. Xenophobia A strong and unreasonable hatred of people who are from other countries or ideas and things that are foreign. Page 16

17 3. Print each page of the timeline below on cardstock paper. Cut each paper into two pieces so that one piece has only the text, and one piece has only the picture. Hang the picture pieces in chronological order around the classroom using string and clothespins. 4. Ask the students to do a picture walk by observing the pictures and trying to understand what is happening in each image. 5. Divide the students into groups. Ask the students to discuss two of the images that they remembered. Encourage them to use their new vocabulary words in their discussion. 6. Divide the text pieces amongst each group so that each group receives at least two text pieces. Give the students time to read the text pieces in their group and discuss what those moments in Sikh American history mean. 7. After students have had time to analyze their text pieces, have each group try to match their text with a picture from the timeline. If they believe they have found the right text with the right picture, they should tape their text piece to the bottom of the picture. If more than one text piece is taped to a picture, encourage the groups to re-examine their pairings to ensure that all the text pieces match up correctly. Usually, the students will be able to pick out the mismatched pieces on their own. 8. Once all the text pieces have been matched, have students read out chronologically the historical timeline of events and examine the pictures. 9. Discussion/Closing: a. What did you learn in today s lesson that you didn t know before? b. What actions can lead to a rise in xenophobia (historically or in the present)? c. What policies or actions displayed nativism? d. How can tolerance and respect be promoted? 7. After the discussion, explain to the class that the reason they studied this timeline was not only for their Khalsa School class to learn about Sikh Americans and their history in the United States, but also for their classmates in public school to learn about them, too. Tell the students that they are going to present their teacher with the complete timeline along with a letter from you and their parents encouraging their teacher to do this activity in their class for Sikh Awareness and Appreciation Month. 8. Distribute a copy of the complete timeline (pictures and text attached) along with one personalized letter to each student. Designate time during diwaan that day when you can have a conversation with each Khalsa school student s parents about the timeline. Explain to the parents that their child will be approaching their public school teacher to encourage him/her to do the same timeline activity that they did in Khalsa School in the Page 17

18 month of November. To ensure that the teacher understands, a letter will be sent along with the project. Follow-Up The following Sunday, ask your students what happened when they gave their Sikh American timeline and letter to their teachers. Did their teacher do the activity? If not, did they discuss some of the events in the timeline? What did their classmates say? Does anyone need help speaking to the teacher or principal? Offer yourself as a resource for any schools that were not willing to talk about the timeline. If necessary, you can always offer to meet with the teacher yourself. References: This lesson was based on Lesson 1 in In the Face of Xenophobia: Lessons to address bullying of South Asian American Youth by SAALT (South Asian Americans Leading Together). Timeline events and pictures were taken from In the Face of Xenophobia, Wingluke Asian Museum s Exhibit Sikh Community: Over 100 Years in the Pacific Northwest, and the Sikhism in America Timeline from Harvard s Pluralism Project. Page 18

19 Sikhs first migrated to the United States in the late 19th century, settling mainly on the west coast, and working as farmers and laborers. Today, there are an estimated 500,000 Sikhs throughout the United States. (The Sikh immigrants pictured here arrived in Seattle on the SS Minesota on June 23, 1913.) Page 19

20 In 1905, Sikhs worked on the Western Pacific Railway in Northern California. Two thousand Sikhs worked on a seven hundred mile road from Oakland to Salt Lake City. They were responsible for the construction of a large number of bridges and tunnels. The Sikhs pictured here helped contruct the Oregon Pacific and Eastern Railroad connecting Cottage Grove, Oregon to the Cascade foothills and serviced the lumber industry in Page 20

21 In 1907, a racist mob of approximately 500 men in Bellingham, WA attacked Sikh migrant workers and drove them to the edge of the town. Known as the Anti-Hindu Riots the attack began with stones thrown at two Sikh workers on C Street, the center of the Sikh community. Although the initial instigators were arrested, the violence quickly escalated, resulting in smashed windows and doors while mobs encircled and threatened the Sikhs living there. Overpowering the small police force, the mob forced the community to either leave immediately or find refuge in the basement of city hall for the night. The next day, approximately 300 Sikhs left town. This incident occurred during a time of overt hostility toward immigrants from Asia. During this time, 85% of all Indian immigrants were Sikhs, while 13% were Muslim immigrants and only 2% were Hindu. The Sikhs pictured here posed for a studio portrait most likely taken in Bellingham, WA between Page 21

22 In 1912, the first gurdwara in the United States was established in Stockton, California. The Sikh Temple as it was called was built by an agriculturally based Sikh community. It was, for over three decades, the only Sikh worship facility in the U.S. Page 22

23 Bhagat Singh Thind, a Sikh American, enlisted in the U.S. Army during World War I and subsequently applied for U.S. citizenship. His application was ultimately denied by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1923 because Thind was not considered Caucasian. After battling for more than a decade, Thind was finally granted citizenship in 1936 because he was a WW1 veteran. Page 23

24 Dalip Singh Saund was the first Asian American elected to Congress in He served as the Congressman from the 29 th District of California from Saund had come to the United States in the 1920s to study at the University of California at Berkeley where he eventually earned a Ph.D. in Mathematics. He managed a farm in California and worked for the right of Asian Indians to become citizens. He served two terms in Congress. Page 24

25 The 1960s and 1970s brought a new wave of Sikh immigrants when the Immigration Act of 1965 allowed people from Asia to come to the United States who would pursue post-graduate degrees and already had professional skills. Pictured here is President Lyndon B. Johnson signing the 1965 Immigration Act in front of the Statue of Liberty, on Liberty Island, and reflected the Civil Rights movement s gains for racial equality. Previously, immigrants from Asia and Africa were allowed into the United States in very small numbers. U.S. immigration policies had been severely discriminatory given decades of exclusion of non-european immigrants. Departing from the previous system of country-based quotas, U.S. immigration after 1965 has focused on skills that immigrants bring and reunification of families. Page 25

26 On September 15, 2001, Balbir Singh Sodhi, a Sikh business owner in Arizona, was gunned down and became the first casualty of post-9/11 bias attacks. Sodhi was one of many turban-wearing Sikh men and boys who were targeted after September 11, 2001 because they looked like terrorists. On the evening of September 11th, the Sikh community in New York City began organizing in response to the attack on three Sikhs in Queens. Their efforts resulted in the formation of the Sikh Coalition, a civil and human rights advocacy organization. One month later, the United States Senate passed a resolution recognizing Sikh-Americans and condemning hate-crimes against Sikhs and other minorities. Page 26

27 In 2004, NYPD agreed to settle the case of Amric Singh, who was fired, in 2001, by the New York Police Department for refusing to remove his turban and shave his beard. Page 27

28 In 2009, following a spate of bias attacks on Sikh children, the Sikh community of New York City spearheaded a successful effort to pass the first anti-bullying law in New York City. Page 28

29 Between 2009 and 2010, three Sikhs were allowed to serve in the U.S. Army with their Sikh articles of faith intact. Major Kamaljeet Singh Kalsi and Captain Tejdeep Singh Rattan, an emergency medicine doctor and a dentist respectively, became the first Sikhs to enlist in the U.S. Army in decades, due to a ban implemented in the early 1980s on conspicuous religious articles. However, Kalsi and Rattan were granted religious accommodation, allowing them to enlist and serve in the Army without having to compromise their articles of faith. These Sikhs won commendations for their service in Afghanistan, including the Bronze Star Medal. Corporal Simran Lamba, a recent immigrant from India, became the first Sikh in over thirty years to enlist in the United States Army. Lamba, who trained to become a combat medic, was the first Sikh since 1984 to receive an exemption from the Army s ban on facial hair and headgear that do not conform to regulation. Page 29

30 In 2012, the Sikh Coalition settled a lawsuit against the New York Metropolitan Transit Authority, challenging a post 9/11 policy which segregated Sikh and Muslim workers out of public view. As a result of the settlement, Sikh and Muslim workers may now wear their religious headdress freely --- as they did before 9/ without fear of segregation or discipline. Page 30

31 On August 5, 2012 Wade Michael Page, associated with white supremacist groups, walked in and opened fire during services at a Sikh Gurdwara in Oak Creek, Wisconsin killing six worshippers. Page was killed by a police officer who arrived at the scene. The shooting was labeled an act of domestic terrorism. In the weeks and months that followed, thousands of Sikhs and non-sikhs alike gathered in gurdwaras, churches, and community centers around the nation to remember the slain and to stand up against intolerance. Page 31