2011 Sikh Summit Highlights the Need for Ongoing Community Advocacy for Sikh Civil & Human Rights

HIGHLIGHTS:

• Over 30 meetings advocating for Sikh civil and human rights with Members of Congress and Government Agencies including: Department of Justice (DOJ Civil Rights Division), DOJ (Community Relations Service), Department of Education (DOE Office of Civil Rights), and Census Bureau.
• Community comes together at the Sikh Summit Dinner with guest speakers Congresswoman Judy Chu (CA – 32), Congressman John Conyers (MI-14), Paul Monteiro (Associate Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement).
• What’s next? Get involved with policy change going forward in your local community!

Washington, DC: Nearly 50 community members met over 30 members of Congress and government agencies to advocate for Sikh civil and human rights at the 3rd Annual Sikh Summit from May 2nd – May 6th, 2011 in Washington DC.

The annual advocacy week consists of addressing ongoing civil rights issues that most affect the Sikh community nationally to reach meaningful solutions. The Summit is an opportunity for Sikh community members to advocate for policies that protect and honor Sikh civil rights by presenting their personal experiences to lawmakers to effect positive change on a national level. The meetings are the beginning of a dialogue with lawmakers and we seek to strengthen these partnerships going forward.

The main issues that were addressed at this year’s Sikh Summit were: racial/ religious profiling –specifically at airports and through national security policies; the prevalence of bias based bullying and its impact on the Sikh community; religious accommodations for Sikhs seeking to serve their country (military) and for Sikhs wearing dastaars, kirpans, and karas in other contexts; employment discrimination; hate crimes and international issues of concern such as: the mass graves found in Haryana and Delhi, India; the kirpan ban in the Quebec Parliament; and the forcible turban removal that recently occurred in Mohali, India.

During each meeting, UNITED SIKHS staff and Sikh community members laid out these issues and discussed possible solutions. In the coming weeks, the UNITED SIKHS legal team will be implementing the next steps and actions items that were outlined at these meetings in the hopes of working with government officials to further promote the rights of Sikhs across the nation.

“As Chairman Emeritus of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, I see UNITED SIKHS’ work in preserving cultural heritage, promoting civic engagement and providing humanitarian relief as vital to the broader mission of the Asian American community,” said Congressman Mike Honda in a statement. “Our community and our nation need stronger engagement in the political process and better leadership to succeed. It is only through the strength of our diversity and the commitment of organizations such as the UNITED SIKHS that we will be able to meet our challenges head on.”

The Sikh Summit dinner, held midweek, was another opportunity for community members from all over the country to bring up relevant issues. Attendees were able to hear comments from the White House Office of Public Engagements Associate Director Paul Monteiro, Congressman John Conyers, and Congresswoman Judy Chu. Renowned social justice rap artist GNE had a special surprise in store, and after dinner, the crowd was able to enjoy a program entitled, “Rapping for Human Rights.”

Congresswoman Judy Chu (CA-32), a champion of Sikh rights said, “I was honored to be a part of the Sikh Summit in Washington that raised awareness of the civil rights challenges facing the community.” Congresswoman Chu continues, “Racial profiling has become rampant in the Sikh community and that is why earlier this week I called a meeting with the head of the TSA and made sure he knew that we were not going to stand for prejudicial policies at airports or anywhere else. I will continue to stand by the Sikh community as we fight for fairness and justice here at home and around the world.”

Becky L. Monroe, Acting Director, Community Relations Service at the Department of Justice said, “The Community Relations Service welcomes the opportunity to meet with the UNITED SIKHS to talk about how we can continue to work together to empower local community leaders, law enforcement officials, and government leaders to address discrimination and prevent hate crimes against Sikhs and people of all faiths and backgrounds. CRS has had the opportunity to work with volunteer leaders from UNITED SIKHS who helped lead cultural professionalism programs for local, state and federal law enforcement agencies as well as assisted in development of sustainable mechanisms to improve dialogue between community members and law enforcement officials. CRS looks forward to working with UNITED SIKHS to supprt students, teachers, parents and administrators develop safe school environments that foster understanding and respect for people of all religions and ethnic backgrounds.”

UNITED SIKHS would like to thank all of those who came out to participate this week and who took the time to share their personal perspective on these very important issues. Mankanwal Singh, on of UNITED SIKHS’ directors, had this to say to the participants, “Your involvement was invaluable. Advocacy organizations like UNITED SIKHS play a vital role in protecting our civil rights, but without community members who are willing to raise their voices to promote social justice, we could not do the work that we do successfully.”

UNITED SIKHS would like to thank all of the members of Congress and government officials who took the time to meet with our delegations during the Sikh Summit.

What’s next? How can you get involved? First, make sure you sign up for UNITED SIKHS e-mail list to be up to date on our current social justice initiatives. Also, we are always looking for volunteers so contact us if you want to get involved!

The Sikh Summit is only once a year, but civil rights advocacy is year round –we need to raise our voices all the time! Contact UNITED SIKHS to begin a dialogue about local issues with your representative by emailing us at law-usa@unitedsikhs.org or calling us at 646-688-3525.

Make sure your local representative knows that you care about civil rights issues affecting Sikhs, be an advocate every day! You can use Write Your Rep to find out the name of your local officials and tell them you care about issues such as Bullying prevention, hate crimes, and racial/ religious profiling.

Issued by:
Ilana Ofgang
Legal Fellow
law-usa@unitedsikhs.org