HISTORIC VICTORY: SIKHS TO BE COUNTED AS SEPARATE ETHNIC GROUP IN U.S. CENSUS 2020

United Nations-Associated NGO Announces Historic Advocacy Victory for Inclusion of Sikh Americans in the Decennial United States Census as a result of decades of advocacy 

VaaheGuroo Ji Ka Khalsa, VaaheGuroo Ji Ki Fateh

Dear Supporter ji,

WASHINGTON, D.C. — On January 6, 2020, a follow-up meeting at San Diego State University with U.S. Census Bureau leaders was conducted as a part of an ongoing series of meetings since 2010 asking for the Sikhs to be recognized as a separate ethnic group. UNITED SIKHS today is proud to announce that the 2020 Census will include coding for Sikhs, which means that Sikh Americans will be counted as a distinct detailed population group. This announcement is a milestone for America’s Sikh community, it will allow Sikhs to be counted and coded in the decennial census that is conducted every 10 years.

“The Sikh community’s efforts have come to fruition. This has paved the way forward nationally not only for the Sikh community but also for other ethnicities in the United States,” said Baljeet Singh, president of Sikh Society of San Diego.

“This historic announcement is the result of decades of advocacy by UNITED SIKHS at the national level on behalf of the Sikh community. Being involved in this civic engagement will help ensure an accurate count of Sikhs in the United States. Census data will help in tracking and measuring hate crimes against the community. It will also ensure equal and accurate representation of Sikhs living in this country. This is useful in providing access to members of Congress and other essential government services for the needs of the community,” said Jasmit Singh, advocacy director, UNITED SIKHS. 

In order to be properly counted in the 2020 Census, UNITED SIKHS is educating the national Sikh community to write in “Sikh” as their response to the question on race. Starting in mid-March, the Census Bureau will invite everyone to participate in the decennial census. If you don’t respond to the 2020 Census by mid-April, a form will be mailed to nonresponding households. UNITED SIKHS will be working closely with all community members on how to properly fill out the form.

Sikh Americans can trace their heritage in the United States back to the 1880s. Many Sikhs came to California to work on the railroads, agriculture, technology and other industries. Sikhs continue to face bias, racism and xenophobia. Previously, responses of “Sikh” to the census question on race were classified as part of the Asian Indian category. “Based on research and outreach conducted by the Census Bureau over the past decade, we determined the need and importance of including a detailed code for Sikhs in censuses and surveys moving forward,” said Nicholas Jones, director of Race & Ethnicity Research and Outreach in the Census Bureau’s Population Division.

Current estimates of Sikhs living in the United States is close to a million. Sikhs have a distinct unified appearance, culture, language (Gurmukhi), food and history. UNITED SIKHS has advocated for the separate coding for more than two decades and has filed commentary with the U.S. Federal Register. UNITED SIKHS has advocated for Sikhs to be added as an ethnic group so that action can be taken to address Sikh issues of significance such as bullying, intimidation and hate crimes against the community.

At the community level, UNITED SIKHS National Outreach Coalition will work with community partners and 2020 Census leaders for assistance with outreach.

“With the 2020 census approaching, many historically undercoded communities will be at risk for being undercounted and underserved,” said Ruben Singh, census manager, UNITED SIKHS. He also stated, “We look forward to collaborating with our census partners and other Sikh organizations and institutions to address the unanticipated challenges of the 2020 Census.” Census data is collected every 10 years, and determines representation in Congress, addresses certain commercial sector needs, and informs how federal funds are spent towards the community on things like law enforcement, roads, schools, education and hospitals.

The Census Bureau is hiring now for many opportunities like Census takers.  In the effort for ensuring a full count for the 2020 Census, please click here to visit job postings for outreach and education.

Completing the 2020 Census will help document the Sikh American community’s history and existence in the United States for future generations to come. We will follow up with more communication and training on how Sikh Americans can respond to the 2020 census and report their detailed racial identities. Please follow us on social media for real-time updates and ways to volunteer. If you have any questions, you may reach out to us at contact@unitedsikhs.org 

*Updated on 1/21/2020