UNITED SIKHS 2022 Annual Advocacy & Humanitarian Aid Academy (AHAA) & Sikh Summit

Dated: August 5, 2022
New York, NY

The UNITED SIKHS 2022 Annual Summit and Advocacy & Humanitarian Aid Academy (AHAA) was a success by all measures!   Thanks to all that willingly participated including the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Department of Justice (DOJ), Transportation Security Administration (TSA), our partners in civil rights advocacy and more!

It took place virtually for the first time and, in the span of 5 days between July 25-29, 2022, the event drew speakers from around the world, from the private and public sectors,  including  members of the U.S. Congress, civil rights attorneys, the legal and business communities and executive leadership from federal government agencies. They all came together at this Summit to discuss pressing Sikh and other civil and human rights concerns in the U.S. and abroad.

“The aim of the Academy is to nurture future leaders by providing them with the opportunity to acquire subject matter knowledge and skills and to learn about an array of civil rights topics,” 

— Inderjeet Singh, UNITED SIKHS Community Affairs Coordinator

“Capacity of UNITED SIKHS tomobilize national and international leaders to speak at the Annual Summit attests to the Sikh grand principle of “recognizing humans as one race.” We will continue to expand our humanitarian aid and legal advocacy. We are excited and already looking forward to our next Summit,”

— Hardayal Singh, Co-founder and Programs Director at UNITED SIKHS

Many highly competitive students of varied backgrounds applied and were selected to participate. They were part of and learned valuable skills and lessons about leadership through their participation. The students showed immense enthusiasm and commitment to the struggle for social justice, to engage in civil rights advocacy, volunteerism and in international humanitarian aid work, and in education and healthcare initiatives.

“This has been an experience like no other. Nowhere could I have been able to interact with high-level federal government officials, Congressmembers and civil rights attorneys in such a short span of time and feel like I am a part of it.” 
— Z. Hussain, Hicksville, NY, Student, 2022 AHAA.

The Summit has the added value of educating people about what a Sikh is.  Students learned, some for the first time, why Sikhs wear turbans and what spiritual significance the five articles have for a practicing Sikh. They learned how there are hate crimes and discrimination against the community.  “They will hopefully go from here and tomorrow ten more people will know what the Kirpan is and the spiritual significance of a turban,” states Gurpreet Singh, CEO at UNITED SIKHS.  “Why is this important?  Because the Sikh and other minority communities have been under attack. For the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) and Muslim, Arab, Sikh, South Asian and Hindu (MASSAH) communities these attacks stem from misinformation and stereotypes. For the Sikh community in particular the attacks stem from ignorance of what is a Sikh. “We are educating people because it’s easy to rely on misinformation and stereotypes and to hate what you don’t know. In the words of the Director of the U.S. Department of Justice Community Relations Service (CRS), Mr. Paul Monteiro, “It’s hard to hate up close,”  states Gurpreet Singh.

The Summit explored a multitude of themes and topics such as COVID-19; Sikh Religious Rights in the U.S. and Mandatory Vaccinations; Afghan and Ukraine Refugees; Gun Violence; Mental Health National Crisis, Funding For Local and National Nonprofit organizations; Prisoner’s Rights; Reproductive Rights; the 28th Equal Rights Constitutional Amendment; Justice Reform and Restitution and Violation of Religious Freedoms Abroad.

“UNITED SIKHS advocates for all in need and this year’s Summit’s special focus is on combating violence against all vulnerable communities. Especially in this time when the AANHPI community is experiencing an exponential increase in violence due to misinformation about the origins of COVID-19.  In its 2022 Annual Report, UNITED SIKHS joins other civil rights leaders, including the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), in calling for Congress to fund data collection, hate crime prevention initiatives and urging the full implementation of the COVID-19 Hate Crime Act,” states Wanda Sanchez Day, National Legal Director, UNITED SIKHS.

The Academy is successful each year because it brings together people from all walks of life. The students participate because it’s a chance they may not get elsewhere. The speakers are dynamic, successful professionals who speak about topics that they are working on in real time.  The speakers this year included:

• Congress member, Hon. Grace Meng (D-NY), Congressional Sikh Caucus;
• Congress member, Hon. Judy Chu, (D-CA), Congressional Sikh Caucus;
• Mr. Paul Monteiro, National Director, U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Section (CRS);
• Mr. Michael Lieberman, Senior Policy Counsel at Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC);
• Ms. Samantha Osaki, American Civil Liberties Union, (ACLU);
• Mr. Harpreet Mokha, Esq., Manager for Muslim, Arab, Sikh, South Asian, and Hindu (MASSAH), U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ);
• Mr. Manpreet Dhanjal, Special Assistant, Office of Policy & Strategy, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS);
• Mr. Mark Ludeking, Special Assistant, Office of Policy & Strategy, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS);
• Ms. Guljit Bains, Esq., Partner, Law Office of Ali & Bains, PC;
• Ms. Marie Trottier, Policy Advisor/Tribal Affairs Liaison/Outreach Program Manager; Transportation Security Administration (TSA);
• Mr. Jamie Staley, Supervisor, Policy Advisor, U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF);
• Mr. Marcus T. Coleman Jr., Director Office of the FEMA Administrator, Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships;
• Ms. Kiran Kaur Gil, Executive Director, SALDEF;
• Mr. Jon Kaiman, Deputy County Executive, Suffolk County, New York;
• Dr. Ishnella Kaur Azad, Executive Vice President, 5Rivers CRE;
• Mr. Sameer Hossain, Director of Community Engagement, Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Office of Partnership and Engagement (OPE);
• SCBPO Mario Ramirez, APP-Trusted Traveler Programs Representative, Global Entry 101-Partnership with Foreign Countries to Processing Entry of Foreign Citizens into the U.S.;
• Ms. Hardeep Kaur Sehmbi, Merck;
• Dr. Nathan H. Madson, JD, PhD.,  The Advocates for Human Rights, Minneapolis and more.

“UNITED SIKHS connects the dots by helping students see how a topic as obscure as prison gerrymandering, for example, that they may never have heard about, or even feel they have any connection to, could be relevant when put in the context of their own lives and experiences,” 
—Ms.  Sanchez Day