The Sikh Coalition

This afternoon, the Sikh Coalition and community activists from the New York sangat held a productive meeting with the Port Authority of NY and NJ, in part to address repeated reports of discrimination against Sikh taxi drivers and their articles of faith. Sikh taxi drivers, like anyone else, have the right to earn a living free from bias or bigotry. We appreciate the open dialogue and look forward to following up on commitments made during the meeting in the weeks ahead.

We are deeply disappointed to see that AB 3027, Assm. Dr. Jasmeet Bain's bill to combat transnational repression, has been held by the CA Senate Appropriations Committee. Once again, a bill of significance to CA's Sikh community—the largest in the nation—has been blocked.We look forward to continuing to work with legislators in Congress and across the nation, as well as other government entities and community allies, to continue to address this persistent threat in other ways.

The Sikh Coalition is excited to share a new resource for our sangat, courtesy of our 2024 GOTV Fellows, that details deadlines for each states’ online voter registration, registration by mail, and in-person registration, and more! Learn more here: http://thesikh.co/GOTV

Our Executive Director, Harman Singh, joined Religions for Peace for a virtual discussion about Transnational Repression in North America. Harman was joined by fellow speakers Stephen Schneck, Commissioner of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), and Ria Chakrabaty, Sr. Policy Director of Hindus for Human Rights *tag*. In this conversation Harman spoke about Indian Transnational Repression and the recent attempts to assassinate Sikh Canadians and Sikh Americans in the countries of their citizenship. Watch the clip below to listen to Harman dismantle the false notion that Sikh extremism is a problem in the United States. 

This weekend, Sikh Coalition staff held a Sikh Presenters Course for 20 sangat members in Atlanta, Georgia! Attendees previewed our new Sikh Awareness Presentation deck and discussed how to speak about Sikhi to a wide range of audiences. Thank you to sangat for joining us!

Attention California Sagnat: We need your support to stand for the freedom to read in the Golden State's libraries. ⁠ ⁠ Assembly Bill 1825 (AB 1825), also known as the Freedom to Read Act, would ensure that educational materials reaching students in public libraries reflect California’s vibrant diversity and would establish safeguards for books about minority communities like ours. This bill benefits the Sikh community given that 1) Sikhs are already underrepresented in K-5 classroom materials and 2) that Sikh authors have been increasingly swept up in book bans. AB 1825 has already passed the California Assembly, and is headed for a floor vote in the Senate soon.⁠ ⁠ Fill out the form to email elected officials at thesikh.co/CA-read and share with other members of the California Sangat! ⁠ ⁠

New York and New Jersey Sangats: In light of recent instances of discrimination against Sikh taxi drivers due to their kirpans, visit thesikh.co/port-authority to call on the Port Authority to denounce this kind of discrimination and update their trainings and policies to be inclusive of all Sikh articles of faith!

Reporting from @CalMatters explores the complex political dynamics around @AsmJasmeetBains's bill to combat transnational repression in California, which the Sikh Coalition is proud to support.

Today, celebrate the Voting Rights Act 59th anniversary by telling Congress to pass comprehensive voting rights legislation to ensure everyone can have a voice in decisions about their futures, their communities and their families. Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/eDHwKTMH

We solemnly remember Paramjit Kaur Saini, Sita Singh, Ranjit Singh, Prakash Singh, Suveg Singh Khattra, and Satwant Singh Kaleka, who were killed on that dark day; we also honor the memory of Baba Punjab Singh, who in 2020 became the seventh person to pass away as a result of injuries sustained during the shooting. We continue to be inspired by those who persevere through the life-altering injuries—including Bhai Santokh Singh and Lt. Brian Murphy—and trauma that they sustained. And as ever, we remain grateful to the Oak Creek sangat, which set a remarkable standard of resilience and chardi kala spirit in the face of adversity in the days, months, and years since 2012.