Browsing Tag: Sikh Coalition

As the first words of the opening remarks were uttered, “Welcome to the White House…” my mind began to wander. I thought to myself, how did we make it to this historic event?

Jakaras were heard in the White House this past Friday during a briefing on Sikh civil rights issues in the heart of the federal government. The briefing, a historic first, was organized in collaboration with the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and the White House Office of Public Engagement at the request of the Sikh Coalition.

The mobile app is called FlyRights. Travelers who suspect they have been profiled take out their smartphone, tap a finger on the app and answer about a dozen questions. Then they hit "submit" and an official complaint is filed immediately with the Transportation Security Administration.

For religious minorities in the United States, the promise of religious freedom remains unfulfilled. Sikh Americans, in particular, continue to face relentless challenges in the post-9/11 environment. Worse still, American law affords inadequate protection to Sikhs against religious discrimination and, in some cases, reflects deep-seated stereotypes about American identity.

Last week the Coalition along with guests from the Sikh community participated enthusiastically in a White House Diwali Reception with President Barack Obama.

California has settled a lawsuit filed by a Sikh man who was barred from becoming a prison guard because he refused to shave his beard, officials said Thursday.

The Sikh Coalition strives to combat ignorance, and encourage all to embrace their diversity through this artistic dialogue between submitters and the viewing public.

Both tell their tales in first-person videos posted on a new Sikh Coalition website, which is collecting post-9/11 stories from Muslim, Sikh, South Asian, and Arab Americans. In posted accounts from around the U.S., they describe suffering from bullying, discrimination and hate crimes.

Sikhs in the US will be allowed to wear turbans and grow beards in federal agencies like the police department and transit authority

Members of the Muslim, Sikh, South Asian, and Arab American communities were twice victims of 9/11... These stories of discrimination have largely been unheard.

The Sikh community is very concerned about the NYPD policy prohibiting beards and requiring a hat.... I've always said that if someone wants to put their life on the line to protect my kids, we should accommodate them. I know the NYPD likes to operate like a military operation, but, ironically, the US Army has now allowed Sikh soldiers in!

Where he ends we begin | Bullies won't kill another Singh Unite as CHILDREN make the change | Don't let things stay the same

Last week, Representatives of the UNITED SIKHS, Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF), and Sikh Coalition met with the head of the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Administrator John Pistole to discuss racial & religious profiling of Sikhs at American Airports.

In fact, the Sikh Coalition would one day like to see a formal change to the uniform policy, enabling any Sikh Americans to walk into a recruiting office and volunteer for their country as easily as any of their peers..... “At the end of the day, when Soldiers are out there in the field, on the ground, you’re looking for a Soldier who can do their job,” he said.

The Sikh Coalition is warning Sikh Americans that they should always expect to undergo secondary screening at U.S. airports because the new Advanced Imaging Technology machines cannot see through the layers of a turban...

California's attorney general says religious beliefs aren't enough to trump a corrections department ban on prison guards wearing beards — a stance that drew protests Tuesday from civil rights organizations.

UNITED SIKHS will strive to coordinate efforts with other civil rights organizations to ensure that our articles of faith are safeguarded. We emphasize that this is not an issue only for advocates, instead, it is an opportunity for all Sikhs to take the initiative to educate their fellow brothers and sisters about what Sikhi is and why our articles of faith are an inextricable part of who we are.

Over the past couple of years, Kenneth Cole has aimed to include the Sikh-American look in its advertising campaigns to raise ‘awearness’. Kenneth Cole will then donate 20% of the total proceeds to the Sikh Coalition. Look good...do good.

Three of the largest Sikh advocacy groups in the United States are opposing airport passenger screening measures they say require hand-searches of turbans, despite the use of electronic imaging technology.

Jerry Brown, who currently serves as the state's Attorney General and gubernatorial hopeful of California has been approached by civil rights organization for his delayed action in allowing Trilochan Singh Oberoi, a bearded Sikh to serve as a state prison guard,..

The purpose of the Diversity Video Competition was to provide the public a space to engage in a dialogue on civil rights issues, stereotypes, and myths surrounding minority groups, including Sikhs. It is through this dialogue that the Coalition hopes to dissolve ignorance and spread awareness of discriminated minorities.

At issue in the case is whether the New York City Transit Authority (TA) can force Sikh and Muslim workers to brand their religious headdress with its logo. The TA cites security concerns post 9/11 as the reason for the policy.

At the swearing-in ceremony Tuesday night on Capitol Hill, he was among the 17 new commissioners charged with finding ways for these communities to have increased access to and participation in federal programs, where they remain under served...and given a mandate to work on civil rights issues.

A Boston area AutoZone store unlawfully discriminated against a Sikh employee... "AutoZone insulted and humiliated the Sikh employee and fired him when he refused to remove his turban."

Last week, volunteers from the Indianapolis Sikh community met with Congressman Dan Burton to secure his co-sponsorship of the forthcoming Workplace Religious Freedom Act (WRFA) legislation. This proposed federal law would end most forms of employment discrimination against Sikhs and other people of faith.

The Sikh Coalition commends the state Board of Education and urges all state Boards of Education to take similar measures. Today's victory - which the whole community should cherish - is an important first step towards ensuring that Sikh parents and students do not solely carry the burden of educating students on Sikhs and Sikh practices. As we know, education is best tool to fight bias and discrimination.

Capt. Tejdeep Singh Rattan graduated on Monday at Fort Sam Houston after the Army made an exemption to a uniform policy that has effectively prevented Sikhs from enlisting since 1984.

The New Jersey State Board of Education (NJBOE) voted to adopt a statewide curriculum standard that includes Sikhism last week.

On behalf of Defense Secretary Robert Gates, the Pentagon has informed the Sikh Coalition, that it is reviewing current regulations preventing a US Sikh national from serving the army on the grounds that they wear turban.

Sikh Doctors Lead Fight for the Right to Serve