(Union City, California) January 5, 2012: January 2012 has been designated as Sikh Awareness Month by Superintendent McVeigh of the New Haven Unified School District. This district is located in Union City, CA and has a sizeable Sikh population. By declaring a Sikh Awareness Month in this district, it will be easier for awareness building presentations about the faith to be made during this time. The Sikh Coalition firmly believes in the power of education to eliminate ignorance and bias in our schools and worked with the SEVA team in the Bay Area to pass this resolution.

The Sikh Coalition is currently distributing the publication, "Sikh Community, Over 100 years in the Pacific Northwest", to each school in this district as well as the 7th grade teachers. This booklet was made in an effort to summarize the Wing Luke Asian Museum exhibit of the same name in Seattle, Washington.

What can YOU do to celebrate this month in Union City?

The Sikh Coalition has trained 15 individuals across the Bay Area to deliver Sikh Awareness presentations in schools, as part of the Sikh Presenter’s Course. We encourage you to host a Sikh Awareness presentation at your child’s school. If you would like a presentation, please contact education@sikhcoalition.org, and the Coalition will arrange to send a volunteer presenter at your child’s school.

In addition, we have the following educator resources available online:

• Sikh Awareness presentations

• ‘The Sikhs’ Brochures

• Videos

• Lesson plan

If you have any questions or would like more information, please email education@sikhcoalition.org.

January 2012 Declared Sikh Awareness Month at New Haven Unified School District