Community Rallies to Far Exceed $500,000 Challenge

Thank you for making 2011 such a success! You helped us achieve many great victories. Also with your generous support we exceeded our goal and raised $587,163! This is a victory for the entire Panth. Pooling our resources and supporting this important work further ensures that Sikhs can and will practice their faith fearlessly. We would like to thank all Coalition supporters for your tireless commitment to this work and your generous dasvandh.

Sikh Coalition Volunteers Making a Difference in Congress

The Sikh Coalition is proud to present a short video documenting the grassroots anti-bullying work of Bhavjeet Singh and Charanpreet Singh, a graduate of the Sikh Coalition’s Sikh Advocate Academy. After conducting school bullying surveys at their local gurdwara in Maryland, these volunteers partnered with the Sikh Coalition and presented their findings to the office of Congressman Dutch Ruppersberger last November. As a result of their efforts, the Congressman decided to co-sponsor the Safe Schools Improvement Act, a proposed federal anti-bullying law that aims to protect all children in the United States from bullying.

If you would like to partner with the Sikh Coalition on similar efforts this year, please contact our Advocacy Team at legislative@sikhcoalition.org.

America's Largest Police Force Trained by Sikh Coalition

As 2011 came to a close, the Sikh Coalition delivered a first-ever presentation on Sikhs and Sikh practices to the New York Police Department’s (NYPD) newest graduating class. 1520 graduating recruits were given tips on interacting and working with the tens of thousands of Sikh residents and Sikh visitors to America's largest city.  The presentations, which lasted over an hour, included a turban tying demonstration and a lively question and answer session.
Through these trainings, the Sikh Coalition hopes to work with major institutions like the NYPD --- the largest police force in the United States --- so that they produce government employees who understand Sikhs and what it means to carry the Sikh articles of faith.

New York Times Publishes Sikh Perspective

A Sikh Coalition essay was published online in December in the New York Times, one of the world's most prominent newspapers. The essay -- entitled "Liberty is Elusive for Sikh Americans" -- discusses gaps in U.S. law that leave Sikhs unprotected against discrimination.  The Sikh Coalition was invited to publish its essay alongside other prominent writers. Publication in the New York Times is a critical means of educating the American public about Sikh issues and gives our community an important platform to be heard.

• Union City Unified School District Proclaims January 2012 as Sikh Awareness Month

  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 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 to your child’s school.
  

• Sikh Coalition Article in The Bay Citizen
  

  A Sikh Coalition article entitled “Faith and Philanthropy” was recently featured in the Bay Citizen and discussed the impact of faith on philanthropic behavior.  To read the article, click here.

  Sikh Advocate Academy Graduates Featured Again in Newspaper Articles
  

  Harmeet Kaur and Gurwinder Singh, graduates of the Sikh Coalition's Sikh Advocate Academy, are featured in articles published recently by the Houston Press and India Abroad.  These articles document their ongoing work to end school bullying.  During the last six months, the work of the Sikh Coalition Advocates has been featured in several media outlets, including television stations, radio programs, and major newspapers. 

• Job Opportunity: Operations Manager
  

  The Sikh Coalition is looking for an organized, business-oriented individual to manage and scale the fast-paced growth of the Coalition’s operations in New York, California and Washington DC. The Operations Manager is responsible for ensuring the performance of organizational operations through effective methods and strategies. The Operations Manager will be working out of the New York office and will work closely with the Development and Communications Manager and will report to the Executive Director.  For more information please click here!

• The Sikh Coalition is now Accepting Applications for Spring Internships

  The Sikh Coalition Internship Program gives students hands-on experience in promoting civil and human rights. Through the years, interns have worked to further the mission and vision of the Sikh Coalition by helping to achieve legal victories, as well as educating and empowering the community and contributing to the growth of the organization. For more information about our internship program, please click here.
  

In this Issue

• Community Rallies to Far Exceed $500,000 Challenge
• Sikh Coalition Volunteers Making a Difference in Congress
• America's Largest Police Force Trained by Sikh Coalition
• New York Times Publishes Sikh Perspective
• Union City Unified School District Proclaims January 2012 as Sikh Awareness Month
• Sikh Coalition Article in the Bay Citizen
• Sikh Advocate Academy Graduates Featured Again in Newspaper Articles
• Job Opportunity: Operations Manager
• The Sikh Coalition is Now Accepting Applications for Spring Internships