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  Reflecting on This Week’s Commemoration of Balbir Singh Sodhi

  September 17, 2021 (Mesa, AZ) -- On Wednesday, the Sikh Coalition was proud and grateful to join the Sodhi family and the Global Sikh Alliance to host Honoring Balbir Singh Sodhi Through Shared Resilience in the Face of Hate.
  
  

  If you missed the livestream, you can watch the full video from the event here, view a Facebook album of photographs here, and check out our Twitter or Instagram pages for more content.
  
  

  “It was our honor and privilege to join the Sodhi family, the Arizona sangat, and so many friends and allies from different faith backgrounds for this important event,” said Satjeet Kaur, Sikh Coalition Executive Director. “In gathering to further Balbir ji’s legacy of kindness, generosity, and understanding among all, we were also able to recognize all those we’ve lost to hate in the past 20 years--while celebrating the solidarity and advocacy that has helped our communities stay resilient in the face of these challenges.”
  
  

  The Sikh Coalition is immensely grateful to the entire Sodhi family for welcoming us to be a part of this important event. We are also thankful for the support of the Global Sikh Alliance and the Revolutionary Love Project for making vital contributions to the evening, as well as the numerous Arizona sevadaars who helped make this evening possible.
  
  

  For the past three months, the Sikh Coalition has been honored to work on every aspect of this important memorial. In addition to handling event logistics, inviting local and national leaders, and building out the speaking program (with consultation from our friends at the Revolutionary Love Project), the Sikh Coalition worked to promote the event and the importance of the 9/15 anniversary through media hits in all Phoenix and Mesa-area TV stations and newspapers as well as several national-level stories. We were especially proud to work with U.S. Embassy New Delhi to ensure that Satwinder Kaur, Balbir ji’s daughter who had never visited the United States from India before, was able to attend the event in person.
  
  

  "My family and I are extremely grateful for all the time, work, and care that the Sikh Coalition put into making sure that the story of my brother continues to live and grow," said Rana Singh Sodhi, Balbir Singh Sodhi's brother. "Their team paid attention to every detail, and their efforts helped us to mark this important anniversary alongside not just the Arizona sangat, but many new and old friends from different faith backgrounds as well."
  
  

  Finally, thank you to all of our speakers who offered their time and thoughts for this event, including: Dr. Jaswant Singh Sachdev, Valarie Kaur, Congressman Greg Stanton, Maria Fuentes, Erika Moritsugu, Dallin Maybee, Rev. Larry Fultz, Imam Khalid Latif, Sister Simone Campbell, Rev. Michael-Ray Mathews, Mesa Mayor John Giles, Aashwin Sodhi, Rana Singh Sodhi, and the Phoenix Boys’ Choir.
  
  

  As always, the Sikh Coalition urges you to practice your faith fearlessly.
  
  

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