Sikh faithful giving back to community
In the past few weeks, the Sikh community of Stockton, like so many others around the state, has been working hard to help our neighbors during the hardships of the COVID-19 pandemic. Thanks to volunteers and donations, our pantry has been able to fill and deliver more than 400 orders of dry foods, cleaning supplies, and other essentials for area families in need.
Seva, or selfless service to the community, is one of the core aspects of the Sikh faith. The tradition comes directly from our religion’s founder, Guru Nanak; more than 500 years ago, he famously spent money that his father gave him to start a business on meals for a group of impoverished people. We use this simple act of compassion to remind our children about the importance of sharing what we have with others.
The idea of seva is something many people don’t know about our faith, despite the fact that Sikhism is the fifth-largest organized religion in the world.
Unfortunately, that lack of awareness can lead to problems, because Sikhs stand out in a crowd. Sikhs do not cut our hair, and many men (and some women) wear turbans and other visible articles of faith. This “different” look has led to prejudice and hate crimes for as long as Sikhs have been in America. But in light of the pandemic, Sikhs across the country are working harder than ever to give back to our communities -- with the positive side effect of being noticed for our actions rather than our appearance.
But Sikh contributions to the American way of life aren’t new — especially in California. Sikhs have been a part of the social fabric of the United States for more than 125 years, and that history began here: Our gurdwara (Sikh house of worship) in Stockton was the first in the country, founded in 1912. Today, roughly half of the 500,000 American Sikhs live in California -and every November, thousands more visit Yuba City for the largest Sikh festival in the country. What’s more, many notable Sikhs have come from and lived in the state, including the first Asian American member of Congress (who identified as Sikh), a Sikh physicist who is considered to be the “father of fiber optics,” and the first Sikh woman to be elected mayor of a U.S. city.
Sikh Americans, and Sikh Californians, don’t need special recognition for being a part of the communities that we love. We do, however, need equal treatment, visibility, and respect. That’s why more than 50 gurdwaras across the state have asked California’s education authorities to include Sikhism in a meaningful way in the new Model Ethnic Studies Curriculum.
Ethnic studies has been a hot topic in California, and there’s no denying that the question of which groups and histories warrant inclusion is a difficult one. But Sikhs across our state and country were disheartened to see that in the first draft, our community and contributions had been reduced to a footnote, merely mentioned a group targeted in bias-related backlash following the September 11, 200, attacks.
The discrimination we have and continue to face is real, but victimhood doesn’t define the Sikh American experience. We are your farmers, doctors, truck drivers, and professors; we are your co-workers and your children’s classmates; and we are your neighbors, doing our best to help those in need during uncertain times.
And at the end of the day, that’s why we’ll continue fighting for Sikh awareness, and why we’ll continue to help wherever and whoever we can: It’s simply who we are.