Kings, Pistons and Suns to host Sikh Heritage Nights
On April 11th 2016 The Phoenix Suns will host members of the local Arizona Sikh and Interfaith community at their first Annual Sikh Heritage Night Kaurs Singhs and Suns.
This event will include a display of Sikh Folk dances an on court honor of Balbir Singh Sodhi the first homicide victim of a hate crime following 9-11. As we all know since 9-11 Sikh Americans have become and remain acutely susceptible to hate crimes. In this regard Mr. Balbir Singh Sodhi was the first victim of post 9-11 hate crimes.
On Monday April 11th 2016 as a part of their first Sikh Heritage Night the Phoenix Suns will give recognize to Mr. Rana Singh Sodhi the younger Brother of Balbir Singh Sodhi.
In addition to the Phoenix Suns the Sacramento Kings with host their third "Kaurs Singhs and Kings" March 27th 2016 and the Detroit Pistons their second "Kaurs Singhs and Pistons" April 1st 2016.
K3 International, a group which has been promoting South Asian Culture on the Main Stage for over 3 decades began the initiative to celebrate Sikh Heritage in partnership with the Major US and Candian Sports franchises.
The first event was on April 13th 2014, the Sacramento Kings held the first ever Sikh Heritage Night with Pre-Game and Half Time Punjabi Folk Dances. This date is highly relevant to Sikhs in that April 13th commemorates the birth anniversary of Sikhism.
Since this first Sikh Heritage event, K3 International has partnered with Detroit Pistons, Phoenix Suns, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, San Antonio Stars.
K3 International began collaboration with USA and Canadian Sports Franchises following a
survey of Sikh Americans published in 2006 by Harvard University revealed that 83 percent of
Sikh respondents either personally experienced or knew someone who experienced a hate crime
or hate incident on account of their religion. -
http://pluralism.org/affiliates/kaur_sidhu/We_Are_Americans_Too.pdf
Young Sikh children also experience a disproportionate amount of hate crimes, because of their appearance.
As pointed out by many researchers and
community activists there is no one solution
for addressing problems of hate within our
communities or our schools. The solutions
require interaction as well as education and
assertive action from those in authority.
Recently A group of Sikhs were harassed and
nearly prevented from attending a San Diego
Chargers Vs Denver Bronos Game at
Qualcomm Stadium.
In the process of education there is one approach which involves inclusion and engagement, this is being promoted and pursued by K3 International (K3). K3 is working with sports franchises to engage sports fans and community members in promoting not only the Sikh identity but the identity of other minority communities.
NBA's first Sikh Heritage night was
celebrated during the 2013/14 season
when K3 International partnered with
the Sacramento Kings in hosting the
first ever Kaurs Singhs and Kings¨
event on April 13th 2014.
This event celebrated Vaisakhi, which falls on April 13th each year and marks the date when in 1699 on April 13th Guru Gobind Singh Created the Khalsa or Sikhism. The success of this first event which attracted nearly 2,000 members of the South Asian Community has resulted in K3 working with other teams to host similar events.
Earlier this season K3 held the NFL's first Sikh Heritage event with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when they took on the Dallas Cowboys.
Ironically a few weeks Later a group of Sikhs encountered obstacles at the San Diego Chargers Vs Denver Bronco's Game in San Diego.
Coming up for this season are:
- Kaurs Singhs and Kings¡¨ on March 27th 2016
Tickets available from: www.billetebox.com/kingsvsmavericks - Kaurs Singhs and Pistons¡¨ April 1st 2016
Tickets available from: www.billetebox.com/pistonsvsmavericks - Kaurs Singhs and Suns" April 11th 2016
Tickets available from: www.billetebox.com/sunsvskings
One significant outcome of these heritage night events has been the awareness of the diverse culture which constitutes their neighborhoods. Many fans respond with excitement as they rise to appreciate the entertainment presented to them as part of the heritage nights. A video showcasing the recent Garba "Gujrati Folk Dance" during the Sacramento Kings "Salute to India" event went viral with over 18,000 views within a couple of days.
Unique to the 2016 season's Kaurs Singhs and Kings and Kaurs Singhs and Suns events will include Gatka performances by California Gatka Dal. 
Detroit Phoenix will have a local Bhangra Team present a tantalizing Bhangra dance.
The anticipation is that these Sikh Heritage Nights at the "Kaurs Singhs and Suns", "Kaurs Singhs and Kings" and "Kaurs Singhs and Pistons" events will have a positive impact on over 100,000 sports fans and many thousands more who will watch on TV.
This cultural immersion may only be impacting a small populace of sports fans within the USA. But the point to note is that these people will take back and experience which will not only expose them to a culture from among their neighbors, but also enlighten them and make them aware of the diversity which makes America the nation where people choose to live with equality, freedom, liberty and justice for all.