Recently SikhNet conducted an interview with Jasjit Singh, the executive director of SALDEF.
He took a little time to explain his role in the organizations amazing success in impressively forwarding the Sikh image in the U.S. Recently SALDEF announced that this January Sikhs will have a place in the famous Rose Parade:
"SALDEF, in collaboration with United Sikh Mission, SikhLens, Khalsa Care Foundation and other dedicated Sikhs around the country, is proud to announce that for the first time ever, January 2015’s Rose Parade will feature a Sikh American float!
The
parade, often referred to as "America's New Year celebration",
accompanies the Rose Bowl college football game on New Year's Day,
and will be viewed by an estimated 50 Million Americans on
television. The float will highlight Sikh American
values, our history in the United States, and over 125 years of
contributions to American society. This historic effort is thanks to
more than a decade of persistent requests from California Sikhs."
Can you tell us about yourself?
I’m
Jasjit Singh, the executive director of SALDEF (the Sikh American
Legal Defense and Education Fund). I am very fortunate to have
been brought up in strong Sikh communities in and outside Chicago,
who drove me to serve both our community and ensure the welfare of
all.
How did you get involved in the rose bowl?
SALDEF’s Media Initiative is purposed to share our Sikh American community’s stories and values on a national, and even international, scale. We were honored to launch two major initiatives that did just that this year – the first-ever Sikh American PSA, a commercial for our community that Comcast donated 2.5 million dollars towards in airtime in 39 states and Washington D.C.. The PSA was covered by a variety of media outlets from Fast Company to PBS. In conjunction with SALDEF’s SikhLEAD first Langar on the Hill, which resulted in a front page celebration of Sikh American contributions on the cover of Roll Call, a paper received by every member of Congress, their staff and those who work with them, and the White House. We were honored to bring our capacity for media relations work and knowledge to the members of the Sikh community in California.
Have you had any interesting experiences or perspectives while working on this project?
Right
now, we are in the exciting stage of unveiling the project to the
broader Sikh American community, and encouraging them to support our
partners, United Sikh Mission, SikhLens, and the Khalsa Care
Foundation, and are very excited about having a platform that
will allow our community’s history in the United States and our
commitment to service come alive, in front of 50 million households
and countless numbers of journalists. It has been an enriching
experience to see what we can accomplish when community members and
local and national Sikh organizations work closely together, and we
want to continue to employ this model in our Media Initiative to
create awareness at a broad scale.
What have you gained from this experience?
I have learned that the power of our Sikh American history cannot be denied. We have more than 125 years of Sikh American pioneers – from Rattan Kaur to Bhagat Singh Thind – to pull inspiration from everyday. I want every Sikh to be confident in our role as part of their legacy, and this float is a dynamic way to demonstrate our history in America.
Do you have a message for our sangat?
Please visit http://saldef.org/roseparade2015 to learn how you can make contributions – through your photos of history or through a financial gift towards the float. And do not hesitate to ask SALDEF about any questions in regards to the project.
