1500 Schools Across the United States Know it's Vasakhi Today!

UNITED SIKHS seeks blessings and extends good wishes to the Sikh community during this auspicious time of Vasakhi. On this Vasakhi, we pledge to protect your rights. Vasakhi reminds us to choose love over duty, as the Panj Pyaare did in 1699, and as we at UNITED SIKHS have tried to do this past year.

This February, Sikh holidays were included in the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) Calendar, which goes out to over 1,500 schools. For the first time in history, thousands of students and public school faculty will know about the Sikh observance of Vasakhi. Adding Sikh holidays to school calendars makes way for religious tolerance in our communities - a principal that is central to the teachings of Sikhi. To read more, click here.

Our team also represented the Sikh community at the South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT) Summit in Washington, DC, USA, raising awareness about anti-Sikh bullying. Presentations on Sikhism are also made at schools across the country to proactively educate non-Sikh students about Sikhism to avoid future cases of bullying. Presentations explain the articles of faith, their significance, and the importance of treating others the way one would want to be treated. These presentations are also being given to libraries as a resource.

This proactive and reactive campaign hopes to address the shockingly vast percentage of Sikhs being bullied, one city at a time. It is vital for parents and their children to step outside of the shadows and speak up about their experiences, learn how to handle bullying, and proudly blend into society without compromising Sikh principles. Click here to learn more.

Such victories cannot be accomplished out of a mere sense of duty. At its core, duty is linked to a sense of obligation. Contrastingly, love is divine, and hence eternal. When we act out of love as opposed to duty, the products of our efforts increase and improve accordingly.

Whether it is through our annual Sikh Summit, bringing together congressmen and agency officials or through our Annual Global and Civil Rights Report, we continue to shed light on the most pressing issues of the global Sikh nation, and continue to fight for civil and human rights.

UNITED SIKHS will continue, nation by nation, to promote and protect Sikh articles of faith, while also encouraging Sikhs everywhere to practise their faith without fear.

We need your assistance, so please donate TODAY.

Sharon Kaur, UNITED SIKHS, 2014 Academy graduate.

As we celebrate Vasakhi, we thank the‪ Indian Railway that has launched a daily train service to and from #Amritsar to Anandpur Sahib to the delight of pilgrims. The present timetable can be viewed here.