Reflections on the 10th Jakara Movement Conference

10 years ago the Jakara conference was born;
5 years ago the Jakara Movement was born.

This year we held our 10th annual Jakara Movement conference.  This year we came together to Remember 1984.

From remembering the past, reflecting on Gurbani, reconnecting with the voices of the people, rethinking the role of the meda, and revering our heroes and sheroes – it was an eventful Friday!  Saturday included recognizing the lessons of 1984, reaffirming our commitment to the Sarbat Khalsa and Gurmata tradition of consensus building, recollecting with our brothers and sisters, reacting to their personal histories, responding to the past, and finally realizing a new reality is possible.

From evenings of recreation to days of reflection, we hope that the Jakara Movement Conference 2009 proved to be inspirational, not only to those participating, but for the greater Sikh Qaum as well.

We write this post as a space for you to leave your comments.  All are invited to share their thoughts – those in attendance and those that may have missed it this year.

Many made commitments during the conference.  We hope you keep true to them.  We hope you remember the lesson of 1984 – divided we fell; united we’ll stand.

It is only as a “collective” that we will build a brighter future for tomorrow; it is only as a united Qaum that we have the power to change tomorow; it is only together,
we are the movement.

PS: Please leave your thoughts and comments – also please take the time and fill out our numerous applications at our ugly website (yes, it is underconstruction) – www.jakara.org

LIVEBLOGGING – 10th Jakara Conference – Responding with Activism

Learning about 1984 is not enough.  The Jakara Movement is providing avenues to respond and to engage with your community.  With a growing activist base, hundreds of volunteers throughout California will becoming together to host a series of events commemorating 1984.  These include:

• “Sukhmani Sahib for the Shaheeds” (Jun 2009) Success!
• Jakara Movement Conference (Jun 2009)
  Soon to be Success!
• The Gift of Blood – Blood Drive (Jun -Nov 2009)
  Underway!
• Visions for Truth: 1984 Movie Screenings (Aug 2009)
• Jakara Juniors Camps (Oct 2009)
• “Silent Marches” (Nov 2009)
• “Alliance for Justice Week” (Nov 2009)

Send us a message and get involved.  Also follow the Jakara Movement Blog – j. Khabar – for updates and details!

we are the movement.

LIVEBLOGGING – 10th Jakara Conference – Recollections of Eye-Witnesses

1984 is not some distant past.  It is within the lifetime of many Sikhs.  It is one of those ‘critical’ events that has shaped the history of the Qaum.  No book can be written on the Sikhs without this important chapter.  While many young activists were born after 1984, it is important that they connect with those older that can share their experiences.

At the Jakara Movement Conference 2009, Sikh activists, whose experiences during and after 1984, shaped their desire to engage with their community recollect and recall their stories to the Jakara Movement audience.  Leading activists in groups such as Sikh Research Institute, Sikh Coalition, and SALDEF all participated at the Jakara Movement conference.

Bridging voices of the past, with the leaders of tomorrow.

we are the movement.

LIVEBLOGGING – 10th Jakara Conference – Revering Shaheeds

At the Jakara Movement Conference, we revere our Sikh heroes and sheroes.  We celebrate all that they bore witness (’shaheed’ is a witness) to injustice and never hesitated in their fight for Truth and Justice.

We remember Sardar Jaswant Singh Khalra and Sardar Sukhbir Singh Osan.

The nation that forgets its sheroes and heroes is a nation destined to be forgotten.

We will not forget.

Parnaam Shaheedan Nu.

we are the movement.

LIVEBLOGGING – 10th Jakara Conference – Saturday Morning

Oh yes, in case you didn’t know.  We are live-blogging.

Yesterday is past; today is tomorrow.

Today we move from the past to the present and beyond.  A new day awaits.

LIVEBLOGGING – 10th Jakara Conference – Friday Afternoon

Groups remain busy in discussion, contemplation, and reflection.  The Friday sessions draw to a close.

But, the conference is far from over.  Today we focused on the past and how it shapes our present.  Tomorrow we focus on the present and how we will define a new tomorrow.

we are the movement.

LIVEBLOGGING – 10th Jakara Conference – Friday Sessions

Today was a long day.  That was by design.  For us to remember 1984, we have to explore 1984.

From remembering events, to engaging with the Gurbani that gave AND gives meaning to our lives as Sikhs no matter what the condition, to hearing their stories in their voices – at the Jakara Movement Conference 2009, we hoped to have given the participants a panorama of the events of 1984.

We impressed the importance of media literacy and the need in our community to develop the lens of critical analysis, not only to combat misrepresentations of us, but to better understand the world around us.  The candlelight vigil draws today’s content to a close through a connection with brothers and sisters lost; and reflection upon our Sikh heroes and sheroes – past, present, and future.

We hope the discussions in the small groups are not confined there.  We hope for continued exploration through the Sikhs’ Kristallnacht booklet as well as through conversations with friends and others.

we are the movement.

LIVEBLOGGING – 10th Jakara Conference – Friday Morning Divaan

So after yesterday’s (Thursday) arrival, we begin our first full-day of the conference.  The morning divaan is a key component of the Jakara Movement conference and we had a tremendous attendance.

Even as this is being live-blogged, the participants are going to get breakast, before they head out to Fresno State.  For those attending, leave your thoughts.  For those not, follow along and make sure you join us in Fresno next year.  Keep on visiting the blog for more updates.

we are the movement.

Reflections on Working with Sikh Parent Generation

[The following was written by a Jakara Movement member that coordinated our inaugural project of the Remember 1984 Campaign.  These were their personal reflections and they are being published in hope that other Sikh activists may make use of their notes.  They also may be notable because the coordinator engaged directly with Sikh women – editor]

Learning to interact with the parent generation and how to persuade their involvement was one of the key skills obtained through being the project coordinator for this particular project. I gained patience and persistence with my audience, while ensuring that they were committed to the project.

Lessons that may be helpful in increasing participation is to start a lot earlier. It is a tricky balance, I cannot call too early because the parent generation doesn’t exactly carry around calendars. They tend to do things by memory, so asking them 2 months in advance may not work. At the same time, asking them one month in advance was not efficient either. In the future, I would have started calling 6 weeks before the start of the project, send out materials 4 weeks before the project and call them to ensure that they are advertising it to the entire sangat. Sending out the materials really helped them understand what they are supposed to be doing.

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Sukhmani Sahib for the Shaheeds

The “Sukhmani Sahib for the Shaheeds” project by the Jakara Movement mobilized the Sikh sangat throughout the United States to participate in Sukhmani Sahib paaths. The purpose of these paaths was to come together and remember Guru Arjun’s Shahadat and the Shaheeds that gave their lives in the third Ghallughara (June 1984).

Sukhmani Sahib was recited in eleven groups throughout the United States during the week of June 1st through June 7th. The regions that participated were Bakersfield, Buena Park, Detroit, El Sobrante, Fremont, Fresno, Sacramento, San Jose, Washington D.C., San Antonio, and South Florida.

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