This past week members of the College Sikhs Collaborative and the Jakara Movement – creating the first Alternative Spring Break – explored the issue of immigration by visiting so-called ground zero – the Mexi/Cali border.  While surge of the Tea Party movement has helped bring nativist sentiments to the fore, the Sikh-American response on the issue has been largely muted.  In 2006, we saw huge protests calling for a more free immigration policy, led largely by our Chicano/a and Latino/a brothers and sisters, as is too often the case, Sikhs, who are also directly affected by issues of immigration – both documented and undocumented – remain passive bystanders to the national debate.  [For those that do not know about the increasing number of Punjabi undocumented workers - including over 1600 that were caught and detained in 2010 alone, see the LA Times article ]  Even worse, is some Sikhs even support candidates that have borderline racist views on such issues.  While groups such as Sikh Coalition and SALDEF have tacitly supported the cause of immigration cause, it is a shame that we have not been more vocal.  Without standing with others (especially on those cases where we have a self-interest!), why should anyone stand with us on the issues we care about?

Day 1 – Orientation
Our trip began with an orientation with our partner organization – Border Angels.

From their website they describe their activities:

Founded by Enrique Morones in 1986, Border Angels is a non-profit organization supporting humanity. The organization consists of extraordinary volunteers who want to stop unnecessary deaths of individuals traveling through the Imperial Valley desert areas and the mountain areas surrounding San Diego County, as well as the areas located around the United States and Mexican border. The high percentage of unnecessary deaths have been results of extreme heat and cold weather conditions, in addition some have sadly been the results of racial-discrimination crimes.

Steps Needed To Be Taken Spring and Summer Months: With horrifically hot temperature conditions, hundreds of rescue stations are located along the ten state US Mexico border region. Temperatures reaching as high as 127 degrees, water is critical for survival. Volunteers maintain stations throughout the spring and summer months.

Fall and Winter Months: Critical life-saving stations are established throughout the San Diego Mountain areas. Winter clothing, food and water are placed in winter storage bins to help decrease negative health results from being exposed to the incredibly freezing temperature changes that exists in the San Diego County mountain areas during the Fall and Winter. Awareness and Support Educating citizens and government dignitaries on the status of weather related deaths and racial-discrimination crime deaths is crucial in gaining support in the volunteer, donation and jurisdiction areas. Border Angels are proud supporters of Equal Rights.

On the first evening, we designed crosses for the ‘unmarked’ grave that we were to visit the next day in Holtville, CA.  We received basic information, met some key people in the organization, and went over the agenda for the following few days.  Joined by groups from De La Salle High School (Concord, CA), students from UC Berkeley, and students from the University of Oregon, we were eager to set out on our trip the next day.  Below you can see some of the crosses that were constructed, each written with the following words: “No Olividados” – “Not Forgotten”

Day 2

Beginning early in the morning, we set out from San Diego towards the Imperial Valley.  Off the highway, Border Angels’ founder and inspirational head, Enrique Morones, showed us areas in the canyons that migrants often traverse – miles along rocky and desert terrain all for a better life.  He gave us personal anecdotes of the people he has helped, met, and learned from along the way.  We left humanitarian items, including water, along the path for any wayfarer.  In the tradition of Bhai Ghanaiya, none should be thirsty.  Unfortunately, we also saw the work of so-called ‘Minute Men’ come and slice water bottles and destroy aid left by good samaritans.

We then left to Holtville, CA a small city to the east of El Centro.  In Holtville we visited a cemetery.  While in the front of the cemetery, one would find the tombstones, grass, and flowers expected.  In the back of the cemetery is what is called the ‘potter’s field.’  There hundreds of people, most often unidentified, are give their final burial place.  The city sends the bodies there.  It is the largest unmarked mass burial site in the United States.  Over 700 people have been buried there since 2010 alone.  Most are only marked by a brick that reads ‘John/Jane Doe’.  As described earlier, in the years ahead, many of our own Sikh brothers and sisters may wind up there.  Miles away from home, falling along the way with no word ever being sent to their loved ones back home.  As Jaswant Singh Khalra reminded us, uncertainty is the worst hell.  Border Angels helps place crosses on these spots, so that while we may not know the names of the men and women, collectively they have not been forgotten.

From the cemetery, we drove to Jacuma, CA, a village along the Mexi-Cali border. Along the way, we made a quick stop at the Gurdwara at El Centro, a historical Gurdwara documenting early settlement of the Sikhs in California from the early part of the 20th century. It was the second Gurdwara founded in the United States, after the first in Stockton, CA.  The PBS-aired documentary, Roots in the Sand, explored the early Punjabi-Mexican community of the Imperial Valley. David Dhillon, a descendant of this pioneering Sikh community, was a former mayor of El Centro.

Our day ended along the border wall.  We attempted to speak with Border Patrol officers, but they seemed less than keen on having a discussion with us.

Day 3

Again, our day began early in the morning.  This time we visited the local Home Depot.  There, we met Alfredo and a number of day laborers.  We made sandwiches and lunches.  With a generous smile and shake of hands, they expressed their gratitude and thanks.  We heard their voices and heard their stories.  No political slant, no political rant, just the amazing stories of people that are willing to risk life and limb for a better life for their families.  Myths were dispelled and barriers broken down.

Here are some of the most common:

Immigrants don’t want to learn English

• The development of English proficiency among non-English speaking immigrants today mirrors that of Nineteenth and early Twentieth century immigration, when masses of Italian, German, and Eastern European immigrants came to America. While first generation, non-English speaking immigrants predictably have lower rates of English proficiency than native speakers, 91% of second generation immigrants are fluent or near fluent English speakers. By the third generation, 97% speak English fluently or near fluently. (Source: Shirin Hakimzadeh and D’Vera Cohn, “English Usage Among Hispanics in the United States,” Pew Hispanic Forum, Dec. 6, 2007.

Immigrants Don’t Pay Taxes

• Undocumented immigrants pay taxes. Between one half and three quarters of undocumented immigrants pay state and federal taxes. They also contribute to Medicare and provide as much as 7 billion dollars a year to the Social Security Fund. Further still, undocumented workers pay sales taxes where applicable and property taxes—directly if they own and indirectly if they rent. (Source: Immigration Policy Center, “Undocumented Immigrants as Taxpayers,” (November 2007)

Immigrants Increase the Crime rate

• Recent research has shown that immigrant communities do not increase the crime rate and that immigrants commit fewer crimes than native born Americans. While the undocumented immigrant population doubled from 1994 to 2005, violent crime dropped by 34% and property crimes decreased by 32%. Furthermore, Harvard sociologist Robert Sampson has found that first generation immigrants are 45% less likely to commit violent crimes than Americanized, third generation immigrants. (Source: Immigration Policy Center, “Ímmigrants and Crime: Are They Connected,” December, 2007)

Immigrants Take Jobs Away from Americans

• A recent study produced by the Pew Hispanic Center reveals that “Rapid increases in the foreign-born population at the state level are not associated with negative effects on the employment of native-born workers.” In fact, given that the number of native born low wage earners is falling nationally, immigrants are playing an important role in offsetting that decline. The Urban Institute reports that between 2000 and 2005 the total number of low wage workers declined by approximately 1.8 million while the number of unskilled immigrant workers increased by 620,000, thus offsetting the total decline by about a third. (Source: The Urban Institute, “Trends in the Low-Wage Immigrant Labor Force, 2000-2005,” March, 2007,

These myths and others can be dispelled at the Border Angels website, here.

After 3 days of having our eyes opened to the importance of immigration reform and the plight of undocumented workers, the Jakara Movement and College Sikhs again are planning to open a Border Angels chapter at UCLA and other interested campuses, implement an Adopt-A-Home Depot program to aid day laborers, collect medical materials, and begin translating forms like ‘Know your Rights’ cards into Punjabi and other helpful information for distribution through the Gurdwaras.  For first-hand accounts from case studies of Punjabi undocumented workers in Germany, read this dissertation from 2010.  If you have been moved by this report, desire to travel with us next time we visit for an alternative winter break, or want to get involved – contact us through the Jakara Movement web page and we will put you in contact with our fledgling project coordinators.  I strongly request members of our community to become involved in these issues of social, political, and health justice.

3 clicks are all it takes

VOTE FOR THE JAKARA MOVEMENT BY CLICKING HERE!

There are a great number of Sikh charities that are participating.  The Jakara Movement has the most votes for the Sikh groups – and needs your support to bring $25,000 to our community to support projects by the Sikh youth.  This weekend alone, the Jakara Movement had 6 events.  There were 5 camps, titled, “A Nation Never Forgets” that were hosted in Los Angeles, Turlock, Stockton, Yuba City, and Orange County.  Here are some pictures from just one.

In the Bay Area, the Jakara Movement helped host the forum “Women and 1984”, bringing scholars and activists such as Cynthia Keppley Mahmood (author of Fighting for Faith and Nation and a champion for human rights), Navkiran Kaur Khalra (daughter of the late Shaheed for human rights, Jaswant Singh Khalra), and Jasmine Kaur (a human rights lawyer and member of ENSAAF).

To keep programs, like this going – WE NEED YOUR HELP.  We are asking for ALL Sikhs – whether in the US, UK, Canada, India, Punjab, Malaysia, Australia, Africa, and beyond to rally around the Sikh organizations and provide your support.  Get your non-Sikh friends to vote too!

Log into Facebook and click HERE to vote for the JAKARA MOVEMENT.  And with your 20 votes, do not forget to vote for other great Sikh organizations (ENSAAF, SALDEF, and many others) too.  Inspire and be inspired; together, we are the movement.

Please forward and circulate this widely.  We Need the Entire Community to Rally Behind the Sikh Youth!

Written by Simranjit Singh, “A Promise” provides insight into the thoughts of a developing young Sikh leader.  There is angst; there is passion; there is power; and there is inspiration.  Here are his words and his expression.

“A Promise”

By Simranjit Singh

Today I make a promise.

A Promise…

To Guru Arjan Dev who sat upon the stove of sacrifice,

To Guru Tegh Bahadur who gave his head of love,

To Guru Gobind Singh who gave me my name,

To the four Sahibzade who exemplify brotherhood.

A Promise…

To the Panj Pyare whose bravery exceeds my thoughts,

To Baba Deep Singh who denied age,

To Bhai Bachittar Singh who introduced a foe elephant to his naagni barcha,

To Mai Bhago who matched beauty and grace to the sword.

A Promise…

To the Chali Mukte who did come back,

To Akali Phoola Singh who flowered the Akal Takth,

To all Sikh warriors in WW1 and WW2 who shed blood for others,

To Kartar Singh Saraba who gave life to Sikh Politics.

A Promise…

To Shaheed Bhagat Singh who makes me want to wear a paag,

To Shaheed Udham Singh who showed what it means to be a lion,

To Shaheed Chandarshekar Azad who simply would not be put down.

To Shaheed Raj Guru and Sukhdev who are not given enough credit.

A Promise…

To Sant Jarnail Singh Ji Bhindranwale who makes me proud to be a Sikh,

To Jaswant Singh Khalra who opened my eyes,

To my fathers who were burned alive,

To my mothers who were widowed,

To my sisters who were demoralized,

To my brothers who were orphaned,

To the unimaginable number of innocent Sikhs killed,

To the unanimous number of Sikhs still missing today,

A Promise…

To never forget.

A Promise…

To 1984.

A Promise…

To You.

Dispatch from Sarina Kaur, a Jakara member, currently studying in Tullinge, Sweden.

My inspiration for implementing Jakara’s Visions of Truth in Sweden was rooted in my desire to be with a sangat for the anniversary of November 1984.  Since there was nothing planned by the local Sikhs, I was forced to consider the thought of letting the anniversary pass without being a part of any effort to remember, reflect, or respond – and that thought began to daunt me.  Its easy enough to feel completely and utterly insignificant in our qaum’s bigger fight for justice but to not even be able to unite with a sangat and have an ardaas dedicated to the 25th anniversary of November 1894 was unacceptable, especially when the Swedish sangat seemed like a progressive one.

The way I see it is that you can only do so much for yourself independently but until you are in the right sangat listening to presentations and personal accounts, engaging in discussions and workshops, your experience and your feelings toward our history have been solely influenced by your own limits and your own understandings.  Activism stems from being in the right sangat; the right sangat demands that you take imitative and look within yourself and ask what you will do for your qaum.  It forces you to confront that darkness that is our reality but in a proactive way.  Jakara, among many other organizations and individuals have moved me to do this.

I feel so fortunate to have the Jakara’s support in making such a special event possible half way across the world.  I only hope that this event pushes the sangat here to ask themselves the same questions Jakara pushed me to ask of myself.  I hope that this event will be a step toward unity because regardless of where you are in the world, you have to acknowledge that unity is the first step to our revolution.

The entire Jakara family extends our Ardas to our sister and daughter of the Guru pushing for change across the globe!

I was immediately interested in the movement and excited to become a part of it. I helped out at the Fresno Kid’s Camp a few times and recently we started our own regional camps in Kerman and I help coordinate those. We just had our third camp last week and it was a success. The kids love the camps and they learn a lot from them. It gets them interested in Sikhi and it motivates them to go out and learn more on their own.

The Jakara Movement has also helped me grow as a person. When I first became involved with the movement I was very shy but as I became more involved I learned to open up and in the process I also met many wonderful people. I’ve learned a lot in these past few years and I’ve really gotten in touch with my roots. I’m thankful for being introduced to Jakara and I’m even more thankful that a small town like Kerman has their own camps now because I feel that along with the big towns, we need to spread the camps to little towns as well. I’ve enjoyed being a part of Jakara for the past two years and I look forward to being a part of it in the future.

-Ramnit Kaur, Age 19, Kerman

When I was initially introduced to Jakara I was your typical shy kid.  During the past three years, I have noticed a transformation in my confidence and comfort speaking with others.  Now I find myself to be more outgoing and most important, I’m in touch with my community and my Sikh roots.

This past summer I attended the summer Jakara conference where I met lots of other Sikh youth making change within their communities.  It’s pretty amazing that I started off as a volunteer and just last weekend I was in charge of organizing “Our Nation Never Forgets” Jakara Juniors camp in Fresno. Jakara has helped me grow both as an aspiring lawyer and as a Sikh.  Thank you Jakara!

Iqbal Singh, Age 18, Fresno

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.

One problem I faced was that some of the parents did not consider doing the paath a big deal, as Sukhmani Sahib is part of their regular routine and the event did not always have an impact.

Calling and speaking to the parent generation in Punjabi was a huge asset, as many did not feel comfortable speaking English.  I did make a lot of contacts that I feel will be extremely valuable in the future.