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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2009 Conference Notes and Updates – Part 2

Dear Jakara 2009 Registered Participant:

As June 18th soon approaches, we are excited to welcome you to this year’s Jakara Movement 2009 conference.  As a general reminder, in this email we include some pertinent information that we hope you look over to make your conference experience enjoyable and rewarding.  In this post, you will find information related to: 1) ACLU Meeting at Jakara for Female Participants; 2)Dress Code; 3) Registration; 4) Conference Commencement.

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Blast from Jakara Korps Past

In starting this blog and finding old links, we thought we would share some of the things the Jakara Movement has done in the past.

In 2005, after the tragedy in Katrina, the Jakara Movement organized 17 Sikhs from across California to one of the worst-affected areas in Biloxi, Mississippi.  Those 17 individuals worked together to help those homes that had been devastated.

You can read about their story here.  So launched our j.Korps initiative.

There will be more of such projects organized in the future.

Together, we are the movement.

2009 Conference Notes and Updates – Part 1

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa
Waheguru Ji Ke Fateh

Dear Registered Jakara Participants,

Although the conference is still two weeks away, we are gearing up in Fresno and eagerly excited to host you.  This year will be the best Jakara conference ever, as we come together to both commemorate and celebrate.  This year we come together to “Remember 1984”.

We have a number of updates that we wish to bring to your attention.  We will be intermittently updating you about the conference.  This email discusses: 1) artists attending; 2) your chance to share your talents; 3) the “Gift of Blood” opportunity; 4) morning Sangat; and 5) flights and carpooling.

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Sikh Artists to Perform on 1984 and Beyond at Conference

Fresh off their performances from this weekend  at When Lions Roar in Toronto and Vancouver, some of the same artists will be making a stop in Fresno at the 10th annual Jakara Movement Conference.  For those of you familiar, some of these names and talents may strike a chord.  For others, take a moment to listen to the sights and sounds of Sikh Knowledge, Humble the Poet, GNE’s Saint Soulja, and even Mandeep Sethi.  As a side note, Mandeep has the most amazing track I have ever heard by a hip-hop artist on 1984.  Make sure to check it out.

This month they will all be attending, participating, and performing at the Jakara Movement’s annual conference. With few seats left and this major addition, you will not want to miss this year’s conference as we come together to “Remember 1984.” The dates are June 18-21, 2009. Register TODAY to avoid a late fee. See you in Fresno.