[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 70 (Thursday, April 22, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E443]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                 SIKH AWARENESS AND APPRECIATION MONTH

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                        HON. RAJA KRISHNAMOORTHI

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 22, 2021

  Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI. Madam Speaker, today I rise to recognize the 
month of April as ``Sikh Awareness and Appreciation Month'' in my home 
state of Illinois. The 8th Congressional District is home to many Sikh-
Americans and Sikh faithful, and I wish to recognize their valuable 
contributions to my district and to our state and country, I believe 
this recognition is especially timely, given the disturbing rise in 
hate crimes and violent acts perpetrated against Sikh-Americans, most 
recently on April 15, 2021 at a Federal Express facility located in 
Indianapolis.
  The first followers of the Sikh religion emigrated to the United 
States over 125 years ago, where they found work on farms located in 
California and in the lumber mills of Washington state. Despite 
suffering persecution and discrimination, these patriotic Sikh-
Americans persevered and found ways to participate in civic life, 
including service in the United States Army. In 1918, Sergeant Bhagat 
Singh Thind was the first serviceman in the history of the United 
States Army allowed to wear a turban as part of his military uniform. 
Sikh-Americans continued to proudly serve with distinction in the 
Second World War, Korean War, Vietnam War and in our conflicts in 
Afghanistan and Iraq.
  In addition to military service, Sikh-Americans have made countless 
contributions to our common good. They include scientists like Dr. 
Narinder Singh Kapany, who is widely known as the ``father of fiber 
optic technology,'' and Dr. Gurtej Singh Sandhu, one of the world's 
most prolific inventors. They include artists and musicians like Grammy 
nominee Snatam Kaur Khalsa, and activist and award-winning filmmaker 
Valarie Kaur. They include entrepreneurs like Waris Ahluwalia, an 
actor, model and businessman. And they include men and women called to 
public service, like Dalip Singh Saund, who in 1957 became the first 
Asian-American, Indian-American and member of a non-Abrahamic faith to 
be elected to serve in this House of Representatives.
  As revealed by Guru Nanak and the Adi Granth, Sikhism teaches that 
there is only one God, that God is without form or gender, that we are 
all equal before God, and that a good life is lived as part of a 
community and expressed by good deeds and not merely by good thoughts. 
These tenets of service and respect for the rights and dignity of all 
stand in painful contrast to the recent vile speech and acts of 
violence directed at Sikh communities. Madam Speaker, during this month 
of appreciation for Sikh Americans, I want to officially recognize the 
contributions of the more than 700,000 members of the United States 
Sikh community to business, the arts, science, medicine, literature and 
philosophy. Additionally, I ask all Americans to take to heart the Sikh 
religion's belief in the sanctity of each person, respect for freedom 
of religion, and creed that community service is the foundation for 
living a good life.

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