Happy Vaisakhi from the National Sikh Campaign!
The National Sikh Campaign wishes you and your family a Happy Vaisakhi!
Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh!
Three hundred and sixteen years ago, Guru Gobind Singh Ji created the Khalsa on Vaiskahi in 1699 and cemented the modern, progressive values that are at the core of Sikhism.
Due to Guru Gobind Singh's revolutionary vision, Sikhs believe that all people, regardless of gender, race, socio-economic background, are equal and that all people have the freedom to worship God in their own way. These values are particularly a point of pride for Sikh-Americans because the values that Guru Gobind Singh espoused in 1699 are at heart of the American ethic.
Although Sikh values and Americans values are strongly aligned, Sikhism remains completely unknown and misunderstood in the United States. 60 percent of people have no knowledge of Sikhism and virtually no Americans know about Guru Nanak.
This reality is particularly unfortunate as we celebrate the 316th year of the Khalsa.
Fortunately, research shows that the Sikh community can significantly build their understanding and change their perception in the United States by articulating the Sikh community's commitment to equality, explaining the meaning of the turban, and expressing Sikh values in familiar and relatable terms to our fellow Americans.
This is why the National Sikh Campaign's latest groundbreaking initiative is to build a revolutionary and modern website about Sikhism for a non-Sikh audience.
Currently, no such website exists. 96 percent of Sikhs say that they would like for our community to be more engaged in communicating our values and accomplishments and in today's environment building a website is step one towards achieving that goal.
The initiative on this website will be unique because it will be rooted in data and analytic that show how the Sikh community should communicate its values. Further, we have hired a topnotch firm - SkyRocket. The lead project manager, Mo Dhaliwal recently was a recipient of Queen of Elizabeth's II Diamond Jubilee Medal.
Throughout Sikh history we as a community have overcome many barriers and hardships due to our determination and our strong belief in Chardhi Kala. So with Waheguru's Grace and with us all coming together we can create a better and brighter future of Sikhs and our future generations in America.
Please donate here to ensure that on this Vaisakhi we take action to build a better future for Sikhism in America.
Wishing you and your family continued Chardhi Kala on this Vaisakhi!
The National Sikh Campaign Team