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Sikh
Americans After September 11 |
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Sikh
Americans after September 11 A
Stanford University Initiative A documentary film about two students who drive across the country, documenting hate crimes against Sikh Americans after September 11, 2001 in order to understand prejudice in America. On
September 11, 2001, while all Americans mourned their losses and
feared terrorism from abroad, new insecurities began to threaten certain
American minorities. Sikh, Muslim, Arab, Afghan, and South Asian
Americans confronted hate and violence in their own neighborhoods and lost
civil liberties. Hate crimes against these communities left at least fourteen
dead and thousands brutalized. Even more disturbing, these reported hate crimes
indicate a larger climate of more subtle and pervasive stereotyping and
prejudiced behavior. When increased
patriotism accompanies increased racial prejudice, we must become aware of
the social conditions that test American tolerance. In Fall of 2001, Valarie Kaur, student at Stanford
University, and her cousin, Amandeep Gill, embarked on a four-month trek
across the United States to document these experiences and examine their
causes and impact. We gathered over one hundred interviews. We found the voices behind the
sensational headlines and images. Most of these interviews are with
Sikh Americans about their experiences within one month after the
attacks. Turbaned Sikh men have
endured some of the most immediate violence, even though Sikhs have no
ethnic, religious, geographic, or political connection with the terrorists. Their experience provides insight into the
ignorance driving prejudice and intolerance in America. Several
years later, as Sikhs and other Americans face a new wave of tension during a
war with Iraq and tensions in the Middle East, these voices bring forth
meaning in these experiences and may help move us as Americans toward
understanding and respect. We invite
you to hear these stories and share your own. PURPOSE: We are
developing the interviews into a documentary film, digital material, and
monograph for classroom curriculums.
Through presenting voices of Sikh Americans, the project has three
aims: (1) to promote dialogue about post-September 11th prejudice; (2) to
raise awareness about Sikhs; and (3) to help cultivate mutual respect for
diverse American identities. We
believe that sharing personal stories and fostering dialogue can inspire
empathy and develop community both locally and nationally. Video, digital, and textual mediums will
transmit these voices and reach a wide audience. PROJECT WEBSITE: Valarie Kaur, Project Director Stanford
University Valarie@StanfordAlumni.org
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For more information contact Valarie Kaur - valarie@stanfordalumni.org |
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