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Stand Up, Be Counted

by GURMEET KAUR & INNI KAUR

 

 

In the third week of March this year, every single household in the United States will be getting the 2010 Census official form.

The Sikh-American community supports this and is excited about the idea of self-identification for the Census.

It is important that all Sikh-Americans be counted as constituents of their districts.

However, it is imperative that they be counted as Sikhs.

Being correctly identified, counted and recognized are central to protection and equality for any community in the United States. Sikhs have a right, under international law and the United States' treaty obligations to be correctly identified. 

This is the first opportunity for Sikhs to be counted as a people in the United States of America.

One would think that this would be a no-brainer.

Alas, this is not the case.

Unfortunately there is no 'Sikh' category on the form. The form allows only race based categories at a morte general level and Sikhs span across all races; yet they are a unique people.

Recently, in the State of Georgia, the Sikh Count Committee had a very productive meeting with the Census Bureau officials.

In the State of Connecticut, a query was put to the Census Bureau to seek guidance as to which box the Sikh community should check off.

Our questions to the officials were:

1       On question 9 - can we write in the word 'SIKH' in the "Some other race" category?  Yes

2       Will the computer reject the form?  No

3       Will someone eventually read what is filled in the "Some other category"? Yes, that is why we have that category.

4       Are there other minorities that are not an identified race have been counted in the past? Yes, there are several tribes, ethnic and ancestry groups that do not have a nation state or an identified race but are in significant numbers and have been able to be successfully counted as a people using this approach.

To see what kind of minorities have been successful in getting themselves counted in the 2000 Census, you can go to http://factfinder.census.gov/ - highlight ‘Fact Sheet' - click on ‘Fact Sheet for a Race, Ethnic or Ancestry Group'.

In the 2000 Census, groups with more than 20,000 counts were reported at the National level, and groups with more than a 500 count at the state level.

They further added that a lot of minority groups are not happy with the racial categories that are on the form. Hence, the Census Bureau has provided a place for them to be counted or represented using the ‘Some other race' category.

This was a very encouraging response.

There is a possibility for Sikhs to be counted as a people. But there is no guarantee, yet.

We therefore proceeded to call all leading Sikh organizations, some Sikh media, and Sikhs from different states.

And found out that ...

There is big confusion in the Diaspora.

Every organization and every state has a different strategy.

Some are totally clueless on the approach that should be taken.

Dearest Sangat ji, Wake Up!

We need to act!

This is a Panthic Moment!

We need every Sikh in the United States to weigh in on this and decide the direction we should take.

To succeed we must have ONE VOICE.

Why is it important that we be counted as Sikhs?

 

Sikhs throughout the country have common needs and challenges that no other community identifies with.

We cannot say it better than what the Sikh Coalition has written on their blog:

"If we had an accurate count of how many Sikhs live in the United States and where, we would gain many advantages - from being able to showcase voting blocks in certain areas to obtaining funding for our community's needs. Every time we walk into a legislator's office to ask them to do something for Sikhs, the first question is always "How many Sikhs are there in my district." Therefore, having an accurate count of our community is key to our progress in the United States."

If we have enough Sikhs identified in the 2010 census, then maybe the 2020 Census form will have a ‘SIKH' category. We know this is wishful thinking on our part. We are fully aware that if Sikhs wish to have their own category, they need to approach Congress, which then instructs the Federal Office of Management and Budget on which categories to create.

But, if we don't do anything, we will be stuck in the status quo. This is a grass-root movement for the community. We need all Sikhs to think about this and come to a unified decision.

So we are suggesting that we write in "SIKH" under "SOME OTHER RACE". This is the only way to include Sikhs of all colors or national origin residing in the U.S.A.

We see NO downside to writing the word SIKH in the ‘Some other race' category.

Our Sikh organizations are actively working with the government agencies to be counted. They are doing a tremendous job.

But what private Sikh citizens do is the key here. Can the voice of many make a difference?

We strongly believe so.

And, that is what grass-root movements are all about.

Helpful Information to filling out the Census Form:

 

1    Everyone counts! Whether you are citizen, resident alien, or illegal. Census Bureau does not ask for social security number or share its data with any other agencies such as INS, FBI or IRS. Even if you are/ have a visitor that is staying until April 1, 2010 or a baby that can come along, wait and include them too.

2.   Don't be afraid to include your telephone number. It is only to be used to call if something is not clear in the form. If you feel more comfortable, give your local Gurdwara representative's number with her/ his permission. Similarly the ‘Date of Birth' information is to avoid duplication.

3    And finally: how to get yourself written as a Sikh?

    a     Check ‘No' in Section 8. ('Is person 1 of Hispanic, Latino or Spanish origin?')

    b     Check ‘Some other race' category in section 9. ('What is Person 1's race?')

    c     Print the word ‘Sikh' in the box underneath ‘Some other race' (Spell exactly)

4    Fill the data for up to 11 more people in your household in the same way. 

What can you do to help more?

1    Form your State's Sikh Complete Count Committee. It is easy. Just contact the US Census Bureau local chapter and they will provide you with a partnership specialist, that will train volunteers and provide sample forms that you can take to your sangat to educate.

2    Register your Complete Count Committee with your States' census website.

3    Formulate an action plan to reach out to all the Sikhs in your state via phone chains, email chains or Gurdwara announcements. Help them with 'why', 'how', 'when' and 'what' to do.

4.    Sign the following petition to have Sikhs counted correctly in the 2010 and all future censuses.

http://www.unitedsikhs.org/petitions/census.php

5.    At minimum, share this article with all Sikhs you can and ask them to do the same. Have a conversation about this at your Gurdwara. Talk to your local officials about getting Sikhs included in the next Census. Become part of the process. Get involved.

 

We urge you to please call your local U.S. Census Bureau Office or visit www.2010.census.gov to get more information.

We strongly feel that this opportunity should not be missed!

Please also share your thoughts below, in the comments section, and with your local census committees, regarding the direction we as a community should take.

 

March 6, 2010

Conversation about this article

1: Jag Singh (Birmingham, England), March 06, 2010, 12:45 PM.

A splendid initiative and it should be highlighted to every Sikh in the land. Unfortunately, the Census Commission of the UK has neglected to identify Sikhs as a separate group too. Too many Sikhs are happy to identify themselves as Indians - this leads to disproportionate sums of Government funds winging their way to Hindu community centres, as India is, of course, a Hindu-majority nation. We Sikhs must stand up and be counted too!

2: Irvinder Singh Babra (Brampton, Ontario, Canada), March 06, 2010, 3:51 PM.

Make your census counting for the Sikh-Americans vigorous. Plan out how you two, Gurmeet and Inni, want to accomplish this by reaching out to the Sikhs in the U.S.A., digitally and in every way possible. Include me in, will be there shortly! And, how can Sikh-Canadians can help you?

3: Amarjit Singh Duggal (Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A.), March 06, 2010, 5:48 PM.

Thank you for this historical work. It will save the skin of future generations in this country.

4: Gurjender Singh (Maryland, U.S.A.), March 06, 2010, 5:56 PM.

Dear readers and all the gurdwaras managements and organizers: here we have a chance to be counted in the U.S.A. as allowed by U.S.A. laws. We should not miss this opportunity. All Gurdwara managements should make this announcement a priority every day. This is a fundamental Sikh issue. Otherwise, Sikhs here will have the same situation as in India, where though even having about 2-3% Sikh population, we are not recognized as Sikhs in the Indian Constitution. The Indian Constitution treats Sikhs as Hindu. Time to wake up for all Sikhs in all places, belonging to all groups and all Gurdwaras and all societies. Best of luck to all.

5: P. Kaur (U.S.A..), March 07, 2010, 12:47 AM.

UNITED SIKHS has been involved in this campaign for the past six months. We have drafted a formal legal paper in partnership with Minority Rights Groups (MRG), an international NGO that discusses in detail why Sikhs are eligible under current law to get a separate code and why they must be counted. Please visit http://www.unitedsikhs.org/PressReleases/PRSRLS-20-01-2010-00.html to sign the petition and to read the paper.

6: Simran (Oceanside, U.S.A.), March 08, 2010, 1:32 AM.

I can fit into more than one category at any given time. The new normal :) [Editor: That is true for most, if not all, of us. The question is: how important is it for you being a Sikh ... and desiring your future generations to flourish as Sikhs, while being full-fledged Americans as well. If you want a portion of your share of the taxes collected to be allotted to building infra-structure and services within the Sikh-American community, you may want to consider identifying yourself as a Sikh ... just as others tend to their own communities' needs by doing the same for themselves. There is NOTHING parochial or narrow-minded about identifying yourself as a Sikh. Just as there is nothing narrow-minded or parochial about others identifying themselves as English, Italian, Indian, South-Asian, Muslim, etc. It's all a question of what YOU think is important for YOUR future. Until and unless ALL people resort to labelling themselves as HUMAN BEINGS, no more, no less, we will be shooting ourselves in our proverbial foot if don't do the right thing for ourselves, while hiding behind impractical and esoteric justifications. But you are correct - it is YOUR right and you have the freedom to make your own choice as you deem fit, and to shape your future and that of your descendants.]

7: Jaspreet Singh (New York, U.S.A.), March 08, 2010, 1:20 PM.

Many people have been asking questions about whether or not Sikhs should participate and mark 'Sikh' under race. This is because people are uncomfortable with the idea of declaring Sikhs as a race, and I also personally share that concern. In my opinion, the form should rather ask for ethnicity. However, the Census Bureau, in asking "race", uses a very loose definition. [Editor: We are all trying to correct the terminology. The Census Bureau process moves more slowly than a glacier. Until we do get a proper box and designation in, let us use the tools we do have available to us, please.] The Census does count many categories of people that are not "races" by any definition. For example, if you write in "Pakistani," you will be counted as a Pakistani, even though that is a nationality and not a race. Many different ethnicities and nationalities of people have codes that diseggregate them correctly in the Census. Sikhs should have one of these codes. The Census data is used for many things, from allocation of federal funds to communities, for redrawing districts, and also for policy (i.e. there are X number of minorities in region Y, so we need certain resources for these minorities). If we do not participate in the Census, the government will not know how many Sikhs there are, and will continue to ignore our community. Being recognized as a people is one of the most important things we can do for our future. For those who would like to write-in 'SIKH' as a religion rather than race or ethnicity, there is no place on the Census form to put your religion because it is illegal by statute for the Census Bureau to ask a mandatory question about your religion. Sikhs are recognized as an ethnicity in many countries and we do have a very distinct identity and idea of the quom.

8: Gurmeet Kaur (Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A.), March 08, 2010, 2:33 PM.

Irvinder ji, yes every Sikh can help. You must know Sikhs in the U.S.A.. Call them and discuss this issue, give them the directions. Ask them to pay-it-forwad. Our concern is that only 10% of the Sikh community is digitally active, how do we reach the other 90%? Gurjender ji, unfortunately most Gurdwara management people don't keep up with internet news. I know a couple of Sikh organizations are actively working on reaching out to them. Any body knows Sikh Driver associations in North America? Restaurant associations? Professional associations? ... Please forward this article to them. You can also download a flier that can be printed on one sheet and distributed. http://www.sikhamericancensus.org/ - Please click on 'What can you do?')

9: H. S. Vachoa (U.S.A.), March 09, 2010, 12:55 PM.

It is simple: those who are not Sikh don't need to be identify themselves as Sikh.

10: Kanwaljeet Singh (Houston, Texas, U.S.A.), March 17, 2010, 9:29 AM.

Please look at #9, there are two places to mark race on the left side. Where to mark, under other Asian or under some other race? Please guide accordingly, as so many people are asking.

11: Gurmeet Kaur (Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A.), March 17, 2010, 9:47 AM.

Kanwaljeet Singh ji: 1) Check 'Some Other Race'. 2) Write 'SIKH' in the box underneath it. DO NOT CHECK 'Other Asian'. Please see the sample marking in the picture on this page. Also read the 'Helpful Information' section in this article. Hope this helps.

12: Harbhajan Singh Nayar (U.S.A.), March 17, 2010, 3:00 PM.

Please note that in the question "What is person's race?", you can mark one or MORE boxes. I know a 'white' Sikh who is checking two boxes: one for 'white' and the other "some other race" by writing-in SIKH. If you are a Sikh of say Indian backgroud, you can again check two boxes - Asian Indian and write-in some other race as SIKH. I know of a couple of other situations: One where the person is Sikh with father born in India and mother being 'white'. That person is checking three boxes - Asian Indian, White and "some other race" as SIKH. Another Sikh born in Japan but living in U.S.A., can check two boxes - Japanese, and SIKH under "some other race". All four examples have one thing in common. They are writing SIKH under "Some Other Race". This way, Sikhs are being counted. Gradually, Sikhs are getting more diversified but remaining as a Sikh of "Sikh people" or Sikh Nation as a common identity. [EDITOR: Those who check mutiple boxes are counted as mixed race. It is okay to do that if you believe your count is important towards that particular race as long as you also check 'SOME OTHER RACE' and write-in the word 'SIKH'.]

13: Jodh Singh (Jericho, New York, U.S.A.), June 20, 2010, 2:07 PM.

I appreciate the efforts of those who have devoted a lot of time to familiarize many semi-educated folks. I wish them success but please do not forget: Some peopledo not register ... if they are illegal aliens. These are poor victims of travel agents who sent them here. They were keen but now live constant fear of being deported.

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