Newspaper Page Text
EDUCATION
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CHAM PJO M
Aug. 4-10, 2016 ♦ Page 19A
SINGH
Continued From Page 18A
'With all this divisive rhetoric
going around, we forget kids see
the news, watch the news and
that it affects them big time.'
- Japjee Singh
Singh’s family balked at that
point. He said, as immigrants, his
parents were not used to authority
figures telling them they could
face legal action. In the same way,
Singh said Peachtree Middle school
officials seemed to rally behind the
aggressor rather than the victim.
“It still hurts my mom to think
of him sitting in the hallway bloody
while students walk by and tell him
to go back to his country,” said
Aasees Kaur, Singh’s sister. “My
mom heard all of this and it has left
a lasting impact. You’re seeing your
baby on the ground with a bloody
face but also hearing other kids
saying he deserved what he got. It
was all so shocking.”
Upon his return to school,
Singh said he faced more negative
attention. Students told Singh they
had guns and knives and hinted
that he would be harmed with a
weapon. Students also cut his hair
with a pair of scissors longer than
10-inches, which is considered a
weapon.
According to DeKalb’s student
code of conduct, possession of
a weapon—let alone threatening
with a weapon—is grounds for a
“long-term” suspension with a due
process hearing.
Singh’s treatment eventually
caught the eye of the Sikh
Coalition, a human rights advocacy
group for members of the Sikh
faith. Together, they reached the
U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)
and forced DeKalb County School
District to change its conduct
policies. The government found that
DCSD’s bullying policies were not
up to date.
“Our legal team filed a
complaint with the DOJ, and two
legal settlements were reached in
2013 and 2014, protecting 100,000
students in the DeKalb County
School District,” stated the Sikh
Coalition.
Singh’s bullying cases are the
first DOJ school settlement on
behalf of a Sikh student. The only
requirement of both settlements
was to implement policies
protecting all students throughout
the day and on school buses.
Singh and his family said the
harassment was there long before
the assault took place. He said
these were the same kids he went
to Kingsley Elementary school with
who, after 9/11, asked him if he was
hiding a bomb on his head. Kaur
said she received similar treatment
for having long hair and brown skin.
“With all this divisive rhetoric
going around, we forget kids see
the news, watch the news and that
it affects them big time,” Singh said.
“It affects everywhere, including
service and police departments
because [someone may wear] a
turban or other headwear. If we bar
people from service because of
their religion, what kind of people
are we?”
“If we’re not teaching
compassion at home or to at least
be respectful, it’s more than a lack
of education,” Kaur said. “There’s
an entitlement there. There’s
something more.”
Singh’s high school years have
been different. He has a diverse
group of friends. He’s worked with
the Anti-Defamation League, Office
of Women’s Rights, Department
of Education and Department of
Justice. He’s involved with multiple
school organizations, including
Peer Leaders which matches older
children with younger children for
mentoring.
Singh said his experiences
have shaped his awareness and
involvement. He has gone on to
speak and advocate for Sikhs and
other minorities around the country.
This September, he will take part in
the first-ever Sikh portrait gallery in
New York City.
While many Sikhs have faced
discrimination since arriving in
America more than 100 years ago,
more than 500,000 Sikhs live in the
United States and are considered
part of the American fabric. They
have their own history as one of the
main groups of people who built the
U.S. railroads.
“There’s no Sikh family
who won’t tell you stories about
discrimination and backlash,” Singh
said. “But the point of the gallery is
to show you we’re people. We’re
your colleagues, doctors, lawyers,
classmates, police officers. It’s to
show we’re just as American as
everyone else.”
For more information on the
New York gallery featuring Japjee
Singh and others, visit www.
sikhcoalition.org.
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