Sapreet Kaur Saluja, [1] usually known as Sapreet Kaur[ citation needed ], (born on May 7, 1976) is an American civil rights activist who served as the executive director of the Sikh Coalition in the United States from 2009 to 2017. [2] In January 2013, she became the first Sikh to speak at a Presidential Inaugural Prayer Service in Washington D.C. [3]
Saluja was born and raised in central New Jersey where her parents had arrived from Punjab in the 1960s. [4] [5] She went to the Sikh-oriented Khalsa School in Bridgewater, New Jersey, regularly attending Camp Chardi Kala in the summer months. In 1998, she graduated in marketing and international business at New York University's Stern School of Business. [6] "Sapreet Kaur Saluja". Linkedin. Retrieved 4 September 2015.</ref>
After graduating, Kaur served as a volunteer in the United States Peace Corps in Kenya and Uganda (1998–2001), creating local programs in the areas of conservation, conflict resolution and organizational development. Thereafter she worked in management positions at Coach, Inc. and at Teach for America where she developed human capital leadership strategies for work aimed at overcoming inequity in education. [7]
In 2007, Kaur became a member of the board of directors of the Sikh Coalition where she was appointed executive director in 2009. Since 2014, she has served as international commissioner for the National Board of Directors. [8] On her appointment as executive director, Kaur became the first woman to have led a Sikh civil rights organization in the United States. In her own words, her goal has been to bring the full force of all our program areas, partner organizations and volunteers across the country to defend the rights of Sikhs to fearlessly practice our faith". [5]
Kaur is serving as a board member of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (2008–2014) and is a member of the Desmond Tutu Peace Foundation board of directors. [8]
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3HO , also known as Sikh Dharma of the Western Hemisphere or Sikh Dharma International, is an American organization that started in 1969. It was founded in the West by Harbhajan Singh Khalsa, also called "Yogi Bhajan"- Its followers are primarily Americans. Its adherents are popularly referred to as the Sikh Dharma Brotherhood. While referred to as the 3HO movement, "3HO" is strictly speaking the name only of the movement's educational branch.
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Formerly founded as the Sikh Mediawatch and Resource Task Force (SMART) in 1996, the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF) is a national civil rights and educational organization in the United States. SALDEF is a national 501(c) 3 non-profit, nonpartisan, membership-based body.
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Sikhism was founded in Punjab in 1469 by Guru Nanak on the foundations that everyone is equal, regardless of caste, age, or gender. Both men and women are supposed to follow the Five Ks: Kesh, Kangha (comb), Kara, Kachera and Kirpan, and there was never a distinction between what a woman should be allowed to do versus a man at theological level. Men and women are treated equally in the temple (gurdwara), and everyone eats and prays side-by-side. Both men and women are meant to carry the Kirpan with them as they are responsible for their own physical protection, and should not depend on others. Sikhs are strictly against the caste system and many chose to use Kaur or Singh as a last name to push against the problematic caste system in India. There is only one god (Waheguru) in Sikhism and they are without form or gender, and everyone is equal in the eyes of God. Many Sikh women believe that this absence of assignment of code of conduct for a woman versus a man proves that their religion is historically committed to gender equality. Presently, the culture does not always follow these traditions and equality is often more true in ideals rather than daily practice. According to Kiman Kaur: "It is essential to take into account the diverse Kaur narratives in order to critically understand the violence Sikh womxn experience due to religious, ethnic, and gender minoritization through enabling more intersectional conversations."
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