California Legislature—2013–14 Regular Session

Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 25

Introduced by Assembly Member Wieckowski

February 22, 2013

Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 25—Relative to Sikh American Awareness and Appreciation Month.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

ACR 25, as introduced, Wieckowski. Sikh American Awareness and Appreciation Month.

This measure would designate November 2013 as California Sikh American Awareness and Appreciation Month. It would recognize and acknowledge the significant contributions made by Californians of Sikh heritage to the state and afford all Californians the opportunity to understand, recognize, and appreciate the rich history and shared principles of Sikh Americans.

Fiscal committee: no.

WHEREAS, California and our nation are at once blessed and
enriched by the unparalleled diversity of our residents; and

WHEREAS, In our extremely diverse Golden State, there reside
an estimated 250,000 Sikh Americans, comprising about 40 percent
of the nation’s Sikh population; and

WHEREAS, Sikh immigrants have resided in California for
more than a century, with the first Sikh immigrants having labored
on railroad construction projects, in lumber mills, and in the
agricultural heartlands of the Sacramento, San Joaquin, and
Imperial Valleys; and

WHEREAS, The first Sikh temple (Gurdwara) in California
was established in Stockton in 1912, and Sikh temples have since
been established in communities throughout California, some like
those in Fremont, San Jose, West Sacramento, and Yuba City being
huge with accommodations for thousands; and

WHEREAS, While Sikh Americans have distinguished
themselves in numerous areas of endeavor, they have demonstrated
particular success in the areas of agriculture, security, trucking,
medicine, and in the creation of small, family-owned businesses;
and

WHEREAS, Yuba City is referred to by many as “Mini-Punjab”
with 10 percent of its population being Sikh or Punjabi; and

WHEREAS, Dalip Singh Saund, a Sikh, born in Punjab, India,
earned a Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley in
1924, initially earned his livelihood as a foreman of cotton pickers
in the Imperial Valley, became a farmer, played a major role in
funding the Luce-Celler Act of 1946 that enabled him and others
to naturalize as citizens, and served as an elected judge in the
Westmoreland Judicial District from 1952 to 1956, before
becoming the first Asian American elected to the United States
Congress, where he served three terms from 1957 to 1963; and

WHEREAS, Bhagat Singh Thind, another Sikh born in Punjab,
India, a United States Veteran of World War I, who campaigned
actively for the independence of India from the British Rule,
supported Indian students and lectured on metaphysics throughout
the United States, has been honored by the Fred Korematsu
Institute as a “Race in the Courts Hero” for fighting his citizenship
case in the United States Supreme Court in 1923; and

WHEREAS, Narinder Singh Kapany of Palo Alto, a Sikh born
in Punjab, India, is an accomplished scientist and inventor, has
been awarded over 100 patents that spurred advances in lasers,
biomedical instrumentation, pollution monitoring, solar energy,
and more, and is widely acknowledged to be the father of fiber
optics, a technology that has allowed for high-speed digital
communication; and

WHEREAS, Sikh Americans have served as mayors of
California cities, including David Dhillon in El Centro, Gurpal
Samra in Livingston, Amarpreet “Ruby” Dhaliwal in San Joaquin,
Sonny Dhaliwal in Lathrop, and Kashmir Singh Gill in Yuba City,
and numerous Sikh Americans have served as council members
of California cities; and

WHEREAS, Sikh American communities of California continue
to make important contributions to our state and nation; and

WHEREAS, The Yuba City Sikh Parade, which cemmemorates
the Guru Gaddee inauguration holiday of Sikhism’s holiday
scripture, Siri Guru Granth Sahib, is held on the first Sunday of
each November, rain or shine, and, in recent years, the international
event has attracted between 60,000 and 100,000 participants; and

WHEREAS, Sikh Americans throughout California celebrate
the coronation of Sikh scripture and Sikh festivals at the Gurdwaras
and with parades in cities across California and the United States;
and

WHEREAS, The Sikh Council of Central California, other Sikh
organizations, and individual Gurdwaras participate in interfaith
meetings, seminars, conferences, meetings, and functions and share
the tenets of their monotheistic religion that respects other religions
and welcome all to their Gurdwaras, and try to further mutual
understanding and respect among all peoples; now, therefore, be
it

Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate
thereof concurring, That the Legislature hereby designates the
month of November 2013 to be California’s Sikh American
Awareness and Appreciation Month; and be it further

Resolved, That the Legislature recognizes and acknowledges
the significant contributions made by Californians of Sikh heritage
to our state, and by adoption of this resolution, seeks to afford all
Californians the opportunity to better understand, recognize, and
appreciate the rich history and shared principles of Sikh Americans;
and be it further

Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies
of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution to the
Members of the Legislature, members of the California Sikh
American community, and other interested organizations or
persons.