SIKHS IN AMERICA A HISTORICAL PRESPECTIVE

1. Sikh arrives with two bags (c. 1910) - From University of Washington Libraries Negative number UW 15673 SIKHS IN AMERICA A HISTORICAL PRESPECTIVE

2. Punjabi-American Cultural Association

5. It Takes a Massacre:The Sikhs are Really Americans Nowby Harold A. Gould • Yes, it took a massacre to make it clear that the Sikhs are one of us. This  is something that has happened repeatedly among the ethnic communities who have come to our shores and been gradually woven into the fabric of American life. Think of the violence that was inflicted upon African Americans, the Irish, the Italians, the Chinese, the Japanese, etc., etc., before they took their place in the mainstream of society

6. 1913  Sikh wrestling prowess, March, 1913. Astoria, Oregon • WRESTLING • "According to Bill Wootton, the Hindus were most known for their prowess and agility in wrestling, back in the days when wrestling was "real honest-to-goodness wrestling." They were light heavyweight champions. They used scientific holds and used their science and ability to get in and out of the holds." • SOURCE: The Daily Astorian. Oregon Centennial,1873-1973. April 26,1973. (p.913)

7. Working to Preserve the Gurdwara as a Historical Landmark • File an application to Community Development Department • Department reviews the application and refers to Cultural Heritage Board • Pay a fee • City authorities view the site • City adopts a resolution for designation of the site • City transmits recommendation for designation to Planning Commission • Planning Commission conducts a public hearing • City Council adopts a resolution designating site as a Landmark

8. Angel Island : The Ellis Island of the West Processing of immigrants through Angel Island in the San Francisco Bay.

9. In 2006, Teja Singh was named “First Ambassador of Sikhism to the Western World” by PCKDS. He first attended Cambridge, Columbia, and Harvard, graduating from Harvard in 1911. Then began traveling North America, teaching about Sikhs, founding Gurdwaras and campaigning for immigration rights. Arriving in Stockton, he noted the sizable Sikh population and organized contributions of $25,000 to buy land and construct a Gurdwara building. He was founder and first president of the Pacific Coast Khalsa Diwan Society. He prepared by-laws for PCKDS and registered it in Stockton on May 27, 1912. The society was founded to spread Sikh teaching and create Sikh institutions in North America. Teja Singh, Founder of PCKDS

10. Stockton Gurdwara, 1915 Photo by Stockton Record

11. “Stockton Sikh Temple” Stockton Record, November 22, 1915 The new Sikh Temple of the Pacific Coast Khalsa Diwan (free divine communion) Society was dedicated yesterday with impressive ceremonies. The day selected for the formal opening of the new temple, which is located at 1936 South Grant street, was the 426th anniversary of the birth of Guru Nanak, founder of the faith..... Two hundred prominent Stocktonians, to whom special invitations were issued, attended the dedicatory services.... The American residents in conformity with the customs of the turbaned Hindus, removed their shoes before entering.

12. ... continued ... “Stockton Sikh Temple” Stockton Record, November 22, 1915 Free Dining Room for Poor Nand Singh asked the Record today to call attention to the fact that the Pacific Khalsa Diwan Society maintains a free dining room in connection with its temple on South Grant street. “We do not permit our people to become charges on public charity, “ said Nand Singh. “If a man is hungry and out of funds, we feed him.... The unfortunate hungry American will be as welcome as our own people. We provide coffee, bread and cake and such other things as possible.”

13. Hindus and Muslims were welcomed and the Gurdwara's record-books indicate many instances of them visiting the Gurdwara for social, political, and religious life. Jawala Singh, one of Stockton Gurdwara's founding granthis (priests), studied at UC Berkeley and founded scholarships for Indian scholars within four years of his arrival in USA. Underwritten by Sikhs and named Sri Guru Govind Singh Educational Scholarships, the scholarships were open to men and women of all communities hailing from anywhere in India. The 1912 awardees of the scholarships included a Christian, a Sikh, a Muslim and three Hindus. The founding of the Gurdwara is an example of how unified the community was. It embraced diversity and contributed to racial and religious harmony decades before the American Civil Rights Movement officially began. Bringing Civil Rights to the USA

14. Sikhs first arrived in USA in San Francisco in 1899. Immigrated through Angel Island, the Ellis Island of the West. Many would live on the island for months before being allowed to enter the country. Sikhs were often experienced farmers in Punjab, so white landowners began visiting Angel Island to sponsor Sikhs to work on their farms. Sikhs were attracted to the Central Valley because of its similarities to Punjab in climate and agriculture. By 1920, they tilled over 80,000 acres. Sikhs Arrive in the USA

16. Waiting at Angel Island

17. 1st Generation: Sikh pioneer Dhana Singh Poonian was one of the first to arrive in CA in 1906. [left] He is pictured with his family in 1927. 2nd Generation: Dhana Singh Poonian’s son, Paritem, married Janie Diwan. [right] Paritem (black suit) is pictured at his wedding with his mother, wife and in-laws in 1939.

18. Many Sikhs traveled to the USA to study at UC Berkeley. The headquarters of Pacific Coast Khalsa Diwan Society were originally in Berkeley, but Stockton Gurdwara became such a focal point that the headquarters were moved to Stockton on October 1, 1917. Bhagat Singh Thind was a Sikh who came to the USA to study at Berkeley. In 1917, he joined the US Army to fight in WWI. He became the first Asian to fight for immigration rights in the U.S. Supreme Court when he applied for citizenship after serving as a Sergeant in the war. United States v. Bhagat Singh Thind (1923) concluded that Indians could not become naturalized citizens because they were not Caucasian. The Luce-Cellar Act of 1946 overturned this ruling. The US government responded to Bhagat Singh Thind’s search for citizenship by explicitly extending the Chinese Exclusion Act to all other Asians. The act passed over the veto of President Woodrow Wilson. Sikhs Begin Fight for Asian Immigration Rights

19. Stockton Gurdwara first fought for immigration rights in 1913, sending a delegation to Washington, DC to oppose the Chinese Exclusion Act, which was being applied to Indians. The US government told Stockton Gurdwara's delegation that they would only consider allowing Indians to become citizens if the British government occupying India pled for them. So the delegation went to the British consulate office and their plea was flatly denied. The Gurdwara also began to oppose the 1913 Alien Land Law passed by California, which prevented “aliens ineligible form citizenship” from owning property in the state. Stockton Gurdwara Continues Civil Rights Struggle

20. When Woodrow Wilson’s wife, Ellen Axson Wilson, died in 1914, Stockton Gurdwara wrote him to express “heartfelt sympathy to you and yours... and pray that the Almighty Father will give peace to the departed soul and consolation to the bereaved.”

21. Stockton Gurdwara strongly supported the U.S. and President Wilson on entry into WWI. It bought the maximum number of War Bonds possible. On Woodrow Wilson’s birthday, Stockton Gurdwara sent him greetings and received the following reply: “I beg to acknowledge your very kind greetings, for which I extend my sincere thanks.” Sd. Woodrow Wilson

22. Correspondence to CA Governor W.S. Stephens

23. Congressman Dalip Singh Saund was the first Asian American, first Indian American and first Sikh American to ever be elected to the US Congress. To date, he remains the only Sikh to hold that office. He was elected in 1956 from the 29th Congressional District of California, which then comprised Riverside and Imperial counties. A much loved representative of the people, he was reelected twice. While contesting in 1964 for his fourth term, he suffered a stroke and became incapacitated. He did not win his fourth term. Despite running in a district with very few ethnic voters, Saund won over his Caucasian American voting base. He did not adopt a new religion or Americanize his name. By showing how to become American while maintaining his heritage, he became an example for the Sikh American community. Long before he became a congressman, Saund served as Secretary of Stockton Gurdwara. Because of his successful speaking career, the Gurdwara asked him to refute Katherine Mayo’s sensationalistic book, Mother India. In the preface to his own book, My Mother India, published in 1930, Saund wrote that “it was only fitting that The Pacific Coast Khalsa Diwan Society (Sikh Temple in Stockton), in its role as the interpreter of Hindu culture and civilization to America, should undertake its publication.” The First Asian, Indian, and Sikh U.S. Congressman

26. To celebrate the 100th anniversary of Stockton Gurdwara in 2012, we are organizing several events. September 22, 2012 – Western Sikh Scholars Conference 2012. At University of the Pacific in Stockton, we will unite Sikh and non-Sikh scholars to examine the vast, detailed history of Sikh origins in Northern California and the spread of the community across North America. October 2012 – Sikh History Museum opens. The first of its kind in the USA, this museum is in the original Gurdwara building on Stockton Gurdwara's grounds. It will feature the history of the Sikh-American community. October 14, 2012 – Grand Finale Celebration. On the grounds of Stockton Gurdwara, Sikhs from across the globe, dignitaries, citizens of Stockton and of California will join to celebrate the centennial anniversary of the birth of the Sikh-American community. Preserving the Living History of Stockton Gurdwara

27. Gurdwara Building Now a Dedicated Museum

28. WE OWE WE OWE

29. WE OWE WE OWE

30. On the night of September 4, 1907, a mob of between 400 and 500 white men attacked Bellingham's Hindu colonies. Many of the Hindus were beaten. Some escaped from their quarters in their night clothes. Several sought refuge on the tide flats. Others were driven toward the city limits or jailed. During the course of the disturbance, the indignation of the crowd was fanned to action by speakers who addressed impromtu audiences on the street corners and incited citizens to "help drive out the cheap labor."

31. WE OWE WE OWE

32. ... continued ... “Stockton Sikh Temple” Stockton Record, November 22, 1915 Free Dining Room for Poor Nand Singh asked the Record today to call attention to the fact that the Pacific Khalsa Diwan Society maintains a free dining room in connection with its temple on South Grant street. “We do not permit our people to become charges on public charity, “ said Nand Singh. “If a man is hungry and out of funds, we feed him.... The unfortunate hungry American will be as welcome as our own people. We provide coffee, bread and cake and such other things as possible.”

33. Our Today Will Be Your Tomorrow c. 1910) - From University of Washington Libraries