Dear Friends,
I want to thank those of you who joined us on Tuesday for our special double feature of the films, American Sikh and Colonel Kalsi: Beyond the Call.
Col. Kamal and Vishavjit’s films prove that storytelling creates opportunities for connection across communities.
Together, we watched Col. Kamal fight for religious accommodations as a Sikh army officer, opening the door to accommodations for his Muslim, Wiccan, Rastafarian, and Jewish brothers and sisters serving alongside him in the U.S. military. We were brought along on Vishavjit’s journey through illustration, showing us how a single story can challenge stereotypes and activate communities to explore the multifaceted realities of what it means to be American.
In their own words, they shared,
“Storytelling is so powerful. We need to spend more time supporting, creating, and manifesting stories of many Americans who are often not given the space.” Vishavjit Singh
“I hope that people understand that Sikhs are not a monolith. That we come in many different shapes and sizes, we are not uniform. Some Sikhs pray certain ways, look different ways, it doesn’t matter, we are all Sikh.” Col. Kamal Kalsi
A deep thank you to our panelists Vishavjit Singh and Col. Kamal Kalsi, our friends at the American Arbitration Association, Tanenbaum’s Ambassadors, and to our guests.
View photos from the evening here.
Warmly,
Rev. Mark Fowler, CEO, Tanenbaum
