On August 5th, 2012, a white nationalist walked into a Gurdwara in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, shooting at several members of the Sikh community, and killing 7.
10 years later, we commemorate the lives of Paramjit Kaur, Prakash Singh, Ranjit Singh, Satwant Singh Kaleka, Sita Singh, Suveg Singh Khattra, and Baba Punjab Singh, who were taken ahead of their time in their house of worship, a space intended for community, family, friendship, and laughter. To honor their memory, let’s take tangible steps together to protect communities and houses of worship from the hate experienced that day, and that continues today.
If you are unfamiliar with the attack on Oak Creek in 2012, below is a list of resources to learn about what happened, act against bigotry and violence, and heal together through communal reflection and solidarity.
READ
- The Story of Oak Creek – Remember Oak Creek
- A Decade After the Sikh Temple Shooting, Let’s Remember the Victims and Commit to Making the World Safer from Hate – Milwaukee Journal
LISTEN
- Oak Creek In Memoriam – Revolutionary Love
- Courageous Conversations – A discussion with former White Supremacist, Arno Michaelis and former Muslim Supremacist, Mubin Shaikh about explicit bias.
WATCH
- “Honoring Oak Creek, Charleston, and Pittsburgh Through Action” A Virtual Congressional Briefing – The Sikh Coalition
- Story of Sikhs in America – Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center
ACT
- Send a Letter to Your Representative and Senators – The Sikh Coalition
- Oak Creek Awareness Toolkit – SALDEF
If you use any of the resources and would like to share your thoughts, we are listening.
Please don’t hesitate to contribute to our 3,000 Conversations for Building Respect series to #RememberOakCreek and stand with the Sikh community today, and against hatred, bigotry and violence, every day.