The incident with Mr. Mukker on the anniversary week of 9/11 has made me feel yet again, torn. I feel betrayed by my people... but Americans are my people.
I was 18 and just about to start college. My mother never got to see me off. After her death, I determined to make sure that her status as a victim of a hate crime would not go unrecorded.
Perhaps I may not get my wish for Baba Punjab Singh to recover, however he has taught me so much about walking the talk of the Guru's teachings. Gently, quietly with every last breath, he continues to impact the lives of others. Silently, I speak to him with gratitude for being purely chardi kala, ever rising spirit.
He had done nothing to warrant my actions, I had simply hit rock bottom with my career and my drinking. He was simply in the wrong neighborhood at the wrong time.
Muslims and Hindus recent targeting has spurred the Sikh Coalition to ask the Sikh community to come together and stand with diverse communities in combating hate and bigotry in America.
As a Sikh, woman and human rights lawyer, I am seeking three things that should not be mutually exclusive: respect for the deceased and their families; immediate acknowledgment of the larger context of this act of terror; and fair legal process for the arrested gunman.
How does one find light or offer hope to families in the intense darkness and nightmare of such moments? How does one reconcile the shock of empty places at the table for these families?
Through my work, I have seen minority communities struggle with being the unwarranted targets of misguided bigotry and prejudice as our nation has grappled with fear in the never-ending "War on Terror."
Sukhvir Singh, victim of hate crime speaks exclusively to Aasra Magazine