We all know Vishavjit and how he transformed himself into 'Sikh Captain America'.
It was a fantastic social experiment that got a lot of media attention and educated Americans about what Sikhs are.
His current project is an animation based on his life called 'American Sikh'.
He says, "The film captures my story from childhood in Washington DC to a turbaned and bearded American facing intolerance and finding a way to overcome it with the power of art, storytelling and the creation of my alter ego, Sikh Captain America."
Get the full picture of this charming animation project with his pitch video here:
American Sikh Pitch Video from Ryan Westra on Vimeo.
Also check out his Kickstarter campaign here.
This week marks 20 years since the attacks of 9/11 while last month the Taliban took over Afghanistan. Every year between these events and for the forseeable future raising awareness about our identity is crucial. As Vishavjit says, "With this project our team aims to fight the negative stereotypes that continue to exist against turban and bearded Americans and to challenge perceptions of what an American looks like."
Based on latest FBI data Sikh-Americans are the most targeted group by hate a four times the national average. Sikh American youth are bullied at twice the national average. Against this backdrop, American Sikh tells the story of the Sikh experience in America to counter persistent levels of ignorance and stereotypes.
American Sikhs have made many strides in the last decades yet still very little of the American population knows who we are. We wish great success to this project and to all such efforts.