Fremont, CA (May 4, 2014): In March 2014, the Sikh Coalition released a report on the endemic bullying of Sikh school children in America. The report, entitled “Go Home Terrorist” – A Report on Bullying Against Sikh American School Children, found that the majority of Sikh children, just over 50%, endure school bullying. This report has garnered media attention on both the national and local level.
According to a news-letter recently released by the Sikh Coalition, the community members in Fresno, California – one of the four cities surveyed in the report – have since joined efforts with the Sikh Coalition to raise awareness about the issue and have begun to develop solutions through research, advocacy and coalition building.
Sikh Community in Fresno, CA Responds to School Bullying Report
This work recently culminated with an Open Forum Discussion held at California State University, Fresno where County Superintendent, Jim Yovino, joined Sikh Coalition Advocacy Manager, Simran Kaur and community members to discuss how educators and administrators can work together to address the problem. The event was co-sponsored by the University’s Department of Philosophy and Peace and Conflict Studies program, the Human Rights Coalition of The Central Valley, the Sikh Council of Central California, the Punjab Sikh Awareness Society, the Jakara Movement and the Sikh Coalition.
In addition to this event, the community in Fresno has been engaged with additional outreach including, meeting with Congressman Jim Costa, working with the Fresno Unified School District Bullying Prevention program, introducing a Bullying Resolution for the City of Fowler and holding ongoing discussions on local Punjabi radio programs. The Sikh Coalition will continue to work with County Superintendent, Jim Yovino, and other stakeholders, to address the need for Sikh Awareness within the classroom.
The Sikh Coalition has applauded the community’s efforts to address the issue of school bullying and will continue to support this work.
“We hope this engagement can be a model for other districts across the country”, The Sikh Coalition has stated in it’s newsletter.