She stood up to be counted

CHANDIGARH: Anisha Singh was 14 years old when 9/11 shook the world and Sikhs began to become victims of mistaken identity. Nothing made sense to her. She wondered why local journalists were interviewing her uncles about harassment and friends at school bullying another friend who wore a patka. "The idea that people didn't know what Sikhism was rocked me to the core.I just couldn't keep silent," recalls the 28-year-old, who is on the latest Forbes 40 young achievers list.
So, Anisha spoke, loud enough for everyone to take notice. As the former lead of international policy division of advocacy group United Sikhs, she founded the national anti-bullying campaign and won a historic case against the US Army requiring religious accommodation on behalf of a 19-year-old Sikh, Iknoor Singh, who'd been rejected from ROTC programs. She currently serves as campaign manager with Center for American Progress.
Post- 9/11, she began tracking Sikh issues and volunteered for Sikh rights' organizations across the country. That is when she learned that almost over 60% of Sikh youth are being bullied at school, TSA officials profile against Sikh men 100% of the time and ignorance has driven hate crimes in cities across the nation.
"I developed a passion for advocacy and recognized the vitality of education. I wanted to be a lawyer to advocate for justice," she says when asked how she got into human and civil rights advocacy.
However, long before this, she had begun fighting other battles as she grew up as a minority - a woman in a man's world, Sikh in a Christian world, brown in a white world, and a first generation American. "I had no choice, standing out was inevitable. Along the way, I also learned how unappreciated a person of colour, especially a woman, is in America. It is always an upward battle when white privilege, male privilege and the laws favour the majority and make it difficult to succeed for a woman of colour. I chose the path to lift up those experiences and become a voice for the voiceless," she says.
However, despite her successes, she knows working in the civil rights space is '1 step forward, 2 steps back'. "While we have seen a lot of success in our campaigns, whether, for bullying or hate crimes or profiling, there is always more work to be done," she says. What is reassuring for her is that parents thank her for the resources and tools she presented to their children and said it was helpful. "While we can't help every child, even helping one is a step in the right direction, and one less victim of hate," she says.
As she feels "humbled" to be on the list along with 44 other Indian Americans, we ask her if it will mean more visibility for Sikhs too. "I hope when people see my name on this list and the work I have done for the community, they will become curious about who a 'Sikh' is and take the time to learn about the beautiful religion. I believe the more exposure our community gets, the more the general public will ask questions and recognize this."
Anisha feels it is very important for Sikhs in America, and around the world, to step up and get involved. "Whether volunteering for their local flag football team, trying out for American Idol, running for office, or simply voting," she says.
Behind anti-bullying campaign, a victim
While she did come across stories from Sikh youth about being bullied in school during her time at United Sikhs, she says she was herself was bullied. "I started having conversations with my contacts at the US Department of Education and White House Anti-Bullying Initiative on the most effective ways to combat bullying and raise awareness. Our team developed materials and resources to assist youth and their parents and began conducting presentations in gurdwaras and towns most impacted by bullying against Sikhs. By the end of my tenure at United Sikhs, we had reached thousands of people with our resources," she says.