Watch the recording here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSgOA9D_jnY
As part of the Sikhs in Action series, the Sikh Foundation and the UC Santa Cruz Endowed Chair in Sikh and Punjabi Studies welcomed participants to an online conversation titled “Sikhs in America: Why History Matters.” Hosted by Dr. Harpreet Singh of Harvard University, the event invited us to reflect on early Sikh migration and settlement in the United States and to consider how these histories continue to shape Sikh identity today.
The evening unfolded as both a presentation and a conversation, moving between archival history and present day concerns. Dr. Tejpaul Singh Bainiwal, scholar, educator, and co-founder of the Sikh American History Project, drew from early newspapers, political campaigns, and community archives to show how Sikh American history is not only about migration, but also about power, exclusion, memory, and self representation.
Dr. Bainiwal centered his talk on the need to read Sikh American history with care and to understand institutions like Stockton Gurdwara in their full significance. Reflecting on one early newspaper headline, he noted that “when somebody is allowing somebody else to do something, that hints to a social hierarchy that is in place,” and later reminded listeners that “the Gurdwara for us isn’t just a place of worship, it is a social, political, educational, cultural, and religious hub.” He closed by underscoring the stakes of historical memory itself: “history is not neutral,” and “if we aren’t the caretakers, if we aren’t the storytellers, somebody else will tell that story.”
In conversation with Dr. Bainiwal, Dr. Harpreet Singh drew connections between these earlier histories and the present, especially through the legacy of Bhagat Singh Thind and the continuing politics of exclusion. He reflected that Thind “was being excluded because the common understanding seemed that he was not white,” and observed that today the language may be different, but “there are some compelling parallels that can be drawn here.” As the discussion continued, he also pointed to what Sikh history might offer the present moment, asking what Sikhs can teach “our fellow Americans” about denaturalization, state power, and the need to respond to these histories with greater clarity and courage.
The Sikh Foundation is grateful to Dr. Tejpaul Singh Bainiwal and Dr. Harpreet Singh for sharing so generously, and to everyone who joined us. The conversation was a reminder of why we hold these gatherings to bring people together across generations, to reflect on Sikh history and community memory, and to carry those insights into the challenges of our own time.To learn more or support efforts in preserving and sharing local history, visit San Joaquin County Historical Society and Museum and be part of the work.