Why I Declined a Six-Figure Salary to Fight For Sikh Civil Rights

Why I Declined a Six-Figure Salary to Fight For Sikh Civil Rights

Dear Supporter,

My name is Rajdeep Singh, and I serve as policy director for the Sikh Coalition. Four years ago, I declined a six-figure salary in the private sector so that I could fight full-time for Sikh civil rights. Today, I am asking for your financial support so that I can continue doing this work.

This work means a great deal to me personally. When my father came to this country to practice architecture in 1970, he was told by employers that they would only hire him if he removed his turban and cut his hair. He refused and was ultimately given a job as an office boy, making coffee and sharpening pencils for his fellow architects. I was not born yet when those people demeaned my father and forced him to choose between his faith and livelihood, but I recall his experience anytime another Sikh father suffers employment discrimination.

The difference is that the Sikh Coalition is doing something about it. Earlier this year, thanks to your financial support, I proposed and drafted a bill for the California legislature that ultimately became AB1964—the Workplace Religious Freedom Act of 2012. AB1964 closes loopholes in state and federal law; prohibits workplace segregation of the sort that affected my father; and offers workers in California the nation’s strongest protections against religious discrimination. Although it took several months of painstaking work and negotiations, AB1964 received bipartisan support in the California legislature and was signed into law by California’s Governor. AB1964 goes into effect next month and will give equal employment opportunity to millions of people (not just Sikhs) in California: the most populous state in the United States and one of the ten largest economies in the world. Over time, I hope that AB1964 can serve as a model for similar legislation in other states throughout the nation.

If you want the Sikh Coalition to continue fighting for laws that expand civil rights for millions of Americans, please make a financial contribution to the Sikh Coalition today. We simply cannot do this work without financial support from our community.

If you have any questions about our work, please feel free to send me an email or call (202) 747-4944. AB1964 was just the tip of the iceberg, and I am always eager to talk about our other accomplishments and opportunities.

Thank you for your generosity!

Rajdeep Singh