Today marks the fourth anniversary of the tragic Oak Creek, Wisconsin shooting, which left six innocent worshipers dead and several others severely injured.
We remain steadfast in honoring those who lost their lives: Paramjit Kaur Saini, Sita Singh, Ranjit Singh, Prakash Singh, Suveg Singh Khattra, and Satwant Singh Kaleka. We remain deeply inspired by those who were critically injured: Baba Punjab Singh, Bhai Santokh Singh, and Lt. Brian Murphy. We continue to pray for these individuals and their families, and are inspired by the courage, perseverance and love of the Oak Creek community.
Tomorrow, Oak Creek will host their annual Chardhi Kala 6K Memorial Run and Walk. If you are unable to attend, you can make a donation to a scholarship fund created to honor the victims.
The Sikh Coalition continues to raise awareness and honor those impacted by this tragedy through our annual National Day of Seva. This year, events will be held in nearly 20 cities spanning the country from August 13-14. We will never forget what happened and are dedicated to ensuring that the rest of the nation doesn’t forget as well.
From Oak Creek to Charleston, Orlando to Baton Rouge, bias, fear and hatred proliferate across our nation. It’s in our schools, houses of worship, and streets. It’s even become a mainstay in local, state and national political campaigns.
These are challenging times. But we will continue to fight for your rights and ask that you continue to practice your faith fearlessly.
The spirit of Chardi Kala (eternal optimism) continues to reverberate throughout Oak Creek, and indeed ripples through us all. We will continue to work together and push forward our ambitious agenda, one that creates a better, safer world for the next generation of Americans to come.
I couldn’t be more proud of who we are and how far we’ve come.
Chardi Kala,
Sapreet Kaur Executive Director The Sikh Coalition #RememberOakCreek