We are Sikhs campaign launched

We are Sikhs campaign launched after a recent sudden rise in hate crimes in USA which has been a point of worry for many Sikh activists. The initiative of creating awareness through such an creative idea is one of first step towards the Sikh recognition by all citizens as part of their society by a million dollar ad campaign 'We are Sikhs'.

WASHINGTON DC, USA—Following number of hate crime incidents in the country, the National Sikh Campaign project will launched on CNN. The campaign focuses on highlighting Sikh identity.

Exclusive ad coverage has aired Friday, April 14, on CNN between 6:00-9:00 am EST.

#WeAreSikhs: We run local businesses, sing our national anthem with pride, serve on PTAs & lead Boy Scout troops. https://t.co/hH8Z2YGV8w pic.twitter.com/KoPtTBec1W

— We Are Sikhs (@we_are_sikhs) April 12, 2017

Dr. Rajwant Singh and Gurwin Ahuja are the founders of the National Sikh Campaign. Both have traveled exclusive over the country to raise funds for the projects. Last year, the National Sikh Campaign project hired AKPD to work changing the narrative around Sikhs in the country. AKPD had ran a successful campaign for President Barrack Obama in the past.

"'We Are Sikhs' is an effort to raise the awareness of the Sikh religion, including explaining and demystifying the significance of the turban," Shawn Singh Ghuman, National Sikh Campaign communications director. "The initiative will utilize tested television advertisements, an innovative website, targeted digital and social outreach, and most importantly, local grassroots events to affect change."

Speaking with Sikh24 about the project, Dr. Rajwant Singh explained, “So far, the narrative (around Sikhs) has been focused on bullying and hate crimes. This can be changed. We are working with the organization that was able to put a man with the middle name Hussain in the White House. This is the same group that has now developed ads for the Sikhs.”

Dr. Rajwant Singh said that National Sikh Campaign, along with other leading Sikh organizations, completed research, and based on the results, AKPD designed ads that can raise awareness of Sikhs in America.

Last year, the National Sikh Campaign (NSC) led a coalition of nonprofit organizations to launch an innovative project titled “Know Your Neighbor” (KYN) and participated in a White House convening on religious pluralism. The KYN project, created by NSC Executive Director Gurwin Singh Ahuja, conducted extensive research about how much Americans know about their Sikh neighbors. The ad project “We are Sikhs” was launched based on KYN research.

"Whether it's our belief in equality between men and women across all races and faiths, to our deep belief in community service and the freedom to pursue one's own success through hard work, these values are fundamental to our identity as Sikh Americans," Ghuman said.

Since 9/11, Sikhs have faced many incidents of violence and prejudice due to ignorance about their faith.