Several events and activities all through the month of April have been planned by Sikh organizations and leaders to create awareness about the community in Illinois.
They are the result of the month of April being designated as “Sikh Awareness and Appreciation Month” by the Illinois General Assembly, and signed into law by Governor J.B. Pritzker into law on August 3, 2019, which became effective January 1, 2020.
The events planned by the Sikh community range from teaching classes on Sikhism, having Sikh Displays, seminars in Local libraries, lectures in universities, Sikh Film festival, cultural performances and Punjabi Language poetical recitation, and Sikh culture/art competitions, a press release from one of the leaders and visionaries, Rajinder Bir Singh Mago.
“Creating awareness about our community in the mainstream reduces discrimination, hate speech, bullying in schools and hate crimes against our community and places of worship, which went up after nine-eleven,” according to Mago.
Additionally, other types of events include providing food at needy community centers; Invocations, resolutions and proclamations in Villages, Cities, Townships and County level governments.
Cities of Chicago, Aurora, Elgin, Villages of Hoffman Estates, Palatine, Carol Stream, Hanover Park, Wayne Township, Hanover Township, Palatine Township, Counties of Cook, DuPage and Lake have made proclamations for this Sikh Awareness and Appreciation Month, the press release notes. Bill Boards were also displayed at local highways. Sikh sensitivity training was also provided to law enforcement.
When the law was passed by Gov. Pritzker, the State Commemorative Dates Act was amended by adding Section 8 which states –
“Sikh Awareness and Appreciation Month. The month of April of each year is designated as Sikh Awareness and Appreciation month to be observed throughout the State as a month to recognize the many ways that Sikh Americans have influenced American history, achievement, culture, and innovation.”
The month of April was chosen because of its significance to the Sikh community. It includes “Khalsa Saajna Divas” (birth of the Khalsa order) on April 14, 1699, and also birth of the founder of Sikh faith Guru Nanak Dev ji on April 14, 1469. The Punjabi cultural harvest festival of “Vaisakhi” also falls on April 14. The second Sikh Guru Angad Dev ji was born on April 18, 1504, and the ninth Guru Teg Bahadur ji was born on April 18, 1621, the press release pointed out.
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