Sikh Appointed as Presidential Advisor

WASHINGTON - Amardeep Singh, co-founder of the Sikh Coalition, was appointed to the President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and given a mandate to work on civil rights issues.

Amardeep Singh of Hoboken, New Jersey, was appointed on Sept. 16 to the President's Advisory Commission for Asian American and Pacific Islanders. He was sworn-in, along with 16 other commissioners, at a ceremony on Capitol Hill on Sept. 21. Images by SikhNN.

Amardeep Singh's parents were among nearly 400 guests at the ceremony. Sapreet Kaur(right) is executive director of the Sikh Coalition. Image by SikhNN.

At the swearing-in ceremony Tuesday night on Capitol Hill, he was among the 17 new commissioners charged with finding ways for these communities to have increased access to and participation in federal programs, where they remain under served.

“Given my background, the focus of the advice that I will be giving the president and the administration is going to be on the issue of civil rights,” Amardeep said, following the ceremony. “And I’m happy to say that the commission is quite committed to addressing the issue of school bullying, …specifically the South Asian and Sikh communities. We are also going to be addressing issues of hate crimes, working with the commission to do as much as we can to prevent bias and discrimination going up to the 9/11 10-year anniversary.”

These are some of the commitments the commission has been making during the course of the last two days, since its appointment on Sept. 16.

“Our nation will be well-served by the skill and dedication these men and women bring to their new roles, President Obama said in a White House news release. “I look forward to working with them in the months and years ahead.”

The commission will work collaboratively with the White House Office of Public Engagement and designated federal agencies to increase Asian American and Pacific Islander participation in programs concerning civil rights, economic development (loans), sustainable (green) initiatives, educational opportunities and healthcare access.

“How many community members are aware that on Thursday, Sept. 23, everyone in our community who is up to 26-years-old can get on their parents’ healthcare plan?” Amardeep said, as an example. “A lot of kids in college have no idea that they have access. That law is changing and our community needs to know that.

“Our job is to advise the president on how the White House, in particular, can play a role in ensuring that the community is connected to the White House and that the White House is connected to the community,” Amardeep Singh added. “We’ll be reaching out to the community to get a sense from them on what is important for them so that we can report to the president in a way that is helpful.”

The commissioners serve the White House Initiative on Asian American and Pacific Islanders, which was originally formed under President Clinton and revived by executive order in October 2009. The initiative’s goal is to improve the quality of life and opportunities for these communities by collaborating with top government agency officials and community leaders in roundtable discussions.

Mike Honda, D-California, was the keynote speaker at the commissioners’ swearing-in ceremony. He represents the 15th congressional district in northern California, which has a large Sikh population. Honda has been a stalwart supporter of the Sikh community for many years and has appeared at events hosted by several Sikh advocacy groups, including the Sikh Coalition.

Honda also is chairman of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, which worked for several years to revive this initiative, Honda said.

When it came time to select the commissioners, Amardeep Singh, Honda’s longtime acquaintance from the Sikh Coalition, was a logical choice.

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