"People keep asking me what it feels like to have been assaulted in a hate crime. Honestly, I can't come up with a better response than simply "gratitude."I'm thankful for a few reasons. If they had attacked me any more violently, I may not be awake right now to tell my story. If they had attacked me even half an hour earlier, they would have harmed my wife and one-year-old son. And if they had attacked me anywhere else, I may not have had bystanders there to save me. I recall my assailants shouting slurs like "Osama" and "terrorist" before grabbing my beard. My most vivid and unexpected memory actually occurred after I was punched and thrown to the ground. I remember lying on the ground,waiting for their kicks and punches to stop”.
“Even more important to me than my attackers being caught
is that they are taught. My tradition teaches me to value justice and
accountability, and it also teaches me love, compassion and understanding. It's
a tough situation. I care about the people in my local community. I want the
streets to be safe for my young son, but at the same time, I am not comfortable
with the idea of putting more young teenagers from my neighborhood on the fast
track to incarceration. This incident, while unfortunate, can help initiate a
local conversation to create greater understanding within the community”.
“My wife and I plan to raise our son in this same Harlem neighborhood
and I can't help but see the kids who assaulted me as somehow linked to him. In
a hostile world, could he too be driven to such action? Could he too feel such
hate? My hope is no. My hope is that our family continues to be a part of this neighborhood
from visiting parks and playgrounds to building relationships through our work.
I believe this will bring about positive change that strengthens us through our
diversity. One day my son may choose to continue practicing the Sikh faith as
an adult. My hope is that our neighborhood and all neighborhoods across
America will support him, no matter his path”.
“So today, my response is gratitude. Tomorrow my response will be
gratitude, as well. To the nurse, to the elderly man and to the other good
Samaritans who came to my aid; to my Harlem community, my Columbia community
and my Sikh community; and for my role as husband, father, doctor, American,
teacher, advocate and neighbor. This gratitude enables my wife and I to remain
optimistic that our son will never have to go through what I just experienced”
Prabhjot Singh is an Assistant Professor of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University and a resident in internal medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital
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