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U.S Attorney General of the United
States, Eric Holder, warmly accepted the Sewa Award from the Sikhs in
Washington at the headquarters of the Department of Justice.
As head of the Justice Department which
is one of the largest agencies of the United States government, Eric Holder,
while accepting this honour from the Sikhs, said, “I am honoured to receive
this award and this is something that I receive on behalf of the men and
women of the Department of Justice."
He appreciated the
relationship between the Sikhs and the US government and said,
"We have tried to foster a spirit of cooperation and understanding
between those of us in government and the people that we serve. The Sikh
community has been critical part of our efforts to reach to many communities
here in the United States."
He promised Sikhs for future
cooperation and support and said, "I want to thank you again for this
recognition. This is just an indication of where we are but also a pledge on
part of the Justice Department that this relationship continues and it is
enhanced in future."
Guru Gobind Singh Foundation, based in
Rockville, MD, along with the National Sikh Center, honoured the Top lawyer of
the United States as part of the Vaisakhi celebrations. According to the
Chairman of GGSF, Inder Paul Singh Gadh, every year, the Foundation chooses to honour
an individual or an organization which contributes towards the betterment of
the Sikh community worldwide.
Gadh said, "This year,
we felt that there is no one more deserving than Mr. Eric Holder, the 82nd
Attorney General of the United States, who has contributed tremendously
towards the betterment of the Sikhs in the United States."
Eric Holder was honored with a Siropa (a
robe of honor) and a Sewa Service Award. Seven members of the Guru Gobind Singh
Foundation were present during this ceremony at the headquarters of the
Department of Justice in the nation’s capital.
A special prayer was performed in a room,
which previously was home to Robert Kennedy's office, while the Sikhs clasped
their hands in prayer in the presence of the nation's chief lawyer. A
traditional prayer called ardas was performed with a special
blessings being sought for the Attorney General and for the nation. A
robe of honor was presented and placed around Eric Holder's neck in a
traditional Sikh manner. In addition, an honorary plaque and a book on Sikhs
were presented to Mr. Holder. He was also presented a Phulkari,
a traditional Punjabi embroidered shawl with bright floral craft by Romi Kaur
Sawhney, the Executive Director of GGSF. The Attorney General thanked the Sikhs
while wearing this honorary robe and the shawl.
Dr. Rajwant Singh, Secretary of the
GGSF, who also performed the prayer for Mr. Holder, said "We are very
grateful to the Attorney General for his exemplary service to the nation
and for his positive role in assuring that all communities, including the Sikh
community, are safe during these challenging times especially in the aftermath
of the terrible shooting at the Oak Creek Gurdwara. Honoring him in the spirit
of the Sikh holiday Vaisakhi, which teaches us to stand up for the rights of
others, is an honorable thing to do in my opinion."
Dr. Singh added, "We feel
that the Attorney General's role on race issues is also bold and decisive, and
has added a constructive dialogue in confronting challenging issues. Him being a minority person in this high position
certainly has given inspiration to kids from all minorities especially Sikhs to
aspire for this high office."
Harminder Singh Jassal, a board member
of GGSF said, "On behalf of the entire Sikh community, we wanted to
express our deep appreciation and support for his courageous leadership for
supporting Sikhs and other minorities for protecting their civil rights and
freedom and religious expressions. We all prayed for him and the DOJ staff and
for the entire nation."
Romi Kaur said “It was a very exciting
moment for all Sikhs, especially for GGSF to be invited to the Attorney
General's office for a one-on-one meeting. It was an historic event. Attorney
General Holder was very gracious in receiving the plaque. I believe he was
genuinely humbled and pleasantly surprised by our gesture.”
Chattar Singh Saini, Board Member of GGSF and the
Chairman of the National Sikh Center, said, "The Department of Justice
under the leadership of Eric Holder has served the nation well and we as a
community have been helped by sensitivity training programs, know your
rights seminars, and various programs by the DOJ. The recent
inclusion of the monitoring of the hate crimes against the Sikhs is especially
notable. These solid steps are beneficial to hundreds of thousands of Sikhs in
the USA and members of other communities as well. We are thrilled to give him
this award on behalf of the Sikhs."
The DOJ has recently started tracking
hate crimes against Sikhs. This will produce Sikh-specific data on how many
hate crimes Sikhs endure, and the overall kinds of biases people of South Asian
descent face.
This moment was also an unforgettable
for members of the Sikh community. Arvinder Singh, Treasurer of GGSF, said
"I feel very excited to be at the DOJ headquarters while we are honoring a
cabinet member of President Obama. Eric Holder as an attorney of the United
States has shown that he cares for the Sikhs. He deserves to be honored.”
Ravi Singh, Board member of GGSF and
Coordinator of GGSF's Outreach Committee, said, "Today the Sikh community
honored AG Eric Holder with the Sewa (Service) Award for his dedication and
hard work to bring justice to all Americans and especially keeping minorities
and their rights in perspective. We are all safe and living peacefully due to
all the efforts to keep us and our nation safe by AG Eric Holder, the DOJ and the
Obama administration. It was an honor to meet the AG and visit the historical
DOJ building. The AG was so gracious and received us with such warmth. We have
extended him the invitation to visit the GGSF Gurudwara and hope to see him
with his family in the near future."
Last year GGSF had honored Brian Murphy
of Oak Creek Gurdwara who was hit with 15 bullets while he fought with a gun
man who killed Sikhs in the Wisconsin Gurdwara in 2012.
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With Thanks :Sikhs Helping Sikhs
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