We’re reeling, yet again, from the senseless gun violence that is terrorizing the United States. Like so many before, these actions were fueled by radical racism and nationalist extremism. Both are global epidemics that are growing stronger as so many choose premature and ill-informed conclusions about “them” rather than humble, generous proximity with the unfamiliar.
Our friends with the National Sikh Campaign (NSC) represent a community that just commemorated the 7th anniversary of a similar hate-fueled attack that took the lives of six worshippers at a Gurdwara (Sikh house of worship). Out of that tragedy, NSC was formed in an effort to educate the public about Sikhism (the world’s 5th largest religion), the many contributions Sikh Americans are making in their communities every day, and how those contributions are shaping American life. This summer, utilizing the tools of film and satire, NSC continued their work by inviting the American public to see their (& our) humanity, confront misconceptions about Sikhism, discover our shared humanity, and reject the myth that “different” means “dangerous.”
The campaign has been wildly successful and the 3 minute video offers multiple learnings for aspiring Everyday Peacemakers.
Join us as we view the brief film together and then talk with friend and co-conspirator, Gurwin Ahuja, who is the co-founder of the National Sikh Campaign and writer of the film. We’ll explore the disarming power of satire and how we can utilize this peacemaking tool as we pursue proximity with the unfamiliar. We’ll examine how creativity helps us and our “other” see more clearly, how self-critique is a necessary tool to dismantling the divides, and how we can become people, fueled by our faith, to pursue, locate, celebrate, and leverage our similarities.
If we are to join God and others in remaking the world, then we must expand from learning about to learning from those of different creeds, origins, & orientations. This webinar is designed to help us do just that.
Panelists
Gurwin Ahuja – Co-Founder and Advisor of the National Sikh Campaign & We Are Sikhs Campaign
The National Sikh Campaign and We Are Sikhs campaign were designed to create awareness about Sikh Americans. National Sikh Campaign was recently awarded a PR Week Award, the highest accolade in the Marketing and PR industry, for ‘Best Cause’ and was a finalist for a Shorty Award, which recognizes social media excellence, for Social Activism.
Gurwin has served as the National Field Coordinator for President Obama’s re-election campaign and as an Advisor to an Ambassador in the Obama White House. He is also the founder of the Know Your Neighbor Coalition, a coalition of leading civil rights organizations backed by the Obama White House and focused on fostering a national dialogue on the country’s growing religious diversity. Gurwin is currently a student at Columbia Business School.
Jer Swigart – Co-Founding Director of The Global Immersion Project
Jer is a peacemaking training organization, Global Immersion is cultivating an everyday peacemaking movement that’s restoring what’s broken in our world. As a modern-day peacemaker, Jer has found himself contending for peace in beautifully bizarre corners of our global village. Whether in the tribes of northern Pakistan, the slums of India, the red-light districts of Southeast Asia, the conflict between Israel and Palestine, or the racial divides within his own neighborhood, Jer loves people in a way that disarms violence and eliminates divides. His engagement within national and international conflicts as well as his experience as a faith leader and educator has formed him into a guide for individuals, churches, and organizations that are yearning to leverage their influence as instruments of peace in the places they live, work, and play. When he’s not navigating alpine life with his family in Bend, OR, Jer travels the country and world as a practitioner, coach, and speaker. He’s written for numerous publications, has contributed to several books, is a Pepperdine Cross Sector Leader Fellow, and is the co-author of the recently released and award winning book, Mending the Divides: Creative Love in a Conflicted World (IVP, 2017).