Dear friends and HAF supporters,
The Hindu American Foundation (HAF) delegation just returned from Washington, DC and had a very productive series of meetings and events over 3 days.
Remember, "Indian-American" carries an identification with a 67 year-old, artificial nation-state created by British mapmakers. It will not help you or your children connect with any culture or values. In contrast, the Hindu-American identity draws from a 5,000 year old culture. Unlike Muslim Indians, Christian Indians, Sikh Indians, or Zorastrian Indians who do not hide from their cultural identity, many Hindus of Indian origin in America confuse their cultural history with a new nation-state called India.
For example, last week hundreds of Sikh Americans were in Washington, DC for a hearing on hate crimes after the tragedy in Wisconsin. Of course, they did not call themselves Indian-Americans; they called themselves Sikh-Americans. Other testimony made reference to Arab, Muslim, Middle Eastern, Sikh, Punjabi and South Asian Americans ("South Asian" is a term sometimes used by anti-Hindu groups). The words Indian-American or India were never used during the hearing. This is only logical, and it should make sense to you.
If you don't understand why advocacy is necessary or how the Hindu American Foundation is the most effective national voice for Hindu Americans, come to the Annual Dinner on Saturday October, 6 (see below). We expect about 300 people including local elected officials. Advocacy means having representation and a voice. Every group in America has had advocacy organizations with strong support from their community. Hindu Americans have been very slow to develop this essential method of representation in America. Your support and participation is essential.
Here is a list of offices or individuals in Washington, DC with whom Hindu Americans held meetings last week:
CONGRESS
- 42 Congressional Offices - 14 Senate & 28 House of Representatives
- House Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Member Office
- Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Staff
- Republican Study Committee Chairman staff (Republican Caucus)
- Senate Hearing on Hate Crimes against Sikh-Americans
THINK TANKS, ORGANIZATIONS, AND OTHER EVENTS
- US State Department (Ambassador for International Religious Freedom)
- Lantos Human Rights Commission
- Atlantic Council South Asia Center
- American Enterprise Institute
- Heritage Foundation
- Center for Strategic and International Studies
- Indian Embassy
- Canadian Embassy
- Reception on Capitol Hill with awards to Senator Menendez, Rep. Dold, and Rep. Garamendi.
Also, the HAF has an office with full-time staff in Washington, DC who continually develop and maintain relationships. Hindu American interns are also placed in the offices of Senators and Representatives.
If you want to know why this is important and relevant to you, what is discussed, or how you can get involved, please RSVP for the Dinner below.
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You're Invited: HAF's Northern CA Awareness &
Fundraising Gala on Saturday, October 6
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Namaste HAF Friends & Supporters,
Join the Hindu American Foundation for its Annual Northern California Awareness & Fundraising Gala on Saturday, October 6.Find out what HAF has been working on - from the Take Back Yoga campaign to the second annual Hindu American Congressional Internship to a Film Tour on Pakistani Hindu Refugees, HAF has been advocating on a number of fronts for the community.
This year's event features keynote speaker, Gadadhara Pandit Dasa, the first-ever Hindu chaplain of Columbia University and New York University. Come learn about his inspiring journey to monkhood and spiritual counselor, and so much more!
Date: Saturday, October 6, 2012
Time: 5:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Location: Quinlan Community Center, 10185 North Stelling Road, Cupertino, CA 95014
Babysitting: A separate room with entertainment and activities for children (ages 5+) will be available
Keynote Speakers:
- Gadadhara Pandit Dasa currently serves as the first-ever Hindu chaplain of Columbia University and New York University. His activities at Columbia include facilitating weekly vegetarian cooking classes, discussions on the Bhagavad-Gita, and sessions on the art and practice of mantra meditation. Pandit recently spoke at the TEDx conference organized by Columbia University's Teachers College. Pandit is a regular contributor for the religion section of the Huffington Post. He was featured in the NPR piece "Long Days and Short Nights of a Hindu Monk", The New York Times, as well as the PBS documentary on the Bhagavad Gita. For more from Pandit, check out his website at nycpandit.com.
- Suneeta Israni, a Senior at Berkeley majoring in Public Policy and Psychology, and Amrita Rao, a Sophomore at Stanford majoring in Product Design, were part of the second cohort of the Hindu American Congressional Internship. As part of HAF's program, Israni spent eight weeks in the office of Congresswoman Grace Napolitano (CA-38) while Rao interned in the office of Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ). Israni's experience on Capitol Hill have encouraged to consider a career in public policy and politics.
- Samir Kalra, Esq., Director and Senior Human Rights Fellow based in the Bay Area, CA, holds a JD from Santa Clara University School of Law. Mr. Kalra leads the Foundation's human rights advocacy efforts and produces HAF's human rights and public policy documents and reports. Mr. Kalra recently authored the Foreword for a book on Bangladesh entitled, A Quiet Case of Ethnic Cleansing: The Murder of Bangladesh's Hindus. He is also a member of the American Society of International Law and the South Asian Bar Association, serves as an Advisor/Contributor at The Interfaith Observer Journal, and is involved with the Indian Subcontinent Partition Documentation Project. Mr. Kalra is licensed to practice law in the state of California and previously worked as a public interest attorney representing low-income communities.
- Sheetal Shah, Senior Director based in New York City, holds a Masters degree from the London School of Economics. She focuses on communicating with and expanding HAF's membership base, fundraising and finances, and building and promoting the HAF brand through various means including the Foundation's website. A former member of the Foundation's Executive Council, Ms. Shah is well-experienced in HAF's human rights campaign and various community outreach efforts. Ms. Shah is also actively involved with the MATCH charter school in Boston, MA.
RSVP on Eventbrite: Click here
For more information: Samir Kalra (sa...@hafsite.org)
Bring your family and friends. Attendance is free and open to all!
What are HAF Awareness events all about? Take 45 seconds to find out! Click here for a brief video.
We look forward to seeing you there,
The HAF Team | | | |
Vineet Sharma, M.D.
Executive Council Member, Hindu American Foundation
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