Sikh [sēk]: a learner; a student of the world

Sikh Americans have been victims of many hate crimes throughout their history in America. Yet, 60% of Americans do not know what ‘Sikh’ is. Today we are countering hate and violence with knowledge. Who are Sikh Americans? What is Sikhism? A religion that is only 500 years old, but is the fifth largest in the world with 25 million followers. We’ll talk about the history of Sikhism, core Sikh values, and our own experiences with Sikhism in the villages of Punjab and in growing up in America.

You may notice a change in some music placed in our episode today. What you hear is a Sikh hymn called a ‘kirtan’, poetic music often sang and played in our places of congregation called a ‘gurdwara’. The kirtan featured in this episode is ‘Aavo Sikh Satguru Ke’.