This year, the nation is commemorating the fifth anniversary of the tragic August 5, 2012 shooting in the Oak Creek, Wisconsin Gurdwara (Sikh house of worship). The Sikh Coalition has encouraged all to join the many cities organizing National Day of Seva (selfless community service) events across the country.
“As we honor the six Sikh community members who lost their lives and continue to pray for those who were critically injured, we recognize that preventing and combatting hate must remain our top priority,” a statement issued here said.
On August 5, 2017 the Coalition will hold its annual National Day of Seva to commemorate the lives lost and pay tribute to the Oak Creek community that is forever impacted. These National Day of Seva events are an opportunity to show the Oak Creek community and the American public that your sangat stands in solidarity with communities impacted by hate. It’s also a chance to build interfaith bridges with other community partners, educate neighbors about Sikhism through media work, and pay tribute to the innocent lives needlessly taken on August 5, 2012.
“This year, we’re expecting enormous turnout across the country in our shared effort to make sure that no American forgets what happened in Oak Creek,” said Executive Director, Sapreet Kaur. “Hate in America is on the rise and impacts so many communities, but we have an opportunity to stand up and lead out in pushing back on this problem.”