Statement

Our hearts grieve the victims of yet another violent and racist mass shooting that occurred last week at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis. Of the eight lives lost on Friday, April 15, four victims were members of the Sikh community. Today, we honor and remember those lost:  

·  Amarjeet Kaur Johal 
·  Jasvinder Kaur  
·  Amarjit Sekhon  
·  Jaswinder Singh  
·  Matthew R. Alexander 
·  Samaria Blackwell  
·  Karli Smith  
·  John Weisert  

As we mourn alongside the victims’ families and the larger Sikh community, we also call and demand an end to racialized violence.  While the investigation continues, the targeted FedEx facility heavily employed Sikh workers, and race is an evident motive in this horrifying violent act.  

The Sikh community has faced a long history of racism in this country dating back to the early 1900s when Sikh migrant workers were violently driven out of Bellingham, Washington. The same targeted violence took a tragic and severe toll on the Sikh community in the 2012 Oak Creek Gurdwara shooting, where six members of the Sikh faith were shot and killed by a white supremacist. These events deepen the fear, pain and trauma they’ve endured from post-11 attacks and discrimination.   

These incidents of violence are not isolated, but a pattern of White supremacy. To address it, we must name it. The FedEx shooting comes just a month after eight people were murdered in the massage parlor shootings in Atlanta. And in just the past two weeks, six more Black and Brown youth were murdered by the police: Adam Toledo, 13, Travon Chadwell, 18, Anthony Alvarez, 22,  Iremamber Sykap, 16, and Daunte Wright, 20. We must continue to do this work in recognition that the violence our communities face is systemic and connected, and that none can be free until all of us are free. 

For decades, the Sikh community has shown resilience in the face of tragedy, and we honor and uplift them as we grieve collectively. We offer the following resources for those seeking support or those wanting to support the Sikh community during this time of healing: 

– Sikh Coalition
– Sikh American Legal Defense & Education Fund (SALDEF)
– Jakara Movement
– Kaur Life