Remember Oak Creek

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Today marks three years after the Oak Creek, Wisconsin shooting at a gurdwara that resulted in the deaths of 6 members of their sangat. Today, we remember Satwant Singh Kaleka (65), Paramjit Kaur (41), Sita Singh (41), Ranjit Singh (49), Prakash Singh (39), and Suveg Singh Khattra (84) and the larger community that has been impacted. Another member, Punjab Singh, remains in a coma.

Our Off the Menu: Asian America documentary highlights the Oak Creek Gurdwara. Filmmaker Grace Lee tells the story of their langar and the significance of the community meal in the healing process. From Jasjit Singh, Executive Director of the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF), on SALDEF’s website today:

Documentary filmmaker Grace Lee wrote to us about meeting Oak Creek Gurdwara’s sevadars and community members while she was filming her documentary Off the Menu: Asia America. “I was incredibly moved by the Oak Creek gurdwara members I met while filming…langar is a brilliant concept and practice — one that I had never heard of prior to making the film. I was humbled by the openness of the women and men who shared their stories about the August 5, 2012 attack and even more impressed by how they continue to evolve beyond that day and how the tradition of langar has helped that process. I hope our film can provide a small glimpse into a community that inspires through their generosity, resilience and culinary prowess.”

Please read Jasjit Singh, Executive Director of the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF)’s, full letter here.