Sikh woman from Colorado to represent US at human rights summit

| Malaysia | 12 Aug 2017 | Asia Samachar |

By Anandpreet Kaur

Many may recall her for a speech in a United States church about the dignity of the turban, an important symbol worn by Sikhs as well as her father who happens to be the highest ranking US officer in the Army with a turban.

Naureen Singh will be back in action as she has been chosen to represent the US at the 14th Annual International Human Rights Summit taking place in New York later this month.

For the first time, a Sikh has been chosen to represent US.

“I am absolutely honoured to be talking about Sikhism at this coveted event.” she tells Asia Samachar in an email response.

Naureen is a Sikh – American activist who lives in Colorado. In the past, she has taken on hate crime against Sikhs and had also participated in a beauty pageant.

During an internship at the White House, she had organised anti-bullying seminars for the Sikh children in the midst of an increase in bullying rate of Sikh children in high schools. “I focused on giving resources to Sikh children so they would know how to seek help if they are being bullied,” she said.

Naureen had also interned at Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF) during which she had organised two “Langar on the Hills”. The event was about serving Guru Ka Langar to the US politicians and explaining the core concepts of Sikhism.

Asked how she was selected, Naureen said she had to undergo a lengthy application process.

“It consisted of letters of recommendation, essays, as well as background checks. In my essays, I talked about my experiences as a Sikh-American, and the importance of human rights in general.” she said.

The three-day summit to be held at the UN Headquarters in New York is organised by Youth for Human Rights International (YHRI). It brings together young human rights leaders with governments, non-profits and communities to drive positive change.

YHRI is a non-profit organisation founded in 2001 by Dr. Mary Shuttleworth, an educator born and raised in apartheid South Africa, where she witnessed firsthand the devastating effects of discrimination and the lack of basic human rights. It teaches human rights education both in the classroom and in nontraditional educational settings.

[ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs in Southeast Asia and surrounding countries. We have a Facebook page, do give it a LIKE. Follow us on Twitter. Visit our website: www.asiasamachar.com]

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