The First Sikh Temple was built in 1912 in Stockton, California. It was presidential election year. Dr. Woodrow Wilson won election defeating incumbent President William Howard Taft and former president Theodore Roosevelt. The Stockton Sikh Temple soon emerged as the site of Asian Indians' campaign for civil rights, and the pivot of India's freedom movement. The British spent considerable amount on suppressing their activities. To commemorate history of the Pacific Coast Khalsa Diwan Society, many events have been planned. The foremost is the conference on September 22, 2012 in University of the Pacific, Stockton, California from 8:30 AM - 5:30 PM. The event is free for the public. Snacks and lunch will also be provided free of cost to all those who will attend the conference.
“Stockton Gurdwara, home of the Sikh pioneers, is the Pacific Coast’s premier example of living history,” said Harnek Singh Atwal, President of PCKDS Gurdwara Sahib Stockton. “It was at the forefront of American civil rights struggles for citizenship, immigration, and land-ownership. It also launched India’s first organized and sustained campaign for independence from the British Empire. There are heroes on every corner of this building.”
The conference will highlight the heroes of Stockton Gurdwara and its foundational relationship to the Sikh American community. Speakers include Dr. Bruce La Brack (University of the Pacific), Dr. Karen Isaksen Leonard (University of California, Irvine), Dr. Harold Gould (University of Virginia, Charlottesville), Dr. Hugh Johnston (Simon Fraser University), Dr. Amrik Singh (California State University, Sacramento), and 13 others.
“This is a year of tragedies and triumphs for Sikhs in the USA,” said Manjit Singh Uppal, Chairman of Stockton Gurdwara Centennial Committee. “Our greatest triumph is to mark 100 years since the Sikh American community was born. America provided so many opportunities to work hard and live free that all we can do is thank God for the first Sikh establishment in Stockton.”
Sikhs were the earliest South Asian immigrants to North America. They arrived in 1899 through Angel Island Immigration Station in San Francisco, CA. Mostly from Punjab in northwestern India, Sikhs were attracted to the similar climate and agricultural traditions of California’s Central Valley.
In 1913, Stockton Gurdwara founders Baba Jawala Singh and Baba Wasakha Singh formed the Ghadar Party to foment resistance against British occupation of the Indian subcontinent. In 1914, the gurdwara began campaigning against American laws barring Asian land-ownership and citizenship.
An early victory came in 1935, when U.S. Army veteran Bhagat Singh Thind received American citizenship. Another victory was in 1956, when Dalip Singh Saund, a former Secretary of Stockton Gurdwara, became the first Asian, first Indian, and first Sikh ever elected to the U.S. Congress.
The Sikh American centennial celebration begins September 22 with the Sikh Journey in America conference, the first of four events. September 23 is the opening of the Sikh History Museum on the grounds of Gurdwara Sahib Stockton. September 30 is a Punjabi-language conference on “100 Years of Sikhs in the USA (An Eastern Perspective).” October 13 and 14 will complete the celebration with a weekend-long community celebration at the gurdwara.
“Our gurus taught us to pursue liberty and justice for all,” said Amarjit Singh Panesar, Vice-President of Gurdwara Sahib Stockton. “Our ancestors who immigrated to America embraced that vision. They were also inspired by the American founding fathers, who opposed a colonial system of oppression. Our celebration of their hard work for American and South Asian democracy and civil rights will culminate with a parade on October 14, 2012.”