SALDEF finds new way to help community get accepted, be treated fairly.
By Deepak Chitnis
WASHINGTON, DC: The Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF) has announced that it has partnered with leading US cable provider Comcast to air pro-Sikh Public Service Announcements (PSAs), which will feature Sikh American actor Waris Ahluwalia and will be aired starting the week of American Independence Day.
“Hi, my name is Waris. Sometimes people ask me where I’m from. Well, I come from a place where you can dunk a basketball; treat patients; sing on American Idol; be a Boy Scout; fly a plane; raise a family; ride a Harley; and serve the community. For over 125 years, Sikhs have been part of the American culture. My name is Waris, and I’m proud to be an American,” Ahluwalia says in the PSA.
The ads began airing on Monday, June 30, and will continue to air across the nation until July 27. Comcast will donate a total of $1 million worth of airtime to these PSAs, which will feature Ahluwalia speaking about Sikh culture and how it deserves to be treated equally and fairly within the US.
“At Comcast, we know that timely, relevant information can inspire people and energize organizations to work toward change,” said Johnnie Giles, Executive Director of External Affairs at Comcast, in a statement. “That is why we apply our unique strengths in media delivery to inform audiences of important issues.”
Ahluwalia became a cultural lightning rod mere months ago, when he was featured in Gap’s winter ad campaign with a fully unshorn beard and a traditional Sikh turban around his head. The ads turned into graffiti fodder for racists across the country, who scrawled “terrorist” and other insensitive remarks on them, prompting Sikhs and other Americans to come to the community’s defense.
Sikhs have contributed to America’s culture for the past 125 years, including helping to build the Panama Canal when we first came to this country. In fact, the first Asian American to serve in Congress, Dalip Singh Saund, was a Sikh American,” said SALDEF Executive Director Jasjit Singh, in a statement.
“There is no better way for us to celebrate our history and day-to-day contributions in America this July 4th, Independence Day, than through a montage of images and words narrated from today’s most well-known Sikh American actor and designer, Waris Ahluwalia,” Singh added.
Ahluwalia is best known as a fashion designer and rising star within the industry, and is also a favorite actor of director Wes Anderson. Most recently, Ahluwalia played a short but amusing role in Anderson’s star-studded film, The Grand Budapest Hotel, which won over critics and audiences alike.
The PSA can be viewed below, courtesy of SALDEF and Comcast: