Monika Sidhu: The Black Sikh Collective Is Building A More Inclusive Community

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https://www.baaznews.org/p/black-sikh-collective

 

Monika Sidhu: The Black Sikh Collective Is Building A More Inclusive Community

“Being a Black Sikh, or being a non-Punjabi Sikh…it feels nice to know there are people out there that you can relate to, that can basically guide you."

Jan 28

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Monika Sidhu
January 28, 2022 | 5 min. read | Original Reporting

When Brianna Sukhmani Kaur started the Black Sikh Collective (BSC) in 2020 she was hoping to establish a wider conversation around being both Sikh and Black. Such experiences have not been discussed widely in the diaspora, even as the community grows.  

“Being a Black Sikh, or being a non-Punjabi Sikh…it feels nice to know there are people out there that you can relate to, that can basically guide you,” she says in an interview with Baaz.

For her, it was about being able to speak on the experiences of Black Sikhs while also hoping to create a space that was inclusive to not only all the diverse voices within the Sikh world but for anybody who could resonate.

“The Black Sikh Collective isn't insular. We're for any and everybody. Whether it's the LGBTQ plus community, the Dalit community, the Black community, the Indigenous community, we support all marginalized groups across the board.” 

BSC started off as an Instagram account alongside friend and fellow advocate Gurpreet Kaur, and has since brought in over 6,300 followers from many different walks of life. 

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A post shared by ʙʟᴀᴄᴋ & ꜱɪᴋʜ (@theblacksikhcollective)

As a way to mobilize this dialogue, they began with creating resources for their page, such as how to create a more inclusive Gurdwara. This included offering tips on how to help newcomers to Sikhi as well as questioning how open the space really is to minority groups within the faith, including those with language barriers.