People

Pride & Perseverance:
Yuba City's Amandeep Singh

DAVID BITTON

For seven years, Amandeep Singh has been confronting obstacles head on in hopes of one day having the opportunity to be a peace officer.

As a person practicing Sikhism, Amandeep adheres to his articles of faith, which means he wears a turban and has a full beard, as he doesn't cut any hair off his body.

"It signifies purity and strength," he said.

Some law enforcement agencies throughout the state have been unwilling or unable to accommodate people of the Sikh faith who want to continue to wear a turban or have a beard, Amandeep said.

That's no longer acceptable after Assembly Bill 1964, California's Workplace Religious Freedom Act, was passed in 2012 with Amandeep’s help by testifying at a hearing.

Before the 25-year-old Yuba City resident was on his current path, he was faced with rejection after rejection.

Amandeep, who has a slender build and a warm smile, tried to join the California Highway Patrol in 2010 and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department in 2012 and was told his articles of faith prevent him from being hired.

He reached out to a local Army recruiter in 2010 but was told that someone higher up the chain of command squashed the idea of him joining due to his turban and beard.

(Lt. Col. Ben Garrett, an Army spokesman at the Pentagon, provided a statement that said the Army has a long history of accommodating soldiers based on their religious practices but requests for exceptions can't be made until after a person joins the Army -- a classic Catch-22 situation! You can’t apply unless you are enlisted, and you can’t enlist unless you let go your articles of faith! And Nicole Nishida, spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department, said a council has authority to approve uniforms and safety equipment worn by deputies, and a Sikh man, who wore a turban and beard, graduated from the LASD academy in 2004.)

"It brought my morale down, to get rejected over and over again, but I knew it was going to be a long, hard fight," Amandeep said. "I kept at it."

Sutter County Sheriff J. Paul Parker said his agency has had a policy since 2008 that says if you are required by your religion to wear certain attire -- like a turban and beard for Sikhs -- you can.

Parker said there is currently no one in the department working with that accommodation but that one deputy briefly did in 2012.

Shawna Pavey, spokeswoman for the Yuba City Police Department, said the department would welcome any member of the Sikh community who wanted to wear a turban or have a beard.

"I don't think we have anybody here currently who practices that; however, if they wanted to, they certainly could," Pavey said.

Yuba County Undersheriff Jerry Read said the department's policies don't mention anything about religious freedom and that they would welcome any qualified Sikh applicant who has facial hair and wears a turban.

Amandeep chose to pursue a career in law enforcement shortly after graduating from Yuba City High School in 2007.

"My dad said I'm going to go through hell and get a lot of pushback," he said. "I told him that if I put my mind to it, I'm not going to let the pushbacks bring me down."

Amandeep, who emigrated from Punjab to America with his parents when he was seven years old, chose a career in law enforcement because he wants to help other people.

"I want to be a proactive officer out there helping the community," he said. "One person can't change everything, but I still want to try to help."

He was given that chance when he was accepted into the Yuba College Police Academy earlier this year.

He recently completed the first of three levels of training and is one step closer to realizing his dream.

His parents, Harvinder Singh Dhaliwal and Kuldip Kaur, couldn't be more proud of his dedication and accomplishments.

"He is a role model for the Sikh community," Harvinder said.

Amandeep’s wife of four years, Sukhmeet Kaur, 24, said her husband has always managed to maintain a positive attitude through all of the ups and downs.

"It was a really golden moment when he got accepted into the police academy," Sukhmeet said of her husband. "He is going to achieve his goals and be a successful police officer."

Pete Villarreal, interim public safety director at the academy, said the school had some flexibility within the grooming and uniform standards and was happy to accommodate Amandeep Singh.

Instead of a black ball cap, Amandeep wears a black turban, and he keeps his beard neatly tucked under his chin.

"All he wanted was a chance," Villarreal said. "I believe he will make an excellent officer."

Amandeep understands the instruction will only get more difficult and demanding when the academy starts back up in January, but the 18-year tae kwon do veteran and third-degree black belt said he is ready for the challenge.

"There is still a lot of bullying in schools that Sikh students go through because they have turbans on their head or a beard," Amandeep said. "If they see a Sikh police officer, I think it will give motivation to the Sikh community throughout the United States."

SIKH COALITION HELPED

Having a beard and turban seemed like inevitable roadblocks for a career in law enforcement.

Amandeep Singh, who at first thought he was facing religious discrimination while pursuing a career as a peace officer, needed help.

He reached out to the Sikh Coalition, a nationwide Sikh activist organization created after 9/11 to help Sikhs who were being harassed and attacked. Twelve years later, the organization now focuses on religious profiling, hate crimes, workplace discrimination and school bullying.

With them, the 25-year-old Yuba City resident found hope.

In 2012, the Sikh Coalition worked with Assembly-woman Mariko Yamada, D-Woodland, who introduced AB 1964, the Workplace Religious Freedom Act.

Several civil rights organizations and faith-based advocacy groups rallied in support of the bill.

Amandeep attended the first hearing and testified in front of the Assembly Committee on Labor and Employment about his struggles of trying to find a law enforcement agency willing to make accommodations based on his religious practices.

Nervous to testify, he remembered thinking, "if this gets passed, it is good for everyone, not just myself."

He testified, "Being a police officer is an honorable career and a great way to serve and protect the public. And yet I have been told twice that my Sikh articles of faith will prevent me from achieving my dream."

He mentioned there were practicing Sikhs serving in police departments around the world, including in the United Kingdom, Canada and even within the U.S. Army.

"I support AB 1964 because it will encourage law enforcement agencies and other employers in California to modernize their image policies," he said. "Sikhs and other religious minorities deserve an equal chance to follow their dreams, no matter what career they pursue."

It became law in January 2013.

The impacts were immediate.

A Yolo County Sikh correctional officer's religious accommodation request to wear a turban and grow a beard was approved.

Then, a Sikh man attended the police academy at the College of San Mateo and has since been hired by the Milpitas Police Department.

"It is very significant because when people are being segregated because of their religion, it is significantly impacting their lives," said Simran Kaur, western regional director of the Sikh Coalition, which has a west coast office in Freemont.

Simran Kaur said the bill would not have passed without Amandeep Singh.

His testimony and presence at future hearings were vital, she said.

"I think it is very important to see members of the Sikh faith in law enforcement roles," Simran said. "Until you see a representation of people of your faith in that position, I don't think you can dream about it."


[Courtesy: Appeal-Democrat. Edited for sikhchic.com]
November 21, 2014

 

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