SIKH STUDENT ASSOCIATION​

The Sikh Student Association was founded by Jasjit Singh (left) in 2002. He created SSA as a result of the rapid increase of hate crimes against Sikhs in the aftermaths of 9/11. Since his graduation from the University, Jasjit served as the Executive Director of the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF) and now is the Senior Policy Advisor of the U.S. Department of Justice. Unfortunately, soon after Jasjit’s graduation from the University, the SSA dismantled and remained relatively inactive for a few years. The Association was revived in 2010 and mainly held events to build solidarity amongst Sikhs on campus. With this growing momentum, in 2013, Simran Sandhu and Amrita Bamrah (right) organized a Campus Langar that fed over 2,500 people. The Langar was organized as a result of the shooting at the Oak Creek Gurdwara in 2012. The impact of the Langar on the campus and members of the Association was so strong, that it really motivated the members to create a more organized Association that would last for years to come. More importantly, the members hoped that the Association would become so stable that it wouldn’t require a Sikh tragedy to be formed again. The SSA Langar has become an annual event and the Association now holds multiple successful events year round. After the success of Langar on campus, Amrita planned a Langar on Capitol Hill for Members of Congress and other DC leaders.