At the International Sikh Youth Symposium (see my previous article), I had the chance to listen to Vishavjit Singh, otherwise known as Sikh Captain America. Born in Washington D.C, Vishavjit Singh grew up in a Sikh family, learning English and Punjabi as his first languages. From the outside they looked like a regular Sikh family with long, uncut hair, and turbans but behind closed doors they did not follow many Sikh practices. At the age of 20, during his sophomore year of college he decided to cut his hair, tired of all the teasing. 2 years later, after hearing a few Sikh hymns and falling in love with them, he decided to go back to Sikhi.
A month after Vishavjit started wearing a turban again, the attacks of 9/11 happened. After 9/11, there were many hate crimes targeting Sikhs because they were thought to be Muslim. These hate crimes created conditions that were perfect for cartoons and Vishavjit, inspired by art about 9/11, started creating cartoons. He currently has a website called Sikhtoons, where he posts his cartoons (http://www.sikhtoons.com).
For reasons why Vishavjit is known as Sikh Captain America, read this article:
http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-30941638
For Vishavjit’s Biography visit the following websites:
http://sikhtoons.com/SikhtoonsBio.html
http://www.onbeing.org/blog/the-wild-journey-of-a-sikh-captain-america/8390
For more information on 9/11 hate crimes, visit the following websites:
http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2015-12-31/sikhs-become-a-casualty-of-anti-muslim-actions