In a First, Sikhs will be counted as a separate ethnic group in the 2020 US census. The move comes after a delegation of the United Sikhs held several meetings with the US Census.
The current estimate for Sikh Americans is close to a million in the United States. According to United Sikhs, there are over 10,000 Sikh families right here in our community.
US Census Deputy Director Ron Jarmin said that it was necessary to recognise the unique identity of Sikhs and institute a separate code to ensure that an accurate count of Sikhs in the US.
“With the 2020 census approaching, many historically under-coded communities will be at-risk for being under-counted and under-served,” said Ruben Singh, United Sikhs Census Manager and added that the organisation would collaborate with its census partners to address unanticipated challenges of the 2020 Census. The Sikh Coalition has partnered with the Census Bureau for the 2020 census.
Satjeet Kaur, the Sikh Coalition executive director, said that Sikhs traditionally constituted a ‘hard to count’ population and that it was important that the community was appropriately counted and accurately resourced
Jasmit Singh, Advocacy Director of the United Sikhs, said “This historic announcement is the result of decades of advocacy by the United Sikhs group at the national level on behalf of the Sikh community. Being involved in this civic engagement will help ensure an accurate count of Sikhs in the United States.” Singh also added that census data would help track and measure hate crimes against the community and ensure that the Sikh community is accurately represented.
This announcement according to the United Sikhs is a milestone for America’s Sikh Community.