Surat Sikh Conference 2020

We're so excited to announce that Kaur Life is co-sponsoring The Surat Initiative's 2020 Sikh Conference!

The theme is "Kaurs & Singhs: Equality & Equity in Sikhi".

550 years after Guru Nanak Sahib’s birth, we will reflect on the Guru's message of equality and equity for all, with a particular focus on how patriarchy impacts our workplaces, classrooms, and communities. We will explore Gurbani, history, culture, and current social and political issues. Our goal is to equip young professionals and students with tools and tactics they can use in their lives to build more inclusive and equitable workplaces and communities.

Registration for the conference is now closed.

Guest Speakers

Dr. Preet Kaur Virdi

Dr. Preet Kaur Virdi will be talking about customs, expectations, & family dynamics at the 2020 Surat Sikh Conference. She is an Assistant Professor of Law and Society at John Jay College, City University of New York (CUNY). Preet earned her PhD in Law in 2017 from the School of Oriental & African Studies (SOAS), University of London in the United Kingdom. Her interdisciplinary research addresses the access to justice needs of ethnic minorities by specifically examining marriage breakdown among Punjabi-Sikhs in Canada. Preet is a Sikh feminist and a sewadar for Manhattan Sikh Association.

Harleen Kaur

Kaur Life’s very own board member, Harleen Kaur will be teaming up with Prabhdeep Kehal to take Surat participants through a workshop on citizenship, social justice and identity.

A PhD student in Sociology at the University of California, Los Angeles, Harleen Kaur examines the “becoming” of the Sikh diaspora in the United States, particularly how identity-based violence, nationalism and belonging, and traumatic memory have limited the possibilities for a collective Sikh identity.

Prabhdeep Kehal

Prabhdeep Kehal will be teaming up with Harleen to take Surat participants through a workshop where they figure out what skills they have to work towards social justice.

At the intersection of the sociology of higher education, critical social and racial theory, and organizational studies, Prabhdeep’s research explores how we define and recognize the nature of racialized organizations and what implications arise for social change once we account for an organization’s racialization. Higher education serves as the empirical case for their work.

Satjeet Kaur

Satjeet Kaur will be speaking on a panel at the Surat Sikh Conference with other Sikh women to share her Sikh values influence the work she does.

In 2018, Satjeet became the Sikh Coalition’s Executive Director. In this role, she manages the day-to-day operations, staff and strategic direction of the largest Sikh civil rights organization in the United States. Prior to becoming Executive Director, Satjeet spent eight years working for the Sikh Coalition in nearly every core facet of the organization’s work. When not working, she enjoys spending time with family and traveling.

Manmeet Kaur

Manmeet Kaur, CEO of City HealthWorks, will be speaking on a panel at the Surat Sikh Conference with other Sikh women to share her Sikh values influence the work she does.

Manmeet Kaur founded City Health Works in 2013 to create a business case for integrating local health coaches into the US health care system. City Health Works has become a national example of how to deploy a neighborhood-based care model that improves health, reduces avoidable health care spending, and creates rewarding jobs. Prior to launching City Health Works, Kaur has worked on community health and workforce initiatives in South Africa, India, and New York City.

Navneet Bhalla

Navneet Kaur Bhalla, a human rights lawyer and now the Executive Director of Manavi, will be speaking on a panel at the Surat Sikh Conference with other Sikh women to share her Sikh values influence the work she does.

Navneet Bhalla is a prominent human rights advocate and lawyer. She currently serves as the executive director of Manavi, a New Jersey-based women’s rights organization that works towards ending all forms of violence and exploitation against South Asian women living in the U.S.