Republican outreach to American Sikhs a welcome step

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Day 3 of the 2012 Republican National Convention was a big step for the Sikh American Community. On this day, Ishwar Singh of the Central Florida Sikh community spoke to the convention. He prayed with the convention, ending his speech in "Nanak Naam Chardi Kala, Tere Bhane Sarbat Dha Bhala." It was beautiful and a huge step for the Sikh American community. This was a big historical moment for us as the Republican National Convention is one of the largest stages in the political world.

My question here is whether this has impacted anyone. A three-minute speech during a day full of speeches, was it memorable? Will the American public recognise the Sikh Community as equals? These questions may always stay unanswered as America is so vast that some people do stand up for change, while others will always stay stuck on their ways.

This was the Republican outreach to the Sikh Community, it was a good start but we will have to wait and see how the rest of the campaign plays out. The Republican party tends to isolate those of colour, but this is a big step for them. I will be interested in seeing how the Democratic party responds. Since the Oak Creek, Wisconsin shootings, Sikhs have been in the spotlight.

First Lady Michelle Obama did visit the victims' families, but is that enough? Hopefully there will be more outreach as the campaign trail continues. Sikh Americans (as are Indian Americans) are a large chunk of the voting population, remember that, I'm just saying......