Sikhs from across the US Come Together for a Powerful Photo Series Celebrating Their Community
To spread the message of the amazing beauty of sikhs, London-based photographers Amit and Naroop teamed up with The Sikh Coalition and photographed 40 Sikhs from around the U.S.
The two photographers had already finished the first leg of their project back in 2013, where they documented 36 sikhs in Britain.
They held a national contest and a panel selected people based on the strength, positivity and perseverance that they represented to their community.
“We decided that it was important to share positive stories that embody the true Sikh-American experience 15 years after 9/11. Sikhs are so much more than victims of profiling, backlash and hate crimes,” the photographers told BuzzFeed.
“We wanted to emphasise that in a way that shows the beauty, diversity and incredible experiences of Sikhs across the United States while educating the broader American public.”
“The project was conceived to promote and celebrate individuality and identity,” they said.
“Here are a group of people who wear turbans on their head and don’t cut their hair. They do this with pride. It is not a fashion accessory, it is fundamental to who they are. What does it represent? Discipline. Strength. Unity. Equality.”
They explained that they wanted people to walk into the exhibition and no matter what their race, gender, age or sexuality, they leave feeling proud of who they are.
The portraits will be hanging in a free exhibition in Manhattan from September 16-25.
