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E W S April 20, 2003
As part of the three-phase program, Lt. Governor Bustamante announced that he wants all California schoolchildren to learn about Sikh culture. The program is part of the Lieutenant Governor's Commission for One California, an ongoing effort to promote tolerance in the Golden State. In the first phase, presently underway, 3000 CTA leaders will receive a copy of the coloring book. The CTA is divided into 3000 regions in the state and represents 330,000 teachers. In the second phase, the coloring book will be distributed to over 6,800 elementary schools statewide. And in the third phase, the coloring book will be made available for mass distribution. The CSC, on behalf of the 50,000 Sikh Californians, is donating all the books. The Lt. Governor also announced plans to explore CD-ROM programs for older students. "The program took over a year of working with the leadership of the State of California to get the approval," said Bicky Singh of the CSC. "It took 70 to 80 conference calls with the Lt. Governor, the CTA and the CSC to finally come to an agreement," said Singh. The biggest hurdle, he said, was finding a way to introduce awareness of the Sikh community to school children without conflicting with the separation of Religion and State. Public schools are always wary of introducing religion into the curriculum. "It was the Lt. Governor who put enough pressure on the CTA to develop the logistics for the program," said Singh. The coloring book was finally endorsed by the CTA Board of Directors. "The Boy with Long Hair" program was launched at the Los Angeles Convention Center on Baisakhi. The event was attended by over 10,000 Sikhs from greater Southern California, according to a spokesman from the CSC. Major news media such as ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, FOX and other ethnic TV stations and print media covered the event. At the press conference, Lt. Governor Bustamante stated: "What we're releasing today, "The Boy with Long Hair", teaches children in a simple easy-to-use format that no matter how long your hair is or what you choose to cover it with, you are still an American and, more importantly, a friend. I went after the endorsement of the California Teachers Association and sought private funding for the initial phase of this distribution. I'm proud to stand with you today to announce that we are beginning the roll-out of this valuable tool." After the announcement, the Lieutenant Governor read the coloring book to a group of elementary school children from diverse backgrounds, while they colored some of the first copies of the book. The CSC stated: "A true friend is one who is willing to take risks and make sacrifices for his or her friends. California's Lieutenant Governor Cruz M. Bustamante continues to do both for the Sikh community." |
Baisakhi,
April 13, 2003, was the culmination of an effort by Lieutenant Governor
Cruz Bustamante to bring together the California Teachers Association
(CTA) and the California Sikh Council (CSC) to distribute the coloring
book "The Boy with Long Hair" statewide. This activity book
explains to children why boys and men from the Sikh religion wear turbans.
Public school teachers throughout the state will use the book to teach
students about cultural diversity, acceptance and understanding.