LOS ANGELES– South Asian Americans have been a presence in the United States for more than 130 years, yet our stories are little known. Early immigrants from South Asia worked on farms and factories, helped build railroads, fought for India’s freedom from British rule, and struggled for equal rights at home. On Saturday, February 23rd, the South Asian American Digital Archive (SAADA), in partnership with UCLA, presents History from Different Angles: South Asian American Stories in California, a one-day symposium about the earliest South Asian immigrants in California, featuring conversations with researchers, archivists, artists, and family members. Program • Introductions (10:00am) • Dalip Singh Saund, the first South Asian elected to U.S. Congress (10:15am) Eric Saund (grandson) and Dr. Seema Sohi (Associate Professor of Ethnic Studies, University of Colorado – Boulder) • Bhagwan Singh Gyanee, a leader of the Ghadar Party (11:00am) Surinder Pal Singh (grandson), Joti Singh (great-granddaughter and Artistic Director, Duniya Dance and Drum Company), Amrit Deol (PhD Candidate, University of California – Merced), and Samip Mallick (Executive Director, SAADA) • Lunch & Presentation on SAADA (12:15pm) SAADA Co-Founders Samip Mallick and Dr. Michelle Caswell • Kala Bagai, one of the very few South Asian women immigrants in the early 1900s (1:15pm) Rani Bagai (granddaughter), Dr. Kritika Agarwal (Managing Editor of Perspectives on History, American Historical Association), and Dr. Michelle Caswell (Associate Professor, Department of Information Studies, UCLA) • Bhagat Singh Thind, whose case for citizenship went to the Supreme Court (2:15pm) David Thind (son) and Philip Deslippe (PhD candidate in Religious Studies, UC Santa Barbara) • A conversation with Dr. Amarjit Singh Marwah, a philanthropist and community leader (3:15pm) Interviewed by Dr. Sharon Sekhon (The Studio for Southern California History) • Closing Remarks (4:00pm) Admission is free, but lunch is not included. A catered box lunch can be ordered at the time of registration for $10 (select the catered lunch option). Light refreshments will be provided to all attendees. RSVP here.
This event was made possible with support from California Humanities, a non-profit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. With additional support from UCLA Department of Information Studies, UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies (GSEIS), and UCLA Asian American Studies Center. Parking The UCLA campus parking lot closest to Charles E. Young Research Library is Parking Structure 3 (identified as P3 on the campus map). Normal parking rates apply. The rate is $3 an hour for a maximum daily total of $12. A campus map is available here: http://maps.ucla.edu Fragrance-Free Event More info on being fragrance-free can be found here. — Photograph of Abnashi Ram, an Indian-American businessman who immigrated to the U.S. in 1920, standing on a boardwalk. The inscription on the back of the photograph reads: “Mr. Ram’s earliest photo.” This photograph was taken in 1929. Learn more.
