Local Hero Australian of the Year for 2023, Amar Singh, wants "every kid ... to be proud of their food, their language, their culture and their appearance."
Create a free account to read this article
or signup to continue reading
He runs Turbans 4 Australia, an organisation which is a force for good that came out of bad.
"We go where our people are hurting," he said.
Mr Singh said migrants come to Australia "because it was a beautiful country", and encouraged them to share their cultures.
"It's our duty as migrants from ethnic backgrounds to make sure everyone that calls Australia home, to make sure they can learn about our culture and our values," he said.
"We're all equal. We all come from different lands, from a wonderful First Nation people to our newest migrants, we're all equal."
Turbans are a part of the essential identity of followers of the Sikh faith - but they also attract racist abuse, as Amar Singh found to his cost in 2014.
He was so outraged at the slurs that he phoned into a radio station and told the story. Amazingly, the abuser heard the broadcast - and phoned in to apologise.
The outrage didn't leave Mr Singh so he decided to do something about it rather than just allowing himself to seethe inside.
The abuse galvanised him to form Turbans 4 Australia with the aim of altering perceptions. People in turbans - Sikhs - should be seen doing good for people of all faiths was the thought.
Every week, its volunteers package and distribute around 450 food and grocery hampers to hungry people in western Sydney.
And they don't just distribute food to the needy. According to the group, a quarter of the people who drowned in Australia in the decade to 2018 were born overseas.
"Australia's migrant and ethnic communities desperately need education about water safety to prevent any more tragic deaths," Turbans 4 Australia said. So they launched a 'Migrant Water Safety & Awareness Campaign' primarily for Australia's culturally-diverse communities.
Turbans 4 Australia has delivered hay to farmers experiencing drought; supplies to flood victims in Lismore and bushfire-impacted people on the South Coast; food hampers to the isolated and vulnerable during COVID-19 lockdowns; and supplies to the Salvation Army in central Queensland in the wake of Cyclone Marcia.
They have delivered more than 2000 across Australia, and are seen as invaluable to victims of recent floods.
"Since 2015, my team and I have been providing assistance to Australians from all walks of life while also promoting multiculturalism and religious tolerance," Mr Singh says.
"Baptised Sikhs like myself are particularly visible because we wear turbans and grow beards, making us easy targets for abuse and discrimination. A co-worker once told me I looked like a terrorist.
"While simply going about my daily life, strangers on the street have asked me if I'm carrying a bomb, or what I'm hiding under my turban. It's worth remembering that after the terrible events of 9/11, the first victim of a hate crime was an American Sikh."
Mr Singh thinks the organisation he founded has made progress, not only by helping people who need material help but by easing mistrust of people in turbans. They hold what they call "Turban Fests" of Sikh culture.
"By tying turbans on people's heads, we create an opportunity to chat with our fellow Australians and show them that our turbans and beards are nothing to fear. We've staged traditional Bhangra dance performances and demonstrated the Sikh martial art of Gatka at venues throughout the nation.
"By forming connections with people from all walks of life, we're breaking down the barriers of fear and misunderstanding while following the core Sikh values of equality, respect and service to humanity.
"As a proud Sikh and Australian, it is my deepest hope that Turbans 4 Australia will continue to promote multiculturalism, interfaith dialogue, charity and compassion for many years to come. My fellow volunteers and I will certainly try our hardest to create a more tolerant society."
Steve Evans
Steve Evans is a reporter on The Canberra Times. He's been a BBC correspondent in New York, London, Berlin and Seoul and the sole reporter/photographer/paper deliverer on The Glen Innes Examiner in country New South Wales. "All the jobs have been fascinating - and so it continues."
Steve Evans is a reporter on The Canberra Times. He's been a BBC correspondent in New York, London, Berlin and Seoul and the sole reporter/photographer/paper deliverer on The Glen Innes Examiner in country New South Wales. "All the jobs have been fascinating - and so it continues."
