Melody Mann
October 27, 2026 | 5 min. read | Opinion
It has been 25 years since 9/11. I won’t call it an anniversary, rather a marker in history where human fear transformed into xenophobia against anyone who was “other” (outside the lines of the stereotypical conception of “American”). Among the 2,983 names that are read annually at the World Trade Center, we seldom account for how xenophobia met with islamophobia resulted in the death of Punjabi Sikhs across the nation. This is not to fray the focus from the tragedy itself but rather raise awareness about what might not be widely regarded.
Sikh, Muslim, Arab, South Asian, and Middle Eastern communities were targeted not only by the community engaging in prejudice, but by governing bodies enacting policies, laws, and law enforcement actions fueled by racial discrimination rather than merit. Despite these targeted communities participating in recovery efforts at Ground Zero, and their active engagement across interdisciplinary sectors, these efforts are not acknowledged (Attariwala and Kaur, 2026).
Recently, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security posted an image on September 9, 2026, that targets Sikh Americans. This AI generated image is formatted as a meme with a transformer demanding a Sikh American “self-deport” and remove themselves from society, despite their lawful right to reside in the country. The concept of what constitutes as American and credible identity for employment is brought up as a mockery, promoting fear, hate, and blatant “othering”.
“Mr. Singh” is an intentional descriptor that alludes to a Sikh man. The meme including this alongside the imagery of a Punjabi man leaves no guessing room for which community, group, and religion is targeted. As a Sikh-American, this post truly hurt me because this is a depiction of my neighbor, my family, my community, my heritage being shamed.
Within Sikhi, Singh is a surname used widely across our Punjabi and Sikh communities. This has been around since the medieval period where male Sikhs have carried the family name Singh while female Sikhs the name Kaur. For entomology reference, the word Kaur is derived from Kunwar and can be translated as princess. Kaur carries dignity, loyalty, and devotion. Singh directly translates to lion and symbolizes independence, strength, and leadership. The differentiation within these surnames across men and women stands for the unique characteristics each holds as a complimentary totality of the Sikh community (Singh, 2025).
Significance of Trucking
In North America, trucking serves as the foundation of our economy by transporting roughly 72% of all domestic freight tonnage (American Trucking Association, n.d.). Even when goods are imported by ship, rail, or air, the need to transport cargo from point A to point B remains. This is where the trucking industry comes in. Trucks are essential to our commerce and daily functions as a society because these drivers transport essential goods across the nation, including food, medicine, and manufacturing materials, directly to retail shelves. Roughly 80% of U.S. communities that lack other transport options, making the trucking industry vital to our livelihood as a collective (US Transport, 2019).
These efforts compounded keep our communities afloat in many ways. Financially, the industry contributes a massive market share towards the nation. In 2024, trucking alone brought in $900 billion in gross annual freight revenue (Fong, 2026).
In light of these statistics, Homeland Security has taken a stance on targeting a population of truckers who are ethically engaging in employment, contributing to national welfare, and moreover spreading propaganda that hurts a historically marginalized community that has faced ridicule, oppression, and legacies of racism. Despite this, Sikh Americans have continued to push through for the greater good, a moral deeply embedded within the culture and community at large.
Know Your Truckers
The Asian American Education Project reports that Sikh Americans account for 40% of the country’s truck drivers. In 2019, there were 150,000 Sikh truckers in the United States. Since then, 30,000+ Sikhs have entered the trucking industry in California alone. With such a massive demographic representation across a vital industry, attacking a group that sustains a nation not only presents as a racial offense, a hurtful statement, but a national target on commerce, transit, and the overall functionality of the United States as a whole.
As a Sikh-American scholar, my research focuses on uncovering histories of oppression and erasure for Punjabi and Sikh communities across the United States. While my focus lies in federal law, health, and education, the crossover among these sectors, and their impact on families' daily lives, is evident. We see that across education, legislation, employment, and society, there have been both microaggressions, blatant racism, and xenophobic reactions to a group of people simply exercising their First Amendment right, freedom of religion, while partaking in life as you would – work, cultivate, contribute, and foster harmony in every task taken. However, throughout history we have seen how our nation victimizes groups of individuals who do not subscribe to the stereotypical norm of “American”, an image rooted in colonial Eurocentric ideals that is further exasperated by our current administration.
The Issue
Xenophobia lies rampant and deep within American history. The fear of the historically marginalized racial groups has been apparent across all communities from non-dominant ancestral lineages and regions. Despite the safe haven of refuge, opportunity, and advancement the country embodies towards the global audience, within its federal operations falters to protect and sustain the current demographic diversity of the nation. In our contemporary society, our government is actively making a mockery of cultural and linguistic diversity in an age of what should be pluralistic harmony given the 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding but is turning into a repetition of what we have seen in the past.
Let’s take the example of the Bellingham Riots of 1907. Early Sikh immigrants came to the Pacific Northwest to work in lumber mills and on railroads. In 1907, a mob of white individuals attacked Sikh workers in Bellingham, Washington, driven by fears that immigrants would take local jobs. This sentiment is retained over a century later, as our government is continuing to portray Sikhs as “stealing” jobs, not being “good” or “fit” for the position, or being “American” enough despite our long-standing history in the country (did you know - Sikhs were actually the first group of South Asians to migrate to North America in the 1800s? Their early migration was concentrated predominantly on the West Coast, Kaushal, 2020).
The notion that anyone that does not fit a Eurocentric description of whiteness is othered. Throughout sociological inquiry, we have found how institutions operate under a racialized lens that excludes individuals who do not fit the description of “privilege” and reflective of the “dominant” groups (Ray, 2019). The utilization of generative AI to produce propaganda that evokes fear, misinformation, and racism is a legislative abuse of the first amendment right, and further a threat to the employment and human rights of Punjabi Sikhs across the U.S. We are witnessing the digitization of racism take form with pop culture icons, fictional imagery that mirrors life itself, and direct dehumanization of a working body.
Call to Action
Despite Homeland Security deleting the post within 48 hours, the internet holds a digital footprint that cannot be erased. Despite the post being gone, its lasting impact lingers with the hate crimes Sikh truckers witness at rest stops, the targeted immigration actions against Sikhs, and the racial and religious backlash that persists. We have taken a solitary right of the nation and turned it into a weapon that excludes some – creating bylines within our Bill of Rights that dictates “who” is worthy of these legal clauses.
I invite you to rise up, stand for the truth, and side with the Sikh and Punjabi communities.
Melody Mann is a Senior Education Fellow with the Sikh Coalition. She also is a PhD candidate at the University of Maryland, College Park where her research explores Punjabi families’ understanding and experiences navigating disability and special education. Outside of her research, she supports K-12 schools to culturally adapt educational interventions and practices.
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