Event title: Hindus for Human Rights — South Bay Chapter Monthly Meeting
Date: Sunday, January 18, 2026
Time: 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM (PT)
Location: Private home in Fremont, CA (address provided upon RSVP)
RSVP: tinyurl.com/southbayjanuary

Description (short):
Join the Hindus for Human Rights South Bay Chapter for our monthly meeting—community, chapter updates, and ways to take action together. New folks welcome. RSVP for location details.

The South Asian Coalition has been hearing concerns from member groups about the latest policy from the State Department, which freezes issuance of immigrant visas for individuals from 75 countries, including a majority of countries in South Asia (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, and Pakistan). For more detail on what we know so far about this new policy, please visit www.southasiancoalition.org/blog.

From Data to Demands: AAPI Policy Priorities for Congress in 2026

This briefing will cover what AAPI communities need from Congress in 2026, grounded in data, lived experience, and clear policy demands—ensuring AAPI communities are not sidelined as funding negotiations and legislative priorities take shape.
Date: Wednesday January 14, 2026
Time: 3 PM ET/12 PM PT
Register Today for the OPEN PRESS call for community and partners.

This briefing is intended for coalition members, advocacy partners, allies, and members of the press seeking to better understand what is at stake for AAPI communities as Congress sets its agenda for the year ahead.

We hope you’ll join us as we help shape the policy conversation at this critical moment.

Please register today

Webinar scheduled for this Monday, January 12th. 

‘Answering the Call: Interfaith Nonviolent Civil Resistance 201’ is an opportunity for people of faith and diverse beliefs across the U.S. to hear directly from faith leaders and clergy leading nonpartisan, nonviolent, local organizing efforts in cities resisting ICE raids.

Building on the foundations laid in the Interfaith Nonviolent Civil Resistance 101 training, this 201-level session will shift from frameworks to real organizing, real tactics, and real discernment from faith leaders on the ground. Join Interfaith Alliance, the Center on Faith and Justice, Sojourners, Faith in Action, Political Research Associates, and the Horizons Project for an Interfaith Nonviolent Civil Resistance 201 training, focused on how faith leaders are taking action to resist authoritarianism and defend democracy in their communities.

HfHR is a co-sponsor of this event.

The full webinar description is located on this RSVP page: https://support.interfaithalliance.org/a/answering-call-interfaith-nonviolent-civil-resistance-201

WCMIR 2025 Annual Conference: Justice, Peace & Moral Relativism

Qais Essar & Sonny Singh: SANGAT Album Release Concert

Date & Time:
Saturday, November 8, 2025 · 7:30 PM

Location:
1925 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60616

Event Description:
Join acclaimed artists Qais Essar and Sonny Singh for the SANGAT Album Release Concert — an evening of transcendent music that bridges centuries and traditions. Drawing on the poetry and spirit of Sufi and Sikh texts, their collaboration celebrates unity, love, and the power of song to bring communities together in challenging times.

Tickets & Details:
Get tickets on Eventbrite: Qais Essar & Sonny Singh: SANGAT Album Release Concert

Coffee & Conversation with Sunita in Chicago

Date: Saturday, November 8
Time: 10:30 AM – 1:30 PM
Location: Summer House Santa Monica, 1954 N Halsted St, Lincoln Park, Chicago

Join Sunita Viswanath, Executive Director of Hindus for Human Rights, for a casual morning chat over coffee about faith, justice, and community.

RSVP: https://tinyurl.com/chicoffee

Date: Wednesday, November 5, 2025
Time: 4:00 PM ET / 1:00 PM PT
Format: Online workshop (live)
Co-hosts: National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA), Japanese American Citizens League (JACL), Hindus for Human Rights, Viet Fact Check, Asian American Psychological Association (AAPA)

About:
Hear from advocates sharing real-life examples and community programming, with practical tips for approaching difficult conversations and addressing sensitive topics with care and effectiveness.

Register: https://bit.ly/CommunicatingWithEmpathy

Día de los Muertos & Diwali in the Presidio

Date: Saturday, November 1, 2025
Time: 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM PT
Location: Presidio Tunnel Tops, San Francisco, CA

Join us for a free, family-friendly celebration and observance at the Presidio honoring the shared themes of remembrance, light, and renewal in Día de los Muertos and Diwali.

✨ Activities include:

• Calpulli Aztec Dancing & Diya Lighting

• Fun, Traditional Craft Making

• Planting as Remembrance

• Fire Ceremony and Song

Hosted by Hindus for Human Rights Bay Area, ASATA (Alliance of South Asians Taking Action), Presidio Trust, and Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy.

📍 Open to all ages — bring your friends and family to celebrate community, memory, and light.

For any accommodations needs please contact Miriam Manda at mmanda@presidiotrust.gov or 423.704.7187 with at least seven days’ notice to help ensure availability. 

Lighting the Way: South Asian Voices in Art, Nature, and Justice

When:
Thursday, October 30, 2025 · 5:30 – 7:30 PM
Doors open at 5:30 PM for viewing of the panelists’ art.
Panel discussion begins at 6:00 PM and concludes at 7:30 PM.

Where:
Crissy Field Center Gathering Room
San Francisco, CA

Event Description:
Join park staff for an evening of storytelling and dialogue at the Tunnel Tops to celebrate and amplify South Asian community leaders whose work bridges art, environment, and social justice.

Through the metaphors of light and darkness—echoing the spirit of Diwali, the festival of lights—panelists will share how they create spaces of curiosity, belonging, and hope. From photography to public design, each artist’s work illuminates new pathways for connection between people and the planet.

The discussion will be moderated by Yakuta Poonawalla, with support from Rebekah Berkov.

Panelists & Artists:
✨ Barnali Ghosh — Immigrant artist, landscape architect, and co-founder of the Berkeley South Asian Radical History Walking Tour. Known for her viral photo series reimagining California native flowers through South Asian textiles and dance forms, Barnali’s work explores identity, belonging, and community in nature.
Instagram: @berkeleywali | @berkeleysouthasian

✨ Vishal Subramanyan — Award-winning wildlife photographer, videographer, and National Geographic Young Explorer. A storyteller whose work has appeared in National Geographic, CNN, NPR, Smithsonian, and the LA Times, Vishal’s imagery connects audiences to wildlife and conservation in California and beyond.

Admission:
Free and family-friendly. Registration is required.

Presented by:
National Park Service – Golden Gate National Recreation Area
In partnership with Crissy Field Center and Tunnel Tops Community Programs.

Songs for Many Lives
A multimedia performance by Sruti Sarathy & Roopa Mahadevan

Description:
Join musicians Sruti Sarathy and Roopa Mahadevan for the premiere of Songs for Many Lives, an original multimedia performance of Carnatic songs. This work honors the South Asian immigrant experience in all its radical history and richness, blending tradition with contemporary storytelling.

Dates & Locations:

• October 25, 2025 – 7:30 PM | Pear Theater, Mountain View

• October 26, 2025 – 4:00 PM | Pear Theater, Mountain View

• November 9, 2025 – 4:30 PM | Creativity Museum Theater, San Francisco

TICKETS: https://luma.com/songsformanylives

Diwali: A Celebration of Community & Liberation

📅 Date: Saturday, October 25, 2025
🕓 Doors Open: 4:30 PM
🕔 Program Begins: 5:00 PM
📍 Location: Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Congregation
9601 Cedar Lane, Bethesda, MD 20814

✨ Join Hindus for Human Rights and Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Congregation for a special Diwali celebration centering community and liberation. The evening will feature food, performers, storytelling, and more.

👉 RSVP here: https://tinyurl.com/2025hfhrdiwali

The Dream of a Common Movement: Selected Writings of Urvashi Vaid
📅 Thursday, October 23, 2025
🕖 7:00 PM (EDT)
📍 The Auditorium, The New School

Join the American LGBTQ+ Museum's Lavender Literary Society for a special event during the 2025 Lesbian Lives Conference. This evening will feature a conversation with editors Jyotsna Vaid and Amy Hoffman about The Dream of a Common Movement, a powerful collection of essays, interviews, and speeches by the late feminist and civil rights activist Urvashi Vaid.

Moderated by M Gessen, the discussion will explore Vaid’s visionary contributions to the LGBTQ+ movement and her four decades of groundbreaking writing and organizing.

✨ Event Details:

• 6:30 PM: Doors open

• 7:00 PM: Program begins

• Format: In-person and livestreamed (please indicate your preference when registering)

Presented by The New School's Gender and Sexualities Studies Institute, the 2025 Lesbian Lives Conference, and The American LGBTQ+ Museum.

Register here: The Dream of a Common Movement: Selected Writings of Urvashi Vaid

Judicial Independence at Risk: Reflections from the U.S. and India

📅 Tuesday, October 21, 2025
🕠 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM
📍 New York City Bar, 42 West 44th Street, New York, NY 10036

Marking the 75th anniversary of India’s Supreme Court, this panel explores growing threats to judicial independence in India and the United States—from executive overreach to institutional fragility—and what these challenges mean for democracy itself.

Speakers include:

• Justice S. Muralidhar, Former Chief Justice, Orissa High Court, India

• Margaret Satterthwaite, UN Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers

• Hon. Shira Scheindlin, Former Judge, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York

• Samah Sisay, Staff Attorney, Center for Constitutional Rights

Diwali: An Interfaith Celebration of Light

Journalism in Today’s India: A Conversation with Veteran Journalists

Date: Sunday, October 19, 2025
Time: 4:00 PM PST
Location: Palo Alto, CA (address shared with all who RSVP)
Languages: Hindi and Englis

Join the Association for India’s Development (AID) for an in-depth discussion with some of India’s leading journalists on the challenges and responsibilities of journalism today—from media freedom and truth-telling to navigating political pressures and censorship.

📩 RSVP for details: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfrh4y7kOuJjyD-hNIpfnEkXlBih_3gyBIpOHGGaOC1Yrd1DA/viewform?pli=1

18th Annual Diwali Celebration: The Spirit of Jahaji
Hosted by the Unitarian Society of Germantown & Hindus for Human Rights

Description:
Join us for a vibrant Diwali celebration honoring the Spirit of Jahaji—the light carried by our immigrant ancestors. This year’s program will reflect on the resilience of Jahajis and their reimagining of Diwali in the Caribbean beyond caste constraints.

HfHR Board Member Ramya Vijaya will speak on the history of indentured labor, the traditions preserved and transformed by migrant communities, and the inspiration we can draw from their endurance and creativity. Several congregants will also share stories of their immigrant ancestors.

This is a two-day, multicultural celebration of light, history, and resilience!

Date & Time:

• Saturday, October 18, 2025

  • 6:00 PM – Diwali Feast

  • 7:00 PM – Program

• Sunday, October 19, 2025 – 10:30 AM (continuing celebration)

Location:
Unitarian Society of Germantown
6511 Lincoln Drive, Philadelphia, PA 19119
Parking: Off Johnson St. (GPS 359 W. Johnson St.)

Details:

• Free & open to the public

• Contact: Andrea Durham (diwali@usguu.org)

Qais Essar & Sonny Singh: SANGAT Album Release Show

Date: Thursday, October 16, 2025
Time: 7:30 PM PT
Location: The Back Room, 1984 Bonita Ave, Berkeley, CA 94704
Tickets: https://events.humanitix.com/qais-essar-and-sonny-singh-sangat-album-release-show

Celebrate the release of SANGAT, a powerful new collaboration between Qais Essar, the Afghan-American rabab virtuoso, and Sonny Singh, the Sikh-American musician known for blending bhakti, bhangra, and resistance anthems.

Know Your Rights at Work + H1B Visa Changes

Date: October 15, 2025
Time: 8 PM EST / 5 PM PST
Location: Online (RSVP link below)
Hosted by: Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF)

About the Event:
Join SALDEF for an essential bilingual (English and Punjabi) webinar to learn about your rights at work and recent changes to H-1B visa rules. This session will cover key topics for immigrant workers, including:

• How new H-1B visa regulations affect you

• What to do if ICE shows up at your workplace

• Employer retaliation and worker protections

• Legal resources available to immigrants

Speakers:

• Lalitha Alladi, Founding Attorney, Alladi Law

• Jaslin Kaur, SALDEF Senior Manager of Civic Engagement and Community Outreach

• Caleb Soto, Director of Worker Rights, NDLON

RSVP: www.saldef.org/kyr

Hindus for Human Rights Philadelphia Chapter Meeting
Date: Saturday, October 11, 2025
Time: 3:30 – 5:30 PM
Location: Center City Philly (exact location provided after RSVP)

Connect with fellow HfHR members and supporters to discuss current and upcoming initiatives in the Philadelphia area. Come together to plan, collaborate, and grow our local impact.

RSVP: Tinyurl.com/PhlOctMeetup

Scan the QR code on the flyer to RSVP directly.