NEWSLETTER

We've joined a multifaith coalition alongside Interfaith Alliance, Muslims for Progressive Values, and SALDEF to file a lawsuit against the Trump-Vance administration's unlawful "Religious Liberty Commission". With a panel that includes all Christian leaders and one conservative Jewish rabbi, this commission has been intentionally structured and operated in such a manner that elevates a narrow and exclusionary understanding of religious liberty. 

As our Senior Policy Director, Ria Chakrabarty, said, "Religious liberty means religious liberty for everyone, not just one faith community." We will continue to fight for the rights of all people -- of faith and no faith -- and we're not afraid to confront anyone who challenges this core human right. 

Migration isn't an exception in human history -- it's a constant. At a moment when migration is increasingly politicized, criminalized, and misrepresented, we invite emerging artists and writers in high school and college to reflect on movement, borders, and belonging through personal, historical, and creative lenses. 

Awardees will receive scholarships of $1500 each. Deadline to submit pieces is June 1st, 2026.  

Ready to learn more and explore your migration story?

Nikhil Gupta’s guilty plea on February 13, 2026 in the attempted murder of U.S. citizen Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in New York City is a stark marker of the threat. We call on the U.S. government to use all legal options to hold accountable any Indian officials alleged to be involved in the murders and attempted murders of American citizens.

In particular, American and Canadian officials must investigate whether available mechanisms, including sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Act and additional visa bans, apply to Home Minister Amit Shah. 

When our NYC Organizer Vrinda Jagota headed in for a final round interview for a grant with the NYC Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes, she was ready to advocate for our work and push for us to get funding for us to continue our initiatives city wide. 

After several almost hilariously tough questions, her interviewer pulled out a check and announced that Hindus for Human Rights had received a grant to launch our Eid/Holi/Vaisakhi for Intercultural Solidarity project—bringing Hindu, Sikh, Muslim, and allied communities together through youth roundtables and public celebrations. 

Thank you so much to the NYC Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes for helping us continue our progressive, community-oriented programming across the city! We can't wait to launch this project and future initiatives, and we couldn't do it without your help.

HfHR now has a sister political organization, Hindus for Human Rights Action. Hindus for Human Rights Action is having an official launch event on February 25th at Saar in NYC, featuring an incredible lineup of guests.

It’s set to be an energizing evening—recognizing what progressive movements have achieved, and what’s at stake in this pivotal year for American democracy.

February 20th, 2026: Washington, DC Interfaith Iftar

Join Hindus for Human Rights and partners for an interfaith iftar welcoming the arrival of Ramadan. This gathering offers a warm space for people of many faiths and traditions to break bread together and connect with the D.C. Muslim community in a spirit of solidarity and shared values. Learn more here. 

February 20th, 2026: HfHR Los Angeles Chapter Homebound Screening & Discussion 

Join the Los Angeles Chapter of Hindus for Human Rights for a special screening and community discussion of Homebound, Neeraj Ghaywan’s Oscar-nominated 2025 film. Together, we’ll engage the film’s themes and explore the social, cultural, and political questions it raises in a thoughtful, community-centered space. Come connect with fellow Angelenos committed to human rights, justice, and meaningful dialogue through art and storytelling. Learn more here.

February 22nd, 2026: Know Your Rights Training in Corvallis, OR 

South Asians are increasingly being targeted by immigration enforcement. This community-focused Know Your Rights session will cover best practices for interacting with immigration authorities, including what to do if ICE comes to your door, guidance for international travel, and steps to take if a friend or family member is detained. Learn more here. 

February 25th, 2026: Day of Remembrance Interfaith Vigil  

Hosted by the Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity in honor of the Day of Remembrance, this interfaith vigil commemorates the forced incarceration of over 125,000 persons of Japanese ancestry by the U.S. government and calls for solidarity with communities currently facing detention and deportation.

The gathering will include ceremony, ritual, music, and testimony from former WWII incarcerees and present-day community members impacted by ICE detention. Learn more here. 

February 28th, 2026: Community Teach-In: From South Asia to Palestine

A community teach-in exploring the global connections between Hindutva and Zionism, with a focus on ethno-nationalism, authoritarianism, and shared political strategies. This session connects political education to local organizing and collective liberation, bringing together voices from South Asian and Palestinian solidarity movements. Learn more here. 

March 14th, 2026: HfHR Philadelphia Chapter Homebound Screening & Discussion

Join the Philadelphia Chapter of Hindus for Human Rights for a screening and discussion of Homebound (2025). The film explores friendship, migration, and dignity against the backdrop of social and economic precarity. The screening will be followed by a facilitated conversation connecting the film’s themes to questions of justice, belonging, and human rights. Learn more here. 

Hindus for Human Rights joins millions of others from around the world in mourning the loss of Reverend Jesse Louis Jackson. A vital force within the American Civil Rights Movement, Reverend Jackson's commitment to our values of peace, justice, and truth shown through in his leadership, work, and desire to make positive change, and we know his spirit lives on in human rights work throughout the country. 

Hindus for Human Rights had the profound privilege of meeting Reverend Jackson in Selma, Alabama during our early years as an organization in 2022. That encounter affirmed for us that struggles for justice are deeply interconnected – across race, faith, and geography. We carry a cherished photo from that early meeting as a reminder of the responsibility he modeled: to build bridges where others build walls.

Our Executive Director Sunita Viswanath joined a Manhattan borough-wide Know Your Rights training held by Hands Off NYC to speak on her experiences joining a 1000-person interfaith delegation Minneapolis, in which leaders were oriented by local organizers and then asked to step into real-time community defense: protesting at ICE headquarters, supporting dispatch, and joining patrols meant to observe, record, and report ICE activity.

In the NYC area and want to get involved with Know Your Rights work? Connect with Hands Off NYC to find upcoming trainings and ways to get involved—whether that’s getting trained, supporting mutual aid, or joining community-based rapid response and documentation efforts.

Our Deputy Executive Director Sravya Tadepalli connected with Sidharth Bhatia on The Wire Talks podcast to discuss the climate of fear and anxiety building in the Indian American community as ICE ramps up its attacks on immigrant communities. 

“Indians are the third most undocumented community in America. Among Indians there is a perception that we are all here legally, as tech workers, doctors, but many Indians are not in a position of privilege," says Sravya, going on to speak about the many initiatives Hindus for Human Rights has ran to combat ICE's vicious campaign, including partnering with local mandirs to distribute Know Your Rights materials. 

Hindutva Supremacists Lecture the British Government About Islamophobia

Our UK Director, Rajiv Sinha, writes for The Canary about the rise of Hindutva ideologies across the United Kingdom, pinpointing the actions of the Hindu Council UK in particular. 

Hinduism in America:

If Most Stay, Why the Alarm? 

Our Deputy Executive Director Sravya Tadepalli's new op-ed for The Print dives into why Hinduism must adopt and reform to more inclusive values in order to maintain a vibrant youth culture and contingent. 

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The HfHR weekly digest serves as your weekly guide to progressive Hindu advocacy. Find things you can do to take action, articles to read, podcast episodes to listen to, and more!

*Note: Readings are curated from a diverse range of sources and do not necessarily represent the views of HfHR.

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