Op/Ed: Reaction to the GAP Ad

Sarbhat da Bhala. Bhul Chuk Maaf Karna (May good come to all. Please forgive me for any erroneous statements below)

When I first saw Gap’s ad campaign, I was concerned that Gap may have positioned a turban wearing Sikh simply to monetize on his appearance. However, I soon realized that Gap had done us an extraordinary favor, by placing Waris Ahluwalia in prominent locations across the country. Gap has raised the profile of our community in ways we could not have accomplished with our limited resources.

I conservatively estimate that this campaign is worth at least $100 million in brand value. For those of you who are mathematically inclined, each Sikh (man, woman and child) in the U.S. would have had to contribute $200 to fund a national campaign that was as extensive in size and scope as Gap’s.

To me, it’s a matter of pride that a turban is being positioned as a fashion statement. I hope that each individual, who views this marketing campaign, appreciates that turbans are an integral part of the American way of life. We are not foreigners from some distant shore. We are Americans who voluntarily choose to practice Sikhi as a way of life.

Sadly, our community has experienced an onslaught of hate, violence and bigotry ever since the first Sikhs arrived in North America over 100 years ago. I don’t think anyone disagrees that the problem was exacerbated by the horrific attacks on 9/11.

We need more of these campaigns to educate others about who we are and what we look like. If you study women’s fight for equality, the civil rights movement and other struggles for justice, they were not achieved in vacuum. It was only when the broader societal institutions accepted anti-discrimination as a norm, only then was true equality achieved.

We all know that it’s illegal to discriminate on the basis of religion as per the first amendment. However, there are countless young Sikh kids who have been bullied because of their faith or turban wearing individuals who have faced discrimination because of what they look like.

Therefore, I implore you to think about how this campaign (by a corporate entity I may add) has helped advance our struggle to educate others about our faith, culture and way of life. I do appreciate your concern around how Mr. Ahluwalia was positioned. Perhaps, Mr. Ahluwalia should have reflected more deeply about how our community would feel after seeing him in these campaigns. But it’s still a very small oversight in my opinion.

I strongly believe that a demonstration against this ad campaign might stop corporations, who may be willing to use their invaluable resources towards advancing our collective struggle for more visibility and awareness, in the future. As a private citizen, I encourage you to not protest against Gap. Instead, we should be grateful to them for their extraordinary support of the Sikh community. Let’s hope that this is just the beginning and that more entities would rise up to support our community.

https://www.facebook.com/events/321956894610674/