Simran Jeet Singh wins Auburn Seminary’s Walter Wink Scholar-Activist Award
Media Advisory
November 22, 2016
Contact: Aimee Thunberg ([email protected] or 212-370-3184)
Simran Jeet Singh wins Auburn Seminary’s Walter Wink Scholar-Activist Award
Recognized for his hard work against Muslimophobia, Racism, and Xenophobia
NEW YORK — Yesterday Auburn Seminary awarded Simran Jeet Singh, activist and Assistant Professor of Religion at Trinity University, its prestigious Walter Wink Scholar-Activist Award for 2016. The award serves to recognize exceptional faith leaders who have dedicated their lives to advocating social justice activism.
“We are tremendously proud to honor Dr. Simran Jeet Singh with Auburn’s ‘Walter Wink Award for Scholar Activism’ at the American Academy of Religion gathering,” said Auburn’s president, Rev. Dr. Katharine Henderson. “As a powerful public theologian, a beloved teacher, and a faith-rooted activist, Dr. Singh embodies the best of the values of his Sikh faith: seva, sacred service; vismaad, a sense of awe, wonder and hope that sustains us in our work on behalf of others; and chardi kala, resilience even in the face of suffering. We feel that he has been called for such a time as this.”
Singh is a Sikh scholar who has contributed over 50 opinion articles to outlets like The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Guardian. He routinely speaks out publicly about diversity, inclusion, civil rights, religion and hate violence.
“We tend to think of public engagement as tedium, as small victories with little impact, and part of what I’ve learned is there can be a real snowball effect. You never know what part of your work can open up major opportunities and affect meaningful change for society,” said Singh. “As a community, we believe it is wrong to target anybody, Muslims or anyone else, simply because of how they look or what they believe. The Sikh community has responded to Islamophobia by committing to protect the dignity of all people and to fighting the problem of discrimination at its core.”
Given annually at the American Academy of Religion/Society of Biblical Literature Meetings, The Walter Wink Scholar-Activist Award recognizes courageous individuals who dedicate their lives to advocating for justice and peace in our world.
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Auburn Seminary identifies and strengthens leaders — from the pulpit to the public square — to build communities, bridge divides, pursue justice and heal the world.
