Announcement
We are pleased and humbled to announce that we have appointed Sikh Family Center’s first acting Executive Director, Mallika Kaur!
Mallika is a co-founder of SFC and, until just recently, served as Chair on the Board of Directors. She brings with her nineteen years of experience working directly with victim-survivors of gender violence in various roles, including as an emergency room crisis counselor, attorney, prolific writer, and educator. With a commitment to weaving collaborative networks of change, Mallika has a strong track record working with diverse populations within and outside the Sikh community. She has built crucial partnerships for SFC with other gender justice, racial justice, and immigrant rights organizations. She has also designed creative violence prevention programs for SFC and regularly provides technical assistance and training to our partners. Mallika received her Master in Public Policy from the Kennedy School at Harvard and J.D. from UC Berkeley School of Law, where she also currently teaches skills-based and experiential social justice courses.
Says Mallika: “Taking on this role, to forward a mission so close my heart, is an absolute honor, and I look forward to working even more closely with Sikh Family Center’s talented team. We were, are, and will remain primarily a grassroots community-based organization that believes deeply in the power of the community, drawing from the radical power of Sikhi.”
At the same time, 2020 showed us like never before the need for increased investment in community-based social services and organizing. I am excited to have the opportunity to contribute further to the SFC’s growth at this critical juncture.
“Gendered violence—whether by strangers, or more often, by those in the home—is far from extraordinary. It is, in fact, often just accepted as ordinary. But it doesn’t happen far away, to ‘those people.’ It is all around us, if we are brave enough to see it and Sikh enough to do something about it. Having had the privilege to work and grow with SFC since the start, I know our immense potential as a community to combat the worst and strive towards the justice-oriented mandate of our Gurus. I am constantly inspired by the best of our community!”
As Executive Director, Mallika Kaur will work to immediately increase our network of trained crisis counselors and peer educators, while building our capacity and managing our growing staff. She will build on the strengths within our community, through targeted outreach and engagement with Gurdwaras, Sikh organizations, and other gender justice coalitions.
“Mallika was instrumental in establishing SFC over a decade ago, and we are thrilled that she will have such a pivotal role in shaping SFC’s direction as Acting Executive Director. Her contributions have helped SFC become a leader in the Sikh community on gender-based violence prevention & intervention, and a critical resource for families all over the U.S. We are confident that SFC’s capacity to serve survivors and impact will be amplified under Mallika’s steadfast leadership, talents, tenacity, and vision for a safer present and future for all families.”
–Deep Jodhka, Board Chair
SFC’s staff and Board of Directors are deeply committed to supporting Mallika as she makes the transition to her new role. Thank you to our community for helping to make this step possible, and please join us in welcoming Mallika.
In Chardikala,
Sikh Family Center Board & Staff
Mallika Kaur be reached at mallika@sikhfamilycenter.org