Tag: Sikh

Crowdfunding, Interview1 Comment

Why this ‘American Sikh’ Cosplays as Captain America

Swara Salih

Animator and cosplayer Vishavjit Singh has experienced tremendous trauma in his life. He survived a genocide against Sikh people in India as a young boy, and after he and his family fled to the US, he’s constantly experienced racism and Islamophobia (despite not being Muslim) in the pre- and post-9/11 era. Despite all of this, he remains an optimist for people to treat each other better, and found through his regular cosplaying as Captain America that he could somehow achieve that. But what drew him to this initially?

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Interview, Movies

Seeing the Light with ‘Blinded by the Light’ Director Gurinder Chadha

Mike Manalo

Recently, The Nerds of Color was honored to be able to interview some of the cast and the director of Blinded by the Light, an excellent movie about how music can inspire us to chase our dreams and overcome the hardships of growing up. To countdown to the movie’s release on August 16, we’ll be releasing a series of interviews throughout the week chronicling what the dedicated filmmakers behind the film had to say about culture, music, racism, and dreams. To continue this series, we had the privilege of sitting down with acclaimed director, Gurinder Chadha (Bend it Like Beckham) to discuss the film and the power of dreams. Here’s what she had to say:

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Interview, Movies

Taking on the “Badlands” with ‘Blinded by the Light’ Star Aaron Phagura

Mike Manalo

In a summer of legendary musician-inspired stories (e.g. Rocketman and Yesterday) Blinded by the Light, the new film from Bend It Like Beckham director Gurinder Chadha, genuinely separates itself from the pack. This is a film that’s, not only about  legendary music (in this case Bruce Springsteen’s music), but also speaks directly about how the power of music can provide encouragement for chasing ones dreams and promote acceptance within conservative cultures. Recently, The Nerds of Color was honored to be able to interview some of the cast and the director of the film. Thus, to countdown to the movie’s release on August 16, we’ll be releasing a series of interviews throughout the week chronicling what the dedicated filmmakers behind the film had to say about culture, music, racism, and dreams.

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Comics, Hard N.O.C. Life

Vishavjit Singh is the Captain America We Deserve

The Nerds of Color

We continue our special editions of Hard NOC Life recorded exclusively from the NOC Reading Lounge at CTRL+ALT, the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center’s pop-up culture lab in the former Pear River Mart location in SoHo. Today’s one-on-one conversation features Sikh Captain America himself, cartoonist Vishavjit Singh.

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Cosplay, Guest Post3 Comments

Who is Captain America Going To Vote For?

Guest N.O.C.

by Vishavjit Singh | Originally posted at Medium.com

Who would the 75 year old quintessential American superhero vote for in the 2016 Presidential election today? For starters, Captain America does not exist. But although he might be fictional his mythology is palpable. Its ethereal connection to us Americans has a physical manifestation.

Trust me. I know. I get to don the uniform of this character armed with my turban and beard. I have traveled from Maine to California to Mississippi to Michigan to the RNC convention in Cleveland engaging fellow Americans from all walks of life.

This uniform has allowed for conversations to start in the midst of fear and ambivalence. It has allowed for common bonds to emerge despite our perceived and real differences

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Interview, Movies11 Comments

Sikh Captain America: The Man Behind the Shield

Alice Wong

Is America ready for a Sikh Captain America — a superhero fighting hate crimes and intolerance? In the wake of 9/11, the massacre of Sikh Americans in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, and America post-Ferguson, my answer is a resounding yes! If superheroes can battle aliens, cyborgs, and fellow villainous superheroes, why can’t there be one that fights for social and racial justice?

In 2013, cartoonist Vishavjit Singh wore a Captain America costume for the first time with a royal blue turban to match his ensemble. The short documentary Red, White, and Beard is a quirky, lighthearted glance into Sikh Captain America and the man behind this growing phenomenon.

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Guest Post, Interview

My Chance Encounter as Captain America with a 9/11 Responder

Guest N.O.C.

by Vishavjit Singh | Originally posted at Medium.com

On a hot July summer day in New York City, I was working with a film crew hopping in and out of the subway in my costume as Captain America. We stepped out on one of the stops and after shooting for a few hours in Washington Square Park hopped back on the subway. That is when a couple spotted me and appeared amazed at having seen me a second time on the subway that day. The wife initiated the encounter and I sat down next to them for a few brief moments. The couple was from Arizona, and they were in town primarily to tick an item off the husband’s bucket list. To attend an Arsenal soccer match. They asked me what I doing, and I summarized the motivation of my social experiment. I stepped out on my next stop.

We finished the film shooting the next day. Two days later I received an email titled “Our chance encounter” from a sergeant in an Arizona police department. It was one of the most touching mails I have ever received.

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