Poor People’s Campaign

“Our allegiance to the spirit of compassion and justice, rooted in our Hindu faith, is what obliges us to join the New Poor People’s Campaign.”

Sadhana has joined Rev. Dr. William James Barber and hundreds of faith leaders from across the United States in support of the Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival, to renew Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s struggle for social justice for this generation.

More information on the National Poor People's Campaign here.
More information on the New York Poor People's Campaign here.
Background on Sadhana and Poor People's Campaign here.
Resources on Hinduism and Poverty here.

Sadhana's Poor People's Campaign Committee

Sunita Viswanath is cofounder and board member of Sadhana, and our representative to the Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival. Sunita leads the committee which oversees Sadhana's engagement in the Poor People's Campaign, consisting of:

Shailly Barnes Gupta, Esq, Sadhana member and Program Manager at Kairos: The Center for Religions, Rights and Social Justice
Pandita Pratima Doobay, Sadhana resident priestess
Pandit Sanjai Doobay, Sadhana spiritual council member
Pranav Gulukota, Sadhana member, IL
Aditi Bhaskar, Sadhana member, CO
Dr. Anantanand Rambachan, Sadhana advisory board member and Professor of Religion, St. Olaf College, Minnesota, MN.

Sadhana Poor People's Campaign Activities:

July 4th Reflection by Pandit Sanjai Doobai, member of Sadhana Spiritual Council

On July 4th, 2020, Sadhana joined with the Poor People’s Campaign to invoke Frederick Douglass’ 1852 speech, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” and expressed our solidarity with and commitment to all whose human rights are not respected in this country and the world. Press coverage.

July 4th Reflection by Pandita Pratima Doobay, Sadhana resident priestess

SADHANA’s July 4th STATEMENT:
Sadhana (a word that means 'faith in action') is an organization of Hindu Americans who are motivated by our faith and the values of Ekatva (Oneness of us all), Ahimsa (Nonviolence and non-harm) and Seva (selfless Service) to work for social justice of all people. We are inspired to be a part of Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival because the tenets of this movement -- to bring the full diversity of people together to address the interlocking injustices of racism, poverty, militarism and ecological devastation -- are in complete resonance with the progressive Hinduism we embrace. And on this particular Fourth of July, we add our voices to all those who are calling for people to unite as one behind the principles of racial and economic justice. We cannot rejoice and celebrate until every person, including the undocumented, enjoys the basic human rights of shelter, healthcare, a fair and just criminal justice system, and the right to breathe!

In the wake of the lynching of George Floyd in Minneapolis and the deaths of over 100,000 in this nation to covid19, Pandit Sanjai Doobay shared this message as part of a Poor People’s Campaign interfaith service on Sunday June 7th, 2020.
NYC Mass Meeting of the New Poor People's Campaign on March 25, 2018 here.
Poor People's Campaign Mass Rallies in Albany, May 14th and June 4th, 2018 here.
First Poor People's Campaign Event in a Hindu Temple, Bhavaanee Maa Mandir, Brooklyn, June 19th, 2018 here.
Poor People's Campaign Mass Rally and March in DC, June 24th, 2018 here.

Background on Sadhana and Poor People's Campaign

Why the Poor People's Campaign is important for all justice-oriented Hindus

We reject the authority of the militant Hindu right, and disavow any idea of Hindutva that seeks to pit us against our brothers and sisters of other faiths, castes, ethnicities, or sexual orientations. Regardless of one’s respective markers of identity, we are committed to honoring the dignity of every human-being, and commit ourselves to challenging the voices of intolerance from both within and outside our religious tradition.

We also reject the idea that we must abandon our faith in order to champion the cause of justice for all. On the contrary, our commitment to social justice is firmly grounded in an intimate and nuanced understanding of our faith, and Sadhana is a mechanism and a platform for Hindus to speak up and act on behalf of the values embedded in our spiritual and ethical traditions.

Our allegiance to the spirit of compassion and justice, rooted in our Hindu faith, is what obliges us to join the New Poor People’s Campaign. We call on like-minded Hindus from across the country, indeed from across the world, to join us in this struggle - in devotion to our shared Sadhana (Faith in Action).

Resources on Hinduism and Poverty

Reflection on Hinduism and Poverty, by Shailly Barnes, 2010
Hindus and the Poor People’s Campaign: A Religious and Moral Obligation, by Dr. Anantanand Rambachan, 2018
The Shakti – life force – of the poor today, by Shailly Barnes, 2018

NYC Mass Meeting of the New Poor People's Campaign

At the NYC Mass Meeting of the New Poor People's Campaign on March 25, 2018, Sadhana board member Udit Thakur shared this meditation on the importance of compassion and duty to our shared Hindu faith; a poem by the famous Tulsidas (among Gandhi-ji’s favorites):

"Daya Dharam ka mool hai,
Pap mool abhiman,
Tulsi daya na chhodiye jab lag ghat main pran

Compassion is the root of duty,
As egotism is of sin,
Tulsi says you should not be rid of compassion for as long as you live.

Poor People's Campaign Mass Rallies in Albany

Sadhana participated in the PPC 40-Days of Moral Direct Action Campaign, beginning on May 14th (Mother’s Day) 2018, directed at our leaders in State and Federal Office. On Sunday May 14th, and again on June 4th, Sadhana cofounder Sunita Viswanath was among among the speakers at the Poor People’s Campaign rally at West Capitol Park, Albany, NY.

First Poor People's Campaign Event in a Hindu Temple, Bhavaanee Maa Mandir, Brooklyn, June 19th, 2018

We are so proud of and grateful to Bhavaanee Maa Mandir, Brooklyn, for hosting the first ever Poor People's Campaign event to take place in a Hindu temple.

As stated in our press release for this event: "We inaugurate our support for the Poor People's Campaign, a nationwide movement to continue Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s fight against poverty, racism, climate change, and violence. Dr. King, in turn was inspired in part by Mahatma Gandhi, and the Poor People’s Campaign embraces the method of non-violent resistance, which was the hallmark of both Gandhi and King. The Poor People’s Campaign strikes a chord with groups that Sadhana regularly engages, including New York City’s Hindu community.

New York City’s Hindu community is comprised predominantly of South Asians hailing from Guyana, Trinidad, India, Bangladesh, and Suriname. While South Asians, which include Indo-Caribbeans, are often viewed as a “model minority,” a significant percentage of South Asians live at or below the poverty line, according to the latest available U.S. Census data. South Asians in America are not just medical professionals and information technology employees as stereotypes often portray them. They also assume lower-wage jobs such as taxi cab drivers, restaurant workers, construction workers, and retail sales workers. Many South Asians struggle to pay for college, housing, healthcare, etc. and have limited English proficiency. With the majority of South Asians in the U.S. being foreign born, many are also undocumented and living in the shadows of fear.

The majority of Hindus in New York City are located in Queens, where dozens of temples exist. Indo-Caribbean Hindus are an ever-growing population, with Guyanese being the second largest immigrant population in Queens according to the New York City Department of City Planning."

Kajal Magazine wrote a beautiful article about Sadhana and this event.

Sadhana cofounder Aminta Kilawan Narine wrote this piece about this event in The West Indian.