Stories That Transform Children

SikhRI connects people with the teachings of Sikhi and strengthens the bonds of the Sikh community around the world by offering courses and seminars in a variety of mediums.

Inni Kaur is the Creative Director at the Sikh Research Institute (SikhRI). She has served SikhRI in several capacities since 2010, including Chair of the Board, and most recently as CEO. As an accomplished representative of the Sikh community, she is a dedicated advocate for raising awareness of key interfaith and women’s issues. Her list of achievements includes addressing the U.S. Office of the Pentagon Chaplin several times, speaking at Yale, Fairfield, Columbia, and other Universities, as well as presenting to the Connecticut Board of Education and local police departments to further the dialogue regarding the Sikh identity.

Inni Kaur is an esteemed and passionate author, poet, and painter. Recently, she broadened her creative artistry into publishing a children’s book series, Journey with the Gurus, that is inspired by the life and teachings of Guru Nanak Sahib. Her other children’s books are Sakhi-Time with Nani ji, Thank-You, Vahiguru, Daddy’s Turban, and The Story of Us. All of her works can be found at innikaur.com. She is passionately involved in trans-creating Sabad and the writings of Bhai Vir Singh. She is a prolific spiritual writer whose work is featured on Sikhchic.com and SikhRI.org.

Inni Kaur has been featured in documentaries related to the Sikh faith. She also worked on I See No Stranger: Early Sikh Art & Devotion exhibit with the Rubin Museum of Art, NY. In 2018 she worked on the exhibit Guru Gobind Sahib: Emperor-Prophet and in 2020 she co-curated the exhibit Guru Nanak Sahib: 1-Ness to 1-Identity.

Inni Kaur is an active member on the Board of the Interfaith Council of Southern Connecticut, an organization devoted to increasing interfaith understanding. She serves on the editorial board of Nishaan, a magazine celebrating Sikh heritage, and is also a board member for Munshi Bishan Singh Kochhar Foundation. In addition, she continues to extend her services and expertise on the Advisory Board of the Sikh Family Center, serves as a local Justice of the Peace, and is a member of the racial, equity, and justice task force in her city.

Following a unique, transnational path, Inni Kaur was born in Kuwait, and lived in New Zealand, Australia, and Greece, before relocating to the United States. Today, she resides in Fairfield, Connecticut, USA, and continues to bring multifaceted perspectives to her work.

Deanna Singh is recognized as a leading authority in building innovative opportunities within underserved communities.

As Chief Change Agent and Founder of Flying Elephant, Deanna is a highly respected thought leader, who has spent almost 20 years researching, designing and building asset-based solutions to complex social challenges. Today she travels the world inspiring and educating audiences.

A gifted communicator, entrepreneurial businesswoman, and trailblazer Deanna’s interactive style combines personal stories with authenticity, vulnerability, and humor that takes the audience on a journey of self- discovery.

Her social entrepreneurship and advocacy experience also included leadership positions with Dohmen Constellations, The Burke Foundation, The Robert W. Baird Foundation, Milwaukee Renaissance Academy, Legal Action of Wisconsin, and The Milwaukee Street Law Project. Singh also has served as an adjunct professor at Marquette University Graduate and Law School. She authored three children’s books I Am a Boy of Color, I Am a Girl of Color, and Cloth Crown and leadership book, Purposeful Hustle. She also is a featured TEDx speaker.

Singh was recognized by the Milwaukee Business Journal as one of the community’s most influential 40 under 40 leaders and the 8 Under 40 to Watch for the University of Wisconsin School of Business. She is also the recipient of the United Way’s Philanthropic Five Award, Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction Leadership Development Hero Award, and was a White House Fellowship Regional Finalist.

She currently serves on the national boards of LIFT and College Possible. She is also a member of the Milwaukee Public Schools Foundation. Past board roles include but are not limited to First Stage Milwaukee, Marquette University’s College of Professional Studies Advisory Board, and the Wisconsin Bar Association’s Diversity Committee.

A native of Milwaukee, Singh earned her Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies from Fordham University, a Juris Doctorate from Georgetown University, a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin, Madison and certified in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion from Cornell University. She is also a trained Labor and Birth Doula and serves as the co-founder of Birth Coach Milwaukee.

Singh lives in Wisconsin with her husband, Justin, and two sons, Zion and Zephaniah.

This February, Deanna will be hosting a 3-day virtual summit, "How to Bean Ally," Learn a healthy, positive framework for talking about and taking action on racial equity in the workplace. For more information and to register click here: https://www.upliftingimpact.com/how-to-be-an-ally-summit?__hstc=58382837.fcf326474c60e6f0f1179e80966aa193.1600131732646.1600481188290.1600550707780.5&__hssc=58382837.1.1600550707780&__hsfp=96311213

Simran Jeet Singh is a writer, teacher, scholar, and activist. He is a Soros Equality Fellow with the Open Society Foundation, a Racial Equity Media Fellow with the Interfaith Youth Core, and a Senior Fellow for the Sikh Coalition. He also hosts two shows: a video web series titled Anti-Racism as a Spiritual Practice and Spirited, an interview-based podcast that explores diverse perspectives on faith and justice.

Simran is the author of a new children's book from Penguin Random House (Kokila)– Fauja Singh Keeps Going: The True Story of the Oldest Person to Ever Run a Marathon – the first from a major publisher to feature a Sikh story. Simran is currently writing an adult non-fiction book for Penguin Random House (Riverhead) entitled More of This Please: Sikh Wisdom for the Soul.

Simran serves on presidential candidate Joe Biden’s AAPI Faith Advisory Committee and Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Interfaith Advisory Committee. He is a columnist for Religion News Service, a spiritual/religious life advisor at NYU and Columbia University, and a visiting professor at Union Seminary. This fall, Simran is teaching a program at Columbia University and Trinity University on Anti-Racism as a Spiritual Practice.

Simran is a highly sought-out speaker on topics of diversity, equity, and inclusion. He offers programs for all ages and audiences, from preschool educators and high school students to university campuses and corporate workplaces. He is especially passionate about teaching anti-racism through building empathy and reflecting on our core values.

Growing up as a turban-wearing Sikh in South Texas, Simran learned early that marginalized groups will not lecture their way into dignity and that empathy is truly built when people get to know each other as human beings. This realization is what brought him into the deep work of empathy-building as an approach for personal development and social change.