Introduction

My name is Vishavjit Singh. I have been told to go back home a lot over the years. I always go home. But home is not as simple as it sounds. I have had many homes. It all started in Washington DC.

My parents conceived me in Hyattsville, Maryland, a northeast suburb of Washington DC. I was born at Columbia Women's Hospital, which was built in the Civil War era to serve wives of soldiers. I moved with my parents to India when I was 4 years old.

I completed primary schooling in the capital city of Delhi. Along the way, I survived a genocidal massacre of Sikhs in November 1984, the small religious minority my family belongs to. I moved to Los Angeles after high school. I was greeted on the streets with calls of 'Genie', 'Raghead', 'Clown' and some just laughed in my face.

I started college at Ohio State University. After freshman year I transferred to UC Santa Barbara. Santa Barbara is where I lost myself, took off my turban and cut my hair, started on a journey to discover who I really was. On the way to Berkeley for graduate school, I discovered Buddhism and Taoism.

Made a career move to the East Coast to work as an engineer, first in Connecticut. The year was 2000 and I had embraced the Sikh path with my turban and long hair back. The tragedy of 9/11 brought new challenges. Fellow Americans called me 'Osama', 'Taliban' and 'Terrorist', as I made my way down to New York via Stamford and White Plains.

Many have told me to go back home, which I do. New York City is home now. I transitioned to become a cartoonist and started sikhtoons.com, then donned the uniform of Captain America to confront stereotypes and bias. I travel from schools, colleges, companies, like Google, Apple, government agencies, like NASA, libraries, giving talks on diversity, equity, vulnerability, bias and the power of art. I am a storyteller who creates a little confusion, provoking, questions & explorations.