Tennessee State Board of Education Nashville, TN 37243

[Pages:1]June 30, 2017

Tennessee State Board of Education 710 James Robertson Parkway, 1st Floor Nashville, TN 37243

Re: Tennessee Standards Review

Dear Colleagues:

We, the undersigned citizens of Tennessee, respectfully request inclusion of Sikhism ? the world's fifth largest religion ? in our state's social studies standards. As of March 29, 2017, the draft standards mention Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam1 but are historically inaccurate insofar as they fail to include Sikhism and fail to account for the contributions that Sikh Americans have made to the fabric of our state and nation.

Many of us are parents and grandparents or belong to families with children. We can attest that our children's education is enriched when they learn about the values of diversity and inclusivity that make our nation great. Putting these values into practice means giving all children ? including Sikh American children in Tennessee ? a sense that their stories are part of the larger American story.

Our understanding is that you will be finalizing the social studies standards in July. Please ensure that these standards include Sikhism among the world's religions, and please accept our gratitude for your consideration and service to our state.

Respectfully submitted,

Rabbi Saul Strosberg Congregation Sherith Israel Nashville, TN

Lori O'Connor St. Peter Catholic Church Memphis, TN

Imam Ossama Bahloul, PhD Islamic Center of Nashville Nashville, TN

Joyce Wilding United Religions Initiative Nashville, TN

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