Kartar Kaur Dhillon (Punjabi: ਕਰਤਾਰ ਕੌਰ ਢਿੱਲੋਂ) was a Punjabi Sikh American political activist and writer from California. Dhillon grew up in the Ghadar Party, working to end British colonialism in India.[1] As an activist, she supported unions, the Black Panther Party, farm workers, political prisoners, and the Korean reunification movement.[1][2][3]
Kartar Kaur Dhillon | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | April 30, 1915 |
| Died | June 15, 2008 (aged 94) |
| Occupation | Activist |
| Spouse | Suraj Singh Gill (separated) |
Early life edit
Her father, Bakshish Singh Dhillon was one of the first Punjabi Sikh pioneers to arrive in the United States in 1897, with her mother, Rattan Kaur joining him in 1910.[4] Kartar Dhillon was the fourth child out of the total eight in the family.[5][6] At the time she was born, their family was the only South Asian family in Simi Valley.[6] From 1916 to 1922, she and her family lived in Astoria, Oregon, where she and her siblings attended school and her father worked at a lumber mill.[7][8]
During World War II edit
As a part of the war effort, Dhillon worked as a machinist and truck driver from the Marine Corps. Her youngest brother, Hari, also volunteered for the Marine Corps and was killed in action in Okinawa in 1945 at the age of 18.[citation needed]
Later works and retirement edit
She picked crops, worked as a waitress, and was the secretary for the San Francisco, Teamsters and Asbestos Worker's unions. She retired in 1983.[2]
Her writing included "The Parrot's Beak," an autobiographical essay about her early life published in Making Waves: An Anthology of Writings By and About Asian American Women.[9] In 1994, at age 80, Dhillon founded the Chaat Collective, a South Asian American art and performance collective.[10]
Death edit
She died on June 15, 2008, in Berkeley, California.[11] She is survived by two children, nine grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren.[12]
Media edit
See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b Pisani, Dildar Gill (1999). Kim, Hyung-chan (ed.). Distinguished Asian Americans: A Biographical Dictionary. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 85–88. ISBN 0313289026.
- ^ a b "Kartar Dhillon". The Daily Journal. July 1, 2008. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
- ^ "5 South Asian Americans You Should Know About". South Asian American Digital Archive. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
- ^ "Kartar Dhillion | Pioneering Punjabis Digital Archive". pioneeringpunjabis.ucdavis.edu. Retrieved 2022-09-15.
- ^ Mann, Gurinder Singh; Numrich, Paul; Williams, Raymond (2007-12-03). Buddhists, Hindus, and Sikhs in America. Oxford University Press. p. 97. ISBN 9780198044246.
- ^ a b Shandas, Padma (2005). Spices in the Melting Pot: Life Stories of Exceptional South Asian Immigrant Women. Orange Tree Pub. p. 12. ISBN 9780976174202.
- ^ a b Bhatt, Amy; Iyer, Nalini (2013-05-15). Roots and Reflections: South Asians in the Pacific Northwest. Seattle, Washington: University of Washington Press. pp. 41–45. ISBN 978-0-295-80455-2.
- ^ "Interview with the Iron Lady ~ Kartar Kr Dhillon". SikhNet. 2008-07-10. Retrieved 2022-09-06.
- ^ Asian Women United of California (1989). Making Waves: An Anthology of Writing By And About Asian American Women. Beacon Press. ISBN 0807059056.
- ^ "Chaat: What is Chaat". Chaat: Voices from the South Asian Diaspora. Chaat. Archived from the original on 1998-02-12. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
- ^ "Interview with the Iron Lady ~ Kartar Kr Dhillon". SikhNet. 2008-07-10. Retrieved 2022-08-01.
- ^ "Honoring Kartar Dhillon, Political Organizer and Writer". The Heretic. Retrieved 2022-09-15.
- ^ Anderson, Erika Surat. "Turbans". Erika Surat Anderson. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
- ^ "Kartar Dhillon". IMDb. Retrieved 2017-12-01.
- ^ Andersen, Erika Surat. "'Turbans' – 30 minute film for PBS". Erika Surat Andersen. Retrieved 2017-12-01.