Why so many U.S. schools are adding Sikhism to their curriculum

As a student in New Jersey in 2017, Gurjap Kaur Kohli, now 17, was proud to be a resident of the first state to mandate teaching about Sikhism in schools. Fast forward six years and she’s happy to see more schools adopting the curriculum.

Now, a total of 18 states and Washington, D.C., have passed bills to teach Sikhism in K-12, with the district being the latest to join the growing list. New Jersey began the trend in 2009. Some of the reasons behind the education push include that Sikhs are a growing population in the U.S., bullying toward Sikh students is increasing — with turbans and beards making the group an easy target — and years of advocacy are paying off.