[BCMA] Speaker Series: Learning and Unlearning the Sikh Practice of Keeping Kesh

[Moderated BCMA subscriber listserv]

Hello!

The Museum has an upcoming speaker series on October 21st from 12-1pm. As we welcome our newest exhibit "Our Complicated Relationship with Hair", we wanted to do a virtual discussion on Kesh. This is a free discussion, led by Dr. Sharn Sandhra, and we would love to sign up classrooms, museum professionals, library professionals, or even individuals who want to learn something new.
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me. I've included some information about the session, how to register, and our speaker below. Thank you so much for your time!

Speaker Series: Learning and Unlearning the Sikh Practice of Keeping Kesh
Join Dr. Sharanjit Kaur Sandhra (Sharn) to learn more about the Sikh tradition of keeping kesh (unshorn hair), and its significance to the Sikh faith, both historically, and in present day. Sharn will dispel the myths about the Sikh practice of keeping hair which can often lead to ongoing forms of discrimination against the Sikh community. She will also provide intercultural shared beliefs on the significance of hair that are shared with Indigenous values to help foster the global understanding that hair is indeed political, art, aesthetic, power, and belief. The learning opportunity will also allow audience members to ask questions in a safe space as a way to move beyond misinformation to learning and building bridges.
When: Wednesday, October 21, 2026, 12-1pm
Where: Online via Microsoft Teams
Cost: Free
How to Register: Call/Email the Museum of Surrey: 604-592-6956 | museum at surrey.ca<mailto:museum at surrey.ca>
OR Register online: cityofsurrey.perfectmind.com/23615<https://cityofsurrey.perfectmind.com/23615/Clients/BookMe4LandingPages/CoursesLandingPage?widgetId=b4059e75-9755-401f-a7b5-d7c75361420d&redirectedFromEmbededMode=False&courseId=98826f54-abab-4c7b-82e9-908a84b3e762>


More About our Speaker: Dr. Sharanjit Kaur Sandhra (Sharn)
Dr. Sharanjit Sandhra (Sharn) is a Historian, educator, storyteller, and founder of Belonging Matters Consulting. Sharn has more than two decades of experience in museum curation, community heritage work, and mentoring youth. She became the first Punjabi and Sikh to complete her PhD from the Department of History at UBC in 2022. Her PhD looks at the affective experiences of museum visitors through a critical race theory lens with the dissertation is titled “Museums as Spaces of Belonging: Racialized Power in the Margins.” Sharn is a passionate activist and dynamic storyteller, building bridges between community and academia. She has been featured in the Knowledge Network series “B.C: An Untold History,” is co-author of "Challenging Racist BC: 150 Years and Counting," and has been featured on local, and international podcasts and media.


Thank you,

Zoé

Zoé Lauzé (She/Her) | Community Service Assistant
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 CITY OF SURREY

Museum of Surrey

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