Mosaic - Kehar Singh
1893-1987 | Born in Punjab, India | Arrived on Angel Island in 1913
Kehar Singh was an early Sikh pioneer from the Punjab region of India. He overcame discriminatory laws and attitudes towards South Asians to become a successful farmer and raise his family in Clovis, California.
“Angel Island is a portal into the past, into memory, into the lives of these ancestors who were met with such cruelty and yet still found a way to stand in their dignity.” - Valarie Kaur (Kehar's granddaughter)
Kehar’s British issued passport, c. 1913. Courtesy of Kehar Singh’s family
Kehar left his native village in British-ruled Punjab, India at the age of 19. Many young Sikh men, mostly from farming backgrounds, left Punjab in this period to seek better economic opportunities abroad. After working for two years in Manila and Shanghai, Kehar arrived in San Francisco. He was sent to Angel Island upon arrival, where he spent three months in detention.
An application for a warrant to arrest Kehar and the other Indian immigrants who arrived on his ship, 1913. Source: National Archives and Records Administration
Immigrants from South Asia, especially laborers, faced intense racial discrimination in the 1910s. South Asians were deported at far higher rates than East Asian immigrants. Angel Island officials issued deportation orders for Kehar and the other Indians from his ship. They claimed that the men would not be able to support themselves economically as there was “no demand in this section for that class of labor.” Kehar fought the orders with the help of an American lawyer, and he was finally released on Christmas Eve, 1913.
The Stockton gurdwara was one of the first Sikh temples in the US. Kehar and his brother stand on the right stairway, 1913. Photo public domain
Kehar became a successful farmer in Clovis, California, near Fresno. Many Punjabi farmers settled in the Central Valley. They created a thriving community centered around gurdwaras (Sikh temples). Gurdwaras served the community spiritually, socially, and politically. They published Punjabi language newspapers and provided assistance to new immigrants.
Kehar on the family farm in Clovis, date unknown. Courtesy of Kehar Sing’s family
Clovis was a diverse farming community of immigrants from all over the world. During World War II, Kehar’s Japanese American neighbors were forcibly removed from their land and sent to concentration camps. Kehar took care of their farms while they were incarcerated and even visited them at camp in Poston, Arizona.
Kehar and his five eldest grandchildren, c. 1986. Courtesy of Kehar Singh’s family
In the early 1900s, Anti-Asian laws prevented Kehar and other Asian immigrants from becoming US citizens or owning land. Changes to immigration laws in the 1940s and 1950s gave immigrants more rights. After becoming citizens, immigrants could ask the government to allow their families to join them in the US. Kehar visited India in 1950 and returned to Clovis with his new wife, Dalip. They grew plums, peaches, and strawberries on the family farm. Kehar and Dalip raised four children and later welcomed seven grandchildren.
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