KarunaNews Story

For the last decade, Vishavjit Singh, a cartoonist, has been wondering what would happen if one of the most quintessential American superheroes was a bearded, brown-skinned, turban-wearing Sikh. According to CNN, Singh was pleasantly surprised with people's reactions on the streets of New York City when he donned a Captain America suit for a photo shoot in 2013. Media outlets picked up on the story of the photo shoot and after appearing on late night TV shows, Singh was approached by filmmaker Ryan Westra. Westra and Singh began collaborating together and what followed was the 2013 documentary "Red, White and Beard," and the short animated film, "American Sikh." For Singh, seeing people respond so enthusiastically to a turbaned and bearded Captain America after facing a lifetime of racism and prejudice has been heartening. However, he knows that we still have a long way to go. Singh believes his mission will be achieved when seeing a Sikh in a Captain America suit is as normal as seeing any other person in a superhero costume.