Source: SikhNet News
http://www.sikhnet.com/sikhnet/news.nsf/NewsArchive/7BC105EF5AF004898725717A00653809
On May 22, 2006 SikhNet News reported, "President George W. Bush welcomed over 100 Asians from many backgrounds in a ceremony celebrating the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month in the East room of the White House last week. Among the guests of Asian descent were [the] President’s Cabinet Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta, Secretary of Labor Ellaine Chao, Members of [the] President’s commission on Asian and Pacific Affairs, members of [the] U.S. Armed Forces, Indian, Pakistani and Sikh Americans and religious leaders. Among those invited were Dr. Rajwant Singh, National Chairman of Sikh Council on Religion and Education (SCORE), and his family from Potomac, Maryland, Durga Agrawal from Houston, TX, Akshay Desai from St. Petersburg, FL and Joseph Mellokaran from Overland, KS, both members of the President’s advisory commission on Asian Americans and Pacifics Islanders, Ahmad Kabani from Tallahassee Florida, and Durriya Badani from Northridge, California. Dr. Rajwant Singh, the only Sikh American of Indian descent invited to the event, said, 'It is indeed an honor to be invited to this event celebrating the successes of all Asians in America. Asian and Pacific Americans have contributed immensely to the strength of America. We are proud to have pioneers like Dalip Singh Saund, the first Indian and Sikh American to be the U.S. Congressman and Bhagat Singh Thind who fought for citizenship in 1923 and was denied by the U.S. Supreme Court citing that he was not an Anglo-Saxon. Indians have been part of America over 100 years and they have been on the forefront of American progress in education, science and IT technology. Sikh farmers are cultivating various parts of America and the West Coast and shown results with their hard work. Our community is committed to create harmonious society for all Americans.'”