Undivided is an independently produced television series of half-hour shows that examines the fight for religious freedom throughout American history.

Our host is bestselling author, religion scholar, podcaster, and media commentator Dr. Simran Jeet Singh.

Each episode, we investigate how a different religious community has contributed to the tapestry of America, how these groups have been portrayed in popular media, and how we are all affected by these narratives.

In this episode, Simran explores the themes of service, assimilation and belonging through the experience of the Sikh American community.

The central question of this episode's story is: Who is invited to become American - as citizens and in public service?

Our show structure looks at three moments in American history. This episode focuses on the turn of the 1900s, mid-century during the 1950s-60s, and the present era.

We will begin by profiling farmers and business owners who embody the entrepreneurial spirit of the earliest Sikh immigrants to the United States, their contributions to the farming communities and agricultural industry of the early 1900s, as well as the hostilities and xenophobia they faced as a misunderstood religious and ethnic minority group.

Next we will look at how as the community established themselves, American-born Sikhs, inspired by the value of Seva (or 'service to others'), looked for more prominent roles in society (such as in business and politics). And we will ask how this desire to serve bumped up against cultural requirements to assimilate.

We will continue to explore the struggle to fully participate in society today while maintaining one's conviction to Sikh values by examining contemporary religious freedom cases, such as turban and beard-wearing Sikhs serving in the military.

In summary, our thesis is that the story of Sikh Americans is unfinished; that each generation weaves further into the national fabric while continuing to redefine what living out Sikh principles looks like in practice.

Each episode will use a combination of personal narrative, expert historical analysis, and striking cinematography to explore the role of religion in American society. Our host will weave his personal experience into a story that invites the viewer on an educational journey, featuring cinematic visuals and a rich array of archival material.

Interviews will give audiences the feeling that they are traveling alongside Simran as he conducts his interviews and visits historic sites.

We will draw on personal family photo archives and home videos from Simran to give viewers an intimate connection with him as host. Our goal is to make viewers comfortable with Simran as a person and get to know him personally. In this way, audiences will trust Simran not only as an expert, and a capable and engaging host, but as a friend.

We plan to use the following elements within the series:

Personal storytelling - first-person anecdotes to help audiences connect with the subject matter on a deeper level. Interviews with individuals who have experienced the events being explored to illustrate broader themes.

Archival footage and images - visuals from news events and historic collections, animated to help viewers have a full, dynamic picture of the events being discussed.

Expert analysis and interviews - Multiple, short interviews with leaders in the fields being explored (change makers, scholars, activists, entrepreneurs) to provide analysis and context.

Experiential immersion - Simran will participate in experiences related to the topic being explored, such as examining an almond harvest at magic hour in Sacramento County, singing kirtan at the Gurdwara Sahib in Stockton, or dancing at the annual Nagar Kirtan parade in Yuba City. This immersive approach will help viewers to better understand the experiences in the stories and identify with participants.

Reflection - Each episode will offer some form of reflection or conclusion, such as highlighting potential solutions to the issues discussed, or exploring ways in which individuals or communities are working to create positive change.

Music - Our dynamic soundtrack by Rajuju Brown will blend contemporary and traditional South Asian sounds to deepen the audience experience that complements the visual style of the show.

Animation - We will create a consistent and cohesive style to present archival photos and film material, as well as original cinematic motion graphics for all text and title elements.

As an independent project, 'Undivided' is being developed episode by episode as we are able to secure funding for the series.

Production is complete on our first episode focused on Muslim stories, with a fine cut of the show awaiting further funding to complete finishing costs. We have also conducted multiple test screenings with our draft to gauge audience feedback; and met with a half-dozen PBS affiliates, securing letters of interest to air the series once it is completed.

Our second and third episodes, focused on Jewish and Latter-day Saints stories, are in pre-production with funding secured to cover research, story development, production, and begin post-production. We anticipate completing production by spring 2025, and post-production in fall 2025.

For our fourth episode, focused on Sikh stories, we have begun our research and scripting stage, assembled our advisory team, and received letters of support from foundations interested in providing financial support for our show (as detailed in this proposal).

With your contributions, we will start in earnest to achieve the following milestones:

Spring 2025: Pre-Production research and story development
Summer 2025: Production on location in California and NY/NJ
Fall 2025: Post-production; preview screenings with community collaborators and test audiences
Winter 2025: Completion of episode in preparation for broadcast

We invited you to contribute to make this landmark project a success!