Performance Art
The idea for me to dress up as Captain America originated from a NYC based photographer who was working on capturing me as her last subject for a photo essay project, Sikhs: An American Portrait.
I penned an op-ed essay in response to a shooting massacre by a white supremacist on August 5th, 2012 at Milwaukee Gurudwara (Sikh house of worship). This piece, Wham. Bang. Pow. It’s time for a superhero to fight hate crimes was published in Seattle Times which led Fiona to email requesting me to don the uniform of Captain America for a photoshoot.
The photoshoot happened on a beautiful sunny day in June 2013 out on the streets of New York City. Since that day I have been on many missions in this uniform. I went to late night comedy shows. I got to stand with a Vietnam war veteran turned peace activist on the path to the entry of the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland. I joined over a million people at the Women’s March in January 2017. I got to visit NASA Ames Research Center to meet astronauts, see one of the first super computers and stand in the middle of a wind tunnel. One of the best missions is with the youngest of humans across schools in America.
Children ask me the most profound of questions. They see my differences not as an outsider but as a difference. They are open to diverse narratives. They give me hope.
One of my most fun outings was with the crew of Totally Biased with Kamau Bell with host Hari Kondabolu.
I got to work with a group of youth impacted by homelessness in Seattle in partnership with Solid Ground. We created a comics anthology full of stories created by the youth inspired by their strengths, vulnerabilities & dreams for a better world.
