Simran Jeet Singh: Dreaming of Radical Introspection

Dreaming in Color

Welcome to Dreaming in Color, a show hosted by Darren Isom, a partner with The Bridgespan Group, that provides a space for social change leaders of color to reflect on how their life experiences, personal and professional, have prepared them to lead and drive the impact we all seek.

In this episode, we welcome Simran Jeet Singh, a scholar, author, and champion of equity, who leads Aspen Institute's Religion & Society program. He is the author of The Light We Give: How Sikh Wisdom Can Transform Your Life and the children's book, Fauja Singh Keeps Going. He's also a visiting professor of history and religion at Union Theological Seminary, a Soros Equity fellow with the Open Society Foundations. In 2020, Time Magazine recognized him among 16 people fighting for more equal America.

Join this conversation as Simran takes us on a journey of radical introspection. He talks about how growing up as a Sikh in South Texas helped him to better serve the most vulnerable communities, he challenges us all to change the rules that foster inequity, and candidly shares how meeting his hero forced him to confront his own biases on who society celebrates.

This is Dreaming in Color.

Jump straight into:

(0:28) Introducing Dr. Simran Jeet Singh: Executive Director of the Religion & Society Program at the Aspen Institute.

(1:22) Simran draws inspiration from Sikh scripture.

(7:54) Diving into Seva, the Sikh practice of selfless love inspired service and living into your values.

(15:01) Exploring the Sikh wisdoms of individual divinity - seeing the light in yourself, seeing the light in others and balancing humility with a sense of self worth.

(25:49) On telling diverse stories, the inspiration behind Simran’s children’s book, and challenging our own biases.

(28:47) A look into radical Introspection through spiritual practice and building softness through grace.

Episode Resources

• Connect with Simran through LinkedIn
• Learn more about Simran’s through his website
• Read Simran’s recent books The Light We Give: How Sikh Wisdom Can Transform Your Life and Fauja Singh Keeps Going: The True Story of the Oldest Person to Ever Run a Marathon
• Discover how we can all lean into Seva through Simran’s Time article, The Sikh Idea of Seva is an Antidote to Our Current Malaise
• Learn more about the Aspen Institute
• Explore the work of Gunisha Kaur, Simran’s wife, as the Founding Director of Cornell University’s Human Rights Impact Lab