Satyendra Singh Huja-Mayor of US city, Charlottesville

Satyendra Sing Huja

The City Council in Charlottesville, Virginia has voted in longtime resident and city planner Satyendra Singh Huja as their mayor for the next two years. Huja originally comes from Nainital. This is a ground-breaking accomplishment for Sikh Americans, whose acceptance in this country has often been challenged by those ignorant of our physical appearance and articles of faith. Charlottesville is the hometown of American founding father Thomas Jefferson and nearby that of James Madison. The symbolism is two-fold for Sikhs and for America, in that such a person is able to reach the position he has, maintaining his religious articles of faith, in a place that had a role in the founding of this country.