The lecture “From Stockton, California to Oak Creek, Wisconsin: A Sikh Century in the United States” is open to students, faculty and the general public.

Sikhs have lived in Northern California for the last 100 years, said Dr. Phyllis K. Herman, professor of Religious studies at CSUN and coordinator of CSUN’s Asian studies interdisciplinary program.

Sikh scholar Gurinder Singh Mann will discuss the history of Sikh in America and the shooting that occurred in a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisc., on Aug. 5.

“It’s not the first time Sikhs have been targeted; they have been mistaken for being Muslims because they wear turbans,” said Herman. “There is a movement in the U.S. who doesn’t want any immigrants and claims they don’t belong to the U.S.”

Mann will emphasize that Sikhs are not terrorists and that they had nothing to do with 9/11.

“In the century before Sept. 11, 2001, there were misunderstandings and violence toward the Sikhs because they looked different,” Herman said.

Mann will hold a question-and-answer session at the end of the lecture.

The lecture will take place Thursday, Sept. 13 from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. in the Northridge Center of the University Student Union.