See No Stranger: A Memoir and Manifesto of Revolutionary Love

Valarie Kaur describes her childhood growing up as a Sikh American with brown skin on a farm in Clovis, California. Living in a mostly white and Christian community in the late 1980s and 1990s, Kaur experienced many of the hardships of racism from an early age. Kaur recounts the Sikh origin story as a lens through which to combat racism. This story centers on Guru Nanak’s “vision of Oneness,” in which he recognizes the unity of humanity (8). Out of this vision, Nanak arrives at a state of wonder that changes the way he sees: “Everyone around him was a part of him that he did not yet know” (8). In this way, the Sikh religion views others with a sense of wonder, love, and acceptance. Kaur uses this Sikh concept throughout the text as she explores its application to racism.

Kaur acknowledges the difficulty in seeing people who are different than oneself and the inclination to see those individuals as dangerous. She even breaks down some of the science behind this reaction, including the release of hormones that incline people to trust those who look/act like them. However, she is adamant that people must learn to push beyond this first reaction and begin to view others with wonder and as part of themselves.