Saund, Dalip Singh: First Asian-American in Congress

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For a man who never considered himself a political figure, Dalip Singh Saund became one of the most influential Asian Americans of our time, but to understand Saund one must first understand his beliefs and the relevancy to his pursuits. Saund believed in Sikhism, a religion that taught him equality among all human beings and the virtues of charity, selflessness and detachment from material possessions. Saund wrote in an autobiography that "his religion taught him that love and service to fellow men was the road to earthly bliss and spiritual salvation."

Saund, like many from India, found encouragement in the promise of the British: a free India. These promises never came true. The sting of racism, the belief in the rights of his people and country and the values of his religion encouraged Saund to attain groundbreaking achievements in the United States.

Saund found a great deal of inspiration in the writings …