Enduring Anti-Sikh Bigotry After 9/11

I was a senior in high school when the terrorist attacks of 9/11 happened. During passing period that morning, a friend mentioned that there might have been a terrorist attack in New York City. Not knowing the seriousness of what had occurred, I offered a joke in response: "I hope they didn't have turbans." We laughed and went on our way. Since we'd grown up in Texas, New York City felt nearly as foreign to us as terrorism. We hadn't experienced much of either during our lifetimes, so the possibility of an attack in the Big Apple didn't weigh heavily on us.