United Unitarian
Universalist Congregation

 

 

 

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"Moving Past Positivity and Kindness"

Sunday, February 8th

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Speaker - Pardeep Kaleka

Music - Alex Chilsen

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While positivity and kindness are foundational expressions of our shared faith and humanity, they can also serve as tools that mask inequity, reinforce unjust power dynamics, and delay transformative action. In this conversation, Pardeep will share his journey as a first-generation immigrant in America and how his path of healing from hate compelled him to move beyond surface-level conversations around kindness, compassion, and optimism. We will explore how calls for civility, especially directed at marginalized individuals and communities, can become burdensome expectations that silence pain rather than heal it. Together, we’ll reflect on what it means to pursue justice with empathy and why authentic healing demands both courageous truth-telling and sustained action.

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Pardeep Kaleka is the Clinical Director at Mental Health America–Wisconsin, a senior anti-hate advocate, and co-author of The Gift of Our Wounds. After losing his father in the 2012 Oak Creek Sikh Temple attack, he became a leading voice for community healing, resilience, and faith.

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With over 25 years of experience in law enforcement, education, mental health, and supporting hate-crime survivors, Pardeep has served with the U.S. Department of Justice–CRS and led the Interfaith Conference. He specializes in communal trauma and helps public health professionals, educators, and law enforcement develop community-oriented strategies to address conflict, hate, and rising targeted violence.​​

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