For this year's Impact of Religion Lecture, national phenomenon Simran Jeet Singh will combine insights from his life experiences and his work as a scholar of religion to introduce strategies for equity, inclusion, empathy, justice and anti-racism. Combining real-world experience with academic rigor, Singh will deliver a vision of hope and renewal that shows how each of us can turn away from fear, uncertainty and anger to move toward renewal and positive change. His lecture is titled "Turbans, Beards, and Brown Skin: Learning to Navigate Bigotry in Modern America."

Singh, Ph.D., is the executive director of the Religion & Society Program at the Aspen Institute and the author of the national bestseller The Light We Give: How Sikh Wisdom Can Transform Your Life. Singh earned graduate degrees from Harvard University and Columbia University, and he writes regularly for major outlets, including the Harvard Business Review, TIME magazine and the Religion News Service. Singh also authored the award-winning children’s book Fauja Singh Keeps Going: The True Story of the Oldest Person to Ever Run a Marathon.