Rupi Kaur to Receive Independent Achievement Award at 2026 Departure Honours
The poet and author’s recognition is more than a personal milestone—it’s a reminder of the power of independent voices, and the importance of Sikh Punjabi storytelling.
Rupi Kaur is receiving the Independent Achievement Award at the 2026 Departure Honours, presented by Ticketmaster. The ceremony will take place on Thursday, May 7, 2026, at Koerner Hall.
For those who may not know, Rupi Kaur is a poet, author, performer, and artist who has inspired millions around the world. She writes about topics like family, migration, identity, trauma, healing, and love.
She began her career by self-publishing her poetry, sharing her work directly with readers instead of waiting for traditional publishers to notice her.
Her books have sold millions of copies and reached readers in dozens of languages, showing the global power of independent voices.
This award is significant not only for Rupi Kaur but for Sikh Punjabi communities. Our stories have long been ignored, left out of textbooks, and underrepresented in media. Representation is not just about being on a stage—it’s about what you do with that stage. It’s about telling your story fully, honestly, and without apology.
We don’t need to justify our stories.
Our history, culture, and experiences are important and deserve to be shared.
Much of Sikh Punjabi history has been left out of what we are taught in schools—our migrations, our struggles, the lives of ordinary people, and the experiences of women in our community.
When we get the chance to speak, whether through poetry, storytelling, journalism, or everyday conversation, we must use it. Platforms for our stories aren’t just for visibility—they are for preserving our history and shaping how the world understands us.
Rupi Kaur shows that independent voices can reach the world while staying true to their culture. But her success should not be the only example.
As a community, we need to step up, support each other, and create spaces for Sikh Punjabi voices to be heard—whether in writing, journalism, art, or storytelling.
We also need more equity, diversity, and inclusion in journalism. We need BIPOC journalists reporting on the issues that matter to their own communities. I dream of living in a country where I feel safe, where I belong, and where I can live with dignity.
Media and newsrooms should play a role in making that possible—but they must reflect the people they serve.
Representation is not only about seeing people on a stage or in the news. It’s about having the ability to tell our stories out loud—in sakhis, conversations, poetry, or journalism.
Our stories matter only if they are heard. We as a community must step forward, create those spaces, and support each other so that our voices are never silenced again.
Rupi Kaur receiving the Independent Achievement Award is an important milestone.
But the bigger question remains: how will we use our own voices and spaces to make sure our stories are told?
This piece captures why individual recognition like this matters for entire communities. The distinction you draw between visibility and actually using that platform to tell untold stories is crucial. I've seen how representation becomes tokenization when it stops at surface level presence. The real work happens when someone like Kaur uses their reach to open doors rather than jsut walking through them alone, creating that ripple effect in storytelling traditions.