The number of Indian Americans in elected offices is not reflective of their growing population, US Vice-President Kamala Harris has said, urging members of the community to contest elections increasingly.
Harris, 59, who is of both Indian and African heritage, was on Wednesday speaking at ‘Desis Decide’, the annual summit of Indian American Impact, a Democratic Party think tank that supports and funds Indian Americans running for elected offices across the country.
“Over the years, we’ve had so much more participation by Indian Americans in the electoral process running for office. But the numbers are still not reflective of the size of the growing population,” said Harris, who is the first woman, and the first woman of colour, to be elected as the vice-president of the United States. She was speaking to a packed room of Indian Americans in Washington DC.
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Currently, there are five elected Indian-American members in the US Congress. They are: Dr Ami Bera, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Ro Khanna, Pramila Jayapal, and Shri Thanedar. Impact believes that in 2024, the strength of Indian Americans in the US Congress will increase to 10 members.
The think tank said that in the tightly-contested US presidential elections in November 2024, the Indian-American voters — second-largest immigrant community and fastest growing in many states — could be the decisive margin of victory in key races across the country.
The work being done by Impact, said Harris in her opening remarks, was extraordinary. She applauded the role of the think tank and its members.
“You must know that you are not alone. There is so much that we still have to do as a country. And a lot of the work that we each do… which is why we are here together… is born out of a belief in the promise of America. And dare I say that I’m empirical evidence of the promise of America,” said the vice-president.
Referring to the US elections 2024, in which Harris is running mate of US President Joe Biden, the vice-president said, “This election coming up in six months, I think is presenting a question to each of us. Which is: what kind of world do we want to live in and what kind of country do we want to live in? And one of the ways that we answer that question is to seek office and to participate in elections, knowing that the outcome of those elections matter in fundamental ways.”
Stating this, Harris asked members of the audience to raise their hands if they were running for office or planning to do so.
“What will happen invariably — it has happened to all of us — is you’re going to find yourself invariably in rooms where you are the only one who looks like you, the only one who has had your life experience. What I then say to you each is: look around this room and hold onto this image. And remember then, when you walk into those rooms, when you walk into those situations, you remember, you are not alone. We are all there with you. You must remember that,” she said, asking Indian Americans to draw upon their collective strength.
Harris also spoke about her mother, Shyamala Gopalan, coming to the US from India at the age of 19 and marching for Civil Rights in Berkeley.
She said that growing up, she would visit India every two years and her grandfather would take her on morning walks. “And I remember as a young girl… hearing them discuss the importance of standing for what is right and [for] fairness,” she added.
Harris’ maternal grandfather PV Gopalan was an Indian Foreign Service official.
Speaking on the occasion, Impact co-founder and treasurer Deepak Raj said that Harris was instrumental in its formation eight years ago.
“She has been an incredible guiding force for this organisation over the duration. She came to the first summit in 2018 and here she is again,” said Raj. “She has been an incredible role model, I think for all of us. What she has done is she has paved the way for women, for immigrants and minorities, and is a true hero and an inspiration for all of us.”
As the vice-president went up to the stage, some briefly chanted “Four more years”. However, one person yelled, “Shame on you”, which appeared to be in reference to the war in Gaza, but it was not clear. The protester was soon removed from the room.
