It was only a matter of time before Indian Americans became politically active en masse, as a group of high-achieving individuals with an ironclad will set out to realize the American Dream.
Bobby Jindal made history by becoming the first Indian-American governor of the United States. Jindal, an ultra-conservative born-again Roman Catholic, was notorious for eschewing her ethnicity and campaigning against issues such as a woman’s right to choose and gun control.
Fast forward to today, and Kash Patel, a far-right conspiracy theorist with little experience in government or national security before taking office in President Donald Trump’s administration, was recently nominated by the re-elected president to head the FBI. Known as a man who would do anything for Trump, Patel’s vague objectives include settlement and political revenge. Indicting journalists for investigative activities and wiping out career FBI agents fighting the “deep state.”
Then there is former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. He will lead the newly created Department of Government Efficiency alongside Elon Musk. The right-wing entrepreneur gained political traction by positioning himself as a climate change denier, opposing polarizing views such as birthright citizenship and “anti-wokeness.”
And let’s not forget attorney Usha Vance, wife of Vice President-elect J.D. Vance, who stands idly by as her husband unleashes an endless wave of racism. Or, as former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley wrote, “End them, America will always (love) Israel!” Regarding Israeli missiles targeted at Hamas earlier this year.
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You should be excited about Indian-American representation. it’s not.
Throughout my young adulthood, whenever I heard an Indian-sounding name in the news, my ears perked up and my eyes turned to someone who looked like me: a dark-skinned, dark-haired Indian-American. He wanted to see them succeed.
As the daughter of immigrants, I believe, perhaps optimistically, that U.S.-born Indians have the ability to use our rich cultural upbringing, hyphenated identity, and strong values to lead to positive social and political change. I believed it had unique potential.
I should be excited about the increased representation of Indian Americans in politics. Unfortunately, this is not the case.
What I see overwhelmingly are not real leaders, but a bunch of people with questionable ethics, hungry for the spotlight and a taste of power. These characters have been known to vocally or visually change their names and change their demeanor to be accepted by the public.
What I hear is inflammatory rhetoric and destructive policies formed in a desperate effort to belong. They lean toward whiteness and emptiness, blending into the “model minority” and turning a blind eye to the struggles of their ancestors to overcome it.
The United States has a long history of disenfranchising people of color, making it nearly impossible for racial and ethnic minorities to vote or hold office. It wasn’t until 1870 that the Fifteenth Amendment extended voting privileges beyond white men. Still, black male representation remained low due to constitutional loopholes, literacy tests, intimidation tactics, and “grandfather clauses.”
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Additionally, while the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution in 1920 purportedly removed gender-based restrictions on voting, the aftereffects were extended to adult citizens of all races and genders by the Voting Rights Act of 1965. I couldn’t feel it until I got there.
In the same year, the Immigration and Nationality Act abolished the country-of-origin quota system, or the annual quota system for visas available to immigrants from each country, in order to prioritize family reunification and the import of skilled labor, creating a “fourth wave” of immigrants. spurred on. It welcomes immigrants and contributes to the diversification of America’s population.
This has led to a large influx of post-colonial, English-speaking post-graduate Indian immigrants, moving Indians from one of the least educated populations in the United States to studying science, technology, engineering and mathematics. It’s the same wave that has made it a leading force in the field.
Political Indian American pulls a ladder from behind and climbs up
With a culturally entrenched emphasis on values such as education and family, Indian Americans are the second largest immigrant group in the United States, with a population of over 5 million people and the median annual household income. The value is $153,000, or more than twice the national value. .
Indian Americans are considered the most educated racial group in the United States, with 82% of Indian Americans between the ages of 25 and 55 having a college education; Only 42% of white Americans do.
Education is seen as a path to prosperity, thereby liberating power, access, and privilege.
Decades later, Indians are and will continue to be prosperous in the United States, having amassed great wealth over generations. Indian immigrants, mostly men, have become CEOs of Fortune 500 companies such as Pepsi, Google, Adobe, IBM, and Microsoft, pushing their companies’ market capitalizations to new heights.
People who are excluded from the corporate and medical professions seek other ways to make a living and succeed, such as starting businesses in retail, hotels, restaurants, and convenience stores, and in non-business fields such as entertainment and politics. Others entered traditional fields.
For the sake of brevity, I will speak in absolutes and assume that all Indians living in the US are doing well, although I am aware that this is not necessarily the case. (Immigration policies have historically favored upper castes and socio-economically advantaged Indians, giving them an advantage over those with less means.)
It is unfortunate that, despite their finances, rights, and education, the descendants of Indian immigrants are often wealthy entrepreneurs and CEOs, and the immigrants who gave them the privilege of rising to positions of power, They’re lobbying for and voting against important policies like equality. in the first place. Their blatant disregard for their roots is, frankly, in bad taste and tone-deaf.
I’m not looking for perfection because I realize that’s a ridiculous expectation. But I expect a certain level of decency and morality from my community, especially those who sit in the upper echelons of the U.S. government.
According to the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, the Indian community is currently being actively targeted by political donors, activists, and political parties of all political parties, both Democratic and Republican. Our political flexibility is dangerous and has far-reaching implications. For example, we have the power to make a small difference in key battleground states like Pennsylvania and Michigan.
People like Vice President Kamala Harris, who has long identified as black, are angry at people who choose to use their Indian interests to get votes. I can also vouch for Indian-American progressives Congressman Pramila Jayapal and Congressman Ro Khanna. They advocate for women’s rights, education, immigration, and gun safety, even though they know they won’t be on the presidential ticket.
What I can’t deal with is self-interest and willful ignorance, focusing on deep-seated partisan beliefs, inflation and It’s the urge to prioritize issues like taxes above all else. We can and must do better.
Isha Sharma is a first-generation Indian-American writer based in Brooklyn, New York. A graduate of Case Western Reserve University and Georgetown University, she aims to highlight and champion voices that are underrepresented in mainstream media. Follow her on Instagram: @isha__sharma
