Kamala Harris’ middle name: What Biden’s VP pick means to the Indian-American community By Aryan Deorah Staff Writer In my community, a person’s name carries significant meaning. In accordance with tradition, astrology, and parental will, names are chosen to reflect a person’s future, their characteristics, and their personality. Names are critical to an individual’s identity, but in the case of Kamala Devi Harris, a name can mean so much more to a whole community. Mainstream American society has long ignored and forgotten the Indian-American community. When Indian-Americans and their beliefs are shown in pop culture, they are misappropriated in the form of tech support and book worms, common stereotypes for people to poke fun at, or chants and prayers, to be recited at thousands of yoga classes across the nation. However, even prior to Kamala Harris’ historic choice as the first Indian-American on the ticket of a major political party, recent years had represented a cultural shift. More and more Indian-Americans had made their way to fame, from comedians Hasan Minaj and Aziz Ansari to actors Dev Patel and Priyanka Chopra. Documentaries and shows like Indian Matchmaking and Never Have I Ever began to portray Indian-Americans as regular people with regular problems. Most importantly, politics began to further acknowledge the value of Indian-Americans, from Democrats flipping Orange County seats to Cory Booker and other 2020 candidates actively campaigning to Indian-Americans. According to a paper by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Indian-Americans have grown to 0.82% of the eligible voting population, greater than the margins of defeat for Democrats in swing states such as Michigan and Pennsylvania, and are the second largest foreign-born group in the nation. Indian-Americans, who have twice the median income of America as whole, are also estimated to have contributed 3 million dollars to 2020 primary campaigns, outspending Hollywood, which may explain increased political interest from both sides of the spectrum. The cherry on top came on August 11, 2020, when the Democratic nominee, Joe Biden, selected Kamala
Harris to be his Vice President. Prior to her nods to the Indian community in her VP nomination acceptance speech, few people knew of Harris’ Indian heritage. She is often addressed, and addresses herself, as a black woman, and considers herself to have strong ties to the black community. Though she may not mention it much, she does claim her Indian heritage considerably influences her, from her grandfather’s involvement in the Indian revolution to her weekly visits to the local Hindu temple, with her single, Indian mother who raised her. This historic milestone does not mean the Indian-American community will approach her with open arms. Indian-Americans come from all over the political spectrum and she has managed to attract controversy from all sides. Progressives resent her over her role in the war on drugs and conservatives attack her for being too far on the left, while political spectators note her flip flops on policy such as Medicare for All and capital punishment. She is by no means the perfect VP pick, but Indian-Americans can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that they might finally have a member of their community representing them in elected office, which is a first for many. Indian-Americans have been on the fringes of American public life, with considerably low rates of census participation and voter turnout. According to the same paper by the Carnegie Endowment, out of 4.16 million Indian-Americans, only 2.62 million are citizens and 1.9 million are eligible to vote. On top of that, naturalized citizens vote at far lower rates than citizens born in the US, bringing down voter turnout rates for the Indian-American community as a whole. Many foreign-born Indian-Americans don’t see the importance of government, and place much of their focus on their family, culture, and way of life. When they do discuss politics, they often discuss Indian politics, finding it much more relatable and understandable. After all, politicians don’t pander to tiny minorities, and because many Asians weren’t allowed to immigrate to the U.S. until 1965, there are few native born members of the community who are old enough to be on the national stage.
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