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Indian Americans have arrived, will consolidate
The community must develop a political muscle to ensure our rights continue to be protected.
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Shri Thanedar with Kamala Harris. / Thanedar.gov
Indian Americans have made substantial contributions to America in the fields of business, education, medicine, and more. These contributions are growing each and every day. According to the 2020 US Census, the population of Indian Americans grew more than 50 percent in only 10 years.
The rise in the Indian American population serves to further highlight the deeply important role they play in making our country great. It also makes clear why the US-India relationship must be strengthened. A strong US-India relationship is good for both of our countries for economic and national security reasons. Valuing this relationship is also important to making sure the Indian American population feels seen and valued.
I support Prime Minister Modi’s government and will do everything I can as a Member of Congress to build this critical alliance. In addition to the significant impact that Indian Americans have historically made to America, we are now seeing the immense contributions Indian Americans are making to the mainstream American political system.
There are currently five Indian American Representatives serving in Congress, soon to be seven after the 2024 election. When the longest serving of us, Ami Bera, took office in 2013, he was the only Indian American serving in Congress. This exponential increase in Indian American representation shows the dramatic rise of political influence of the Indian American community in the last 10 years.
In addition, an Indian-American, Kamala Harris currently serves as the Vice-President of the United States. As the Democrat’s current presidential nominee, I am proud to support her trail-blazing candidacy, and look forward to working with her when she becomes our next president in January.
On the other side of the aisle, leaders like Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy will ensure that Indian-Americans will continue to have major influence in the direction of both the Democratic and Republican parties. The facts are clear: Indian Americans have arrived in mainstream American politics and will continue to wield formidable influence in our political process for the foreseeable future.
While Indian Americans have come a long way in all walks of life, our community must develop a political muscle to ensure our rights continue to be protected. From the right to practice the religion that they choose to worship, or defending against attacks on the Hindu dharma and Hindu temples, continuing to build our political influence to combat the bigotry and discrimination we face every day is critical.
Not only will this fight for equality improve our own lives, but it will also protect and strengthen the rights of our children and grandchildren.
The author represents Michigan's 13th Congressional District, serving on the Homeland Security and Small Business Committees.
(The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of New India Abroad)ADVERTISEMENT
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