Desis Decide Summit: Kamala Harris Encourages Indian-Americans to Boost Political Engagement

May 16 :
During the annual summit titled 'Desis Decide' on May.15, US Vice President Kamala Harris emphasised the importance of Indian-Americans voting and said that the current representation of the community did not reflect its larger number. The number of Indian Americans vying for public office has grown substantially throughout the years. But those figures still don't capture the enormity of the expanding human population. Consequently, what will happen—and it has happened to everyone—is that you will always end up in rooms where you are the only one who shares your background or looks like you, Harris said at an event hosted by the Democratic think tank Indian-American Impact.

Raja Krishnamoorthi, Ro Khanna, Dr. Ami Bera, Shri Thanedar, and Pramila Jayapal are the five Indian-Americans serving in the United States Congress at the present time. According to the Impact organisation, by 2024, the number of Indian-Americans in Congress would have risen to ten.

Harris reiterated her earlier call for more Indian-Americans to seek public office in her opening remarks, in which she recognised Impact's work.

Wow, that's just remarkable. Those who have ran for office or wish to run for office must run, the Vice President emphasised, adding that he wanted to stop by to thank the organisation for everything as well as what it stands for.

Rest assured, you have company. All of our individual efforts, which bring us together, are motivated by a shared faith in America's potential; nevertheless, there is still more for our nation to accomplish. And if I may boldly assert it, I am living proof of America's potential," she continued.

"This election coming up in six months, I think is presenting a question to each of us," Harris remarked, going as far as asking audience members to raise their hands if they were planned to contest the elections. To wit: what sort of nation and planet do we envision for ourselves? And one way we respond to that question is by running for office and voting, fully aware of the profound significance of the results.

The Vice President also mentioned her mother's immigration to the United States in the 1950s and her involvement in the civil rights struggle, noting that her mom marched in Berkeley at the age of 19 for equality. Similar comments were made by Harris, the first female US vice president and the first of Asian-American or Asian African descent, at a health forum discussion for Asian-American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander groups on May 13.