There was a time, about a decade ago, when the House of Representatives had just one Indian American member. Less than 10 Indian Americans were serving in state legislatures. Barely did anyone get into the Senate. Americans of Indian descent were barely represented in politics.
But Bobby Jindal, a Republican, paved the way for a ‘dream’ when he contested for the Presidential post. Today, slowly but steadily, Indian Americans are working their way into the Senate. While most Indians are democrats, the sudden rise of Nikki Haley, a republican candidate, is vying for the White House. While Jindal barely spoke of his Indo-American roots, Nikki has made it a point to highlight her roots.
Indians so far have mostly concentrated on higher education and making a mark as successful business people. However, as they say, representation spawns representation. Today, there are four house members who call themselves the ‘Samosa Caucus,’ and a fifth one joined the group.
Today’s second-generation Indo-Americans, who have democratic values and are settled in their line of work, understand what representation means and how winning over Latino and African origin people can bring about a social coalition.
And advocating for this change are bodies like AAPI Data that are helping to ease Indo-American entry into mainstream American politics!
