Sen. Kamala Harris launches 'South Asians For the People'

SCREEN CAPTURE

Video from a tweet shows a young Kamala Harris (center front) and her sister Maya while vacationing in India with their mother and grandparents 

US Senator Kamala Harris is trying hard to reach out to South Asian Americans to counter the impression that she is downplaying half of her racial lineage.

Last month, the Harris campaign for president launched "South Asians for the People," an initiative aimed at garnering support from Indian Americans and other South Asian Americans.

The Indian American senator from California, whose late mother was cancer researcher Shymala Gopalan, launched the new initiative with a video tweet, describing the summers she spent in Chennai with her mother’s parents.

“As a young girl, I'd often go on walks with my grandfather in India, who'd discuss how people should be treated equally — regardless of the circumstances of their birth,” tweeted Harris in an introduction to the video, describing her grandfather as a freedom fighter for India. “All of his buddies, who were great leaders, they would talk about the importance of fighting for democracy, and the importance of fighting for civil rights,” said the candidate in the video.

“Those walks along the beach in India really planted something in my mind and created a commitment in me — before I even realized it — that has led me to where I am today,” said Harris in the video.

Speaking about the new initiative, Maya Humes, California communications director for the Harris campaign, told India-West: “We are connecting with the South Asian American community in a specific and concerted way.”

Harris' campaign came under early criticism from the Asian American community that she was emphasizing her black roots  over her Indian heritage in order to gain support from the African American voters. Her father is from Jamaica.

This initial skepticism -- plus the fact that she was not well-known outside of her home state -- gave her a herky-jerky introduction to the general South Asian community.

The Harris campaign website now has a space for South Asian Americans to sign up to volunteer, host events, a phone bank, and other activities. “We wanted to create a space for South Asian American Harris supporters to come together,” said Humes. “We have met tons of volunteers who support her advocacy for the community.”

Harris' appeal to South Asians has also drawn a backlash in the twitterverse, accusing her of pandering for votes. The extreme hateful nature of some of the tweets is over the top and had nothing to do with her politics or policies raises the question of their veracity. This blog has no way of ascertaining how many of those tweets are genuine or if they were generated by those agencies who wish to sow division and hate among Harris' supporters.

According to a recent survey released by APIA Data, Harris support among Indian Americans has grown significantly, but she still lags in garnering the support of other Asian American communities.

An early supporter of Harris, Indian American classical vocalist Harini Krishnan of Hillsborough, Calif., told India-West: “I’ve watched Kamala break barriers,” referring to Harris successful campaigns for San Francisco District Attorney, her campaigns for California's Attorney General and for the US Senate.

Krishnan, who is also an Assembly district delegate with the California Democratic Party, organized a dinner for prospective Harris supporters at the California Democratic Convention.

“Seeing Kamala as a candidate for president means representation. Right now, we have a president who denies my existence and questions my loyalty as an American. Kamala transcends cultures and identities to represent America, and she has a record of championing the diverse and the marginalized," continued Krishnan. 

"There are young South Asian American women, like my daughters, who are watching. If she becomes the next president, that tells them they can be part of our country’s decision-making process.”

KAMALA HARRIS CAMPAIGN

Deepa Mahesh, 15, expresses her preference during a recent march in San Jose, Calif.

Fifteen-year-old Deepa Mahesh, who attends high school in San Jose, Calif. is one of Harris' young volunteers. “I may only be 15, but I know how important this election is to the future of our country and I want to make sure Kamala runs it.

“She not only makes me feel like my community is part of something bigger, she makes every community feel included. I really think she embodies America,” said Mahesh in a press statement.

Vidya Krishnamoorthy, the mother of two, said she supports Harris because of her advocacy on behalf of increasing the salaries of school teachers.

“My interest in Kamala stemmed from our shared identity as South Asian women, but my passion for her developed when I learned her policies," said Krishnamoorthy, a resident of Fremont, Calif. "Kamala is going to protect my children, who are awestruck by the fact that someone who looks like them could be president, with plans like increasing teacher pay. Kamala is going to give Dreamers a pathway to citizenship and end family separation, and I trust that she will do it right because she was raised by immigrants herself.”

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