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| Vice President Kamala Harris talked freely about her Indian roots during a recent forum. |
Throughout her political career the media have emphasized the Vice President's Black heritage. Even though she proudly proclaims that her mother is from India, Harris' Asian heritage has been secondary.
Even as San Francisco's District Attorney and later, California's Attorney General and representing the state in the US Senate, her Indian heritage was often overlooked.
As she campaigned for President in 2020, it took awhile for some of the South Asian communities to warm up to Harris before they could proudly claim her as one of their own. Last week, Harris was able to speak in more depth about her Indian American roots in more depth than in previous interviews when she was asked about her complex racial heritage during the White House Asian American & Native Hawaiian And Pacific Islander Forum held at George Washington University last week.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Well, I too was raised by a mother — well, I think for so many of us, if — if your parents’ first language was something other than English, the — you know, the — when people are feeling pure emotions, either of love or extreme frustration, they — they go back to the mother language. (Laughter.)
So I did not learn a lot of the language because my mother just didn’t have a lot of people to speak to in Tamil. But I did learn all the words of affection and frustration. (Laughs.) And I could recite some of them, but I’m going to spare you and myself from that.
But, you know, I think that one of the great gifts that so many of us have when you have been exposed to different cultures is that you understand in a very profound and sincere way that the vast majority of us have so much more in common than what separates us. You really do. You learn that, culturally, the love of a mother, the love of a grandparent, it’s — crossing cultures and languages is so common in terms of the experience that so many of us have. And I think that’s a real gift, especially in moments like this moment, where in our country in particular we are seeing these powerful forces that are trying to sow hate and division among us.
Those of us who have been raised with a lived experience, then, of understanding commonality I think have a particular commitment and conviction to make sure that those that would try and separate (us) actually don’t win, in terms of that approach.
So there is that.
You know, my mother came to the United States by herself at the age of 19. And she was part of one of the first waves of India — Indians to come to the US She came in, I think, ‘59.
And let’s talk about my grandfather. My mother was the eldest, and so we all know culturally what it means to be the eldest, to the chagrin of our younger siblings. (Laughs.)
And — and she actually applied — because she wanted to be a scientist, and she wanted to study in what was considered to be one of the best schools. And so she kind of secretly applied to UC Berkeley.
AUDIENCE: Go Bears!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Go Bears.
And she got accepted, and she told my grandfather. And she said, “I want to go.” And my grandfather was a very progressive dude. He looked at his eldest child, who was also his daughter, and said, “Okay, you go.”
So at the age of 19 — you know, this is a transcontinental flight; she had never been to the United States — she went.
And — and, in many ways, when I think of my mother’s story, I think of the — culturally that she was so comfortable and clear about where she came from and who she was. And she had a unique ability to, I think, really infuse in us a sense of pride and — and a sense of — of understanding that we should not let anyone define our identity.
My mother would often say, “You don’t let people tell you who you are. You tell them who you are.” (Applause.)
And, you know, I mean, this is an experience that I had growing up as the eldest child also, watching my mother who, if you ever met her, you would have thought she was seven feet tall, but she really wasn’t exactly five feet tall. (Laughs.) And, you know, she was this brown woman with an accent. And I also was acutely aware as the eldest child of how she would be treated and, at a very young age, understood also how people — how people would make certain assumptions about the character and the intelligence of someone else, based on those attributes.
And so, early in my life, I also understood how these — how these disparities and these stereotypes could attempt to define and marginalize people and what we must all always do to fight against that.
My grandfather was one of the favorite people in my life.
And I was the eldest grandchild, so he convinced me I was the special, favorite one, but I think he told all the grandchildren the same thing.
And — and my grandfather would take me — by the time we would — we would go to India every other year. And my grandfather had a tradition of every morning taking a walk with his buddies, who are all retired. And then they — this was, you know — they were part of, you know, the — the independence of India.
And — and my grandfather would talk with his friends about the importance of fighting for democracy and independence; the importance of fighting against corruption; the importance of fighting for equality, regardless of where someone was born or what so-called, you know, status — because, of course, India has a very troubled history with that.
And — and so my — my story is also a story of being raised in a family and in a community where there was a real fight to always uphold the importance of independence and identity.
And, in fact, I just recently got back from the continent of Africa, and it was a trip that I intentionally curated in a way that we would talk about the continent in a way that was about recognizing the — the innovation and ingenuity that is happening on that continent. Again, fighting against stereotypes, right?
And, in fact, I’m sure everybody here knows, but the median age on the continent of Africa is 19. Oh, yes. And there is some incredible work happening among young leaders there.
But — so three — of three countries I visited, started in Ghana, then Tanzania, and then I went to Zambia. Well, the Zambia trip was to highlight, as I did in the first two countries, what’s happening in terms of democracy and innovation.
But it was also because, you see, my grandfather and my grandparents and my grandmother lived in Lusaka, the capital of Zambia — my Indian grandfather. Because when many of the African countries — and I’ll speak about Zambia, in particular — when they gained independence and fought against colonialism and gained independence, the Indian government, which had just fought for independence, would send support.
So my grandfather moved to Lusaka with my grandmother, and we went to visit him there. And it was also nice to highlight something that we all know — who have learned about the history of the world also — to highlight these relationships that are about, you know, commonality based also on struggle, including the struggle and the fight for independence. And that was a special treat for me.
And I actually went to the place where they lived. It was since rebuilt. But my aunt who was there, who went on to head up the O- — she was a OBGYN. She went on to head up the
the OB section of PGI in Chandigarh, which is a teaching hospital in Chandigarh in India in the north.
She was a young postdoc there and worked with — had a friend who was a young African doctor down the street, and they would walk to hospital — you know this is “the hospital.” They used to walk to hospital every day. And it turned out that that young man ended up being the Minister of Health years later for Zambia and instituted what I’m told was similar to what we did here under President, then, Obama and Vice President Biden around the Affordable Care Act.
And so, it was just nice to also make these connections between all of these countries and commonality around a fight for independence, as an example.
MR. WON: Talk to us about the importance of representation in leadership, particularly within the government.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: So I’ll connect this previous conversation with your point. Because I think that there are people who know, as part of my origin story, that my parents were active in the Civil Rights Movements. That’s where they met, at Berkeley.
Go Bears. Okay. (Laughter.)
But some people, I think, couldn’t wrap their head around, “How did your mother, who’s a young Indian woman, get involved in the Civil Rights Movement?” And then there was a bit of clarity when people thought about the fact that, “Oh, right, the movement for independence, for freedom.” Right?
And so I think that there is also, as part of the origin story of a lot of immigrants, a really deep knowledge and understanding of the power of government and — and — and the importance of democracy and what happens when democracies don’t exist or are not intact, when there are oppressive regimes, when there is corruption.
And so it is not as though the immigrant story is that one comes here and has no knowledge and awareness of it. Right? And I think that’s a really important point to — to acknowledge. It is a matter of then whether one, you know, decides that, you know, do I want my son or doctor [daughter] to become a doctor — (laughs) — or, okay, law school is okay. (Laughter.)
And — but representation matters, right? And so what we are seeing with more recent generations of the kids who come from immigrant families is a recognition that if we are to be fully a part of — if we are to be fully actualized, we should not be excluded from any system and we should not self-select to exclude.
And I think that’s part of it. I think, also, part of it, frankly, is, you know, I saw a lot more activism, in terms of social justice and civil rights activism after we’ve had awful incidents like the — the hate crime that happened against people who appeared to be South Asian or Muslim or — or were profiled — right? — because they were wearing a turban after 9/11.
And what ended up happening around just understanding you can’t expect other peoples to fight for your rights. We build community, and we’ll build coalition. But one has to also step up and make sure that we are all in the room when these fights occur so that each person can offer their voice based on their lived experience. And I think we have seen that happen more and more. (Applause.)
But we still have so much more work to do. And it is also about political activism, in terms of just voter participation. But, for example, I’m going to be in Georgia later this month. (Applause.) And — and the AAPI turnout for not only us — for Joe Biden and me — but for Warnock and Ossoff really helped determine, if not was determinative, in terms of the outcome of those elections.
So we — there’s work that we have been doing also to get people more actively involved. And people are seeing themselves in the system because of the people on the stage and in this room. And I think that we are seeing more activism as a result of that. And it’s sorely needed. It’s sorely needed.
MR. WON: Thank you so much for spending your time with us today. The theme of today is “visible together.” For many of us to see you get elected was such a big deal because it was a first. And for my kids and for all of our kids, I don’t want that to be a big deal anymore. I just want it to be, “Oh, another one.” You know? And you get to be the first, but I want you to share with us sort of your parting thoughts to the future leaders of our country.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: I’ll — I’ll offer two.
One, my mother would say often to me, “Kamala, you may be the first to do many things. Make sure you’re not the last.” So, that is part of the responsibility we each have. (Applause.)
But the other piece of advice, in particular to maybe some of the younger leaders here that I — but, actually, it doesn’t matter the age. You will often find that when you walk into that boardroom or that meeting room, a conference room, you will often find that you will be the only one there who looks like you or who has had your life experience.
So here’s what I’ve got to say: You walk in that room with your chin up and your shoulders back, knowing that when you walk in that room, you are representing the voice of so many people who are so darn — I was going to say it differently — proud — (laughter) — proud that you are in that room.
And that we — and just remember when the lights were on; they’ll probably come on again — and that we — you remember this — we are all in that room with you. You are not walking in that room alone. (Applause.) And that is critically important to remember.
You know, sometimes I think — I know it is intended mostly to be a compliment. But you know when people say, “Oh, you’re special.” (Laughter.) Oh, but —
MS. JAGANNATHAN: Do grandfathers count?
THE VICE PRESIDENT: But my grandfather — it’s different. Okay? If grandpa said it, it’s a different thing altogether.
But sometimes when you’re told that, it can also be about saying, “Oh, you’re the only one like you,” which is another way of saying you’re alone. You’re not alone. Don’t ever walk into those rooms being made to feel or think that you are alone. We are all in that room with you, and that is critically important, because we have so much work to do.
And we should do it always with pride and with a sense of knowledge that we come with people. You come with people. (Applause.)
MS. JAGANNATHAN: Thank you.
MR. WON: The Vice President, everybody. (Applause.)
EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter or at his blog Views From the Edge.
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