Am I Expected to Support Kamala Harris for President Merely Because I’m an Indian American Woman?

When I was asked to share my thoughts on Kamala Harris becoming the presumptive Democratic nominee for President of the United States, I said that I’d be glad to. But then, I wondered if as an Indian American woman, I say I haven’t given her my full blessings, is that blasphemous? Am I going to be asked to turn in my brown card? If Kamala Harris wants my vote, she needs to win it just like any other politician — by proving to me that she is the better candidate; not because peer pressure tells me to vote for my fellow brown woman.

Why should I accept Kamala Harris, or anyone else, for that matter,  as my next President? 

The correct answer is: because they are running on a platform that aligns with my own needs and beliefs as a citizen of the United States of America. Is that really the criteria most people use? I just read an article on Newsweek that questioned if Taylor Swift was going to endorse Harris citing that a Redfield and Wilton Strategies poll found that 45% of Taylor Swift fans polled saying that she could sway their vote one way or the other. 

I think The Edge is a great guitarist — perhaps the best of all time — but that doesn’t sway my vote. 

Some people believe that the only goal of this election should be to defeat former President Trump. I believe the goal of this election should be to unify the country so that our children mature into adults in a country that rewards hard work and intelligence while providing an environment to safely raise families. I realize “our kids need to inherit a better world” is the same mantra sung for preserving the environment and this follows along the same vein. If the entire country is rife with blind hatred, what does that say about our kids’ future?  

But if we must discuss politics and campaign logistics/strategy, let’s first decipher the two.

Campaign logistics/strategy says: the goal is to defeat “Candidate A” so to do that we must win over these 5 states. 

Politics is polluted with slogans and the problem with slogans is that they lack depth and instead of catering to intellect often tickle the worse human instincts. Politics says things like “We must beat Donald Trump” or “Vote for Kamala just because you’re both brown women” or “Support Donald Trump otherwise you’re supporting illegal immigration. 

The Reality:

After an assassination attempt on the former president and incumbent president dropping out of the race essentially minutes before “go-time” what has happened to the face of American politics?! Let’s just take a look at America for a minute… “leader of the free world”  “beacon of hope” “a first-world nation” …. 

But can we really lay claim to all these accolades? A former president and current presidential nominee was shot at in broad daylight, the current President has dropped out of the race because of calls from his own party that he lacks the stamina to effectively run …. and other things going on like citizens of this country not being able to afford their monthly mortgage and grocery bills, or the fact that the U.S. has the highest maternal mortality rate in the “First World.”

As an Indian woman who has worked hard every step of the way, I know what it is to have to work twice as hard because of my ability to birth children or the excessive melanin in my body. So yes, electing a non-white, non-man would speak volumes.

Our candidates should be addressing how these problems will be solved – because they are solvable. 

Instead, I’m contemplating how to pen my thoughts in a way that conveys that I fully support the success of women of minority origin, but I don’t appreciate being made to feel like unless I get a Kamala tattoo on my wrist I am somehow supporting the KKK.  I think it would be amazing to have an Indian American woman be the first woman President of the U.S.  I can only dream of such a thing!  

Just as I discussed maternal mortality rate and the U.S. ranking all the way at the bottom, I’d like to make another First World vs Third World comparison. Did you know many countries that the average American thinks oppress women have actually had female Presidents/Prime Ministers? 

Maybe that’s why when asked for their opinion of Kamala Harris most foreign heads of state used the opportunity to comment on Biden’s legacy and comment that their future concern was with their countries’ relations with the U.S. This is to say that they didn’t need to comment on the fact that she is a “women” or a “women of color” as only in the U.S. is this something that stands out. 

That makes sense, right? We are potentially selecting the next President of the United States — a decision that carries great weight for myriad reasons. 

As an Indian woman who has worked hard every step of the way, I know what it is to have to work twice as hard because of my ability to birth children or the excessive melanin in my body. My biological make-up mandates extra effort. So yes, electing a non-white, non-man would speak volumes.

But in all ways that matter, am I considered Indian because of the color of my skin, or because I speak the language, I eat the food, I know the culture? 

When people just assume I support Kamala Harris because of her partial Indian background, I want to ask those folks what Kamala Harris has done for the Indian people. Did I miss it? I have a dual M.S. in Financial Economics and Multinational Commerce. I follow what’s going on in the world — and I forget when Kamala Harris did anything Indian when it was not an election year.  In fact, while she didn’t create the image herself, in 2020, her niece Meena Harris posted an image photoshopping Kamala Harris onto the body of a revered Hindu goddess. I haven’t been able to find anywhere that Kamala Harris apologized for her niece’s irresponsible behavior.

I want to be extra clear that the degree to which she chooses to, and how she chooses to embrace her Indian heritage doesn’t make her any less of a candidate for President. It just speaks to the question I posed at the start of this blog: am I any less Indian because I want to judge Kamala Harris based on what she’s done for the economy, where she stands on abortion rights, how she wants to balance the flow of immigration, caring for veterans versus migrants, her stance on pre-natal and post-natal care? 

She may have a stance that aligns with mine, but can she negotiate consensus and actually turn those policies into laws?  

It’s not that I don’t support Kamala Harris. It’s not that I don’t see how cool it would be to have an Indian-Jamaican woman as President of the U.S. I’m not blind to what it could do in terms of opportunities for “women of color” – please! 

Right now, the opposition is saying that she’s being “coronated,” in the wake of Biden’s decision. Others are saying she only embraces her Indian and Jamaican heritage when it benefits her politically. Wouldn’t it be nice to have Kamala Harris genuinely embrace her roots because she finds beauty in the culture and not just because it wins her a few points in the polls? 

The real question is this: will Kamala Harris do more to advance the cause of “women of color” by earning the respect of her peers across the aisle and the popular vote of the country as a whole, or will she merely fizzle away as the token “woman of color” who was endorsed by the Democrats because she checks off several boxes and it’s too late to run another candidate? 

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Kanika Chadha spends her days unraveling and assessing business strategies as a digital analytics strategist with experience across various industries. But her passion is strengthening the voice of South Asians in America in a way that fosters a deepening understanding between those who grew up immersed in Indian culture and those who are curious to learn. Most recently, she has been curating a kid-focused, family-friendly, fully immersive experience called Diwali in Norwood.