Although Vice President Kamala Harris is the first-ever Indian American candidate to win a major party’s nomination for the U.S. presidency, it would be wrong to assume she has “the Indian American vote” among St. Louisans — or anywhere else in the country — locked in.
Harris’ historic candidacy has, however, ignited conversations about Indian Americans and voting. This is especially important in St. Louis because U.S. Census data show Indians make up the fastest-growing immigrant population in the St. Louis region, and second in the nation overall.
Three Indian Americans in St. Louis spoke with St. Louis on the Air about their lives in the Midwest and how politics have played a role.
Joining the discussion were:
- Arindam Kar, shareholder with Polsinelli Law Firm
- Meera Nagarajan, journalist and travel adviser
- Jacob Chacko, executive director of Washington University’s Center of Diversity & Inclusion
Kar, Nagarajan and Chacko grew up in and have spent a significant portion of their adult lives in the Midwest. They shared their personal stories, portions of which are excerpted below.
On politics in their family and growing up in the Midwest
Arindam Kar, in Iowa:
Politics was a central part of our conversations growing up, largely led by my father, but my mother was also involved. I was blessed with coming from family that were involved in the independence movement in India. I remember my father taking me to a Ronald Reagan rally in Waterloo, Iowa, at the National Cattle Congress in like 1983 or 1984 … It did spark my passion for discussing issues [and] what the future of this country may hold, especially for my parents, who really made this our home, and how we could be a part of it.
Meera Nagarajan, in Illinois and Missouri:
My dad was the one in our household that was very interested in politics. When we would go to people's homes, we [kids] would have an ear on the conversation surrounding politics the men in those social circles would have. They had a lot of different perspectives, but a lot of them still cared about Indian politics very much and had the point of view of, ‘How does American politics and what's happening here today affect U.S.-India relations? I think their connections back home and how they felt about politics in India really did color their points of view on American politics.
On an issue that made politics a real-life concern
Jacob Chacko, after immigrating from Kerala, India, to Skokie, Illinois:
9/11 happened when I was a sophomore in high school. 9/11 was horrible, but [on] 9/12 they started rounding up people that look like me. I remember cutting out the U.S. flag from the newspaper and hanging it on the front window of our house so that we weren't targeted, because I was witnessing that happening in a lot of our different [communities], from our Sikh community to the Muslim community. I saw how Indian Americans in particular, and Desis in general, were being talked about at school, in neighborhoods. ... I became activated because of the experiences I was having.
The second-biggest experience is the church. I grew up Syrian Orthodox Christian, a faith I no longer practice. [They] never really talked or preached about politics much, but I very particularly remember one conference [where] they brought in some people to talk about sexual health and what family life and family planning meant. It was from a very Republican Party standpoint, and they were very confident in advertising it as such. The false information they were teaching the youth around sexual health really put me off. … And coming out as queer in high school … it didn't align with what I leaned towards [politically].
On cultural and language diversity
Arindam Kar:
We have three panelists here. None of us speak the same native tongue. We have different religions here. India has the third-largest Muslim population in the world. So a Muslim Indian American may have a very different perspective on some conversations of key issues that others won't, so I think it just delves into a little bit of the complexities that – once you start unfolding and unpeeling some of those issues – you see how complex that can be, in terms of what your ultimate determination is for whom you may vote.
On immigration
Meera Nagarajan:
For people that immigrated to the United States, especially after the 1965 legislation that really unlocked immigration for Indians and gave a pathway to citizenship and bringing your spouse over, like my parents in the '70s, I feel like they have this bootstrap attitude, like, “Well, we made this huge effort. We did it the ‘right’ way, and the path towards citizenship was a long one”... this more conservative perspective surrounding immigration. I think for people like me, who were second generation, we've had the privilege of being born in this country. So we have a little bit more of a liberal standpoint, a worldview that's different than our parents.
On VP Harris’ presidential run and the future
Meera Nagarajan:
Everything about her candidacy is absolutely historic, and I think that it has spurred, at the very least, a conversation surrounding Indians in politics [and] what their role will be. How do we support that? Do we support that? I just think those conversations have never had to happen before. And everything from her gender, the timeline [of Democratic nomination], her heritage, is completely historic. Even when I talk to my family in India, they're like, “We've never known who the vice president of the United States is, but she is on the news, and so we care about it.”
Jacob Chacko:
[With Kamala Harris,] a multiracial, Black [and] Indian woman, I think it opens a door to a lot of conversations around intergroup relations, between the Black and Indian community in particular, and the experiences of multiracial people, absolutely. We're seeing how not a monolith our community is in politics.
Arindam Kar:
I echo Jacob's point. I think the dialogue between communities, which hasn't happened – at least from the Indian American perspective, that “we are connected” – is huge. I think Vice President Harris does allow for that opportunity. And this is connects with Meera’s point: I have five kids, four of whom are daughters. And while my parents had Indira Gandhi and saw a woman leader, my kids have never seen that in this country. So that connection and that identification is why my younger ones are talking about Kamala Aunty all the time. It's something exciting for them.
To hear how citizenship affects gender dynamics around politics for Indian American women, why Indian Americans and Indians here and abroad are talking about Harris, and why this moment in politics matters, listen to the full St. Louis on the Air conversation on Apple Podcast, Spotify and YouTube, or click the play button below.
“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Miya Norfleet, Emily Woodbury, Danny Wicentowski, Elaine Cha and Alex Heuer. Jada Jones is our production assistant. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr.
