One of the fastest growing ethnic minorities in the US, the Indian American community has been able to exert influence on American culture and has contributed immensely to the success of the nation.
Apart from establishing business houses and sharing the cultural heritage, many Indian Americans have made their way to politics in recent years.
Today, the community has the largest ever presence in the US Congress. They have proved their commitment and ability in nation building in all levels of public service from county administration to international diplomacy.
Despite having a sizable population and considerable political presence Indian Americans, often, fail to build a collective political identity. Meena Venkataramanam, in an article on Harvard Political Review (HPR), notes that many obstacles prevent the community from building a collective political identity.
Internal divisions among the community such as religious and linguistic differences are identified as the important issue.
Though most of the communities tend to unite by language than race, issues exist between Hindus and Muslims. Drew University professor Sangay Mishra told HPR that tension between Indian Hindus and Muslims prevents them from forming a collective political identity.
He added that the interaction among these religious groups is necessary to organize widespread political movements among the community.
Internal divisions coupled with complex class interests create a split among the community. Though many Indian-Americans tend to show lineage to the Republican Party because of their cultural and economic interests, their marginalization as racial and religious minorities draws them towards the Democrats.
But, Hrishikesh Joshi, a postgraduate research fellow at Princeton University, argues that the policies of the Democratic Party such as the current country-based, permanent-residence visa quota system and race-based affirmative action policies harm the Indian Americans.
The perception of the Democratic Party as the party for minorities has been marketed and presented robustly through outreach programs and the media,” Joshi told the HPR.
The lack of GOP outreach “overrides the other socially conservative views that Indian-American immigrants tend to have which would point them towards the Republican Party,” he added.
Lack of organizing institutions at both the national and grassroots levels is another issue faced by the Indian Americans.
But, according to Mishra, “Indian-Americans are not considered a ‘problem minority,’ which leads them to not worry about discrimination because they believe they are doing so well, contributing to the economy, and being educated.”
The article notes that Indian Americans must start their political engagement at the local level to gain momentum and become a strong force at the national level.
Organizations like South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT) are providing platforms for the community through regional and local initiatives. Overcoming English language barrier will also help them improve their civic engagement.
Since many Indian immigrants are yet to receive full citizenship, the community is not able to increase its civic engagement. But, the measures taken by the cities like San Francisco allowing noncitizens to vote in local school board elections, give a ray of hope to Indian Americans.
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No mention of Sikhs? It’s true we Sikhs aren’t Indian