Congratulating Neera Tanden, community panel shares challenges women in government face.
Celebrating Indian American women in government, the US India Political Action Committee (USINPAC) has hailed Neera Tanden’s nomination to a cabinet level position in the incoming Biden-Harris administration.
Congratulating Tanden on her nomination by President-elect Joe Biden as Director of the Office of Management and Budget, USINPAC Chairman Sanjay Puri noted it would make her the first Indian American to have a cabinet position in a Democratic administration.
Tanden, 50, who currently heads left leaning think tank Centre for American Progress, will be the second Indian American to get a cabinet level position in the US after Republican Nikki Haley, President Donald Trump’s former US ambassador to the UN.
“USINPAC is very pleased about the nomination of Neera Tanden,” Puri said noting, “A seasoned public servant, Neera was a part of both the Obama and Clinton administrations.
“Having worked with her in the past I can confidently say that she will be a great addition to the Biden-Harris administration,” he said. “Given the budget challenges brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic she will be a much needed voice of reason. We are very proud of her nomination and look forward to working with her.”
Celebrating Indian American Women in Government is close to the hearts of those at USINPAC, the community organization said. “They want to acknowledge the leaders who have served in the past, those who are currently serving, and those who are called on to serve in the future.”
READ: Indian American Neera Tanden tipped to head Biden’s budget office (November 30, 2020)
USINPAC held a virtual panel on Nov. 28 to celebrate Indian American Women in Government on their LeaderSpeak hour with a number of public servants sharing their personal stories.
The panel aimed at inspiring viewers, while also describing some of the challenges women in government face, was moderated by Dolly Kapoor of USINPAC and Robinder Sachdev of the Imagindia Institute.
“I think that we need to celebrate women, it is important to acknowledge the extra work they have to do to become elected” said Michigan House Representative Padma Kuppa.
“People don’t always give women creditability. We have to remember that all politics is local,” she said noting, “I started out as a volunteer in my local city with a local organization.”
“Get involved in your local community, find out what your school board and local city council are doing,” Kuppa suggested.
“As a woman, getting money can be a big challenge. People are more willing to write larger checks when a guy is running,” she said. “We need to invest our time and money into candidates who represent our core values.”
“Whether they are South Asian, Indian American, as long as they take the time to learn the issues that are important to the Indian immigrant community,” Kuppa said.
“Your family has to support you” said Swati Dandekar, former Executive Director at the Asian Development Bank. ”It begins with support from within.”
“It is this presumption that amazes me. I was cooking for my grandchildren and I got a phone call from an Indian family,” she said. “They were shocked to hear that I can cook. This came from my own friends who presumed that because I was in politics that I did not know how to cook.”
“Like any other woman, whether you are an engineer or doctor, you take time to take care of your family,” Dandekar said. “Every person does it in their own way, considering there are different family needs all around”
“I would say there are a lot of barriers and a huge glass ceiling for an Indian American woman working in defense” said Krystle Veda Kaul, former Director of Strategic Communications at the US Department of Defense.
“Working in the military adds a layer of masculinity that makes it challenging when you look different,” she said recalling, “It’s not just one woman to every 14 men, there was maybe three minority women on the base I worked at.”
“I think you have to break a lot of these perceptions,” said Kaul. “I faced racist comments, had folks comment that I was a Kashmir American because I come from a conflict zone.
“On the flip side, while I saw that more with mid level officers, captains and colonels, I did have a great deal of support from general officers,” she said.
“The three/four star generals were champions of us because we came with a cultural understanding having lived there and being exposed to a lot of these issues, experience the generals were lacking,” Kaul said.
“There are only about 7% of four star generals who are women. We have a long way to go to get to a point where we get equal representation.”
The LeaderSpeak Hour was broadcast live on USINPAC’s Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/usinpac or at https://fb.watch/24XI74ztXu/.