`One of us': South Asians celebrate Harris as VP choice
CHICAGO — Two words summed up Tamani Jayasinghe's exuberance for the first Indian American and Black woman to run for vice president: “Kamala Aunty.”
That title of respect that goes beyond family in Asian circles immediately came to mind when Joe Biden announced Kamala Harris as his running mate. So the 27- year- old with Sri Lankan roots tweeted it as a wink to others who understood the significance of the term.
“The fact that she is both Black and brown is what makes this so exciting. The Asian American experience is one that is complicated and nuanced and robust,” said Jayasinghe, who works in financial communications in New York. “I feel connected to that.”
Harris, the daughter of a Jamaican father and an Indian mother, often focuses on her identity as a Black woman. At times during her political career, as she ran for California attorney general and senator, some didn't realize she was of Indian descent. In her first remarks as Biden's running mate on Wednesday, she spoke of her mother's roots but described herself as the “first Black woman” to be nominated for the vice presidency on a major party ticket.
Still, the possibility she would be the U. S. vice president, which has already triggered sexist and racist commentary, created instantaneous glee among South Asians worldwide and put the spotlight on her as the first person of Asian descent on a major party presidential ticket.
Asian Americans are the fastest- growing racial or ethnic group of eligible voters. More than 11 million Asian Americans will be able to vote in November, according to a May report by the Pew Research Center.
The choice — Biden and Harris made their debut Wednesday — inspired social media musings of celebrating the Hindu festival Diwali at the White House and drawing room talks about the U.S. senator's mother's journey from Chennai to California. Indian government officials of all parties noted the choice as historic, while actress Mindy Kaling — she once made masala dosa with Harris — deemed it “thrilling.” A top headline in The Times of India, one of the world's most widely read English- language newspapers, read, “` A daughter of Chennai, Kamala blooms in US.”
“She is one of us,” said Aleyamma Keny, a retired nurse in suburban Chicago.
The 74- year- old woman, who immigrated from southern India to the U.S. in the 1970s, said Harris joining the ticket felt like a family member had accomplished something. Like many others, Keny saw her own immigration story in the candidate's mother.