Summary by Anu Ramaswami

Princeton's Chadha Center for Global India and the African American Studies Department hosted a deeply generative and insightful panel discussion on Kamala Harris' campaign for president of the USA. The panel explored the intersection of Black, South Asian and gender histories with electoral politics and policy.

Overall, the Panel agreed that while our social identities alone do not predicate our votes, they nevertheless influence our vote - both directly and indirectly.

Eddie Glaude, James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor of African American Studies at Princeton University, underscored that the current political moment arises from a societal and racial backlash to Barack Obama becoming the first Black President of the USA. Indeed, we are not in a post-racial America.  He highlighted that President Biden's 2020 win was possible only because Democrats turned out to vote in overwhelmingly large numbers, with Biden receiving over 81 million votes, greater than the equally historically high turnout of over 74 million voters for former President Donald Trump. A similarly massive voter turnout would be needed for either side to win in the 2024 race. For Democrats, that effort cannot be based solely on the historic nature of Harris' candidacy as the first Black person, South Asian person, and Woman to run for President of the USA, because some of those "firsts" have been claimed previously by Hillary Clinton (2016) and Obama (2008).

Nitasha Sharma, Professor of Black Studies and Asian American Studies at Northwestern University, reflected on how we as Americans are responding to Harris' dual Black and South Asian heritage. How attempts to cast Kamala Harris solely as one or the other - either Black or South Asian - seek to "other" her from both communities. Prof. Sharma offered historical insight on the changing relationship between Black and South Asian communities from solidarity during the Civil Rights Movement and the Immigration Act (1965), reflected in the momentous decision of Harris' mother, Dr. Shyamala, to marry a Black man. That solidarity has since dissipated with the subsequent new waves of South Asian immigrants to the USA. Yet, the rise of biracial Americans, 30 million strong in number and the fastest growing demographic in the US, offers the promise of transcending the racial and ethnic silos through which we view each other.

Karthick Ramakrishnan, Founder and Director of the AAPI Data Project at UC Berkley, described his motivation in launching AAPI Data back in 2013. AAPI Data aims to understand the priorities and aspirations of AAPI who constitute 6.4% of the US population, with Indian-Americans constituting a 21% percent of this total. He shared the recent survey results, highlighting that racial discrimination was the highest priority among AAPI voters, above  the economy, the war in Gaza, etc. The survey revealed a substantial 20+% point increase in support of Harris in September at the top of the Democratic ticket 2024 compared to Biden, May / June 2024. Among the AAPI respondents her identity as a woman was the most compelling, particularly resonating with younger women ages 18-34. Dr. Ramakrishnan noted the remarkably high voter participation of the AAPI community, at 71%, which can influence electoral outcomes in the so-called “swing states”. He emphasized that these are swing states, first and foremost, due to the Black American vote. In other words, the African American vote makes the swing states so, upon which the relatively smaller South Asian vote has potential to play a pivotal role in the knife-edge of a very close race.

Sadaf Jaffer, Lecturer of South Asian Studies at Princeton University and the first Muslim woman to serve as a mayor in the United States, emphasized, as did the panelists and moderator, that the South Asian Community and vote is not a monolith. Yet, some policy positions align with South Asian experiences. For example, most Indians and South Asians are pro-choice, given abortion is widely available to women in India and is considered a given. She noted that it would be ironic if the GOP’s efforts to overturn Roe now creates solidarity wherein white women - who did not vote overwhelmingly for Hillary Clinton - now vote for Harris. On the other hand, the war in Gaza emerges as a key policy issue that may splinter or inhibit the South Asian Vote, given many in the community are grieving the loss of life in Gaza and the Middle East. 

A lively discussion on this topic ensued where panelists highlighted that survival of democracy in the US might well be at stake due to which sitting out the election or voting third party can have real consequences. Some panelists noted that the US's massive military industrial complex is so large, making efforts of individual leaders, including those of color, challenging. Rather, the panel agreed with Prof. Glaude’s closing statement that, with democracy itself at risk in the US, Americans must unite and vote pragmatically and strategically in massive numbers, buying ourselves time so that the moral arc of the universe can continue its path toward justice.

 “Sometimes the vote is just simply an effort to buy ourselves some time.” – Eddie Glaude, summarizing the discussion, drawing upon the writings of James Baldwin.

Disclaimer: The above summary solely represents the views of the individual speakers; it does not represent the views of the University nor its Centers/Departments, all of which do not take any political position.