Kamala Harris Elevates The Status Of Blindians – Anti Blackness In The Making
Blend it like Blindians! The start of 2021 dawned upon a promising start for the Black and South Asians in the United States, as Kamala Harris stepped into the position of Vice President on January 20. Her example has opened up the opportunity for a coalition between Blacks and South Asian Americans. It is remarkable how her rise to power, gave rise to a new ray of hope for the Blindians and set multiple records at once. Now that’s what we call truly inspirational! *slow claps*
Kamala Harris attained the honor of becoming the first female Vice President, the highest-ranking female elected official, the first African American and Asian American vice president in the history of the United States. She is no less than a wonder woman!
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Kamala Harris often sheds light on her biracial background and immigrant parents as part of the election campaign. Her mother, Shyamala Gopalan from India, and father, Donald Harris from Jamaica immigrated to the United States to pursue their doctorate degrees at the University of California at Berkeley, where they met each other. They also worked as student activists that became the breeding ground for the VP’s political career.
The Indians and Blacks in the United States have set high hopes with Kamala Harris and believe that her example will help minimize the disparity between the two communities, along with the racism faced by both. The #BlindianProject on social media highlights the challenging stories of a lot of Blindian couples who face resentment from family and friends.
While some couples share their struggles for basic rights, others seem to attach high expectations with the Indian-Jamaican vice president and hope Harris’ rise to power will contribute to bringing about a positive change for Blindians!
-Evoke a Sense of Belonging and Limit Parental Concerns for Future Generations
A lot of Blindian parents like Mary L Kirk worry about their future generations but Harris’ selection as the vice president has given them hope and inspiration that Blindian children can look up to!
Mary L Kirk wrote on Twitter “So happy to see someone I can relate to and that represent my boys and I”
Black beauty, Victoria Vaden shared an emotional post on Instagram.
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–Promote Representation and Validation
Shelly Sharma shared a thought for the future with this post.
Maison Desai Charlton voiced her support for the vice president on Instagram on behalf of her baby, “#justlikeme @kamalaharris you are my mirror. The one that shows me how tall I can grow and how far I can reach. I promise to stand on your shoulders and all of the incredible strong 💪🏽 women that came before you. I promise to break the chains and shackles for the women that came before me. I promise to do the things my baba and my grandmothers and their mothers couldn’t do”
-Eradicate Disownment, Disapproval and Shame
Shurti Patel shared her story of love and struggle through the #theblindianproject,
“Shope and I met at University while studying for our MPharm degrees over seven years ago. When the time came to tell my parents, they did not accept it as I had expected. They were disappointed with my choice and did not understand why I would want to marry someone from a different culture. My parents said they would disown me if I left the house, but I was finally ready to put myself first. It was the most challenging period of my life, but we did it and managed to stay in touch with my parents. My parents did not attend the wedding. They still do not accept our relationship, but I still have hope that one-day things will change. As a British-born Indian woman, I hope I have broken this oppressive cycle of not having the freedom to marry outside of our community.”
-Promote the Best of Both Worlds
Anjali Ferguson shared her wedding memories with the #BlindianProject and highlighted how they had the best of both cultures on their Big Day!
“We battled judgments, preconceived notions, and unnecessary hurdles for many years, all while navigating typical relationship difficulties of just getting to know one another. We eventually connected our families and honored our love through our dream wedding weekend ten years later. We held two ceremonies to honor both religions and created new #Blindian traditions of our own.”
Is this the start of mission anti-blackness? 2021 seems to be the year of healing, not only for Covid-19 stricken families but also Blindians who have suffered for way too long! We hope that the Biden-Harris duo will turn out to be in the best interest of all Americans, including the South Asian and Black communities. Fingers crossed!
