Research shows a dramatic rise in anti-India rhetoric on social media, fueled by false accusations that Indians are stealing American jobs.
Ramesh Vishwanath Kapur, president of the nonprofit U.S. India Security Council, said even former President John F. Kennedy saw India as an example for the U.S. on how to get along.
"We need a beacon of hope and I think the Indian American community with their culture and religion can put that together. India has done that. There are so many different groups that are there," Kapur explained.
Kapur pointed out Indian Americans played a large role in the 2008 U.S.-India nuclear deal, in which India volunteered to stop testing nuclear bombs. Kapur added with education, they can show both their patriotism and contributions to America’s success.
A recent bipartisan event in Washington, D.C., honoring America’s 250th birthday highlighted Indian Americans’ achievements and their gratitude for the American dream. It included some of the six Indian Americans now serving in Congress, as well as business and religious leaders, veterans, musicians and doctors. They spoke about the history and traditions shaping them but also about giving back.
Priya Ramesh Samant, an organizer of the event and a tech entrepreneur, said it was more than a cultural festival, but a declaration of pride in all America has achieved.
"We are reaffirming our commitment to the ideals that define this country, America, which is liberty, opportunity, equality, democracy, and service," Samant emphasized. "The Indian American story is to be heard, because we are in the fabric of this country as an American story."
Samant hopes the event becomes an annual tradition for Indian Americans and serves as a model for other immigrant communities to organize, creating a sort of domino effect, Samant noted, helping the country unite.
Samant stressed every immigrant community contributes to America, which is what makes it great.
