School, college and other closings for Monday

MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all. 

Turn Up Your Support

Many Indians are tweeting support Wednesday for Kamala Harris, celebrating their connection to the new presumptive Democratic nominee for vice president, whose mother was from India. 

Harris is not only the first woman of color to appear 

, but she is also the first person of South Asian descent.

Kamala Harris' selection resonates with Black women

"This is a historical, transformational, and proud moment for... all women of colour, all Black women, and all South Asian women," Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra 

Harris' mother, Shyamala Gopalan, who died in 2009, was a Hindu whose family hails from Tamil Nadu, a state in southern India. Gopalan moved to California for graduate school before Harris was born. 

"It is a moment of pride for Indians and Tamil Nadu especially," 

 the state's deputy chief minister, Thiru O. Panneerselvam.

While Harris has most often identified herself as Black, and on occasion, as African American, she 

wrote about her Indian mother's influence on her

 in her 2019 memoir, “The Truths We Hold.” Harris has previously spoken about her family's Indian heritage, including 

in a cooking video with actor Mindy Kaling

. Harris has said she has fond memories of strolling Tamil Nadu's beaches with her late grandfather.

But some supporters of India's Hindu nationalist government also took to social media Wednesday to criticize Harris for her stance on Kashmir, India's only Muslim-majority region.

"This is one of the reasons I don't support 

. She's the favorite candidate of those who want to break my ancestral homeland of 

canceled the special autonomy of what was then the state of Jammu and Kashmir

 and put the region under direct central government control. Afterward, Rep. Pramila Jayapal — a Democrat and Indian American congresswoman — introduced 

 urging India to uphold human rights and refrain from the use of violence in Kashmir. Harris then 

abruptly canceled a meeting with U.S. lawmakers

In September 2019, as a presidential candidate in the Democratic primaries, Harris also 

responded to a question from a Kashmiri American at a campaign event

 by saying: "[Kashmiris] are not alone. We are all watching. So often, when we see human rights abuses ... the abuser will convince those that they abuse that nobody cares, and that nobody's watching, and that nobody is paying attention — which is a tool of an abuser." 

Still, the national general secretary of India's ruling Hindu nationalist party on Wednesday 

Politics and Government News

Social Issues

Conversations around race and racial justice

Election 2020

Lauren Frayer

Author

"This is a historical, transformational, and proud moment for... all women of colour, all Black women, and all South Asian women," Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra tweeted.

Kamala Harris pick for VP is hailed as 'a moment of pride' in India

Go Deeper.

Like this?

News you can use in your inbox