Diaspora Reads

  1. The number of Indian-Americans exceeds the winning margin of the 2020 presidential elections in five out of nine swing states, according to Soumya Bhomwick’s analysis of the US polls, suggesting how significant the constituency could be for candidates in the future.
  2. “In North Carolina, where Indians comprise one-quarter of a rapidly growing Asian population, South Asian women inspired by Vice President-elect Kamala Harris led a 30 percent surge in early voting,” according to Claire Wang, writing about the spike in early voting from Asian Americans.
  3. Neera Tanden, US President-elect Joe Biden’s pick to run the Office of Management and Budget, spoke about her Indian mother who raised her as a single mom to ensure she could eventually live the American Dream, in comments after being announced as the official nominee.
  4. Even if Joe Biden makes it easier for Indians to apply for H-1B visas after the restrictive policies of the Donald Trump years, will Indian IT firms actually rush to get more American visas? How India Lives argues that they won’t.
  5. “Only when the narrative is changed, will the game stop treading water on this issue,” writes Daniel Kilvington, about the lack of South Asians in football. “British football must stop blaming British South Asian communities and avoid lazy stereotypes. Instead, the game must highlight the positive stories of role models – past and present – and challenge narrow perceptions.”
  6. Victoria Lindrea writes about the son of a rickshaw driver who “has become the first Indian dancer to win a place on the English National Ballet School’s professional trainee programme.”
  7. In Canada, “Alberta Premier Jason Kenney is facing steep criticism for failing to denounce a group of mostly white people protesting COVID-19 restrictions in Calgary on Saturday—after partly blaming the province’s alarming increase in infections on the South Asian community,” writes Anya Zoledziowski.
  8. South Asians in Canada, including politicians, are raising their voices to lend support to the farmers protest in India, writes Ahmar Khan.