Sunday, October 21, 2007
Bobby Jindal, the 36-year-old son of Punjabi immigrants, was elected governor of Louisiana Saturday becoming America’s first Indian-American governor. The conservative Jindal received 53% of the vote and when sworn in to office in January, will take the reigns of a state still devastated from Hurricane Katrina two years ago. Despite the fact that Jindal will be presiding over a state with perhaps the worst schools, health and poverty in America, the governor-elect promised a “fresh start” for Louisiana. He told supporters in Baton Rouge Saturday, “In America and here in Louisiana, the only barrier to success is your willingness to work hard and play by the rules.” The election of Bobby Jindal is a victory for two groups in America. The first is the Bush Republicans, who see Jindal as a rising star within the Conservative party. Jindal is a reborn and devout Roman Catholic, an outspoken supporter of a total ban on abortion, a staunch opponent of hate-crime laws and a defender of teaching intelligent design in Louisiana public schools. The second group celebrating Jindal’s election are Indian-Americans, who, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, at 1.5% of the total U.S. population, rank as America’s second fastest-growing ethnic groups behind Hispanics. While Indian-Americans boast a representation in America’s universities and medical and financial industries disproportionately high in relation to their numbers, Americans of Indian descent have been pretty much absent from the U.S. political arena. Jindal, U.S. Representative from Louisiana’s First Congressional District since 2004, is only America’s second Indian-American member of Congress. Hispanic-Americans on the other hand, who represent 10 times the population of Indian-Americans, have 25 times as many members of Congress (25 total), three of whom are United States senators. Jay Chaudhuri, president of the Indian American Leadership Initiative said about Jindal’s win, “Bobby Jindal replaces the Mardi Gras Indians as the best known Indian from Louisiana. We congratulate him for providing Indian-Americans a seat of the table.” And indeed, he said “seat of the table.” But Chaudhuri’s comment is correct. Indian-Americans, a group often mocked in U.S. pop culture for their thick accents, traditional dress and religious headwear, are no longer a marginal ethnic minority who, as programs like the Simpsons would have you believe, either serve Slurpees or drive cabs. They are now America’s doctors, lawyers, bankers and CEOs. And now, thanks to Bobby Jindal’s election, they are America’s highest political officials.
