Although Indian-Americans have been a part of the American story since the 19th century, they have been the victims of discrimination aimed at denying their place in America for the majority of their long history. Starting in 1917, efforts were made to ban Indians from immigrating to the United States, and it was not until the passage of the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act that all restrictions were repealed. Yet Indian-Americans face continuing discrimination and a lack of acceptance in their own home. However, we have fought back against this harmful narrative, continuing to assert our place in America. One of the most visible places that this has occurred is in the representative body of the people: Congress. The second half of the 20th century to the present day has seen eight Indian-Americans elected to Congress, and in doing so has shown that Indian-Americans not only belong here but also deserve to play an active role in shaping the future of our country.
The first Indian-American elected to Congress is a man who is too often forgotten: Dalip Singh Saund. He was an immigrant from a small village in Punjab who worked his way up from being a ranch foreman to a judge in Imperial County, California.
Elected in the 1950s at a time when the ability of an Indian to serve in Congress was still under deep scrutiny, Saund was truly a trailblazer in Congress. Not only was he the first Indian-American, but he was also the first Asian-American and first member of a non-Abrahamic faith elected to Congress. As Saund writes in his memoir, Congressman from India, “every effort was made to make it appear that I was an Indian, not an American. In newspaper ads I was not called D. S. Saund, but Dalip Singh in big letters and Saund in small letters.” Throughout his campaign in 1956, efforts were made by his opponents to cast doubt upon his loyalty, to which he responded that, were he to be elected, he would return to India and say, “I am a living example of American democracy in action. I was elected by the free vote of the people in a very conservative district of the state of California to membership in the most powerful legislative body on earth. Where else in the world could that happen?” In this announcement, Saund showed his commitment to American democracy, and by election night, he had closed the gap between him and his Republican opponent, winning a seat in Congress, and in doing so establishing a precedent of greater inclusivity.
Saund would serve in Congress from 1956-1962, representing California’s 29th District. However, the end of this third term would be the last time an Indian-American served in Congress for almost 18 years. But in 1980, Mervyn Dymally, the 41st Lieutenant Governor of California, was elected, serving for six terms until 1992. Dymally is another forgotten figure. He was born in Trinidad, to a Trinidadian mother and Indian father, and upon his election, he became not only the second Indian-American member of Congress but also the first foreign-born African-American Congressman. He would serve on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, as well as serving as the Head of the Congressional Black Caucus.
After Dymally, the next Indian-American Congressman would be Bobby Jindal. To date, Jindal is the only Indian-American Republican to serve in Congress. He was elected in 2004 from Louisiana and served for two terms. He would serve on the Committees of Education and the Workforce, Homeland Security, and Natural Resources. Jindal is perhaps best known for successfully running for Governor of Louisiana after his tenure in Congress ended in 2009.
However, it is important to acknowledge that Jindal significantly downplayed his Indian heritage during his initial campaign, trying to distance himself from it. By doing this, Jindal, whether intentionally or not, did play a role in the continued othering of Indian culture, and by extension, Indian-Americans. While in some sense, his having to do this to get elected was a consequence of racism beyond his control, his continued association with this othering is harmful for the majority of Indian-Americans, and so he must be called out as such.
Jindal would not be the only Congressman to gain fame after their legislative career. Perhaps one of the most well-known Indian-American members of Congress is former Senator and current Vice President, Kamala Harris. She is thus far the only Indian-American senator and served from 2016 to 2020. Harris served on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, as well as on the Senate Judiciary Committee. On January 20th, 2021, Harris became not only the first South Asian, but the first African-American and first woman to be sworn in as Vice President of America.
Today, there are four Indian-Americans in Congress, all of whom serve in the House. Each of them has made a name for themselves and has contributed significantly to Congress, proving just how far Indian-Americans representation has come.
One of these four is Representative Pramila Jayapal of Washington’s 7th District, who has become a leading figure in progressive politics. Elected in 2016, Jayapal was the first Indian-American woman to be elected to Congress, and she has attained such prestigious positions as Vice-Chair of the LGBTQ Equality Caucus and Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. Like Saund before her, she is a first-generation immigrant, one of only 24 in Congress.
Another leading progressive is Representative Ro Khanna, of California’s 17th District. He is the Deputy Whip of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. He has made a name for himself as a leading figure in the fight to get corporate money out of politics, being one of only five members of Congress who does not take money from PACs or lobbyists.
Indian-Americans have not only become leaders in Congress but also innovators as well. A great example of this is the representative from Illinois’s 8th District, Raja Krishnamoorthi. He not only serves as Co-Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Immigration Task Force, but as the Chair, and founder, of two committees: the Congressional Caucus to End the Youth Vaping Epidemic, and the Solar Caucus, demonstrating a deep commitment to public service.
Finally, the longest-serving Indian-American congressman is Dr. Ami Bera, of California’s 7th District. He serves as the Chair of the Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, Central Asia, and Nonproliferation, and his twenty-year career in medicine has made him a leader in the fight for affordable and high-quality health care.
Clearly, not only are Indian-Americans an integral part of American politics, but also representation and acceptance of Indian-Americans has come a long way. From the groundbreaking election of Dalip Singh Saund in 1956 to the equally historic election of Kamala Harris as Vice President and to the continued work of Indian-American members of Congress, Indian-Americans have proven that we do belong here and that we do have a part to play in the future of this great country that we love. And as the fight to end racism against Indian-Americans continues, we can look to our past leaders in Congress as inspiration for the future.
Works Cited
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“About Rep. Khanna.” Congressman Ro Khanna, February 2019.
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@USHouseHistory, 2019. https://history.house.gov/People/Detail/21228.
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