ILS-Politics

South Asians for Kerry (SAKI) was born of a provocative idea that there was an alternative avenue of political organization that moved beyond traditional, narrowly constructed paradigms. SAKI’s team was a response to a culture of fear where exclusion and marginalization inspired unity and togetherness.

Our team was motivated by hope that our friends and family would regain their rightful freedoms; hope that illegal detentions and discriminatory registrations would be stopped; hope that the anger and fear that all Americans felt would no longer be blindly aimed at us; hope, finally, that we would be seen as a people who did not have to justify our presence and that we’d be seen as who we really are: Americans.

My personal commitment to this effort began in 2002 when I decided that I had to use my legal training and represent people targeted by special registration. I’ll never forget seeing those lines of hundreds of South Asian immigrants, waiting to be humiliated, harassed and forced to justify their right to remain in this country. All this despite having broken no law and done nothing wrong.

Normally, fear is not something tangible. It is an unsettling experience to actually see fear. To actually hear it. I listened to countless stories of men in our community here in New York targeted for no reason. I saw it in their eyes – how much their faith had been shaken – I heard it in their trembling voices.

Amazingly, however, these very men also expressed a quiet confidence – that their chosen homeland was the right choice, that America would come around and be the beacon of optimism for the world again. Amazingly – same men also had hope.
SAKI’s journey began in March 2003. In 2003, Indians, Bangladeshis, Sri Lankans, and Pakistani Americans were all subjected to racial profiling, illegal detentions or INS special registration requirements. These unjust applications of the law were indifferent to religion or country of origin.

We believed that by focusing on one candidate, John Kerry, and on the issues we have in common, we could transcend the politics of division and create strength in numbers.
In the early months of the spring and summer of 2003, SAKI focused on intelligence gathering. We knew that the key first step to successful election mobilization is setting up a structure to engage and educate the community.

Therefore, we created a much needed database of South Asian organizations, community leaders, and potential Kerry supporters and volunteers. We attended meetings three to four times a week at various organizations in Manhattan, the outer boroughs, and New Jersey.

Once we recruited an active base of volunteers, we began our visibility campaign. We handed out flyers at parades, community events, and ethnic restaurants and institutions. We launched the SAKI Web site and sent out bi-monthly updates.

The summer of 2003 presented many challenges. Because of Howard Dean’s surging popularity and the generally competitive primary season, SAKI saw a significant drop in support. As the New Hampshire primaries approached, only a handful of SAKI members took on the challenge of making hundreds of calls to South Asian New Hampshire residents.

A lack of people power did not prevent us from completing this task. Our canvassing trip to New Hampshire reinvigorated SAKI. I will never forget that cold winter day where we had a small house party with some South Asian Americans. Some of them were on the fence between Howard Dean and John Kerry. We were able to explain why SAKI was doing what it was doing, highlight the next steps, and invite them to join in the movement.

After the New Hampshire primaries, excitement for John Kerry surged in the South Asian community. And as we reached out beyond New York to places like New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and California, it became increasingly apparent that the time to truly unite the South Asian community had arrived.
Our July 9th fundraiser was a celebration of our efforts. SAKI worked tirelessly to bring together a group of prominent Indian and Pakistani American leaders to coalesce around the candidacy of John Kerry.

At this New York event, SAKI raised almost 1 million dollars. This was the election’s largest single constituency fundraiser and the highest amount ever contributed by the South Asian community.
By the fall of 2004, SAKI was not only able to deliver funds, we delivered votes. Through 20 state representatives and a 150-person nationwide volunteer network, which included many first-time, young voters, SAKI made direct contact with over 60,000 South Asian voters, a majority of whom were in Ohio, Florida, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, and Michigan.

By recruiting local South Asian volunteers and community leaders to register voters and attend cultural, community and political events, we utilized a grassroots approach characterized by personal South Asian-to-South Asian contact. As word spread, we received requests from Kerry-Edwards’ state political directors to handle South Asian outreach for the campaign. Our notable achievements:
SAKI led the campaign’s South Asian outreach in Florida, Ohio, New York, California, and Massachusetts; and we substantially enhanced the campaign’s South Asian outreach in Pennsylvania, Michigan, New Hampshire, Minnesota, Arizona, New Jersey, and Delaware.
Voter Registration: SAKI enabled a national voter registration campaign by creating a comprehensive, user-friendly Voter Registration Kit that was downloadable from our Web site.
Phone Banking: By running twice-weekly phone banks from 13 different cities, SAKI called over 35,000 South Asian voters in 12 states. We created a Phone Banking Kit complete with Talking Points for issues concerning the community.
Media Strategy: SAKI was responsible for dozens of pro-Kerry/Edwards op-eds, interviews, and articles in local and national South Asian media.

The year 2004 will always stand out in the history of South Asian political involvement. The South Asian community is now spoken of as a force to be reckoned with by both political parties.
Through the process of mobilizing and organizing South Asian Americans, SAKI has built strong links with local, state, and national politicians.

The Democratic Party’s official recognition of the South Asian American Leadership Council at the Democratic National Committee is one example of how by organizing as South Asians we have contributed to the empowerment of the community.
I believe that there will be a Democratic resurgence in 2006, 2008 and 2010 and it will heavily be bolstered by the support of the South Asian community.

However, the thing I will cherish the most about the last two yearsis the opportunity to work with and meet countless people across the country who truly believe there is far more that unites us than divides us. SAKI discovered an incredible pool of leaders – men and women who do not find indifference tempting.
Men and women ready to take active political participation seriously so that a real political voice can be forged. Men and women who will make sure that our community achieves its goals and a common desire to make this country a better place. Individuals who know that at the core, as Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan and Nepalese Americans, we are tied together by our common bonds, experiences and futures.
Who know that unity heightens our stature and strengthens our voice. Who, when asked, why should we unite as South Asians, answer: My voice is stronger when others are speaking with me. My voice is more passionate when others are crying with me.
My voice is braver when others are standing with me. My voice will be heard, because with all of us together as a community, everyone has no choice but to listen.

Just as the men subjected to special registration had the audacity to hope, we, too, are optimistic about our future.
Our journey to this place started decades ago when the first South Asian immigrants came to the United States. Today it continues.

Tomorrow we move forward, with greater goals and responsibilities. All the while moving closer to our goal of a serious political voice.