In 1993, the last time I was in Washington to attend a presidential inauguration, Representatives Robert Matsui and Norman Mineta cohosted the first significant Asian American reception in connection with any U.S. presidential inauguration. While some attendees had mixed feelings, since by then it had become clear that President Clinton’s initial round of cabinet nominees would not include any Asian Americans, there was nevertheless a sense that the Asian American community had marked an important political milestone.
Fast forward sixteen years: The president-elect is a biracial, second generation American who grew up in Hawaii and considers himself desi. South Asians and other Asian Americans feature prominently in both the transition and the new administration’s significant appointees. And in contrast to that one Capitol Hill reception in 1993, Washington is chock full of Asian American events in connection with the inaugural celebration, including several South Asian-oriented gatherings.
South Asians for Obama got a jump on the festivities on Saturday evening, hosting an informal happy hour which drew over 300 attendees. One of the group's cofounders, Hrishi Karthikeyan, took some time out of his inaugural week schedule to answer a few questions.
Q: When did you and the other cofounders of South Asians for Obama decide to start the organization?
Hrishi Karthikeyan: We started in the fall of 2006, when speculation about Obama's candidacy began to build. In all, there were 10 cofounders: me, Dave Kumar, Rudhir Patel, Nick Rathod, Seema Gajwani, Shanika Amarakoon, Umbreen Bhatti, Priya Bhatia, Jay Bhatt and Atul Rustgi. We initially reached out to folks we knew in DC and then, once the campaign came together, expanded to other major metropolitan areas, eventually approaching 20 chapters by the end of the campaign.
Q: When you launched SAFO, what did you anticipate would be the response from the South Asian community?
HK: I think we always knew we would face challenges because we were not the "favorite" in the race. At the same time, we were confident that once we got our message out, once Obama showed he was viable, and once people started learning more about him, we could convince skeptics that he was for real. We also were blessed to have a very enthusiastic response from a great number of people to what we were doing from day one. I can confidently say we exceeded our expectations by all metrics. The community was engaged earlier, more often, more substantively and more passionately than I have seen in recent elections. One thing in particular that I think we did effectively was take a big organization (i.e., the campaign) and connect it to individuals in our community.
Q: What will be the role of SAFO going forward, as the new administration takes office?
HK: Although we are still working out the details, there is a commitment to keeping this people-driven movement together. We'll be engaged in rallying grassroots support for policy initiatives, delivering our community's own message and priorities to the administration, and supporting other progressive candidates.
Q: As you look back at the campaign, is there anything you would have done differently?
HK: I've learned so much, there are probably too many things to count. Two things in particular stand out. First, I think we realized over time how effectively we could enable people to get involved in their own communities. Over the course of the campaign, we moved from a centralized approach (e.g., a few organized events mainly driven by SAFO leaders) to a more decentralized approach (e.g., people getting involved from home, in their own communities). This greatly enabled us to expand our reach. Second, in hindsight, we probably could have developed our communications operation more effectively. Although I think we did a great job in keeping a focused message, we were often reactive rather than "pro-active." That's one thing I wish we would have done better.
Q: Has President-elect Obama offered to cook dal for you and the other SAFO folks when he invites all of you to the White House?
HK: Not yet, but I'm sure that if and when we're invited to the White House, we'll be able to order "off-menu."
Earlier on SAJAforum:
