Indian American lawyer Shekar Krishnan and Bangladeshi-American Shahana Hanif made history as the first South Asians elected to the New York City Council. Hanif is the first Muslim woman to win the city poll held on November 2.
Born to Indian immigrants from Kerala in the United States, Democrat Sekhar was elected to represent Jackson Heights and Elmhurst in Queens in District 25. He secured an unbeatable 60.7% with a 19.6% lead over his Republican rival Shah Haque.
“Thank you #JacksonHeights and #Elmhurst! Thank you for believing in me! Together, we will fight for a city for everyone. We will fight for our home,” he tweeted.
In a recent interview with Scroll.in, Sekhar explained his life as an Indian immigrant in the US.
“My parents came to the US around 30 years ago, and they struggled with discrimination and the inaccessibility of resources all through their careers as research scientists in the pharmaceutical industry. When they first arrived, they qualified for every single public benefit available at the time but did not receive them because they didn’t know what they were or how they could have applied for them. Our immigrant community faces similar struggles even today,” he said.
“I saw my parents struggle with a feeling of not belonging here, and I can relate to similar experiences of immigrants in my community. My parents came here with official documents and education, but I saw their struggle despite these privileges. They were discriminated against because of their skin colour, accents, etc, and all that left an indelible impression on me, which is why I chose to become a civil rights lawyer, and eventually venture into politics,” he added.
Democrat Shahana polled an overwhelming 89.3% of votes. In a statement released, she said she was “humbled and proud” to be the first Muslim woman on the Council — and the first woman of any faith to represent District 39.
According to the New York Times report, New York has one of the largest Indian Americans and South Asian Americans in the US. Moreover, the city is home to an estimated 769,000 Muslims.
Sekhar and Shana are community activists who stood alongside New York city cab drivers as they embarked on a two-week-long hunger strike to protest the huge costs of taxi medallions that allow them to drive legally in the city, say reports. About 40 percent of city cab drivers are South Asian Americans.
In an interview with NBC News, Sekhar said the absence of South Asian representation in city politics meant that the needs of his constituents have long been neglected. Krishnan said he’ll focus on obtaining more public funding for Elmhurst Hospital, which was “at the center of the pandemic” but had only one bed for every 1,000 patients; investing in public housing and different models of community land trusts; and creating bilingual education programs.
Sekhar is the co-founder of Communities Resist, a legal services organization fighting housing discrimination.
While another South Asian, Democrat Felicia Singh, a teacher, lost her bid to beat out Joan Ariola, the Queens Republican Party chairwoman. Singh is the daughter of a taxi driver and stood side by side with the striking drivers. In her concession message, Singh wrote: “I ran to include people who had never been part of our electoral process at all. Folks who felt erased and neglected year after year.”
