Amidst an unprecedented racial equality movement in the United States of America in the form of the #BlackLivesMatter protests, where do Indian Americans find themselves? Many members of the Indian community, living and working in the US, have lent support to the movement.
In this discussion moderated by The Quint's Opinions Editor Nishtha Gautam, three academics share their views on race relations, police brutality and State response to the protests. The panelists will also comment on what it means for social movements in India.
- Dr Simran Jeet Singh is an educator, writer, activist, and scholar who speaks regularly on issues of diversity, inclusion and equity. He is a visiting professor at Union Seminary, New York City and a member of Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Interfaith Advisory Committee.
- Dr Suraj Yengde is an inaugural postdoctoral fellow at the Initiative for Institutional Anti-racism and Accountability, Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School. He's a Dalit activist and a bestselling author.
- Swati Chawla is a historian who will defend her PhD dissertation in the coming semester at University of Virginia. She is also an Assistant Professor at OP Jindal Global University.
The resurgence of the Black Lives Matters movement in the US came in the wake of the killing of African-American man George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, by a policeman, no less. This caused debates on institutional racism in America and the West to resurface, which led to widespread protests across the country. The movement in the wake of Floyd’s killing quickly spread to other parts of the world, with Indians also jumping onto the bandwagon. Some Indian celebrities were also called out for their hypocrisy – for endorsing fairness creams while supporting the cause of black lives.
But what this movement has truly done is stir the masses – both the oppressors and the oppressed – out of their complacency, and take a close look at the elephant in the room.
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