Women of Subcontinent making
waves in US politics

The corridors of power in the United States government are making waves with extraordinary women taking over prominent roles. Kamala Harris has made history being elected the first woman of color with South Asian roots as Vice President of the United States. She may very well become the first female president of the country and first female to take the highest rank in office. Harris’s victory has broken the “glass ceiling” for women in high political ranks in the United States.

Women with compelling roots from their ancestors and the subcontinent have been making a mark in the halls of Congress and US Senate for several years. There is a growing recognition of untapped South Asian women in higher offices. Their contribution to American society and people is making the countries of the Subcontinent such as Pakistan a prominent name on the map of extraordinary individuals. More specifically, it is boosting South Asian women to come forward and promote women empowerment in the political world. These are some of the exceptional women who are shredding the disclaimer that women can’t be successful leaders.

Kesha Ram, the granddaughter of Sir Ganga Ram served in the Vermont House of Representatives from 2009 to 2016. Sir Ganga Ram was an Indian civil engineer and architect whose contributions to the urban fabric of Lahore earned him the title of “Father of Modern Lahore”. She was the youngest Indian American to serve in a State elected office.

Sadaf Jaffer, the first woman of Pakistani descent is serving since 2019 as a mayor of Montgomery Town in the state of New Jersey. She is also the first Muslim woman to serve as a mayor in the US.
Shamila N. Chaudhary, a Pakistani born is contributing to US counterterrorism and national security issues, dealing with US-Pak relations, Pakistan’s internal politics and tackling regional issues in South Asia. Her esteemed knowledge and confidence was endorsed by Hillary Clinton who raised her to higher ranks in the US State Department.

Shirn R. Tahir-Kheli, a political scientist was appointed as a women’s empowerment ambassador in 2006 by the United States Secretary of State. She served as a Senior Advisor to the Secretary of State on United Nations Reform. She is the first Muslim American to be bestowed as an ambassador in the House of Representatives. She also worked as Special Assistant and Advisor to the President and Senior Director of Democracy, Human Rights and International Operations at the White House National Security Council.

Zainab Ahmad specializes in investigating and prosecuting terrorism as an American prosecutor with the United States Justice Department. She has successfully prosecuted a number of high profile terrorism cases while working as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Eastern District of New York in 2017. She was born in New York to emigrated parents from Punjab, Pakistan.

Nergis Mavalvala, a Pakistani-American astrophysicist is best known for her role in the first observation of gravitational waves. Her involvement in this discovery made her an instant celebrity in the world of Science, thus, inspiring Pakistani women to become future scientists. Radhika Nagpal is an American computer scientist specializing in self-organizing computer systems, robotics and multi-agent systems. She is also a co-founder of a robotics company called Root Robotics. Sangeera N. Bhatia, American biological engineer is a professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She was named as one of the top 100 innovators to look out in the world under the age of 35 in MIT technology review. She was named “a scientist” to watch by The Scientist. She is a also a recipient of multiple awards pertaining to her field. Humaira Abid is a Pakistani born American artist whose work of art has been displayed in numerous exhibitions. Names such as Mindy Kaling and Hannah Simone with South Asian roots are making exceptional contributions in the entertainment industry.

Highlighting these individuals not just showcases a powerful community of women but also the contributions of South Asians in American society and the world. This opens a tunnel of opportunities to be explored.

Rise of South Asian women in American society does not lie just in the political domain, but is also making waves in the fields of science, economics, arts, medicine and entertainment, just to name a few. The impressive determination, commitment and innovation of exceptional South Asian women is gaining popularity in American media. This is highlighting the contributions of South Asians in a diversified America showcasing female empowerment in distinguished disciplines. Role of women in general in different realms of respectable fields goes way back in history. However, keeping in view the women of the 21st century, South Asians are making a mark in different fields of education in the US. Before the early 1900s, women were not even allowed to vote in elections in the US. Now, they are marking their territories of phenomenal contributions and talent in vast domains. Kamala Harris, Vice President of the United States is an outstanding example of historic development for women as leaders.