News India Times
February 12, 2016
14
Community
– that’s all you need to know
BySumanGuhaMozumder
eepa Iyer, a civil and
immigrants’ rights
advocate for over a
decade, says while
“harmful political rhet-
oric” by politicians that hurts
minorities and discriminate
people of color has been going
on since the September 11 terror
attack on the United States, it
will likely increase in the elec-
tion year in 2016.
“'I think it is going to contin-
ue to get worse and it's up to us
individually as well collectively
to hold political leaders
accountable for their language
and to make it clear to them that
use of (certain) words create fear
and among minorities, and
encourages other people to feel
justified in taking action against
our communities. Political lead-
ers have to have an extra layer of
responsibility when they chose
their words,” Iyer said.
The founder and former
executive director of South
Asian Americans Leading
Together (SAALT) – the activist
organization for South Asians —
was responding to a question
about her new book ‘We Too
Sing America: South Asian, Arab,
Muslim, and Sikh Immigrants
Shape Our Multiracial Future”
that was published by The New
Press in November 2015.
In her first book Iyer chroni-
cles the experiences of U.S.
Arabs, Muslims, Sikhs and South
Asians after 9/11 and weighs in
on how the ISIS massacre in
Paris will reverberate in this
country, much of which, by her
own admission, is drawn from
her experience of interaction
with the community when she
was with SAALT.
The book, which chronicles
the individual stories of hate
crime and violence suffered by
South Asians, including Muslims
and Sikhs, as well as Arab
Americans, since 9/11 says in
the wake of the heinous attacks
in Paris and in San Bernardino,
one has “witnessed the drum-
beat of dangerous political rhet-
oric” and a spate of attacks tar-
geting Muslim, Arab and South
Asian community members on
streets and on campuses, and at
stores and places of worship.
It looks at the impact of back-
lash, Islamophobia, hate vio-
lence on Sikhs and Muslins and
South Asian and Arab immi-
grant communities since 9/11.
“The book also looks at the role
of government policies, like sur-
veillance, and racial profiling of
these communities and looks at
the political rhetoric across the
aisle because political leaders at
many levels often use language
in debates and public speeches
that are harmful,” she said with-
out mentioning anyone in par-
ticular.
“So, we talk about the total
impact of all those on the com-
munities – the individual back-
lash, the government policies,
and the political and media
rhetoric. The book explores the
impact of all of these forces on
our community, and it looks at it
from the lens of young people
from communities around the
country,” Iyer said in an inter-
view.
She said that the impact of all
these has been that an unprece-
dented number of people are
facing discrimination in terms
of workplace, in terms of travel-
ling on airplanes, in terms of
being monitored and whether
they are going to Mosques,
whether they are part of
Muslims associations, or are
going to Gurdwaras. “The
impact is that peoples’ lives are
at stake, their well-beings are at
stake, and their mental states
are at stake,’ she said.
People have shared that they
are experiencing a range of
emotions – from frustration to
hopelessness to outrage to sad-
ness. Iyer, who is currently the
senior fellow at the Center for
Social Inclusion, said that is why
what “we do now” matters— to
come together, to speak up, to
show up, and to do so in ways
that center the experiences of
Muslim communities in the
United States.
In the book, Iyer also makes
some suggestions as to ending
hate violence and profiling and
the need for radical changes in
national security policies, many
of which “are problematic” and
many of which like special regis-
tration are in contradiction with
civil and constitutional rights, to
stop hate crimes and violence
against people of color. The
book, which is in its third print
since publication in November
has been well-received, espe-
cially by the younger generation
all across the U.S., Iyer said.
“Indian-Americans, especially
the Hindus and Muslims and
Sikhs, need to be in solidarity. It
is all of our responsibility. We
cannot be on the sidelines and
say ‘well, this did not happen to
me,’” Iyer, who came to this
country at the age of 12, and has
been an activist, and a lawyer by
training, told this correspon-
dent.
Activist Says ‘Harmful Political Rhetoric’ Will Likely Worsen In Election Year
BySumanGuhaMozumder
A
n India-American asthma
and allergy specialist
based in Denver,
Colorado, who established
International Asthma Services in
1987 to meet the growing
demand for asthma and allergy
care in India and in other devel-
oping countries, has been hon-
ored by the Center for Global
Health, University of Colorado,
with the “Excellence in Global
Health Award”. He was honored
for his contribution to improv-
ing health in developing coun-
tries.
Dr. Pudupukkam (PK)
Vedanthan, Clinical Professor of
Medicine, University of
Colorado, Denver School, who
became a professor 12 years ago,
has improved the lives of thou-
sands of asthmatic patients
through a global network of
asthma camps and trainings,
according to the university. The
first camp was conducted in
Bangalore in 1987, and camps
continue to be conducted usual-
ly with the organizational assis-
tance of local service clubs like
Rotary International, hospitals,
churches or temples.
The award recognizes and
publicly honors individuals,
institutions or organizations
based in Colorado that have
made an “exemplary contribu-
tion” to the improvement of the
health of populations in low and
middle income countries over
an extended period of time.
By receiving the award
Vedanthan, a graduate of
Mysore Medical College, joined
a distinguished group of past
awardees. Vedanthan, who did
his fellowship at the National
Asthma Center/National Jewish
Health Denver, Colorado, also
established ‘Diploma in Allergy
and Asthma program’ in con-
junction with Christian
Medical College, Vellore, which
celebrated its 10th anniver-
sary in Jan. 2016. The program
trains students in treating aller-
gy and asthma patients.
Vedanthan, who said he
spends about six months every
year in India which is the “hub
for training programs” in the
country, and from where he and
his students conduct training
and treatment camps around
the world, including in Africa, is
said to have improved the lives
of thousands of asthmatic
patients.
TheWorld Health
Organization estimates that 235
million people suffer from asth-
ma. As a result of increasing
urbanization and more particu-
late matter in the air, it is pre-
dicted there will be 100 million
more persons with asthma by
2025. The disease, according to
WHO, is largely under-diag-
nosed and undertreated, leading
to approximately 250,000 deaths
annually worldwide. “There is a
very high morbidity and mortal-
ity rate in India of people suffer-
ing from these ailments. The
prevalence of allergies in India
varies between rural and urban
settings.
He said the ailment is rising
all over in India due to urbaniza-
tion and change in life style,
increased auto emissions, obesi-
ty, change of food habits and
less activity.
Allergist Honored For Promoting Health Of Thousands In Developing Countries
D
Dr. Pudupukkam (PK) Vedanthan,Clinical Professor of Medicine, University of
Colorado Denver School, right, being given the 'Excellence in Global Health Award'
by Dr Harold Nelson, Professor of Medicine in the Department of Medicine at
National Jewish Medical and Research Center at the University of Colorado Health
Science Center in Denver, Nov. 20, 2015.
