Vice President-elect Kamala D. Harris will make history in a lot of different ways when she is inaugurated on Wednesday. The daughter of an Indian mother and a Jamaican father, she will be the first Black vice president and the first Asian American vice president, as well as the first woman to hold elected office in the White House.

Her racial identities are often discussed separately, heralded as a win for two different groups. But Harris also exists at a unique cultural intersection: Both Black and Indian, she will elevate a community that has struggled for acceptance.

Black and South Asian — or “Blindian” — couples face challenges different from those experienced by other mixed-race partners in the United States, often confronting anti-Black racism from family and the broader South Asian community, said Nitasha Sharma, a professor of Asian American studies and African American studies at Northwestern University. 

For many Indian parents who immigrate to the United States, a Black boyfriend is a “worst-nightmare” scenario, Sharma said. Unaccustomed to the American racism they experience, she said said, Indian immigrants may try to distinguish themselves from Black Americans as a way to re-create privilege they had back home.

The term “Blindian” was popularized by the Blindian Project, an Instagram account created in 2017 as a community for Black and South Asian couples and families. 

Kamala Harris lends “validation” to the Blindian community, one woman told me. We asked a few families what her success means to them.

Anjali Ferguson, 32, Richmond
She is Indian American, and her husband is Black. They have a 1-year-old son. 

“I hope Kamala Harris’s visibility helps dismantle some of the anti-Blackness and gives a frame of reference for the South Asian community. We can say, ‘Look, she is a product of Black and South Asian love.’ She is someone their kids can aspire to be. If she had been vice president [when I met my husband], maybe it would have made our road a little easier.” 

Harpreet Triplett, 36, Milwaukee
Her father is Indian, and her mother is Black.

“I think I’ve always been kind of confused. In general, I identify a little more with the Indian side just because I look more Indian, so people would never even think that I was Black. I was closer with my dad’s family and went to Sikh temple. I learned Hindi. But as I got older, in high school and college, it changed, and I identified more with the Black community. I joined the same [Black] sorority that Kamala was in, Alpha Kappa Alpha. 

Seeing Kamala, it just makes you feel so proud — to not only see yourself in someone else, but to see yourself in someone so powerful, who has a global impact. It means a lot to be able to say, ‘This person is AKA like me. She is Blindian like me — and look at all she has accomplished.’”

Mehul Parekh and Sheena Parekh, both 38, Long Beach, Calif.
Mehul is Indian, and Sheena is Black. They have a three-month-old son. 

Sheena: “Sometimes I worry, is my son going to be Black enough? Is he going to be Indian enough? Is he going to have to choose either, or will he know he can be both? I don't know if that is something Harris has had to deal with. I don't want him to feel like he has to pick one. We can teach him what we know about both cultures, and he can embrace both.”

Mehul: “At the end of the day, it’s who he is. The upside is that he gets to pick and choose — and I think that’s going to be beautiful.”

ICYMI

Three need-to-know stories

01.

The Federal Trade Commission announced on Wednesday that it filed a complaint against Flo, a popular period- and pregnancy-tracking app, alleging that it shared millions of users’ data about their menstruation, fertility and pregnancies with the analytics and marketing teams of third-party companies, including Google and Facebook — all the while promising users their data would be kept private.

02.

Biden administration officials unveiled the details of a sprawling $1.9 trillion rescue package on Thursday, which allocates billions of dollars for a national vaccination program and expanded coronavirus testing. The plan also increases access to emergency paid leave for millions of Americans and paid sick and family and medical leave for parents juggling child-care responsibilities.

03.

Nearly 400,000 Americans have now died of covid-19. It took 12 weeks for the death toll to rise from 200,000 to 300,000. The death toll has leaped from 300,000 to almost 400,000 in less than five weeks.

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Taking note

A figure to know

Joan Micklin Silver broke Hollywood barriers as a writer and director. She shined a spotlight on women’s stories and explored American Jewish life in movies including the comedy-drama “Hester Street” and the romantic comedy “Crossing Delancey,” writes Harrison Smith in The Washington Post. Silver launched her career in New York in the early 1970s, a period when relatively few movies were released theatrically and the industry was dominated by young male directors. 

“I remember going to see one producer from one of the studios,” she later told Filmmaker magazine, “and he said to me, ‘Feature films are expensive to make and expensive to market and women directors are one more problem we don’t need.’” But Silver forged ahead and went on to direct several theatrical releases and nearly a dozen TV movies. She died Dec. 31 at her home in Manhattan. She was 85.

Callout

Have you kept a diary during the pandemic? 

For an upcoming story, we’ll be sharing journal entries from women across the country that detail what living in the pandemic has been like. If you’re interested in being part of the project, fill out this form. 

Until next time

But before we part, some recs

Anne Branigin

Reporter, The Lily

What’s helping me relax:

If you want luxe spa vibes but are short on cash (or time), the next time you take a warm shower, I recommend filling your sink with hot water, adding a few drops of your favorite essential oil, and letting the steam do its thing. For a pick-me-up, try rosemary, eucalyptus or peppermint.

What I’m falling asleep on the couch to:

Fran Lebowitz’s Netflix show, “Pretend It’s a City.” Nobody does grumpiness better than Fran, so much so that even when you vehemently disagree with her takes, listening to her remains delightful.

What I’m playing in the background:

All things Bee Gees — their catalogue, their inspirations (I recommend The Delfonics), and the people who’ve covered them. Part of this is due to their recent HBO documentary (which I also recommend), but really, I think I just miss dancing.

🖤

Thanks for reading.