SPECIAL/NFIA FOCUSES ON WOMEN
Manju Ganeriwala, left, with Angela Anand
Sukriti Likhi PHOTOGRAPHS: NARINDERJEE T SINGH
Lal Motwani
Community’s power women
share their inspiring stories
;Page A25
Of the 535 federal elected positions in the United States
Congress, only one is held by a South Asian American —
Congressman Hansen Clarke. And of the 7,700 statewide
elected positions, there are less than 15 Indian-American
representatives and only five are held by Indian-American
women… Women make up more than 51 percent of the
population in our nation, and yet, we make up 16 percent
of federal elected positions and 23 percent of the state
elected positions. In my view, democracy is not fully exer-
cised until our political institutions are comprised of at
least 50 percent women.’
She continued: ‘I stand here today to
encourage everyone of you — (for) the politi-
cal future of this nation and the impetus
behind which the voice of the Indian-
American community hinges — to pursue a
career in public service as a specialized agent
of change representative of your dual roots as
an American of Indian descent. Unfor-
tunately, there are relative large numbers of
Indian Americans who don’t take the time to
register to vote. I would also encourage every-
one that registers to vote to select a party affil-
iation. If you are not registered with a party,
then you leave yourself out of the most impor-
tant political decision making process — the
primary. You can let others to choose who
your party candidate is, or you can be the
agent of change and decide for yourself.’
Miller, a Democrat, said the best way to
get started is ‘to volunteer at your local
Democratic Party, which offers avenues for
grassroots political empowerment and
engagement. They are always looking for
volunteers. In fact, this is how I got started
in my own political career. I volunteered as
a precinct official to assist voters in voting,
report the votes to the elections office and
encouraged people to vote for candidate
that advanced core democratic values.’
Her advice was: ‘Should you run for polit-
ical office, don’t give up if you do not win the
first time. Probably the greatest example of persistence is
Abraham Lincoln. Born into poverty, Lincoln was faced
with defeat throughout his life. He lost eight elections,
twice failed in business and suffered a nervous breakdown.
He could have quit many times but he didn’t, and because
he didn’t Abraham Lincoln became one of the greatest
Presidents in the history of the United States… Finally, as
the 21st century agent of change, don’t be disappointed if
you didn’t change the world overnight. Change, I have
found, comes in small incremental steps — be patient, be
tolerant, be committed, and it will come.’
She continued: ‘For example, within my own state of
Maryland, Diwali has received formal recognition at both
Angela Anand, chair of the NFIA’s Women’s Committee, lights a ceremonial lamp with
incoming NFIA president Lal Motwani, center, and Dr Yogendra Gupta
the state and local levels in response to pressure from local
Indian-American communities. The long overdue recogni-
tion did not come to fruition overnight, but instead
through the active involvement and efforts of numerous
Indian-American community leaders who worked togeth-
er, over many years, to ensure their voices were heard.’
She said, ‘In my own role as a Maryland state delegate, I
am very excited to share with you that Maryland Governor
Martin O’Malley is scheduled to visit India for the first time
this year… I am also leading an effort to bring more cultur-
al literacy into the Maryland public school curriculum that
raises greater awareness to the various religions and cus-
toms of India in hopes of minimizing misconceptions and
discrimination… It is truly an honor for me to serve the
people of Maryland, and it swells my heart with pride to
represent our Indian-American community.’
Dr Sunita Kanumury, only the second woman president
in the nearly three-decades-old history of the American
Association of Physicians of Indian Origin, said, “Today,
AAPI has emerged as a powerful advocacy organization for
issues and concerns of Indian-American doctors, who in
turn, have emerged as a significant influence on the health-
care policy of our country. We are actively engaged in mov-
ing towards the implementation of ObamaCare to ensure
that every man, woman and child will have access to quali-
ty & affordable universal health care in the future.’
Women, Kanumury said, ‘have a great deal at stake as our
nation prepares to overhaul its health-care system. We make
75 percent of the health-care decisions in the household…
Women account for 60 percent of physician visits and med-
ication prescriptions. Women spend two of every three dollars
on health care. Studies have shown that women are less like-
ly to be screened for serious illnesses by male doctors.’
She said women Indian-American physicians ‘need to
have a strong voice in women’s health-care issues,’ particu-
larly since the ‘number of practicing women in the work
force increased from 7 percent in 1970 to 22 percent in
2000. For the average woman doctor, 85 percent will have
encountered gender discrimination and/or sexual harass-
ment at least once during her career. She will earn only 63
cents on the dollar that a male physician earns — after all
variables are considered — and she will likely be segregat-
ed into clinical areas that have less prestige and earning
potential. Diminishing the worth of women physicians is a
loss that our ailing health-care system can ill afford.’
She pointed out: ‘Although 30 percent of faculty mem-
bers are women, at least 18 schools have no women serving
as department chairs. Women are less likely than men to be
promoted to the levels of associate or full professor and less
likely to be appointed to search committees, which influ-
ence future faculty representation. Women comprise only
14 percent of tenured faculty and 12 percent of full profes-
sors. And, the average number of female department chairs
in the United States is just 1.7 per medical school.’
