iNDICA NEWS BUREAU-
Congressman Jonathan Jackson has called US Vice President Kamala Harris the “most qualified” at this time to be at the top of the ticket. He stated that she has the blood from two continents and was raised by an Asian mother in the US.
Speaking to ANI, Jackson, son of American civil rights activist, Reverend Jesse Jackson, called Kamala Harris loving and caring, who understands a culture of many worlds.
When asked about Kamala Harris’ biracial identity, he stated, “God made one blood type, I mean, several variations of it, but we have the same blood. She’s got the blood of two continents, she’s got the blood of the diaspora and Jamaican lineage and heritage, raised in America with an Asian mother, and so she is America in so many ways.”
“She understands the culture of many worlds. She’s a loving and caring and has a giving spirit of a person. She’s the most qualified at this time to be at the top of the ticket. When we talk about what was different then versus now, we’ve had a female to become a Speaker of the House. We’ve had females become the Democratic nominees, which have females to be in the Vice Presidency. Females have done all the highest roles in government except for the Presidency. And young girls will now look to the future and say, of course this can happen,” he added.
Harris is the daughter of Jamaican-born Donald Harris, an 85-year-old retired Stanford University economist, and Indian-born Shyamala Gopalan, a breast cancer researcher who passed away in 2009.
She is the first Asian American woman and Black woman to head a significant party ticket. Harris secured her party’s nomination for President, after US President Joe Biden quit the presidential race amid mounting concerns over his age, particularly after his poor show in the debate with Donald Trump in June.
Jackson stated that India has grown in prominence in the modern world and has had the historical world with vastness, richness and culture. He said that there is continuous sharing of trade and cultures if the Democratic Party wins the Presidential elections in November.
On being asked what the Democratic win means for the India-US relationship, he stated, “Continued trade, continued sharing of cultures, that India has grown in such prominence in the modern world. It’s always had the historical world with so much vastness and richness and history and culture. And now it’s being popularized around the world through technology and through its movement of its people.”
“There’s great leadership right here in the United States of America, in Congress with Congressman Ro Khanna. We also have Congressman Christian Murphy, this is my colleague, out of Illinois. And Congressman Ro Khanna, let me say something specific about him. He and I are doing an event with historically black colleges. He’s bringing 40 historically black colleges together to marry them up with the tech sector, Indian and African American culture, and continuity in technology and in business. for that, I’m grateful. He is showing leadership and he’s also reaching out and has done a marvellous job with the black colleges,” he added.
He said that there is an overwhelming demand for people to see the Democratic National Convention which began on Monday, August 19. He stated that Harris is generating her glow, smile and welcome spirit.
Speaking about the DNC, he stated, “I think it’s building. It’s getting greater and greater. People are excited. It’s permeated all the way down to the grassroots. There’s overwhelming demand for people to come to this convention. The excitement of Mrs Harris, that she’s generating her glow, her smile, her welcome spirit. And it’s a clear contrast.”
“There was always a clear contrast in policy, but now, as far as even looks and messaging, that you’ve got the young versus the old tyrant. You’ve got a future and you see hope versus a man that’s looking back for revenge and grievances and past retributions. So I’m excited. It feels like it’s a brand new day in American politics right now,” he added.
The Democratic National Convention (DNC) kicked off in Chicago one month after Republicans held their convention in Milwaukee. The theme of the convention is “For the People, For Our Future”. Tim Walz, Kamala Harris’s running mate, will speak on Wednesday to officially accept the vice-presidential nomination.
Asked whether he has seen this kind of an energy within the Democratic Party during the past conventions, he responded, “No.”
Explaining his response, he said, “I would tell you why. It was a big idea when my father had Mr Ron Brown to get elected to be the DNC chairman. That was something new. It was a big idea to talk about a woman being on the ticket. It was a big idea to talk about a free South African and Free Nelson Mandela, a two-state solution in the Middle East and now this is commonplace. We’ve seen a President, a female Democratic nominee before, Mrs Hillary Clinton.”
“Now we see another Democratic nominee that’s a female, Ms Harris. We’ve seen a Vice President to become, to be a female. That this is now the new norm, and that’s great. So our expectations have risen, and now we can meet them. We don’t have to look at floors. We’re looking at ceilings being removed, not just glass ceilings but concrete ceilings, and let us recognize women in leadership,” he added.
Speaking about the ongoing DNC, where his father American civil rights activist, Reverend Jesse Jackson also made appearance, he stated, “Well, it’s tremendous. To see that President Joe Biden has served the nation for 50 years. This has been his life’s passion. That’s tremendous. A man from the north and the east to see President Bill Clinton here, coming from the south to see President – Obama coming from the Midwest, that we are America in so many ways.”
“To see women, black, white, the North, the South, East, and now the West will have a presidential candidate. I think that shows you the generations have now normalized our progress. When you look out in that audience tonight, you’re going to see what the future of America looks like. You look at the Republican audience, that is the past,” he added.
Jesse Jackson received a standing ovation at DNC in Chicago when he made a surprise appearance on Monday. A well-known figure in the US civil rights movement, Rev Jackson received a tribute from the Democrats for his tireless dedication to advancing civil rights and equality for all Americans, reported CNN.
He came at the DNC on a wheelchair — due to his ongoing battle with Parkinson’s disease, which was detected in 2017, and since then, kept him out of the spotlight. The 82-year-old civil rights leader appeared on stage Monday night, alongside Reverend Al Sharpton and NAACP President Derrick Johnson. He received a standing ovation and waved to the crowd. He, however, did not speak.