The diaspora on edge
The diaspora on edge
India’s troubling second wave of COVID-19 infections has Indian Americans worried about and grieving for family and friends.
Issue #21
Hi all —
Journalist S. Mitra Kalita put it well:
As India faces a troubling crisis amid its second wave, many of us are hearing from family and friends about relatives and loved ones there who are getting diagnosed with COVID-19 — and some who are unfortunately not making it. We’re hearing about social media efforts to help coordinate finding a hospital bed or oxygen — both scarce during this urgent time.
It’s a troubling situation as those of us in the U.S. thousands of miles away are surrounded by abundant vaccines and improving conditions here, while YouTube videos, news articles and WhatsApp updates from India remain staggering.
The New York Times’ South Asia Bureau Chief Jeffrey Gettleman had some grim reflections this week from New Delhi:
Crematories are so full of bodies, it’s as if a war just happened. Fires burn around the clock. Many places are holding mass cremations, dozens at a time, and at night, in certain areas of New Delhi, the sky glows.
Sickness and death are everywhere.
Dozens of houses in my neighborhood have sick people.
One of my colleagues is sick.
One of my son’s teachers is sick.
The neighbor two doors down, to the right of us: sick.
Two doors to the left: sick.
“I have no idea how I got it,” said a good friend who is now in the hospital. “You catch just a whiff of this…..” and then his voice trailed off, too sick to finish.
As you may be aware of, Indian Americans have put a lot of pressure on U.S. government leaders to more quickly step up to help out India:
The Biden administration now says it’s helping, including sharing doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, which the U.S. isn’t currently administering (it’s not been approved yet here). Even the Navajo Nation has stepped up to help India with extra PPE (personal protective equipment.)
The tragic conditions in India also have worldwide implications, both for global vaccine supply and the global spread of the “double mutant” variant.
Vaccines are key to our recovery from this pandemic, and here is a resource for those looking in the United States:
If you or a loved one are looking for a COVID-19 vaccine in the U.S. — check out citizen hero Nick Muerdter’s COVID-19 Vaccine Spotter website, which scrapes various pharmacy websites in your state to find appointments. A valuable resource during this vital time.
And here are some ways you can help India right now via CNN.
In the meantime, hope you and your loved ones stay healthy or recover quickly during this challenging time.
Thanks for joining the conversation,
Vignesh Ramachandran (@VigneshR)
Co-founder of Red, White and Brown Media
Sikh Americans and Indianapolis
Earlier in April, eight people were killed in yet another American mass shooting. This particular incident at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis took the lives of eight victims — four of whom were of Sikh descent.
The motive of the shooting is still under investigation. Authorities are already finding the suspect had browsed white supremacist websites.
Whatever the motive ends up being, the Sikh American community is once again reeling from a tragedy.
A.C. Thompson at ProPublica reported back in 2017 about the history of hate that Sikh Americans have faced. I think it helps us all better understand this community that now numbers about 500,000 across the United States. Read on ProPublica.
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