Sen. Kamala Harris is making history for a number of reasons.
Not only is Harris the first Black female vice presidential candidate, after Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden announced her as his running mate, but she also the first Indian American to be on a major party ticket.
It is a title that is not lost on the Indian and Asian American communities in western Washington.
Harris, the daughter of Jamaican and Indian immigrants, served as the San Francisco District Attorney from 2004 to 2011.
She then became California's attorney general, an office she held for five years before being elected to the U.S. Senate in 2017.
“It's almost surreal pinch me is this a dream," said Tulika Duggar, with the India Association of Western Washington (IAWW).
Harris being selected as Biden’s V.P. is something Duggar did not expect but is happy to witness.
"This is a Black woman who is going to be running for office, and that to me gives goosebumps on my skin," said IAWW Executive Director Lalita Uppala. "I'm thrilled and excited and emotional, but I'm so, so proud."
Both Uppala and Duggar are hoping Sen. Harris' heritage and perspective can help spark change.
"What a great moment in a time when this country is at its lowest to have this happen to inspire us to get us to get more engaged to have our girls get more excited about this moment, and to know that it does matter to be a woman, and it matters to be an immigrant,” said Uppala.
Uppala said she hopes issues impacting all communities of color will be in the spotlight by having Harris on the ticket.
"With the whole COVID-19, there is an increasing rise in homelessness, unemployment is at its high," said Uppala. "There are issues that are impacting our immigrant communities to a much deeper extent."
Community activist Toshiko Hasegawa said this is a move that could help energize a growing voter-base.
"In my work at the Washington State Commission on Asian Pacific American affairs, I can tell you that Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders are the second largest and the fastest-growing minority population in the entire nation and we are present in every single state of the union, and we are the sleeping giant of the electorate,” said Hasegawa.
