Xenophobia
Below you find portions of my speech at the Saratoga city council meeting of September 16, 2021. This was in response to a xenophobic comment made by a Saratoga Planning Commissioner in a letter to MTC talking about the housing density issue. Text below is not a verbatim transcript from my speech, but has been edited and updated.
Here is a very important issue that needs to be addressed in our country and our community. That issue is xenophobia. Over the past few years, Xenophobia and nativist sentiments have moved from comments whispered in hushed voices to open statements made. One of the great challenges that our nation and community faces today is rooting out these divisive beliefs that fracture and divide us. I understand that speaking out against individuals who voice these opinions can be an uncomfortable experience, but I believe that speaking out against bigotry is necessary to ensure that our home is a place where all people feel safe and welcomed.
One of the greatest strengths of America is the diversity of its citizenry. Our country is a melting pot of cultures from around the world. I came to the United States as a wide-eyed graduate student from Bombay, hoping to turn my dreams of living in America into a reality. While this country has offered me many opportunities, it has also brought about challenges. At every stop on my journey, from attending graduate school to serving on the city council in Saratoga, I have experienced some form of xenophobia. Some people have sought to use xenophobia to discredit the accomplishments that I have achieved in my personal life and as an elected official, but these attacks have not deterred my desire to follow my dreams and serve my community.
And we cannot overlook those 2 lines in Saratoga Planning Commissioner Cheriel Jensen’s letter to MTC. “40.1% of persons (2015-2019) in Saratoga are foreign born, and 45.2% do not speak English at home…. Why do we have to profoundly change our community and put our water supply at risk to serve high foreign demand.” Yes, Cheriel has worked hard for Saratoga as a former councilmember and activist, but her statements are alarming, cannot be overlooked and I am very much in support of Cheriel’s resignation. It is nice to see our community come together from every demographic to express our angst with this. It clearly demonstrates the nature of our amazing community - phenomenal members of our community who believe in acceptance and will speak against intolerance.
America has been a melting pot and embraced immigrants. This country has welcomed me with open arms. I am thrilled at how open this country is towards immigrants. I don’t think there are very many countries in the world that welcome immigrants the way America does. But there is some bias like any other place in the world. I am glad we are confronting these issues of bigotry and finding common ground - against racism and bigotry. We cannot be quiet when we observe such happenings.
Speaking up is hard. But let me try to speak up today.
And I have been guilty of not speaking many times when I have been at the receiving end.
I would never have dreamt in my wildest dream a run for United States Congress, when I took the flight from Bombay with two suitcases and a zest, a passionate love for America. I arrived in this country to a great graduate school program on the east coast to study Mechanical Engineering. I was told by a school administrator in my first few days a bit caustically - Our streets are NOT paved with gold. I was taken aback and did not mention the incident to anyone for many years. When we bought our home in Michigan, I was told by a neighbor - we don’t want the likes of you in our neighborhood. I was shocked, but I didn’t do anything about it.
Xenophobia has been a recurring pattern
Running for city council and now for United States Congress - I have encountered similar incidents - I would just shrug my shoulders and ignore them. Many hateful emails have arrived into my congressional-candidate inbox since we first announced this run. I cast it aside, “Indian Americans are perceived as coders, not politicians. It is a paradigm shift - and that can be hard.”
I have been called “Batman” by a press reporter who continues to attack me publicly, ridicules and belittles my public service work every time he can. Another chooses to make condescending statements trashing my city council stint and the years of activism in the interest of the people of Silicon Valley, disbelieving my work to push back water rates successfully. They apparently have no respect for someone like me who is keenly interested to fix challenges in the community around me; I was the only councilmember who took on the top community challenges, dropping burglaries, fighting San Jose Water Company’s rampant rate increases, and pushing back against a 300 room hotel project in a high fire risk hillside. It is easy to take potshots at my run. Why do they find it easy to say anything they can against me?
While walking neighborhoods in Saratoga during the 2018 re-election campaign I still remember the stunning moment of a resident who was being driven she declared angrily, “What happens in India does not happen here.” I smiled at her as she drove away in haste, quite puzzled about her statement, but knowing that the community had embraced my work and results-driven approach. It was a bit unexpected, but I had encountered bizarre things. I was recruited by members of the community to join the Rotary Club. I was kept out twice with silly excuses. A member of the city council during the 2018 re-election run would declare to anyone she met that she does not want Rishi back on the city council and does not want to see Rishi as the mayor of Saratoga. Really? The election night was a feeling of vindication - a very convincing win.
Let us go back to my 2014 when we had just won the election to city council by 71 votes. My first project, a signal light modification to make it a protected left turn - at Cox and Saratoga-Sunnyvale that would make the intersection safer was not approved. Why? Because folks on the council were playing politics - "we will not let Rishi get anything done." It backfired in a huge way! Because I went to the people and got a lot more done. I heard this from my city council colleagues: "Rishi - you don't need to have Neighborhood Safety meetings, Rishi you don't need to do a newsletter. Oh we don’t have jurisdiction over San Jose Water company. Another former councilmember said - Talk of this crime is scaring the children, Another said that crime talk will drop the price of real estate in Saratoga" Rishi don't do this, don't do that. Why did they feel entitled to talk down upon the work I was seeking to do? Why were they trying to pull me off my agenda of working in the interest of our community? Why were they entitled? Because they knew better than me?
Shirked by the establishment - even attacked with baseless allegations
Why did the establishment of Saratoga choose to constantly lie about my work on Nextdoor - let alone consider supporting my efforts to make Saratoga a better place? Oh, Rishi has raised 10 water rates - he has not done anything to reduce water rates. I had to work 10 times harder and found myself an easy target for everyone — as I never had air cover, the so-called “powers that be” supporting my run. As a person of color, I had to prove myself again and again, especially because I was pioneering a new course.
A Saratoga senior center board member and president chose to declare to anyone that Rishi pocketed funds meant for the senior center with the Saratoga’s got Talent fundraisers - without a rhyme or reason. They completely ignored the tens of thousands of dollars they had received from our diligent efforts over many years - demonstrating no appreciation or gratitude - on the contrary, choosing to blatantly lie and tarnish my reputation. Who would have thunk! After we provided the breakdown of our income and expense statement - they sheepishly disappeared.
When residents were asking for my rotation as mayor for the 2021 year as it was “Rishi’s turn” by sending emails to the city council in early December, there was a city council member who was telling anyone who would hear him that “Rishi is NOT suitable to be mayor” and I was taken aback with that too after all my 2018 win was with the highest number of vote in city history. Many of our community members were offended by his statement - but no one likes confrontation. That night during the mayorship section meeting, there were forces from within Saratoga who had already orchestrated some classic maneuvering before the meeting started, while an assemblymember and a county supervisor silently watched the proceedings over zoom. When you challenge an incumbent for congress the red carpet is pulled. A lot of people had worked furiously behind the scenes to ensure against my mayorship. The stakes were high and they did their darndest to keep me away from the keys of Saratoga. Mayorship is by rotation - one year for each councilmember - but egos can go sky high with such an “attainment.” Not just the mayorship, but board positions in political organizations disappeared without an explanation. Oh well..
My anomaly of a political journey started in 2012 when a state senator invited me to a meeting and asked me to run for a political party position. I wondered, why me? I was subsequently very surprised at winning the Executive Board and Delegate position — the top spot. I was also surprised when the establishment-entitled party insiders hurled abuses at my win. I had apparently done nothing to deserve a seat on the table. Again -why do some people find an immigrant easy picking - to discount anything they have done?
I know that our nation was built by immigrants, and America is NOT represented by such statements at all. I have done my bit with podcasts series to discuss the bigotry of America. We organized many STOP API Hate Crime rallies to bring our youth groups together and air out our fears and concerns.
It is important to express. Let us continue to fight bigotry, xenophobia and build a better America. Once again thanks to each of our community members who spoke up today and sent emails. Yes, we are committed to ensure such statements do not rear its ugly head in our community.
I know the vast majority of Americans, and my fellow residents living in Saratoga and Silicon Valley, do not harbor feelings of xenophobia and bigotry, but it is important that we have the courage to confront these beliefs whenever we come across them. Let us continue to fight bigotry, xenophobia and build a better America.
Notwithstanding the challenges of this 'voluntary' role, and the imperfections of the system, I am perpetually excited about the possibilities to make it better. Never was an elected official more blessed with so many supporters. I am grateful!
And through my service over the years, I will express my thanks to you, Saratoga, Silicon Valley and America in impactful ways.
- Rishi Kumar, September 15, 2021
Read my political journey below