Democratic vice-presidential candidate Kamala Harris named 32-year-old Sabrina Singh as press secretary for her campaign.
Harris’ pick: Indian American Singh was chosen a week after it was announced that Senator Harris, also of Indian origin, would be the running mate of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, according to PTI.
- Singh became the first person of Indian origin to be appointed as a press secretary to a vice-presidential nominee of a major political party in the U.S.
- “I’m so excited to join the #BidenHarris ticket as Press Secretary for @KamalaHarris! Can’t wait to get to work and win in November!” Singh wrote on Twitter.
- She previously served as the spokeswoman of New Jersey Senator Cory Booker and former New York mayor Mike Bloomberg at different points during their campaigns as Democratic presidential candidates.
- Singh also earlier held the position of deputy communications director for the Democratic National Committee.
- In 2016, Singh joined Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign as a regional communications director.
The Singh legacy: Singh, who is from Los Angeles, originates from a family heavily involved in American politics, American Bazaar reports.
- Her husband, Mike Smith, is currently the finance director at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
- Singh is the granddaughter of Sardar J J Singh, who is notable for championing immigration rights via non-profit organization India League of America back in the 1940s.
- Joined by a small group of fellow Indians, J J Singh led a nationwide campaign against racial discriminatory policies of the US.
- The effort prompted then-president Harry Truman to sign the Luce-Celler Act on July 2, 1946, which allowed a quota of 100 Indians to immigrate to the United States each year.
- Echoing her grandfather’s advocacies, Singh has been vocal about her support for immigrants’ rights and equality in the country.
Meanwhile, Sri Lankan-American Rohini Kosoglu, who has earlier served as a senior advisor to Harris in her Senate office and presidential campaign, has since been appointed in a senior role to advise Harris.
Feature Image (left) via @sabrinasingh24, (right) Gage Skidmore (CC BY-SA 2.0)
