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Kamala Harris hosts Diwali reception
During her speech, the Vice President emphasized the need to spread light in the time of darkness.
Vice President Kamala Harris speaking at the diwali reception in her residence / Image-LinkedIn/MRRangaswami
US Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff, hosted a Diwali reception at their residence on November 8. Addressing the event, Harris acknowledged that the festival of Diwali is being celebrated at a time of global unrest.
“We celebrate Diwali at a time when there is a lot happening in the world. And I think it’s important that as we celebrate Diwali which is about celebrating the light…there is certainly a difficult in the dark moment we are facing…in particular the reports coming out of Israel and Gaza and I know for all of us it’s devastating and heartbreaking,” she was quoted as saying in a video of the event posted by Diya TV.
“President Joe Biden and I are working to support Israel’s right to defend itself. We are supporting the need for humanitarian aid to be received by the people in Gaza,” she said in her address, maintaining that the Palestinian people deserve to have an opportunity for self-determination and dignity.
Harris went on to recall her experience in India during the Diwali season when she was younger, calling it her ‘fondest memory,’ She also highlighted the rituals and festivities carried out by her family during the festival.
“It was a way for children to understand through the traditions of that celebration the importance and joy that should come from shedding of light on moments of darkness,” she added.
She concluded her address by stating that each individual should celebrate the festival, acknowledging that we have the power to bring light in these moments of darkness and to one’s nation.
While many notable South Asians boycotted the celebrations, prominent members of the community, including Indian American lawmakers Pramila Jayapal, Ro Khanna, Shri Thanedar, Raja Krishnamoorthi, community leader Ajay Jain Bhutoria, Supreme Court lawyer Neal Katyal, and others, graced the event.
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