First Indian American elected to the House from Michigan plans to focus on racial equity
U.S. Rep.-elect Shri Thanedar says, ‘I achieved my goals, and it’s time for me to help others achieve theirs.’
On Nov. 8, entrepreneur and Democratic state Rep. Shri Thanedar made history as the first Indian American to be elected to Congress from the state of Michigan. Thanedar, who won 71% of the vote, will represent the state’s newly drawn 13th Congressional District.
Thanedar immigrated to the United States from India in 1979 at the age of 24, seeking economic opportunities to support his family. He pursued a Ph.D. in chemistry and worked as a chemist before starting his own pharmaceutical business.
“My family was [falling] into dire poverty and I wanted to help my family,” he told the American Independent Foundation. “And that’s why I came to the United States. This country has given me so much, I was able to achieve my American dream. And then I felt that it’s time for me to give back.”
In 2016, once he had achieved his goal of helping his family to reach some financial stability, Thanedar sold his company, Avomeen Analytics, to go into public service. He told TAIF, “I achieved my goals, and it’s time for me to help others achieve theirs. Because growing up in poverty, I understand firsthand the stigma of poverty.”
A year later he ran as a Democrat for governor of Michigan, losing in the primary to Gretchen Whitmer. Thanedar was elected in 2020 to serve Michigan’s 3rd state House District.
Michigan’s 13th Congressional District includes parts of Wayne County, including Detroit, and its residents are predominantly Black.
Wayne County has one of the highest poverty rates in the state, according to the University of Michigan.
“Systemic racism has deprived opportunities, and has denied the American dream to millions of people, especially Black and brown communities,” he said. “And so my focus is to create economic opportunities to all, regardless of who that person is.”
On his campaign website, he reflects on issues faced by people in his district, such as racial discrimination, lack of access to clean drinking water, affordable housing, and high-quality education, issues he says he understands because he faced the same things when he was growing up in India.
“I grew up in a home that had no running water and I would have to go to the river to get drinking water, or go to the municipal tap blocks away from my home to get water,” he said. “I struggled with taking care of my family’s health care needs. So, I understand these issues firsthand. When I came to America and I wanted to open a bank account, a bank officer, a middle-aged lady, came to me and she said, ‘We don’t really like people that look like you opening bank accounts in our bank.'”
He was also rejected by six banks when he tried to obtain a loan to start his business, he says, and was not given a reason for the rejections. He noted, “My experiences are not anywhere close to what many African Americans have experienced, racism, but unless we fight for the racial equity, unless we fight for social and economic equity, so that is really, you know, what we need to address.
“My experiences growing up in a third-world country has given me the firsthand understanding of the struggles and the need for government intervention, the need for using the public resources to make good for a lot of people, making the level playing field by creating opportunities for home ownership, for business ownership,” he continued.
In the priorities section of his campaign website, noting, “Since 2014, more than 140,000 Detroiters have had their water shut off due to inability to pay their water bills,” Thanedar says he will “sponsor legislation that creates a water affordability plan.”
He said he wants to help significantly lower the eligibility age for Medicare and have the program cover dental care. Additionally, Thanedar said, he wants to ensure that prescription drug prices are lowered even further.
“Life-saving medication should be accessible to people regardless of their financial need, financial well-being. Because that’s just the human rights issues, in my mind,” he said.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.
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