I slowly massaged my drowsy eyes as I rolled out of bed and checked my phone. To my surprise, I had about twenty notifications from twitter and five emails in my inbox. Still in shock, I tapped on the first pop-up, which spelled in bold red letters, “The Murder of George Floyd.” I quickly opened the attached video and saw something I could never unsee-- an innocent African American man being choked by a white police officer. “I can’t breathe,” he mouthed, as he took his last breath. I recalled those words from just years before-- mumbled by Eric Garner in 2016, and by at least sixty other African American individuals who were victims of police brutality. I was nothing less than shocked, not only by the actions taken by the murderer but also by the obnoxious naiveness of the bystanders. I decided to spend the next few hours revisiting other videos of police brutality, to truly acknowledge the problem we face in this county. As I was looking through them, one, in particular, caught my eye. An innocent black individual was being murdered, for what seems like the billionth time in American history, while a South Asian man walked by-- taking note of what was happening-- yet choosing not to do anything about it. At that moment, I truly recognized that my involvement with the New Jersey Leadership Program this summer is not as much an opportunity as it is a necessity to get more South Asians woven into the complexity of politics, justice, and equality.
With the increasingly prominent health concern caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, it was uncertain that all of the fellows would receive a placement. Still, with the hard work and dedication of Vinay Limbachia, Amit Jani, and the other NJLP board members, the program was launched virtually. As school came to an end, I started working online at Assemblyman Karabinchak’s office, where I was able to meet other interns, three of which--like me--are Asian-American. Living in an exceedingly diverse state, I was unsurprised, but what did shock me was that the very message that NJLP carries was reflected in my day-to-day life while collaborating with my coworkers. I dressed in my best business professional and took a long breath before I clicked on the link to join my first virtual meeting. I was greeted excitedly by Sophia Dolashewich and Ben Ghiano-- Assemblyman Karabinchak’s Legislative Aide and Chief of Staff, respectively. My most memorable assignment so far was writing a detailed memorandum on ICE’s Foreign Exchange Students Policy which includes who and what universities in New Jersey are affected. I spent days enclosing myself in the walls of details brought forward by this piece of legislation and analyzing statements made regarding the policy. Every Monday then onwards, I have waited eagerly for the link to the weekly meetings where we debrief the assignments completed the week before, and talk about what the future holds.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the speakership program was also moved from in-person to virtual. This weekend marked the second speakership series, which consisted of three incredible speakers. The first of the three was Assemblyman Daniel Benson, who represents NJ’s fourteenth legislative district in the New Jersey General Assembly. Assemblyman Benson spoke on how he got involved in politics as well; he went on to mention that he lost a few elections and that losses don’t define a person. I believe that this is an important personality trait that those involved in politics must carry for the sole purpose of having faith in oneself. The determination that Assemblyman Benson portrayed via running for office multiple times was strictly translated into his passion for pushing legislation from the Assembly all the way to the Governor's desk. It was extremely encouraging to get the chance to talk to someone who has continued to strive for a better New Jersey with or without an Assembly position.
The second speaker was Amit Jani, an NJLP Board Member/Founder who is the National Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Director at Biden for President. He has also previously worked as the AAPI Director at Menendez for Senate and at Murphy for Governor. Mr. Jani spoke primarily about the steps that he took to work towards where he is today. One point that stood out to me was that his first internship was with a Republican representative. I would have never expected that considering he himself is a Democrat and that he’s only ever worked for Democratic candidates. I took note of this point because it truly communicates his character as well as the steps that he took to grow his network and build-up towards the impressive position he has today. I believe that working on both sides of the political aisle, even if only in a limited capacity for a Republican representative, has truly given him invaluable insight. Branching out beyond my own political affiliation could give me a better understanding as well, and I hope to accomplish just that in the near future.
Our third, and final, speaker of the day was Rohit Tallapragada, another NJLP Board Member who is a research assistant at the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office, Division on Civil Rights. Alongside the other fellows, I had an in-depth discussion with Mr. Tallapragada on networking as well as growing our career in politics. One of the most prominent points that he mentioned was that the groundwork is still important: whether it entails hanging up posters or door-to-door campaigning, it still needs to be done. He also mentioned that no matter the task and whether it is as straightforward (and critical) as door-knocking, people notice and respect good work.
My journey to explore the American justice system has been continually modified through my experiences as part of NJLP. It has been an eye-opening series so far that has allowed me to better grasp what it means to be involved in politics. Underrepresented minority group involvement in law or civic engagement more generally can truly be the difference between life and death, and between justice and injustice. The board members of NJLP were able to understand the utter importance of having this opportunity open despite the unprecedented circumstances-- and I will be forever grateful.