State Assemblyperson Jenifer Rajkumar Says "Courage is a Muscle to Exercise"

“Be courageous. And remember that courage is a muscle, the more you exercise it, the more courageous you become.” This was just one piece of sage advice that New York State Assemblyperson, Jenifer Rajkumar shared with a robust audience at the Scarsdale Library on Sunday Oct. 15th.

Ms. Rajkumar, the first South Asian woman to serve in any New York State Office, was invited to speak at the library by South Asian Students for Justice (SASJ). SAJS “is a Westchester-based organization dedicated to dispelling harmful narratives and injustices against South Asians and empowering and uniting South Asian students.”

In addition to organizing the informative event, Scarsdale High School students, Ravi Vora, Arun Nayakkar, and Rohan Sehgul, also acted as day’s moderators. Through a series of thoughtful questions, the trio helped Ms. Rajkumar detail her experiences as a South Asian woman in government.

Ms. Rajkumar began by describing her early life and how being the daughter of immigrant parents, shaped her work ethic, drive, and determination. Indeed, she credits her parents and her faith for stressing the importance of focus, asking others for help, and being willing to take risks…all attributes which have directly contributed to Rajkumar's success both as a human rights lawyer and as a politician.

When asked about her time working as a lawyer, Ms. Rajkumar explained how even as an 8th grader, she knew she wanted to work to better the lives of marginalized and disenfranchised people. Among many other achievements, Rajkumar described how as a civil rights lawyer, she litigated class action cases on behalf of “workers, tenants and women and was part of the legal team of Velez v. Novartis, ranked by the United Nations as one of the top 10 cases in the world advancing women’s equality.”

Equally impressive, while acting as the Director of Immigration Affairs for New York State, Rajkumar built and led a first-in-the-nation $31 million project to ensure that every immigrant has access to legal representation.

Rajkumar went on to discuss a few of her legislative accomplishments, some of which include passing a “milestone legislative package that gives domestic workers the full protections of New York State Human Rights Law. She also passed a landmark bill establishing New York State’s first-ever Asian American & Pacific Island (AAPI) Commission. As a strong advocate for public safety, Rajkumar passed a bill to expand compensation for victims of crime, which the Governor signed into law.” But perhaps some of the work she is most proud of is helping to establish Diwali as a recognized holiday in NYC public schools and she is confident it will soon be recognized throughout the state.

Having recounted much of her previous endeavors, Rajkumar then highlighted some of her other areas of interest including Artificial Intelligence (both its potential and the need for it to be overseen by the government), 3D printers and how they could help stave off the housing crisis, common sense immigration reform, issues in diplomacy and how we can work to bring people together, and last but certainly not least, working to change classroom textbooks that misrepresent South Asians and Hindus in particular.

Towards the end of the event, Ms. Rajkumar was asked “How can young South Asians get involved?” She responded by saying, “Just go and start. Don’t delay. Volunteer…start somewhere.” She also encouraged students to keep persisting and to be open to failure reminding them that failure is just the first step towards success.

When asked why he thought it was important for the Scarsdale community to hear from Assemblyperson Rajkumar, Arun Nayakkar said, ““When I learned about Assemblywoman’s efforts to get Diwali and Eid as recognized holidays in New York City, I couldn't help but feel that, for the first time, the South Asian voice was truly being heard. So, when the organization got the opportunity to invite her to speak, we immediately jumped at the chance. No matter the nationality or the religion, I firmly believe South Asians will play a pivotal role in the future of this country, and it starts with individuals like Assemblywoman Rajkumar paving the way for our community in government and politics.”

Rohan Sehgul had this to add, “It was great hearing from the Assemblywoman, and I thoroughly enjoyed sharing the message of her progress as a leading South Asian voice. To everyone who came out to listen to the Assemblywoman, it was great hearing their opinions and voices on the various topics we discussed. I hope this helped inspire future generations of leaders no matter their race or religion.”