America
Rep Loretta Sanchez apologises for Indian 'war cry', Indian-Americans shocked
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By Arun KumarWashington, May 19
A veteran US house member
who stirred a major controversy by making a gesture mocking native
Americans or American Indians, has apologised even as a shocked
Indian-American community expressed outrage.
California Democrat
Loretta Sanchez who is opposing the state's Indian-American attorney
general Kamala Harris for the party's nomination for a 2016 Senate run
said that candidates "who don't hide behind the handlers sometimes
misstep.
Speaking to an American Indian group in Anaheim on
Saturday, she was caught on mobile phone video raising her hand in
front of her mouth and making a whooping sound like a typical native
Indian 'war cry'.
In talking about how she was confused about an
upcoming meeting with an Indian American, she said: "I'm going to his
office, thinkin' that I'm gonna go meet with woo-woo-woo-woo, right?
'Cause he said 'Indian American.'"
Sanchez apologised on Sunday
at the state convention, saying "in this crazy and exciting rush of
meetings yesterday, I said something offensive and for that, I sincerely
apologise."
"Those of you who put yourselves out there like I
do, who open your heart, and who don't hide behind handlers you know how
hard it can be," she said.
"It's hard to put yourself out there
and do what leaders need to do day in and day out. Sooner or later, we
all make mistakes. We're all human. But that is the only way to truly
connect with people. You can't change the world from behind a desk."
Harris called the action "shocking" and said there was no place for it in public discourse, according to Sacramento Bee.
Her
spokesman Nathan Click said Sunday "the attorney general thinks
Congresswoman Sanchez was right to apologise for her comment. She hopes
this campaign will be about uniting all Californians".
"I was
taken aback, as many others in the audience were, at her insensitivity,
which immediately alienated non-Indian guests as well," Sayu Bhojwani,
New York City's former commissioner of immigrant affairs, was quoted as
saying by Los Angeles Times.
However, Aaruni Thakur, one of the
hosts of Saturday's reception, said Sanchez's overall speech was "very
positive" for the Indian American community.
"I really think what she said is being taken out of context," said Thakur, 35. "We understood what she was trying to say."
Saturday's
stumble could haunt Sanchez in the coming months, Karthick
Ramakrishnan, professor of public policy at University of California
Riverside and a researcher on political participation by Asian Americans
told the Times.
(Arun Kumar can be contacted at [email protected])