Indian-American Sabrina Singh named Kamala Harris' Dy Press Secretary
Washington: Indian-American Sabrina Singh would serve as Deputy Press Secretary to the Vice President in the White House, according to an announcement made by the Biden-Harris Transition.
Singh was Press Secretary to Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on the Biden-Harris campaign. Prior to her role on the campaign, she served as a senior spokesperson for Mike Bloomberg's presidential campaign and National Press Secretary for Cory Booker's presidential campaign.
She previously served as deputy communications director for the Democratic National Committee, spokesperson for American Bridge's Trump War Room, and Regional Communications Director on Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign.
Singh has also worked at SKDKnickerbocker, served as Communications Director for Representative Jan Schakowsky, and worked at various Democratic committees, said the Biden-Harris Transition as it announced additional members of the Vice President's Office at the White House.
Prominent among them being Yael Belkind, Assistant to the Chief of Staff to the Vice President; Vincent Evans as Deputy Director of the Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs; Michael Fuchs as Deputy Chief of Staff; Kate Childs Graham as Director of Speech Writing and Dr Ike Irby as Policy Advisor to the Vice President.
Deanne Millison has been named Deputy Policy Director to the Vice President; Rachel Palermo as Assistant Press Secretary; Mike Pyle as Chief Economic Advisor; Peter Velz as Director of Press Operations; and Herbie Ziskend as Deputy Communications Director.
These diverse, experienced, and talented individuals will join the Office of the Vice President.
The appointments demonstrate that the president and vice president-elect are building an administration that looks like America and is ready to deliver results for the American people on day one, the transition said.
Building our nation back better requires having the best and the brightest in our administration. These accomplished individuals have the knowledge and expertise to hit the ground running on day one and will work each day in service to the American people, President-elect Joe Biden said.
With their varied and diverse backgrounds, they bring a shared commitment to tackling the crises facing America, helping us become a stronger, more united nation, he said.
These deeply experienced public servants reflect the very best of the US and they will be ready to get to work building a country that lifts up all Americans. Their counsel and expertise are grounded in a commitment to making sure the economy works for working people and all those looking to work, said Harris.
And their leadership will be critical as we work to meet the challenges facing the American people -- from the coronavirus pandemic to this economic recession to our climate crisis and long-overdue reckoning on racial injustice. I am proud to announce these individuals will be joining my team and look forward to working alongside them each and every day, she said.
Biden and Harris will take the oath of office on January 20.
President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris have a bold agenda that will build our nation back better than before. These appointees will work tirelessly for the American people, and I am proud to have them join our White House team, said incoming Chief of Staff to Vice President Tina Flournoy.
Singh is the granddaughter of Sardar J J Singh of the India League of America.
In the 1940s, Sardar along with a small group of fellow Indians mounted a nationwide campaign against racially discriminatory policies of the US. This culminated in then-president Harry Truman signing the Luce-Celler Act on July 2, 1946. The signing of the act allowed a quota of 100 Indians to immigrate to the United States per annum.
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Spanish woman returns to India in search of her biological mother
Bhubaneswar, Jan 5: Sneha, a Spanish citizen, has returned to India in search of her biological mother, who had abandoned her and her brother 20 years ago.
However, 21-year-old Sneha is running out of time as she has to return to Spain on Monday for her educational commitments.
The researcher in children's education wanted to trace her roots and reached India with scant information about her past.
Her Spanish parents Gema Vidal and Juan Josh supported her in her quest and Gema accompanied Sneha to her home state Odisha. They had adopted Sneha and her brother Somu in 2010 from an orphanage in Bhubaneswar, where they were sheltered after their mother Banalata Das abandoned them in 2005.
"The purpose of my journey from Spain to Bhubaneswar is to find my biological parents, especially my mother. I want to find her and meet her. I am fully prepared for the journey even if it is difficult," Sneha told PTI.
Asked if she would chide her biological mother for abandoning her, Sneha remained mum. She was only over a year old, and her brother was just a few months old at that time.
Sneha said her Spanish parents have given the siblings everything in life and never made them feel like they were adopted, ensuring the best education and freedom to make their own choices.
"They have given us unconditional love," she said.
Accompanied by Gema, a yoga teacher in Zaragoza city of Spain, Sneha arrived in Bhubaneswar on December 19 last year and they have been staying in a hotel. Somu, however, could not come as he was busy with some work in Spain.
If they do not find Sneha's biological mother by Monday, they will come back in March for a longer stay.
"We have to return to Spain as Sneha has joined a training programme which should not be discontinued. If we do not get Banalata in the next 24 hours, we will come back to Bhubaneswar in March," Gema said.
Banalata had abandoned Sneha and Somu at their rented house in Nayapally area in Bhubaneswar in 2005. Banalata's husband Santosh, who worked as a cook in a private firm, had earlier abandoned his family, which comprised his wife, and four children, including Sneha and Somu.
Later, Banalata also left the rented house with another son and daughter, leaving behind Sneha and Somu. The house owner later informed the police and they were shifted to an orphanage.
In 2010, Sneha, then around five years and nine months old, and Somu, over four years old, were legally adopted by the Spanish couple.
"Sneha is very responsible and educated. She is the joy of our house. She is our life," Gema said.
Gema had earlier revealed to Sneha and Somu about their roots in Odisha and that they were adopted.
"She is well educated and conducting research, so she decided to locate her biological mother and I accompanied her to this place," Gema said.
"I told Sneha that her Indian mother and father are surely nice people because you are good," she said.
Recalling her experience during the legal adoption of Sneha and her brother, Gema said that they had to wait for three months to adopt the siblings.
"When we reached the orphanage to adopt Sneha and Somu, she was waiting for us with a flower in her hand. From that very moment, the siblings became a part of our life," she said.
During their frantic search in Bhubaneswar, Gema and Sneha came across a retired teacher of Rama Devi Women's University, Sneha Sudha Mishra, who helped them find out the names of her parents.
"We found out about her parents' names from the house owner in Nayapally and later the names were verified with the police and the orphanage," Mishra said.
Gema and Sneha were monetarily exploited by some people during their initial days in India.
"In fact, Sneha's mother cried in front of me, seeking help to locate Banalata. Together, we searched for her parents before approaching the police for help. Gema is a noble and affectionate woman having an in-depth understanding of Indian culture and philosophy," Mishra said.
Mishra said language was a major problem for Gema to communicate with locals but she has been helping the mother-daughter duo.
With the help of Mishra, Sneha and Gema met city Commissioner of Police Dev Datta Singh, who assigned the job of locating Banalata Das and Santosh Das to two police personnel Anjali Chhotray and Gangadhar Pradhan.
"We have found out that Banalata Das and Santosh are from Badamba-Narsinghpur area in Cuttack district. We have engaged police and panchayat functionaries to locate them," Inspector Anjali Chhotray said.
"People here, especially the media and police, have helped us a lot," Sneha said.
