NFL: The 49ers’ Numbers Man
Paraag Marathe transformed the business of professional football by pioneering the use of analytics, salary cap strategy, and data-driven roster construction with the San Francisco 49ers. Rising from an entry-level position to President of 49ers Enterprises and Executive Vice President of Football Operations, he helped shape a model that has since become standard across the […]
Bandi’s Research Shows Expanded Lung Cancer Screening Could Save 62,000 Lives
Dr. Priti Bandi published research in JAMA showing that expanding lung cancer screening to all eligible U.S. adults could prevent more than 62,000 deaths within five years. Her analysis exposed major gaps in access to early detection and demonstrated the life-saving potential of broader screening. The findings strengthened national efforts to expand insurance coverage and […]
Kanaya’s MASALA Study Reshapes Cardiovascular Guidelines for South Asians
Dr. Alka Kanaya launched the MASALA Study, the first major National Institutes of Health-funded longitudinal study of South Asian Americans, to investigate the population’s elevated risk of cardiovascular disease. Its findings transformed understanding of metabolic and heart health among South Asians and informed U.S. clinical guidance on screening, body mass index thresholds, and preventive care. […]
Hari Kondabolu’s The Problem with Apu Sparks an Industry Reckoning
Hari Kondabolu’s 2017 documentary The Problem with Apu sparked a national debate about the representation of Indian Americans in popular culture. By examining the long-running Simpsons character Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, the film challenged assumptions that had shaped television portrayals of South Asians for decades. The documentary amplified concerns about stereotyping, voice casting, and the cultural impact […]
Gitanjali Rao Named TIME’s First Kid of the Year
In 2020, Gitanjali Rao became the first recipient of TIME’s Kid of the Year honor, a recognition created to celebrate exceptional young leaders making a positive impact on the world. Selected from more than 5,000 nominees across the United States, Rao was recognized for combining science, technology, and entrepreneurship to address real-world challenges. Her inventions […]
One Diaspora, Many Voices: How Regional Pride Shaped Indian American Life
Across the United States, Indian Americans have built a rich civic architecture of local and national associations — each rooted in the languages, traditions, and histories of India’s distinct regions. Organizations like the Gujarati Association of New England, the Telugu Association of North America, and the Federation of Tamil Sangams have done more than preserve […]
Sikh American Civil Rights: From 9/11 to Federal Reform
Following the tragic post-9/11 profiling murder of Balbir Singh Sodhi, Indian-American civil rights organizations relentlessly lobbied for federal legislative change. Groups like the Sikh Coalition and SALDEF humanized the crisis through powerful congressional testimony, exposing critical gaps in old laws that tied federal prosecutors’ hands during street-level assaults. By forging vital intersections with Black and […]
Indian Americans Shape Modern Skilled Immigration
When Congress created the H-1B visa in 1990, Indian engineers and technology professionals rapidly became its largest beneficiaries, and within a generation became its dominant force, reshaping the U.S. technology industry and the politics of American immigration. The 2000 American Competitiveness Act expanded job portability and green card protections for H-1B workers. By 2019, a […]
The Long Journey: Facing Bias, Finding Home
The history of Indian Americans in the United States has been marked by recurring episodes of public hatred and racial violence. In 1907, white mobs in Bellingham, Washington, drove hundreds of Sikh lumber workers from the city. Decades later, the “Dotbusters” gang terrorized South Asians in New Jersey, culminating in the 1987 murder of Navroze […]
Dalit Buddhist Diaspora Takes Institutional Root in the United States
Inspired by B.R. Ambedkar’s conversion to Buddhism, Dalit immigrants established Buddhist communities across the United States that linked spiritual practice with social justice and anti-caste advocacy. Beginning in the 1990s, these organizations created spaces that connected Buddhist teachings with civil rights activism and community empowerment. The movement reached institutional maturity with the founding of the […]