107 Days by the former vice president of U.S. has proved to me the power of knowledge.
Based on Kamala Harris’s roller-coaster campaign for the 2024 presidential election won by Donald Trump, the book goes in-depth into the current toxic and highly polarized political environment in North America.
I see several striking similarities between what the author and my wife, Rachna Singh, the former B.C. minister education, faced during the October 2024 provincial election. Rachna was first elected in 2017 from Surrey-Green Timbers as an NDP MLA. She served the government as the first parliamentary secretary for anti-racism initiatives before Premier Eby appointed her as the education minister..
Apart from the fact that both women are of Indian origin, they were both targeted by right-wing bigots. In some instances, they were abandoned by their own parties and colleagues when they were supposed to stand up for them.
One particular issue that impacted their fate in the election was LGBTQ rights. Harris writes how rumours were spread about unchecked and frequent sex changes through surgery under the Democrats to rile up voters against her. Rachna, too, had been accused of promoting that by those supporting the Conservatives and advocating for so-called parental rights.
Before the election, there was a failed attempt to recall her by those opposed to SOGI 123. On several occasions, she was confronted by homophobic men and women who used slurs against the queer community and kept repeating lies about clandestine surgeries to change the gender identity of kids.
Harris also reveals that she wasn’t properly defended by the president’s office during unfair attacks on her for something she wasn’t even responsible for. In Rachna’s case too, I firmly believe that her party threw her under the bus by neither countering anti-SOGI campaigners during her recall campaign or even during the election.
Rather a few prominent NDP supporters within the Punjabi-Canadian community were working closely with anti-SOGI groups. So much so, one of her former colleagues who is currently running for municipal election in Surrey has someone on his team who openly worked against Rachna and spewed venom against SOGI, but hardly anyone in the party has dared to call him out publicly.
On World Book Day (April 23), this experience is a reminder of the power of the written word. Even though I don’t agree with everything Harris has said or written, her book gives me the hope that Rachna isn’t alone. She is among many other racialized female politicians who face multiple challenges. Thus, the fight must go on. Armed with that knowledge, I can safely say that neither Rachna nor I will ever quit.
Gurpreet Singh is a B.C. author and co-founder of Radical Desi. In addition, he hosts a daily news and current affairs show on YouTube called Navin Taazi. Follow Gurpreet Singh on Bluesky @gurpreetradical.bsky.social. Follow Pancouver on X @PancouverMedia and Bluesky @pancouver.bsky.social. The publication is also on Instagram @PancouverMedia.
