As a Political Science major at Wellesley College, I read extensively about public policy and political activism, interviewed elected officials, heard lectures, and contacted representatives when concerned about major issues.  Yet, I never experienced the energy involved in running a government office. By interning for Congressman Edward Markey and State Senator Susan Fargo, I explored current issues, and spoke with officials and their staffs about their career’s challenges.  Through the Indian American Forum for Political Education (IAFPE), I acquired a sense of how best to engage a community for activism.  Most importantly, I realized how crucial it is for minority groups seeking involvement in politics to know the inner workings of government offices.  With two excellent experiences, I believe it is necessary to use my knowledge to benefit the Indian community.

Congressman Markey represents the 7th Congressional district in Massachusetts, comprising of some wealthy towns (e.g. Lexington and Weston), and blue-collar towns (e.g. Malden and Revere).  When asked how he was able to represent a district so diverse, Congressman Markey replied that for issues of national importance, it doesn’t matter whether you are from Lexington or from Malden, you are likely to hold liberal beliefs.  You are most likely pro-choice, pro-gay rights, and against the death penalty.  It is these beliefs, among others, that unite us as Massachusetts citizens, and allow socio-economic differences among the district to take a backseat to values that truly matter to most citizens.

When I began the internship, I requested to work with Rep. Markey’s immigration aide, Maggie McClory.  I attended meetings with immigrants applying for citizenship, and wrote letters on behalf of constituents trying to acquire visas for relatives.  Few applicants, many of them Indian, knew little about immigration complexities.  What was most appalling about immigration was how many problems arose from negligent lawyers.  Many immigration lawyers made grandiose promises to ethnic groups, including Indians, then failed to deliver, thus jeopardizing their clients’ livelihoods.  Given the lawyers’ neglect of their clients, I found it is not only important to encourage Indians to enter politics, but also the legal profession so that such injustices do not occur.

Other projects I worked on were doing research on recent changes in pension plans, and researching causes of increased opioid usage among teenagers and senior citizens.  I worked with other interns on a plan to discourage teens and senior citizens from abusing drugs.  We also clipped politically relevant articles from the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, and local town newspapers to update the staff on major issues.  When Congressman Markey visited the district and interviewed with local papers, I wrote memos detailing major issues for each town.  The most educational part of the internship was when we accompanied staff members to their meetings and events.  I attended a meeting about Homeland Security where Senatorial, Congressional, and Gubernatorial staffs met to discuss how best to appeal to the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) commission to keep Hanscom laboratories from moving to Ohio or New Mexico, as the Pentagon planned.  As Hanscom officials made their case, it was enlightening to see how valuable Boston’s intellectual capital is worth to the nation.  The expense of moving is not only a monetary issue, but resources available to the military in Boston cannot be replicated elsewhere.  I also attended a citizenship ceremony at Faneuil Hall, and a meeting with Water Watch, a group reaffirming Congressman Markey’s support for a clean environment.

Overall, the internship was a beneficial experience.  As opposed to the Washington office, the district office had more emphasis on learning about issues within the 7th district and how best to serve their interests.  We were expected to research major Congressional bills constituents contacted us about.  Each call was a lesson for us, as we used extensive congressional resources to handle each constituent’s concerns.

Working at Senator Fargo’s office was a completely different experience.  Senator Fargo represents the 3rd Middlesex district, comprising of affluent communities and a few blue-collar communities.  As Chairwoman of the Public Health Committee, Senator Fargo is working on legislation to ban methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE), a chemical compound used in gasoline to fulfill requirements in the Clean Air Act.  Unfortunately, the chemical is a likely carcinogen as well.  In December 2004, the Boston Globe reported that the chemical contaminated 86 Massachusetts communities.  I helped Tufts University School of Public Health student, Melissa Rosen research the topic extensively so the staff could write legislation on the issue.  We researched alternatives to MTBE such as Ethanol, exploring the economic and scientific impacts of using such alternatives.  Massachusetts is currently the only state that has not banned it.

In addition to helping Melissa research MTBE and Ethanol, my main project was to help Senator Fargo more effectively communicate electronically with her constituents.  Unlike federal officials, state officers do not get as much funding for general office tasks, let alone electronic resources.  Consequently, one stipulation of our project was that we needed a low-cost communication method.  After researching different methods to do so, I submitted a report to Don Siriani, Senator Fargo’s Chief of Staff, on the vital features and components of setting up an email newsletter.  We had to include an opt-out clause, privacy concerns that constituents may have, and targeting constituents’ interests based on the town they lived in and the issues they were concerned with.  Over the course of her Senatorial career, Senator Fargo accumulated thousands of contacts in her database. We connected this database to Microsoft Outlook, and worked with the Legislature’s technicians to set up her email account to send classier, more user friendly emails despite a lack of adequate funding.

One of the best features of a State House internship is the Legislative Education program, which arranges intern seminars with current elected officials, state agencies, and state house reporters.  I heard from my own State Senator, Republican Scott Brown, who spoke about winning two elections in one year.  Most informative was House Second Assistant Majority Leader Byron Rushing, an engaging and passionate representative of the ninth Suffolk district, whose forte was grassroots activism.  For example, when his politically passionate constituents wanted to divest from Burma because of concerns over human rights, Representative Rushing did so within three years, an exceptionally short time for legislation to pass.  Governor Mitt Romney dropped by to speak about his experience as a Republican in a heavily Democratic state.  We heard from Senators speaking about issues they are passionate about such as health care and energy.  It was especially interesting to hear from lobbyists who spoke about their experiences pushing legislation in their favor.  Methods used are: meeting with legislators, alerting the media, and demonstrating.  We heard from John Henning, a veteran newscaster, who spoke about his experiences covering Boston area politics.  We met with Julie Mehegan of the Boston Herald, and Yvonne Abraham, who covers many immigrant stories for the Boston Globe. We also received tips from Representative Paul Casey on how to give a political speech.  Overall, the State House legislative education program is an excellent opportunity to meet local politicians and have our views heard.  It is also an excellent opportunity to learn how to enter public office.
As I reflect on this summer, I know that I have received an excellent education in the importance of political participation.  I have a new appreciation for public servants who dedicate their lives to helping others.  Most of the politicians we spoke with entered public office by running for school councils, and making connections within their towns and districts. I have learned that politics is about taking advantage of opportunities and connections.

Although my internships were at separate levels of the government, both offices put constituent services at the heart of every issue and legislation.  The most notable difference however, was the types of issues each office focused on.  While Congressional offices need to know a little about every issue from healthcare to foreign policy, state legislators focused more on issues pertinent to their committee appointments.  I have learned a great deal from both offices, and made significant contacts.  I would highly recommend both internships to future interns of the IAFPE program.

Being part of the IAFPE program has definitely taught me about grassroots organizing.  I strongly admire the ideals of the organization and could clearly see its impact when I spoke with Senator Fargo.  She was aware of the goals of the organization and was receptive to hearing about concerns important to Indian Americans.  If we continue to make significant contacts within our districts and states, our viewpoints will be at the forefront of our legislators’ minds.

By participating in these internships, I not only gained a firsthand understanding of American politics, but was also able to focus on my role as an Indian-American.  For my community project, I organized a meeting for IAFPE members in Framingham with State Representative Deborah Blumer.  I originally invited Congressman Markey to speak at our town meeting, however, his time in the district is limited during the late summer and early fall.  For future events, it is absolutely necessary to request a meeting with him at least a few months, if not a year, in advance.

Despite Congressman Markey’s absence at the meeting, I was thrilled with the result.  Representative Blumer was an excellent resource for Indian-Americans interested in learning how best to enter local politics and service.  She spoke eloquently about education initiatives in the Metrowest area and the areas in which help is needed.  Her participation on the Joint Committee for Higher Education and the Joint Committee for Children and Families served as a superb background for our discussion on how Indian Americans can be of greater service in education.  I came away from the meeting satisfied with the concrete initiatives we could pursue as a political group wishing to serve our communities.  I was pleased I could provide some input on the education and teenage social issues from the perspective of someone who was born and raised in the United States.   The town meeting showed me the value of the Indian culture that reinforces family and community values over those of isolation and individualism that often lead to underage drinking and drug usage.  There is much that Indian-Americans can bring to the American social scene to better our communities.

My internships this summer have been eye-opening experiences. Now that I have experienced firsthand federal and state government offices, I am more aware of opportunities and methods by which we can increase our political activism.  I have been able to focus my attention more on the needs of the Indian-Americans, and also on what the Indian-American community can bring to the American public.  Given the escalating media coverage of India’s economic growth, I believe our role can only increase with time.  I hope that this summer’s experiences are only the start of my work on behalf of the Indian American community in New England.

The deadline for this year's applications are April 1, 2006 and can be obtained at www.iafpe-ne.org.

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