Saira Rao

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Saira Rao
Born (1974-06-12) June 12, 1974 (age 49)
Richmond, Virginia, U.S.
EducationUniversity of Virginia (BA)
New York University School of Law (JD)
Occupations
  • Political activist
  • author
  • publisher
  • lawyer
Organization(s)Race2Dinner, In This Together Media, Haven
WorksChambermaid: A Novel
SpouseShiv Govindan
Children2

Saira Sameera Rao (born June 12, 1974) is an American political activist, author, publisher, and former lawyer and television producer. She is the co-founder of Race2Dinner, In This Together Media, and Haven, and came to greater prominence in 2018 when she ran for Congress, losing out to incumbent Democrat Diana DeGette in the primary.

Early life and career[edit]

A second generation Indian-American, Rao was born in Richmond, Virginia, the daughter of Dr. Sybil Philomena "Greenie" Rao and Dr. Jaikar Rao.[1][2][3][citation needed] Both her parents are physicians from Southern India.[4]

She received a bachelor's degree in history from the University of Virginia in 1996 and went on to work as a journalist and television producer for CBS affiliate WUSA in Washington DC and Fox News affiliate WSVN in Miami.[5] In 2002 she received a J.D. from New York University School of Law and took up a clerkship under Third Circuit court judge Dolores Sloviter between 2002 and 2003 in Philadelphia.[5][6] She was then an associate in corporate law at Cleary Gottlieb.[7][8]

Chambermaid[edit]

In 2007, Saira Rao's first novel was published.[9] Chambermaid concerns a recent law graduate called Sheila Raj who is a law clerk to Third Circuit judge Helga Friedman, described as a "sociopathic, homicidal, bipolar jurist" and a "toxic bitch". Rao had herself been a law clerk to Third Circuit judge Dolores Sloviter, and other characters in the book were also seen as having real-world counterparts. Rao began writing it while working at Cleary Gottlieb, but left the firm in November 2006 after her employers learned the topic of the book. Rao attributed her desire to write the book partly to address an informal code of silence in the legal profession precluding the criticism of judges. Sloviter herself brushed the matter off, saying "I've had maybe close to a hundred law clerks, and it's not surprising that one or two hated me" and "I haven't read it. I don't intend to. I really don't care. OK?"[7][10]

Kirkus Reviews described Chambermaid as "unoriginal", saying "at least Miranda Priestly was fun".[11] Carlin Romano of The Philadelphia Inquirer described it as "highly entertaining, often insightful, frequently sarcastic and at times extremely nasty".[7] Paula Reed Ward for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette found that "even if the stories are too hard to believe, they are so often written with such an easy, casual air, that they prompt nothing but laughs".[12]

In This Together[edit]

In 2013, Rao and comedian Carey Albertine, who she met at the University of Virginia, founded In This Together Media, a publishing company intending to increase diversity and representation in children's books.[13] The company operates a mixed model for acquiring titles, sometimes receiving submissions and sometimes commissioning authors to write stories based on ideas generated in-house. Initially the titles were print-on-demand rather than produced in bulk.[14] Later, Rao reported success in selling books to other publishing houses such as Simon & Schuster, rather than publishing books directly themselves.[15][16]

In This Together had a hand in the book Nevertheless, We Persisted, a collection of 48 short essays with a foreword by Amy Klobuchar.[17][18]

Run for Congress[edit]

In 2018 Rao ran against Representative Diana DeGette in the Democratic primary for Colorado's 1st congressional district. She received endorsements from, among others, Andrew Yang,[19] the Justice Democrats PAC,[20] and Buie Seawell, former chair of the Colorado Democratic Party,[21] but lost the primary 32% to 68%.[22][23] In the first quarter, Rao raised more money ($250,000) than DeGette ($240,000) for her campaign.[24] DeGette ultimately spent more, reporting $720,000 expended compared to Rao's $415,000.[2]

A month later, Rao tweeted "Short and long answer: YES", in response to a New York Times op-ed by philosopher George Yancy titled "Should I Give Up On White People?". She said that the threats she received in response made her family unsafe and that she had to temporarily leave Colorado.[25][26]

Views[edit]

Rao considers herself a progressive.[27][28] Prior to the election of Donald Trump, Rao had been a long-standing supporter of the Democratic party and particularly Hillary Clinton, who lost in that election. Subsequently, Rao felt disillusioned by the party leadership, which she felt had failed to respond properly or to listen to the concerns of non-white women. In 2017, she wrote an opinion piece for HuffPost about her reasons for "breaking up" with the party. She said afterwards that she was "mortified" in retrospect by her support of Clinton, but said that it was not the party she was breaking up with, as she'd previously put it, but rather the "Democratic Party establishment".[13]

In an op-ed for Teen Vogue during her 2018 primary run, she identified her main goal in running as being to promote and achieve "equity — racial, social, and economic", with policy positions including reforms to gun law, a path to citizenship, and reducing the influence of corporate money in politics.[16][29]

Rao has on occasion been fiercely critical of Democrats whom she does not regard as sufficiently progressive.[21][30] She has accused prominent figures in the Democratic party, such as Pete Buttigieg and Nancy Pelosi, of racism and white supremacy.[31][20]

Much of Rao's critique more broadly is related to issues of racism and particularly what she sees as the complicity of white women, especially white liberals and white feminists, in maintaining a racist society.[28] Rao has written, for example, that white feminists are "the most powerful subset of liberal white supremacy" and that they "scare [her] more than all [their] enemies combined".[32] Shortly after the election, which Joe Biden won, she wrote an article framed as a letter to white American women, whom she called "pawns of the patriarchy, diligent foot soldiers of white supremacy".[33][34]

2023 support for Palestine[edit]

In 2023, the Creative Artists Agency severed ties with Rao after she made a post on Twitter that referred to Zionists as "bloodthirsty genocidal ghouls" who are so "obsessed with land and power and money that you murder newborns to obtain this STUFF". She claimed that "the vast majority of white Americans are pro-genocide", as is the CAA itself, for failing to condemn the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip (2023-present), which Rao described as an ongoing genocide.[35]

In one tweet, Rao alleged that Zionist medical professionals pose a threat to Black and Muslim patients. Rao's tweet was condemned as antisemitic by Knesset member Ahmad Tibi, former cable news pundit Mehdi Hasan, and sociologist Philip N. Cohen, but was defended by anti-racist activist Bree Newsome, professor of hospital medicine at the University of California San Francisco Rupa Marya, and German-Palestinian film director Lexi Alexander. Jewish publication The Forward compared the post to the Doctors' plot, a state-sponsored propaganda campaign in the Soviet Union alleging that a cabal of Jewish doctors were trying to assassinate Soviet officials.[36][37][38][39]

Race2Dinner and Haven[edit]

After her run for Congress, frustrated with conversations about race started with her by individual white female voters, Rao co-founded "Race2Dinner" with Regina Jackson, whom she got to know on the campaign trail. Beginning in spring 2019, Jackson and Rao attend dinners with 8–10 white women, hosted and catered by one of the white women, and lead a conversation aimed at confronting the women with their own racism. Fifteen such dinners had been held by February 2020 and when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, they had 25 more planned for the year.[40][41] As a result of pandemic, they switched to virtual dinner parties held on Zoom (without food) about twice a week and, following a spike in interest since the murder of George Floyd, the charge for such a dinner doubled from $2,500 to $5,000.[42] They also offer individual consultations and "Race2Community", which is an 8-week online course, in addition to maintaining a Patreon account for subscribers. Rao and Jackson are clear that the conversations have to be "uncomfortable", even "painful", but their approach has changed over time.[42] Certain early attendees described conversations as leading to tears, and Rao as "mean-spirited" and "dogmatic".[40] Since then, the pair has made Robin DiAngelo's 2018 book White Fragility required reading before dinners.[40][43]

Jackson and Rao wrote a book together based on their experience with Race2Dinner. The book, published by Penguin Random House, is titled White Women: Everything You Already Know About Your Own Racism and How to Do Better.[44][45][46]

In 2020, Rao co-founded "Haven" together with political organiser Candice Fortin and academic Tamara L. Lee. Haven is "a collective of BIWOC and non-binary identifying folks rooted towards abolition, liberation and healing through art and storytelling".[47]

Personal life[edit]

Rao is married to businessman Shiv Govindan, and has two children, Lila and Dar. The family lives in Country Club, Denver, Colorado.[48]

Bibliography[edit]

  • Chambermaid: A Novel. New York: Grove Press. 2008. ISBN 978-0-8021-4372-3.
  • The Madlands (forthcoming)[49]
  • White Women: Everything You Already Know About Your Own Racism and How to Do Better (with Regina Jackson) (2022 ISBN 9780143136439)

References[edit]

  1. ^ "My Mom Wore a Sari So That I Could Run for Congress". Modern Loss. May 6, 2019. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
  2. ^ a b Murray, Jon (June 26, 2018). "U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette defeats challenger Saira Rao in Democratic primary for Denver-based congressional seat". The Denver Post. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  3. ^ "Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Foreign Born".
  4. ^ Hirschfield, Robert (April 17, 2018). "Saira Rao: A newborn Indian American radical runs for Congress". International Examiner. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  5. ^ a b "Rao, Saira 1974(?)-". Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  6. ^ "Saira Rao". Chapter BE. October 19, 2016. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
  7. ^ a b c Romano, Carlin (July 24, 2007). "Novel does no honor to judge". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  8. ^ Lat, David (July 24, 2007). "Do You Believe in Life After Law?". The New York Observer. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  9. ^ Shapiro, Jonathan (July 28, 2007). "Shallow stereotypes don't cut it in chick-lit 'thriller'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  10. ^ Lattman, Peter (June 6, 2007). "A Novel Opens the Curtains Around Federal Clerkships". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  11. ^ "Chambermaid". Kirkus Reviews. May 15, 2007. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  12. ^ Reed Ward, Paula (August 17, 2017). "'Chambermaid: A Novel' by Saira Rao". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  13. ^ a b Luning, Ernest (December 16, 2017). "DeGette primary challenger Saira Rao running for a 'seat at the table'". Colorado Politics. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
  14. ^ Smolen, Wendy (September 11, 2013). "A Novel Approach to Business". Kidscreen. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  15. ^ "In This Together: Carey Albertine and Saira Rao". Iris. August 5, 2013. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  16. ^ a b Rao, Saira (May 21, 2018). "Saira Rao Could Be Colorado's First Woman of Color Elected to Congress". Teen Vogue. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  17. ^ "Nevertheless, We Persisted". Penguin Random House. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  18. ^ "Nevertheless, We Persisted: 48 Voices of Defiance, Strength, and Courage". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
  19. ^ Andrew Yang [@AndrewYang] (June 25, 2018). "If you're in Denver vote for my friend @sairasameerarao in tomorrow's Dem primary" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  20. ^ a b Webb, Justin (March 22, 2019). "Trump's opponents are falling into his trap". The Times. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  21. ^ a b Haniffa, Aziz (April 4, 2018). "Colorado activist Saira Rao challenges incumbent Rep. Diana DeGette". India Abroad. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
  22. ^ "2018 Primary Election Results - Democratic Party Ballot". Colorado Secretary of State. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  23. ^ "Colorado Primary Election Results". The New York Times. June 28, 2018. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  24. ^ Frank, John (April 13, 2018). "Democratic leader Diana DeGette to face tough primary challenge in June". The Denver Post. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  25. ^ Warner, Ryan (July 9, 2008). "Saira Rao Speaks Out About Whiteness Tweet, Death Threats: 'I Want White People To Listen'". CPR News. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  26. ^ "'Both parties are mired in white supremacy,' says ex-candidate in Denver facing threats over tweet". Denver 7. July 9, 2018. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  27. ^ Sarlin, Benjy; Egan, Lauren; Shabad, Rebecca (September 11, 2018). "Beyond Obamacare: Democrats have plans, GOP is out to destroy them". NBC News. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  28. ^ a b Brasch, Sam (June 14, 2018). "DeGette Challenger Saira Rao Is Taking On The Democratic Party — And White Feminism". CPR News. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  29. ^ Lipsitz, Raina (June 25, 2018). "Swearing Off Corporate Cash: A Q&A With Saira Rao". The Nation. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  30. ^ Herrick, John (May 24, 2018). "U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette faces primary challenger Saira Rao who wants to shape the future of the Democratic Party". The Colorado Independent. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  31. ^ Miller, Tim (December 6, 2019). "The Problematic Pete Wars". The Bulwark. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  32. ^ Rao, Saira (September 5, 2018). "Dear NOT ALL White Feminists: Put Down Your Trump Sign, Pick up a Mirror". Brown Girl Magazine. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  33. ^ Rao, Saira (November 7, 2020). "Opinion: I'll Never Trust White Women Again After This Election". HuffPost UK. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  34. ^ Levenson, Claire (March 11, 2020). "Aux États-Unis, la lutte contre le privilège blanc vire-t-elle à la parodie?". Slate.fr (in French). Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  35. ^ Cheshire, Catie (November 21, 2023). "Anti-Genocide or Anti-Semitism? CAA Cuts Ties With Saira Rao Over Israel Comments". Westword. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  36. ^ Mandel, Seth (January 4, 2024). "Every Conspiracy Everywhere All At Once". Commentary. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  37. ^ "Philip N Cohen (@philipncohen@mastodon.social)". January 2, 2024. Archived from the original on March 29, 2024.
  38. ^ Magid, Jacob (January 3, 2024). "Arab MK slams US liberal over post spreading fear of Zionist doctors". The Times of Israel. Archived from the original on January 3, 2024. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
  39. ^ Fox, Mira (January 4, 2024). "A viral post demonizing Zionist doctors sounds eerily like a Soviet antisemitic conspiracy theory". Forward. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  40. ^ a b c Noor, Poppy (February 3, 2020). "Why liberal white women pay a lot of money to learn over dinner how they're racist". The Guardian. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  41. ^ Becker, Amanda (June 12, 2020). "Are White Women Finally Waking Up?". Glamour. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
  42. ^ a b Wida, Erica Chayes (July 1, 2020). "White women are paying thousands of dollars to confront their racist beliefs over dinner". Today. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  43. ^ Will, Martina (November 1, 2019). "Bearing Witness to "White Supremacy" One Meal at a Time". Front Porch. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
  44. ^ Saira Rao [@sairasameerarao] (April 1, 2020). "It feels strange to be excited about anything right now, but I did want to share some cool personal news. [...]" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  45. ^ "Contributor – Saira Rao". HuffPost UK. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  46. ^ Khan, Razib (September 17, 2020). "How Brahmins lead the fight against white privilege". UnHerd. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
  47. ^ "Our Mission". Haven. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
  48. ^ Rao, Saira (January 25, 2017). "CONFESSIONS OF A CLOSETED BROWN WOMAN". Athena Talks. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
  49. ^ Schnall, Susie Orman (March 4, 2016). "The Balance Project | No. 144: Saira Rao, Co-Founder, In This Together Media". SusieSchnall.com. Retrieved March 30, 2021.

External links[edit]

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