Current Events & Issues 

Indian Americans face a unique set of barriers and contemporary concerns. Chief among these are xenophobia and racism. In 2021, a survey conducted by the Washington Post found that a staggering 1 in 2 Indian Americans have experienced discrimination on the basis of skin color or religion: 

"If half of all Indian Americans report being targets of discrimination, who is doing the discriminating? When asked about discrimination on the basis of country of origin or skin color, respondents overwhelmingly blame non-Indians. While respondents suggest Indians hold somewhat greater responsibility for engaging in religious or gender discrimination against other Indians, here, too, they point mainly to non-Indians or a combination of Indians and non-Indians as primary sources of discrimination" (Badrinathan et al., 2021).

The Indian population of Los Angeles is largely overlooked in library services and programming despite having the second largest Indian community in California. Indian Americans who may not speak English may feel reluctant to come to the library because there are very few resources for them. A solution to this barrier could be to include a thorough and relevant section of the library’s ESL resources that caters to Indian languages such as Hindi, Bengali and Punjabi. Also, promoting cultural appreciation for Indian culture by events is a great way to foster awareness and community.

Matthew Quejada’s thesis The Portable Library: Engaging Underserved Communities in Their Neighborhoods focuses on how libraries can improve their service models toward underserved communities. Quejada explains how to use strategies such as empathy mapping, workshops, and interviews to improve outreach toward these communities. Journalist Andrew Campa reports on how the Indian community of Los Angeles is struggling economically, and ways the city could help struggling business owners to generate revenue. Libraries could host events such as fairs that showcase the Indian community’s businesses and raise awareness of the cultural impact.