Former US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley on Monday (local time) invoked her Indian roots, saying she was the proud daughter of Indian immigrants and asserted that America is not a racist country.
As she took the stage on the first night of the Republican National Convention, Haley said although her parents faced discrimination and hardship, they never gave in to "grievance and hate", CNN reported.
"This is personal for me. I am the proud daughter of Indian immigrants. They came to America and settled in a small southern town. My father wore a turban. My mother wore a saree. I was a brown girl in a black and white world," said the Republican politician, who is the only Indian-American listed to be speaking at the convention.
"We faced discrimination and hardship. But my parents never gave in to grievance and hate. My mom built a successful business. My dad taught 30 years at a historically black college. And the people of South Carolina chose me as their first minority and first female governor," Haley added.
The former UN envoy said that America is a story that is a work in progress. "Now is the time to build on that progress, and make America even freer, fairer and better for everyone," she was quoted as saying by CNN.
"In much of the Democratic Party, it is now fashionable to say that America is racist. That is a lie. America is not a racist country." she said.
Haley remarked, "The American people know we can do better. And of course, we know that every single black life is valuable."
"The black cops who have been shot in the line of duty -- they matter. The black small business owners who have watched their life's work go up in flames -- they matter. The black kids who have been gunned down on the playground -- their lives matter too. Their lives are being ruined and stolen by the violence on our streets," she said.
Haley's remarks assume significance as protests across the US broke out earlier this year, after George Floyd, an African-American man, died when an officer named Derek Chauvin used his knee to pin Floyd to the ground. Chauvin had kneeled on Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes.
"It does not have to be like this. It was not like this in South Carolina five years ago. Our state came face-to-face with evil. A white supremacist walked into Mother Emanuel Church during Bible Study. Twelve African Americans pulled up a chair and prayed with him for an hour. Then he began to shoot," Haley said.
She added that everyone irrespective of their colour and from different political parties came together to remove "a divisive symbol peacefully and respectfully".
( With inputs from ANI )
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