The Indian American Coalition of Texas (IACT) is a non-partisan organization in Central Texas, like none before it. There are many civic organizations serving the Indian American community in Central Texas. There is the India Community Center (ICC) serving the entire community and then there are organizations and institutions serving the needs that are ethnic or religious in nature. All of these entities have one common thread among them –- to serve the social and religious needs of the community. None however serve the political needs of this thriving group except IACT which fill that void in central Texas!

Much has been written about the economic and technological successes of the Indian population in the US. The Indian American group sits atop the list of ethnic groups in terms of wealth and purchasing power, a statistic that is both a source of pride as it is of concern.  No ethnic group has achieved as much in the span of less than a generation –- with little assistance from others and certainly no hand-outs. But while Indians have single-mindedly participated in the financial opportunities in the US, they have, in general, been remarkably absent as an ethnic group from the political scene, except in certain pockets, in this country. So, politicians have both largely ignored their issues and yet complained about their lack of participation. However, history has shown that such reticence can have serious consequences; that a group with pure economic power without commensurate political connections and involvement usually gets marginalized, often disenfranchised, over time. It is this singular lesson from history that Indian Americans must heed -- to cast off this apolitical shroud and join the political process so that their presence can be felt and their issues be added to the tableau of local and national governance.

IACT, after years of incubation among a small group of individuals, has been growing slowly but steadily in size and influence to serve the Indian American community in central Texas. Working closely together, the founding members defined the vision and key goals to drive IACT forward.

The vision of IACT is to promote:

·      Promote political awareness among the Indian American community by educating and involving its members to effectively participate at all levels of government and the community at large.

Its mission, simple and yet all-encompassing, is to:

·    Organize a coalition of Indian Americans committed to the rights and needs of the  entire Indian American community.

·    Register voters to encourage participation in local, state and federal political processes.

·    Define issues of concern and interest to the Indian American community, and educate and influence policymakers and the general public.

·    Lobby for and encourage the appointment of Indian Americans to positions of community and political leadership.

·    Facilitate mentoring of Asian Indian Americans for elected and appointed positions and participate in the grass-roots political process.

Benefits of Political Participation:

·    Contribute to (“way to give back”) and benefit from decision making in critical issues in the political arena.

·    Ensure Indian American issues are part of the political equation.

·    Make Indian Americans an integral part of this nation.

·    Balance economic / business success with commensurate political involvement /    influence.

·    Aspire for opportunities for Indian Americans to appointed or elected positions.

·    Ensure mutual respect for diversity in all forms.