Malayali Americans
മലയാളി അമേരിക്കക്കാർ Malayali Amerikkakkaar | |
|---|---|
| Total population | |
| 146,000 (2009-2013 est.)[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Languages | |
| Predominantly: | |
| Religion | |
| Predominantly: Hinduism, Christianity Minority: Islam | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Lists of Americans |
|---|
| By US state |
| By ethnicity |
Malayali Americans (Malayalam: മലയാളി അമേരിക്കക്കാർ, romanized: Malayali Amerikkakkaar), also known by the term American Malayalees (Malayalam: അമേരിക്കൻ മലയാളികൾ, romanized: Amerikkan Malayalikal), are citizens of the United States of America who belong to the Malayali ethnolinguistic group. Their ancestry originates wholly or partly from the Indian state of Kerala.
History
[edit]Malayali nurses were first recruited in Metro New York in the 1960s. They began bringing their families in the 1970s. Later waves in the 1990s into the early 2000s added a contingent of computer and business professionals to the population. Many of these later immigrants were Christians and Hindus, with few Muslims.[2][unreliable source?]
Malayali nurses, who were sponsored for jobs, were among the first Indians to settle in the Philadelphia area. Most of them lived in Millbourne.[3]
In recent years, the migration trends of Malayali people shifted to the United States as they seek opportunities.[citation needed]
Demographics
[edit]As of 2009–2013, there were approximately 146,000 people with Malayali heritage in the United States,[1] with an estimated 40,000 living in the New York tri-state area.[2] The majority of Malayali Americans live in areas like Bergen County, New Jersey, Rockland County, New York, New York City, Chicago metro area, Philadelphia, Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, Los Angeles.
Religions
[edit]Most of the Malayali Americans are Christians, along with Hindus and Muslims.[4][unreliable source?] Christian sects from Kerala have established multiple worship communities in United States[5][6][7][8]The Syro-Malabar Church, an Eastern Catholic Church, native to India since the 1st-century, established St. Thomas Syro-Malabar diocese of Chicago was established in 2001.[9] St. Thomas Day is celebrated in this church on July 3rd every year.[10][11]
Language
[edit]In 1983, the first Kerala Convention was held in New York City, which led to the founding of the Federation of Kerala Associations in North America (FOKANA). FOKANA is a major organization in the United States that promotes the Malayalam language and Malayali culture.[12]
Culture
[edit]Film and television
[edit]- Comrade in America (2017)
- Monsoon Mangoes (2016)
- ABCD: American-Born Confused Desi (2013)
- Ivide (2015)
- Ezhamkadalinakkare (1979), the first Malayalam film shot in the US
- Akkare Akkare Akkare (1990)
- Peruchazhi (2014)
- America America (1983)
- Nothing but Life (2004), released as Made in USA in Malayalam
- Ranam (2018)
List of Malayali Americans
[edit]Literature
[edit]
- Meena Alexander, poet, scholar, and writer
- Abraham Verghese, author and physician
- Mira Jacob, writer
- Tania James, novelist
- Aimee Nezhukumatathil, poet and essayist
- Sanjena Sathian, novelist and journalist
- Sarah Thankam Mathews, novelist
- Rajiv Joseph, playwright
- Sandhya Menon, author known for New York Times bestseller When Dimple Met Rishi
- Shanthi Sekaran, novelist and educator
Academics
[edit]Mathematicians
[edit]- N. U. Prabhu, mathematician
- K. C. Sreedharan Pillai, statistician
Deans and presidents
[edit]- Naureen Hassan, American finance executive who serves as the president of UBS Americas; previously served as the first vice president and chief operating officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York
Economists
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- Gita Gopinath, economist; served as the first deputy managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), former chief economist at the IMF and Economic Adviser to the Chief Minister of Kerala
Professors
[edit]- Margaret Abraham, professor of sociology at Hofstra University; served as the 18th president (2014–2018) of the International Sociological Association
- Pulickel Ajayan, professor of engineering at Rice University
- Nalini Ambady, social psychologist and professor of psychology
- K. Mani Chandy, Simon Ramo Professor of computer science at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
- Thomas Kailath, professor of engineering at Stanford University
- Prema Kurien, professor of sociology at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs of Syracuse University
- Geeta Menon, Abraham Krasnoff Professor of Global Business and current chair of the Marketing Department at New York University Stern School of Business
Business
[edit]- George Kurian, business executive; chief executive officer and a member of the board of NetApp; previously executive vice president of product operations at NetApp
- Thomas Kurian, business executive and chief executive officer of Google Cloud (under Alphabet Inc.) since 2019
Arts and Entertainment
[edit]
- RK DreamWest, film director, screenwriter, cinematographer
- Benny Mathews, director
- Meera Menon, director, writer, and editor
- Sunil Nayar, television writer and producer
- Serena Varghese, voice actress
- Hasna Sal, Glass sculptor, architect, artist and author
- M. Night Shyamalan, director, filmmaker
- Ishana Night Shyamalan, filmmaker, screenwriter and producer; daughter of filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan
- Alok Vaid-Menon, writer, performance artist, media personality
Actors and actresses
[edit]- Naveen Andrews, actor
- Melanie Chandra, actress and model
- Anu Emmanuel, actress
- Shishir Kurup, actor
- Jacob Gregory, actor
- Babu Antony, actor
Comedians
[edit]- Paul Varghese, appeared on Last Comic Standing
Media
[edit]- Syma Chowdhry, television host, reporter, and producer
- Liza Koshy, actress, YouTube comedian and television host
- Rajan Devadas, photojournalist
- Suma Josson, journalist and filmmaker
- Reena Ninan, Middle East correspondent for Fox News Channel
- Sreenath Sreenivasan, Columbia University professor; WABC-TV technology reporter
- Raj Mathai, television journalist
Musicians
[edit]- Mathai, former singer; finalist on season 2 of The Voice
- Kim Thayil, musician and songwriter
- Appu Krishnan, known professionally as The Professor, music producer and songwriter
- Saleka, singer-songwriter and actress; daughter of filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan
- Vidya Vox, musician and Youtuber
- Hanumankind, rapper from Kerala who grew up in the US
Sports
[edit]- Roopa Unnikrishnan, sports shooter and innovation consultant
Politics and government
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- Vivek Ramaswamy, entrepreneur, politician and candidate in the 2024 Republican Party presidential primaries; founder of Roivant Sciences
- Stanley George, political strategist, known for his advisory role in the U.S. Republican Party and close association with President Donald Trump's political campaigns; also biographer
Elected officials
[edit]- Nithya Raman, politician serving as the Los Angeles City Council member for the 4th District since 2020; member of the Democratic Party and the Democratic Socialists of America; also urban planner and activist (Democratic)
- Kevin Thomas, represented the 6th district in the 6th district from 2019 until 2024 (Democratic)
- Susheela Jayapal, first Indian American to hold an elected office at the county level in Oregon, served as a county commissioner for Multnomah County, Oregon (Democratic)
- Vin Gopal, took office in 2018 to represent the 11th Legislative District in the New Jersey Senate (Democratic)
Federal elected officials
[edit]
Civil servants
[edit]- Joy Cherian, first Asian head of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
- Rachel Paulose, former United States Attorney for the District of Minnesota
Activism and philanthropy
[edit]- Abraham George, philanthropist, humanitarian, founder of The George Foundation (TGF)
- Deepika Kurup, clean water advocate and inventor
- Appu Kuttan, philanthropist, consultant, author, and the founder and chairman of the National Education Foundation (NEF)
- Thomas Abraham, founder president of the Global Organization for People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) as well as the National Federation of Indian American Associations (NFIA)
- Surendran Pattel, lawyer who is a judge for the 240th Texas District Court in Fort Bend County since 2023
Science and technology
[edit]- Thomas Zacharia, computer scientist; previously deputy director for science and technology at Oak Ridge National Laboratory
- Joy A. Thomas, senior data scientist at Google, information theorist and author
Religion and spirituality
[edit]- Joy Alappatt, bishop of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church
Crime
[edit]- Sneha Anne Philip, missing person
- Anand Jon, convicted rapist and fashion designer
- Shelley Malil, convicted of attempted premeditated murder and assault; former actor
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b "Detailed Languages Spoken at Home and Ability to Speak English for the Population 5 Years and Over: 2009-2013". Census.gov. Archived from the original on 12 April 2020. Retrieved 2022-06-12.
- ^ a b "Keralite Indians in the New York Metro Area" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 August 2023.
- ^ Immigration, A. I. (2010). Demographic Background: Philadelphia and the United States. Global Philadelphia: Immigrant Communities Old and New, 253.
- ^ "Website Disabled" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-04.
- ^ "Our History - St. Thomas Evangelical Church of India".
- ^ (Princeton), Princeton Forum on Asian Indian Ministries (US) (30 November 2009). Pilgrims at the Crossroads: Asian Indian Christians at the North American Frontier. Institute for the Study of Asian American Christianity. pp. 27–32. ISBN 978-0-9819878-2-8.
- ^ George., Pothan, Sidney (1963). The Syrian Christians of Kerala. Asia Publishing House. OCLC 907131962.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Traditional Indian Churches in the US at a Glance Archived August 19, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, usindian.org Archived August 19, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "India prepares to mark Indian Christian Day on July 3". Crux. July 2, 2022. Retrieved 2022-11-08.
- ^ "Eastern Catholics share their culture, experiences at Chicago gathering". Chicago Catholic. Retrieved 2022-11-08.
- ^ "St. Thomas Syro-Malabar Diocese". www.stthomasdiocese.org. Retrieved 2022-11-08.
- ^ "FOKANA, About Us". Archived from the original on 29 March 2023. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
Further reading
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