MORRISVILLE, N.C. — One council member in Morrisville is the longest serving Asian American elected official in all of North Carolina. In 2011, Steve Rao became the first Indian-American elected official in Wake County and the Triangle.
“I would say about 47% of our population is South Asian, mostly from the nation of India,” Steve Rao, a Morrisville Town Council member, said.
Living and working in the Town of Morrisville, Rao is surrounded by things that remind him of his Indian roots.
“I can start my day with a South Indian breakfast. I can listen to South Asian radio station, radio Nyra. I can watch Cricket in Church Street Park, and I can end my day with a Bollywood performance at the Hindu Society of North Carolina,” Rao said. “So it's amazing that you can start your day with the influence of India and end your day, right?”
Twelve years ago, he was elected to serve on the Morrisville Town Council, a milestone for him personally, as well as for the community he represents.
“It began for me in 2011, when I became the first Asian Indian-American elected in Wake County,” Rao said. “Breaking down that first door to make sure that others can follow in the public work that I was able to do.”
Rao says holding a leadership position like this is something his parents never experienced when they first immigrated here from India. Now, with a large Indian-American population in Morrisville, he’s a voice for families that remind him of his own.
“My perspective as a son of immigrants, but seeing my own mother and father when they came from India, I kind of see the same young families come, leaving their own countries and not really understanding of culture and not understanding how government works, not understanding and having to learn and get acclimated and assimilate,” Rao said. “When my parents moved to West Virginia in the 1960s, there was just basically a few Indians in the whole city, in Charleston, maybe in the state. And there wasn't as many of the community leaders, the city council. But now in Morrisville, they're just very embracing.”
Rao says when elected officials truly reflect the areas they serve and advocate for diverse resources, their communities are more likely to thrive.
“We can translate some of our services in Hindi. We do have a number of different initiatives in terms of communicating with the different Indian communities, because there's many different states,” Rao said.
As for one of his favorite things about his job, he says it’s knowing that future leaders look at him and believe there’s a place for them in leadership too.
“I think, just making a difference. I'm proud to have been the first Asian [Indian] American elected, but as I've always said, ‘The best thing about being first is to know you're not the last.’ And it's been a real honor,” Rao said.