Rupi Kaur has rejected an invitation from the White House to attend Vice President Kamala Harris’ Diwali celebration that will take place on Wednesday.
In a statement on Monday, the poet said that she denied the offer in opposition to the Biden administration’s support for Israel in their current conflict with Hamas.
“I’m surprised this administration finds it acceptable to celebrate Diwali when their support of the current atrocities against Palestinians represent the exact opposite of what this holiday means to many of us,” Kaur said on X.
“I refuse any invitation from an institution that supports the collective punishment of a trapped civilian population,” she continued.
Kaur’s followers praised her for her stance.
“Thank you for being a voice we can count on,” Brown Girl Magazine commented on her post. The publication joined Kaur in declining the invitation.
The statement comes just days after thousands of people gathered outside of the White House in protest of the administration’s support of Israel.
Both Kaur and Harris have declined to comment on the matter.
In 2021, Kaur spoke to uInterview exclusively about her poetry.
“Even when I performed my poems in my city growing up, some people were highly uncomfortable,” Kaur revealed. “Some people loved it. Dudes were like, ‘Oh she’s so aggressive, why can’t she just write love poems?’ For a minute, I was like, ‘Why can’t I just write love poems? Let me try that.’ Then I was like, ‘There are so many love poems and if I’m not writing about this, then who’s going to do it?’ So then I continued to write about myself and focus on the issues that were speaking to me. One thing led to another, I self-published and that self-published book went on to sell millions of copies and they said ‘Write another book!’ I somehow managed to do that. Now, I feel like I’m in a more secure and confident place than when I was writing that second book. I wrote it in my early 20s and there’s so much going on at that time … so many self-doubts and on top of that you’re constantly trying to figure out how you’re going to create another New York Times Bestseller.”
