Are Black Votes Being Overlooked in Support of Kamala Harris?

Explore why some believe that Black votes may be underutilized when backing Kamala Harris, and what this means for future political strategies.

US Vice President Kamala Harris is currently a topic of discussion regarding her potential to become the next president. Hopeful individuals believe that she has the ability to promote gender empowerment, racial equality and establish sensible foreign policies. However, some notable commentators suggest that in terms of handling conflicts between Israel and Palestine, Mehdi Hasan predicts she may only marginally exceed Joe Biden’s performance.

Allan Lichtman, a renowned American election predictor and professor, predicts that Harris will emerge victorious in the November elections. Following President Joe Biden’s announcement of not running for re-election and endorsing her later on, she became the presidential nominee for the Democratic Party.

There are political analysts in various parts of the globe, including the US, who highlight 59-year-old Harris as a novel representation for gender and racial justice on an international scale. Being both Black and Asian female is deemed significant by some due to how they believe she can surmount racism barriers while breaching American politics’ toughest ceiling.

Is it truly the case, or is portraying her as a new savior merely an American ploy to manipulate global opinion and fabricate a false narrative? History has shown this tactic in action and there’s no reason why it couldn’t occur once more.

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Trump alleges that Harris was excluded as a potential vice president candidate due to her Jewish beliefs.

Barack Obama held the position of 44th US president from 2009 until 2017, serving two consecutive four-year terms. His election as the first African American president was celebrated and romanticized as a groundbreaking move, much like how Kamala Harris is currently being portrayed – with hope for change and unity in mind.

Was Obama able to fulfill the expectations that were built around his character and deliver? Did he succeed in improving the world during his time as president, or did he fall short of this goal? Has anything changed for regular African Americans since then, and would we see any progress if Harris was victorious in her bid for leadership?

Evidence reveals that poverty remains prevalent among black and Hispanic individuals in the US, with an approximate 17% of them residing below the poverty threshold. Additionally, people from diverse racial backgrounds are still heavily victimized by hate crimes and racially motivated acts of violence.

Reflect on the timeless words spoken by Martin Luther King Jr. in his iconic ‘I Have a Dream’ speech delivered on August 28, 1963 from the Lincoln Memorial steps in Washington, DC. It is unfortunate that even after sixty years since this momentous address, America persists as a society where people of color are evaluated based solely on their skin tone rather than their individual merits and qualities – something which would undoubtedly leave him deeply disheartened if he were alive today.

Reflecting on King’s call for non-violent resistance, George Floyd – an unfortunate 46-year-old African American man – did not resort to physical aggression despite experiencing unimaginable brutality at the hands of Minneapolis police officers on May 25th, 2021. Reviewed CCTV footage from this horrific incident reveals that Mr. Floyd repeatedly lamented his inability to breathe as he was pinned face down onto the ground by officer Derek Chauvin and fellow colleagues.

Accused of purchasing cigarettes with an alleged $20 counterfeit bill, Floyd was apprehended following a report from a convenience store employee who described him as “awfully drunk” and out of control. For over eight minutes, Chauvin applied intense pressure to his torso, legs and neck resulting in fatal consequences that led to Floyd’s declaration dead upon arrival at the hospital.

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While some may see Floyd’s death as a rare occurrence that happened under the leadership of Republican President Donald Trump, others recognize that racism is deeply entrenched in American society. Whether Democrats or Republicans are in power, systemic issues related to race persist and Black people continue to suffer. Despite claims of progress towards equality for all genders and races, facts and data suggest otherwise.

A recent report from the Pew Research Center reveals that, despite increased national attention to racial issues, Black Americans have seen little improvement in their lives. The study shows that almost 18 months after George Floyd’s death in May 2020, nearly two-thirds (64%) of all Black adults – including those who are multiracial or Hispanic – feel that the nationwide reckoning sparked by the incident has failed to bring about desired progress on issues of racial inequality. As per an October 2021 survey conducted for this purpose, only around thirteen percent of respondents believe it is possible for Blacks to achieve equality within US society.

A staggering 82% of African Americans still consider racial discrimination a pressing concern, as hate crimes based on factors such as race, religion, color and sexual orientation persist without relent.

The Tops Friendly Market in Buffalo, New York, was the site of a shooting carried out by an 18-year-old white American male in May of 2022. The attack resulted in the injury of thirteen people with eleven being Black individuals specifically targeted due to their race. According to police officials, the perpetrator livestreamed his crime on social media before it was quickly taken down shortly after being posted online. Unfortunately, acts of racially charged violence and hate crimes against African Americans are a common occurrence within America’s borders today.

In August of 2023, a man armed with a gun carried out another attack motivated by racism. His target was Black people shopping at a Dollar General Store located in Jacksonville, Florida. Tragically, at least three individuals of African American descent lost their lives in the shooting incident.

Let’s not deceive ourselves into accepting the misinformation and lies spread by American pundits. While it is true that Kamala Harris was absent from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to the US Congress, she wasn’t boycotting him; instead, she was preoccupied with her election campaign at that time. Shortly after though, they held a positive meeting which left her feeling delighted about their “honest and productive conversation.”

During her meeting with Netanyahu, she reassured him that Israel would always be able to defend itself against threats posed by Iran and its affiliated groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah. In a press briefing following the meeting, Harris shared how her strong commitment to Israel’s existence dates back to her childhood days when she raised funds for planting trees in the country. She reiterated this stance throughout her career as a US senator and now as part of the White House administration.

Although she discussed the immense humanitarian crisis in Gaza, peace negotiations, Palestinian self-determination rights and a necessary two-state solution, her speech seemed like an insincere attempt to delicately navigate these issues.

Given these circumstances, it is unrealistic to rely on Harris to initiate beneficial transformations for African and Asian Americans or take genuine steps towards alleviating the plight of numerous Palestinians. The appearance of equality in American values concerning race and gender masks their true nature just as its foreign policy based on morality is misleading.

The American symbolic gestures are insincere in their purpose. Harris is of both Jamaican and Indian descent, identifying as Black. While using ethnic identity to depict success for marginalized communities can be beneficial, bringing about real change requires more than just leveraging minority status. Despite portraying herself as a savior for the disadvantaged by taking advantage of her own minority background, Harris has failed miserably at being an ambassador for Palestinian women and children – rendering her efforts mere lip service.