Harris takes on questions about her “blackness”

Sounds like right now it's mostly online trolling/meme.

Twitter seems to be the go to for news sources today when it comes to public criticism.

The issue is whether black people should support her simply because she's black.

Which brings up the underlying question of "is she actually black?"

This is not simply a matter of DNA. To an African-American (which is a matter of cultural history rather than DNA), "black" has been, and in most cases still is, synonymous with that culture and history.

"Black" means having in some way shared that experience as well as having the DNA.

Harris is borderline. If she had always claimed and always lived as though she were black--say, as Halle Barry always has--this would not be a question. But she's always discounted being black before and her DNA credentials are slight, so black people aren't letting her play the black card, and her political history isn't attractive either.

It's a shame she is going through that. I worked with a man who was from France, Eugene. When he moved to the states, he told me that Black people here refused to accept him. They didn't trust him because they didn't fully consider him 'one of them' for some reason, he said it was due to his unusual heritage. He mainly has white friends due to this.

On her marrying a white man, that's a completely different prejudicial issue.

Sounds like she has three annoyances to deal with from people.

RDKirk said:

The issue is whether black people should support her simply because she's black.

Which brings up the underlying question of "is she actually black?"

This is not simply a matter of DNA. To an African-American (which is a matter of cultural history rather than DNA), "black" has been, and in most cases still is, synonymous with that culture and history.

"Black" means having in some way shared that experience as well as having the DNA.

Harris is borderline. If she had always claimed and always lived as though she were black--say, as Halle Barry always has--this would not be a question. But she's always discounted being black before and her DNA credentials are slight, so black people aren't letting her play the black card, and her political history isn't attractive either.

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Yet, the black community warmly welcomed Obama, who is far off than Harris is on DNA (father from East Africa, AA are West African decent) and outside the shared heritage in American history...

It is a pick and choose who you like...

RDKirk said:

The issue is whether black people should support her simply because she's black.

Which brings up the underlying question of "is she actually black?"

This is not simply a matter of DNA. To an African-American (which is a matter of cultural history rather than DNA), "black" has been, and in most cases still is, synonymous with that culture and history.

"Black" means having in some way shared that experience as well as having the DNA.

Harris is borderline. If she had always claimed and always lived as though she were black--say, as Halle Barry always has--this would not be a question. But she's always discounted being black before and her DNA credentials are slight, so black people aren't letting her play the black card, and her political history isn't attractive either.

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I'm not sure what you mean by she didn't live her life as though she was black. She was raised with black people being important in her life and protested against apartheid with other black students.....
11 photos that show Kamala Harris' childhood in Oakland and life before politics

Hammster said:

Harris takes on questions about her 'blackness'

I’m wondering where the criticisms are coming from.

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I read the article to about half way. People are saying that she is not African-American or not black enough(culturally?). I am not exactly sure I am reading it correctly, but I think because of her ancestry which is Indian (India) and Caribbean she is not African American. And since she was raised apart from the black American experience,she has an ignorance about what that means culturally. Now to look at her, it is obvious that she is not white. She compares the criticisms to the same as what Barack Obama received but I disagree with her on that. Obama was accepted as African American because his father was African and his mother was American. He was considered black enough,imho, because of his community activism. Black people do not know Kamala Harris. From her statements in the article,she is not even trying to make herself familiar with the black community. She just claims she is black. Well she is. But the critics are saying her blackness is only skin deep. That is the way I read it.

Hammster said:

I keep finding references to these “questions”, but I can’t seem to actually find them.

Maybe I’m using the wrong search terms.

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Do a Google Search on "Kamala Dolezal" (for obvious reasons). It's pretty unpleasant that people have decided to go this route, but that's the country we have after the Birther movement took hold and helped one man become President.

Ugh.

Hank77 said:

I'm not sure what you mean by she didn't live her life as though she was black. She was raised with black people being important in her life and protested against apartheid with other black students.....
11 photos that show Kamala Harris' childhood in Oakland and life before politics

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I think the DEFINITIVE test for "blackness" would be: Could she get an apartment in a Trump Property circa 1973?

I thought a "black" American was someone who has legitimate ancestry rooted in America. Harris and Obama are outside this...

Jonaitis said:

I thought a "black" American was someone who has legitimate ancestry rooted in America. Harris and Obama are outside this...

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And I'm certain that David Duke and the KKK and the Neo-Nazis all care deeply about that subtle differentiation.

Handmaid for Jesus said:

And since she was raised apart from the black American experience,she has an ignorance about what that means culturally.

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She was raised right here in the US and high school in Canada. Her first grade teacher in CA went to her graduation from law school. Her father attended Berkley to get his PhD.

11 photos that show Kamala Harris' childhood in Oakland and life before politics

GlabrousDory4 said:

And I'm certain that David Duke and the KKK and the Neo-Nazis all care deeply about that subtle differentiation.

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As they do about core Christians beliefs...

Jonaitis said:

Yet, the black community warmly welcomed Obama, who is far off than Harris is on DNA (father from East Africa, AA are West African decent) and outside the shared heritage in American history...

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"Africa" is close enough. Obama's upbringing in Hawaii was not the African-American experience either. I've lived there, had children there. My daughter went to elementary school in Hawaii, and still suffers from the rude culture shock she encountered the African-American experience in Nebraska schools. However, Obama embraced it when he married Michelle and entered her life.

Close enough--he never acted as though he denied it, which Harris has done.

The issue is: You're claiming membership in a club you've always previously denied.

RDKirk said:

"Africa" is close enough. Obama's upbringing in Hawaii was not the African-American experience either. I've lived there, had children there. My daughter went to elementary school in Hawaii, and still suffers from the rude culture shock she encountered the African-American experience in Nebraska schools. However, Obama embraced it when he married Michelle and entered her life.

Close enough--he never acted as though he denied it, which Harris has done.

The issue is: You're claiming membership in a club you've always previously denied.

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It is a strategy tactic for sure...

Jonaitis said:

It is a strategy tactic for sure...

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May I respectfully ask what do you mean by this?

Hank77 said:

I'm not sure what you mean by she didn't live her life as though she was black. She was raised with black people being important in her life and protested against apartheid with other black students.....
11 photos that show Kamala Harris' childhood in Oakland and life before politics

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LOL, that doesn't depict "raised with black people being important in her life." That's like someone saying, "We had a black maid and driver."

Handmaid for Jesus said:

May I respectfully ask what do you mean by this?

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What RDKirk noted,

Harris is only doing this to gain supporters.