EP. 623: KAMALA AND THE COLORISM QUESTION

THIS IS REVOLUTION ＞podcast

In a recent address at a Black journalist convention, Donald Trump launched a controversial attack on Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris by questioning her mixed-race heritage. He claimed ignorance about whether Harris, who has an Indian mother and a Black father, identifies as Black or Indian. This attack echoes his previous racial jabs, notably when he dubbed Senator Elizabeth Warren "Pocahontas," mocking her self-proclaimed Native American ancestry during the 2020 race. While Warren's response to Trump's provocation resulted in an embarrassing revelation of minimal Native ancestry, Harris's situation is distinct. Her heritage is well-documented; she has proudly embraced both aspects of her identity, from her involvement in one of the oldest Black sororities to her education at the historically Black Howard University.

Many within the GOP express unease with Trump's race-based attacks, fearing electoral repercussions not just in the presidential race but also in down-ballot contests. However, it is worth noting that Trump’s racially charged tactics have proven effective in the past. Yet, attacking Harris as a "racial imposter" is unlikely to yield the same results as with Warren.

Trump’s rhetoric on Harris resonates with certain factions, such as the ADOS (American Descendants of Slavery) movement, and even touches upon themes from Afro-pessimism. This academic perspective posits that the world's cultures are fundamentally anti-Black and that the prejudice one experiences correlates with one's skin tone. Under this framework, lighter-skinned, mixed-race individuals like Harris purportedly face fewer challenges than their darker-skinned counterparts, such as Congresswoman Cori Bush. But is this view valid? Historical figures like Thurgood Marshall, a light-skinned man who was the first Black Supreme Court Justice, undoubtedly faced immense challenges, arguably more so than Clarence Thomas, who is darker-skinned.

Afro-pessimism, with its focus on race as an ontological condition, often obscures the crucial role of class. The notion that light-skinned Black people enjoy privileges akin to those of white people due to their proximity to "whiteness" simplifies a complex reality. My good friend Bert Cooper, himself of mixed race and lighter skin, would likely contend that this narrow understanding of race, devoid of class analysis, fails to capture the nuanced "Black experience."

This discourse invites us to delve into the intersections of race, identity, and class, urging us to examine how these dynamics play out in the political arena and broader societal contexts.

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