Black Enough Kamala Harris

 BEING BLACK IS COMPLICATED!

Kamala Harris is coming face to face with this fact. For over a century, being Black was simpler. There was an in 1662, which identified who and who was not Black. What was the one drop rule in 1662? The act stated that "every person who shall have one-eight or more of negro blood shall be deemed and held to be a person of color." This was the equivalent of one great-grandparent. This definition of being Black was solely based on biology. But, as time passed, being Black became about a person's actions and personality, and who the Black community said was Black enough.

According to a 2022 study, autosomal African ancestry in Jamaicans ranges from 76% to 92%, while Y chromosome data ranges from 61% to 79%. However, estimates of admixture can vary depending on the sample size, the number of markers used, and the communities sampled. For example, a 2010 autosomal genealogical DNA test found that Jamaica's gene pool is about 80.3% Sub-Saharan African, while a survey of Jamaican Maroons found that 97.5% of their genome was of West African origin.  

I heard someone say, if you notice, there are so many 'light skinned people ' fighting for Black people's rights. They made this statement, being offended, people with light skin and green eyes were fighting for the rights of BLACK people as though they were not Black. This is a form of colorism. Colorism is prejudice or discrimination especially within a racial or ethnic group favoring people with lighter skin over those with darker skin or not favoring a person because of the lightness or darkness of their skin. In many instances, Black people with light skin are not seen as Black enough and they cannot relate to the real Black experience. Spike Lee's School Daze, released February 12, 1988, explored several issues within the Black-American community such as colorism, elitism, classism, political activism, hazing, groupthink, female self-esteem, social mobility, and hair texture bias—all against the backdrop of a historically black college.

The way a person speaks and how they choose to spend their free time has been used to determine if a person is Black. It is not uncommon to hear a person is trying to act WHITE. It is asserted if a Black person speaks in a certain way, it makes them not Black. The Black community, over time have developed their own style of language and if you don't speak it, you may not be seen as Black. African American Vernacular English (AAVE), also known as Black English Vernacular (AAE), or African American Language (AAL), is a style of English spoken by many working- and middle-class African Americans and some Black Canadians, especially in urban communities. It's often spoken in Black American households and is a way for people with a shared culture to communicate. Linguists believe AAVE may have originated from West African or Creole languages.

Examples of this defined way many Black people speak are,

“Finnin to.” This expression is used to state a desire to do something, as in “I’m finnin to slap him,”

“Big ol'’.” It’s the shortening of “big old,” but it often sounds like “big-o.”

“My bad.” This phrase is used to offer apologies for a wrongdoing

“We straight.” In Black American English, “straight” can mean “all right.” So “we straight”

In this same vein, many White people believe it is a compliment when they say a Black person speaks well and is articulate. This implies that particular Black person is somehow special and different from the norm and speaks well for being a Black person. Acting White is an anti-intellectual culture the Black community has leaned into. To be educated is associated with being White. Two theories, one, blaming acting white on a racist society, and second placing blame on self-imposed cultural sabotage, have emerged as the predominant explanations for acting white among American Blacks. For school aged children, the cost of being educated or intelligent has been studied. 

The social costs of a high GPA are most pronounced for adolescent males. Popularity begins to decrease at lower GPAs for young black men than young black women (3.25 GPA compared with a 3.5), and the rate at which males lose friends after this point is far greater. As a result, black male high achievers have notably fewer friends than do female ones. There is a similar pattern among Hispanics, with males beginning to lose friends at lower GPAs and at a faster clip, though the male/female differences are not statistically significant. A smart teen of color is less popular. Black students, particularly adolescents, face the "burden of 'acting White'" if they are academically successful.  My children faced this as high school students. They were not Black enough. The "acting White" hypothesis asserts that Blacks have not historically valued education, viewing academic success as the domain of Whites and thus fundamentally in opposition to Black culture and identity.

Even though Kamal Harris passes the 1% Negro blood act, many people, including Donald Trump, have decided she is not Black enough. She is not considered 'light' skinned and unable to relate to the Black experience. She uses Black vernacular and references cultural points Black people recognize within their community and family circles. So, why is she not Black enough? Is it solely because she is educated or is there another underlying reason?

When a white congressional candidate, in 2008, referred to a black news reporter as "uppity," he coincidentally joined company with another white politician who, later that day, applied the same description to then Sen. Barack and Michelle Obama. Both of the Georgians claimed ignorance of the racial history of the word "uppity," a derogatory term applied throughout the Jim Crow South to Blacks who dared to climb the socioeconomic ladder. The word “uppity” was used to describe someone inferior that was not staying in their proper place. This term has historically been used in America to describe Black people who were considered to be acting above "their place". Kamala is in a place no other Black female has been before.

Donald Trump's ignorant comment about Kamala Harris one day choosing to be of Indian descent due to her mother being born in India or choosing to be of African descent because her father is Jamaican, sows seeds in the Black community to question whether she is Black enough. There are low rumblings online among Black people saying she is not Black. As I stated earlier, being Black is complicated. Complicated for those clinging to the trauma of slavery and the Jim Crow era.

According to the 2020 United States census, 10.2% of the population, or 33.8 million people, identified as multiracial. This is a significant increase from 2010, when 2.9% of the population reported multiple races. The multiracial population is the fastest-growing demographic in the country. Do biracial people identify with only one ethnicity? No, most biracial Americans do not identify with only one ethnicity, and how they identify can vary depending on the situation. For example, a 2015 Pew Research Center survey found that 70% of white and Asian biracial adults and 61% of white and Black biracial adults identify as multiracial. However, some mixed-race Americans may not identify as multiracial if they "look like one race". According to the survey, 54% of those who don't identify as multiracial say this is because they were raised as only one race, while 45% say they closely identify with only one race. Others may not identify as multiracial because they never knew an ancestor of a different race. 

Kamala Harris is Indian, African, and married to a White man. She is diverse. Her diversity should appeal to many people. Instead, people are trying to put her into a box, make her CHOOSE. Being a woman, men may believe she cannot represent them as a president. Deep rooted beliefs of men holding onto the idea of only a man can lead and identify with a man are also a problem for Harris. Kamala will be a president who can represent the multi-faceted makeup of the United States because of her life's story and obstacles she has faced and overcome.

Not being Black enough, according to research, was faced in her adolescence and it seems she weathered it well. Living into her Black identity was tackled during college when she joined a historically Black sorority, AKA. Having no biological children of her own, she understands the importance of a woman making her own decision about becoming a mother (not saying she chose not to have children). As a biracial child, she understands how important it is to not be judged by skin color alone. For the fearful White man believing his kind is becoming less important in society, she loves a White man.

Kamala Harris shines on so many levels until she MUST be attacked on a primal level. Attacks that stoke FEAR in people. Sexism, racism. and misogyny are the tools of the weak. Fear of intelligence, womanhood, and skin color are old tools to try to keep a person in a perceived place others have decided a person belongs. But due to her diversity, life's experience, and work experience, these are obstacles she has already overcome. 

Not being Black enough is not the problem of the person the comment is said about. The concept the person has that blackness is defined as not wanting everything life has to offer is the problem. The person who lays claim to knowing how a Black person is to behave or what they are allowed to achieve is the one with the problem. Because the first comment is 'you are not Black' and the next comment is 'you're uppity'. All of this is the slave mentality of Blacks and remnants of White supremacy from Whites. 

All of the presidents before Obama were not Black enough because they were White. Many felt President Obama was not Black enough. Now Kamala is not Black enough. What is the vision of a Black president then? Because Obama nor Kamala can escape, they are Black people. Sorry Donald and the rest of America, Kamala IS Black