Black women, Kamala Harris face a double standard

Julianna Brown, Contributing Writer 

Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris is known for her prominence in politics, not only as the country’s first Black female vice president, but also for her service as a California senator. Despite her years of experience, she still faces judgment based on aspects of her identity that do not correspond to her career. 

Kamala identifies deeply with her Black heritage as half-Jamaican and still faces crude comments on her ethnicity. 

“I didn’t know she was Black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn Black, and now she wants to be known as Black. So, I don’t know, is she Indian or is she Black?” said former President Donald Trump at the National Association of Black Journalists convention on July 31. 

This comment essentially associates being Black as a title that she chose to elicit attraction, rather than the race she was born as. Trump further makes it seem as if Harris has no choice but to choose between two deeply rooted parts of herself because of her mixed background. 

It is common knowledge that there is diversity within the Black community, so it is perfectly normal for Harris to be considered Black despite having Indian heritage. 

What is odd is that her identity has become so much of an obsession that people have even investigated her birth certificate for proof of her Black background, and in some cases non-Black people have even accused Jamaican people of not being Black at all. 

Black people should not have to prove their culture to be accepted by people who have no knowledge of the community. The truth is, if Harris were not in a position of power, her ethnicity would not be questioned to this degree. 

Since some feel threatened by her status, her identity is completely picked apart to distract from her great accomplishments as both a politician and prosecutor. 

Something that really sets the vice president apart is her lively personality. Rather than keeping a serious demeanor 24/7, Harris is often seen smiling or laughing. This may seem like an innocent expression of positivity, but she has received a number of judgments for her bubbly manner. 

For example, a video in which she is happily dancing was regarded by many as “inappropriate” for someone of her title. Trump is a convicted felon running for president, yet it is Harris dancing to music she enjoys that is deemed unprofessional?

Yep — that sounds about right. Since Trump’s white identity does not hold him to the same standards, his inappropriate behavior is permissible in most instances. Harris, however, can never slip up because she represents so much more. 

The double standard towards Black women is one that has been around for ages, and is why Harris can not make so much as one mistake without causing uproar. 

During her time as vice president she has been ridiculed for not doing enough, and instead of deviating attention to Joe Biden, the president, people are acting dependent on Harris to fix every problem in America. 

That is not what her job title calls for. Besides breaking ties in the senate and counting electoral votes, the vice president is only needed in cases where the president must be replaced, a reason John Adams referred to the vice presidency as “the most insignificant office.” 

But back to the golden question: What makes Harris the recipient of so much hate and judgment in the first place? 

As Black women, we are always expected to be perfect. We are meant to be independent and good at all of our endeavors. So of course when we are given a position of power, the expectations are much higher. 

In the professional world so much of our culture is ridiculed, from the way we speak to our hairstyles. Black women face judgment for being “too loud,”  “ghetto” or in Harris’s case, “too white.” 

In the midst of all these expectations, it is hard to find a middle ground — one way or another, no matter what we do, something will be wrong in the eyes of society. 

I was taught to always be strong because that is what being a Black woman is all about. We are not meant to make mistakes because we can not afford it, and we do not get the luxury of privilege or any hand-out from a white man. 

We have to work twice as hard for the same progress as white individuals, and when needs are not met, consequences are often considerably worse for us. 

Though this notion may have been successful at pushing many Black women to be overachievers in the past, it adds an extra load of pressure to those like Harris who want nothing more than to make a greater tomorrow for her community.