Key Points
Discussions about black identity have been part of the discourse within black culture for a long time.
Discussions about “authentic” black identity rarely arise from outside the black community.
Kamala Harris has demonstrated “psychological blackness” as she embraces her black identity.
Discussions about black identity and notions of authenticity have been part of the discourse within black culture for a long time. There have always been strong feelings within the black community about individuals who demonstrate sufficient commitment and loyalty to blackness. This is one reason why racial identity has been a popular topic among black psychologists. The tensions around being “black” inspired me enough to create a course on black identity politics that focuses on discussions within the black community about who is “authentic black” and ultimately problematizes notions of authentic blackness.
Trump and Black Identity Politics
The key fact to keep in mind is that these discussions have been taking place from within the black community, in part to critique the behaviors, attitudes, and philosophies of black leaders and public figures as undermining or promoting black progress. Discussions of “authentic” black identity rarely arise outside the black community, because that would be inappropriate for obvious reasons. This norm was violated at a meeting of the National Association of Black Journalists, when Donald Trump waded into black identity politics and questioned Vice President Kamala Harris’s identity as a black woman. “She was Indian all the way back,” Trump said, “and then all of a sudden she took a turn and she became a black person.” Trump’s inflammatory comments, like many of his past racially charged comments, sparked a firestorm of controversy. [Note: The Associated Press provides guidelines for writing about race and racism, directing journalists to avoid using terms like “racially tainted” as euphemisms for racism or racism. I leave that decision to the reader.] The charitable interpretation of his comments is that they reflect ignorance and a lack of understanding about the complexity and diversity of black identities. The less charitable interpretation of his comments is that they reflect a cynical and politically calculated move to discredit Kamala Harris’s association with the black community. However, his attempt to discredit Kamala’s black identity failed spectacularly with criticism pouring in from across the political spectrum.
BarackObama and Black Politics
Discussions about the racial identity of prominent black public figures are not new. Fifteen years ago, when Barack Obama took office as the 44th President of the United States and the first African American president in U.S. history, there were many discussions and debates about his racial identity and “authenticity” as a black man. These discussions were sparked by the fact that his personal biography was not that of many African Americans. He was born in Hawaii to a white American mother and a Kenyan father. As a mixed-race person, many prominent black public figures, including Cornel West, have raised questions about his “blackness.”
Related : Kamala Harris’s Personality: Experts Comment
In an insightful article on Barack Obama and black politics, political scientist Ron Walters quotes black cultural critic Stanley Crouch who states that “Obama, other than color, shares no heritage with the majority of black Americans, who are descendants of plantation slaves.” Walters also cites Black American author and essayist Deborah Dickerson, who argues that “black” in today’s political and social reality is a term that really means descendants of West African slaves.
Walters argues that in addition to campaigning effectively within the Black community, Obama was accepted by the Black community because (1) he had a Black wife, and (2) he belonged to a Black church. When I first taught a Black Identity Politics course, Black women in the class were very vocal about how marrying a Black woman made them feel more positive about Obama’s Black identity. In other words, his racial credibility was cemented with Michelle Obama as his wife.
Is Kamala Harris “Black” Enough?
The similarities between Barack Obama and Kamala Harris are clear. Both are of mixed descent. Kamala was born to an Asian Indian mother and a Jamaican father. Both served as U.S. senators. Both underwent critical racial tests of authentic Blackness. One notable difference is the source of their questioning of their Black identity. Unlike Obama, whose primary source of questioning of his blackness came from within the black community, Kamala’s primary source of questioning of blackness came from outside the black community. The fact that questioning of Kamala’s blackness did not come from within the black community may reflect the black community’s growing realization that one’s blackness cannot be narrowly defined.
Trump’s cynical attempt to discredit Harris’s black identity has led to closer scrutiny of her biography. Unlike Obama, Harris married a white Jewish man. While being associated with a non-black spouse sometimes leads to questions about one’s blackness, I am not aware of any questioning of Harris’s blackness due to her choice of spouse. This may reflect the black community’s sensitivity to the disproportionate number of black men who have white partners compared to black women. Contrary to Trump’s portrayal, Harris has never hesitated to embrace her black identity. She honors and celebrates her dual racial heritage as both black and Indian. Harris has also demonstrated what racial identity theorist William Cross has called “psychological blackness,” in which she publicly embraces a black identity. Perhaps because of her history of racism and anti-blackness and the knowledge that the world would first see her as a black woman, Harris made the conscious decision to attend a historically black university, Howard University. For those who care, attending a historically black university is noteworthy and one indicator of her “psychological blackness.” Harris is also a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., the first African American intercollegiate sorority. For some, her sorority membership is another indicator of her “psychological blackness.”
However, it would be remiss of me not to be critical about drawing definitive conclusions about Kamala Harris’s blackness based on any specific aspect of her biography or her mixed-race heritage. As the description of the Black Identity Politics course I teach points out, notions of authentic blackness should be problematic. There is simply no right way to be black. The black community understands this, even as it is sometimes guilty of perpetuating the policing of blackness. However, there is one thing we can all agree on: Donald Trump has no business commenting on Kamala Harris’ blackness and should leave black identity politics to black people.
