Are Black votes for Kamala Harris wasted on empty guarantees?

The prospect of Kamala Harris turning into the following President of america has ignited discussions throughout political and social spectrums. Many see her as a beacon of progress, a candidate able to advancing gender empowerment, racial equality, and steering US overseas coverage in a extra rational course. Outstanding voices like Mehdi Hasan have even advised that Harris may deal with the Israeli-Palestinian battle “marginally higher” than her predecessor, Joe Biden. Famed election forecaster Allan Lichtman has additionally tipped Harris to win within the upcoming November elections. Nevertheless, a better examination reveals that these excessive hopes could also be misplaced, notably regarding the Black neighborhood in America.

Kamala Harris, who ascended to the Democratic Occasion’s presidential candidacy after President Biden’s choice to not search re-election, has been portrayed by some as a brand new image of gender and racial equality. As a Black Asian girl, her candidacy has been lauded as a breakthrough within the highest echelons of American politics. But, this narrative eerily mirrors the one which surrounded Barack Obama, the primary African American president, whose historic victory was equally romanticized as a radical shift towards a extra equitable society. However did Obama’s presidency ship on these lofty guarantees? Did it considerably alter the tough realities confronted by odd Black People? And crucially, would a Harris presidency be any completely different?

Barack Obama’s presidency, from 2009 to 2017, was a milestone in American historical past. His election was heralded because the daybreak of a brand new period, the place the longstanding problems with racial inequality would lastly be addressed. Nevertheless, the fact was way more advanced. Regardless of Obama’s greatest intentions, systemic racism and financial disparity persevered. Knowledge from his time in workplace present that Black and Hispanic communities continued to expertise increased charges of poverty, with practically 17 p.c of them residing under the poverty line. Furthermore, racial profiling, police brutality, and hate crimes in opposition to individuals of shade remained prevalent, underscoring the deep-seated racial points that Obama’s presidency didn’t resolve.

The parallels between Obama and Harris are hanging. Each had been celebrated as symbols of progress and inclusivity. But, the query stays: can Harris succeed the place Obama struggled? The proof means that such expectations could also be unrealistic.

Martin Luther King Jr.’s iconic “I Have a Dream” speech, delivered in 1963, envisioned an America the place people can be judged by the content material of their character fairly than the colour of their pores and skin. But, six many years later, the dream stays unfulfilled. Black People proceed to face systemic racism, with racial discrimination cited as a high concern by 82 p.c of African People in a Pew Analysis Middle report. This research, carried out practically 18 months after George Floyd’s tragic dying by the hands of Minneapolis police, revealed {that a} majority of Black adults felt that the nationwide looking on racial inequality had didn’t result in important change. Solely 13 p.c believed that Black individuals would obtain equality in america.

The stark actuality is that, no matter whether or not Democrats or Republicans maintain energy, the underlying problems with racial inequality in America stay largely unaddressed. The election of Harris, regardless of her ethnic background, is unlikely to change this established order considerably.

The case of George Floyd serves as a grim reminder of the persistent racial injustice in America. Floyd’s dying in Might 2020, below the knee of a white police officer, sparked world outrage and reignited the Black Lives Matter motion. But, regardless of the widespread protests and requires reform, racial violence in opposition to Black People continues. The Buffalo capturing in Might 2022, the place an 18-year-old white man focused and killed 11 Black people, is only one of many examples of racially motivated hate crimes that plague the nation.

Kamala Harris, like Obama earlier than her, is being positioned as an emblem of hope and alter. However symbolism alone can’t dismantle systemic racism. Whereas Harris’s mixed-race background and identification as Black might resonate with some voters, it does little to deal with the deep-rooted points that proceed to oppress Black communities.

Harris’s stance on worldwide points additional complicates her picture as a progressive chief. Regardless of skipping Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s handle to the US Congress, Harris was fast to affirm her unwavering assist for Israel in a subsequent assembly with the Prime Minister. She emphasised her dedication to Israel’s safety, together with its protection in opposition to Iran and its associates. Whereas she briefly talked about the humanitarian disaster in Gaza and the necessity for a two-state resolution, these statements appeared extra as perfunctory remarks than a real dedication to addressing the plight of Palestinians.

This raises the query of whether or not Harris’s overseas coverage can be any completely different from the established order. Her rhetoric means that she is unlikely to deviate from the normal US stance of supporting Israel whereas providing solely token gestures towards the Palestinian trigger. This strategy displays the broader problem of American symbolic gestures that usually lack sincerity and fail to provide significant change.

The narrative surrounding Kamala Harris is a part of a broader technique by the American political institution to fabricate consent and create the phantasm of progress. Simply as Obama’s presidency was romanticized as a turning level in American historical past, Harris is being marketed as the following hope for racial and gender equality. Nevertheless, this narrative serves extra to placate and distract the citizens than to deal with the true points at hand.

Harris’s background, whereas distinctive, shouldn’t be mistaken for a assure of progress. Her ethnicity and gender are getting used as instruments to painting her as a champion of the marginalized, however the actuality is that her insurance policies and positions haven’t demonstrated a dedication to substantive change.

For Black People, the prospect of Kamala Harris as president might seem to be a continuation of the identical empty guarantees that characterised the Obama period. Whereas her candidacy is historic, it’s unlikely to consequence within the important adjustments wanted to deal with the systemic racism and financial inequality that plague the Black neighborhood. The tough actuality is that voting for Harris could also be extra of a symbolic gesture than a step towards actual progress.

In the long run, Black votes for Kamala Harris could also be wasted if they’re forged within the hope that her presidency will deliver concerning the transformative change that has lengthy been promised however seldom delivered. The challenges confronted by Black People are deeply entrenched, and it’ll take greater than a symbolic victory to beat them. As historical past has proven, true progress requires not simply illustration, but in addition a real dedication to addressing the underlying points that proceed to oppress marginalized communities.

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