The prospect of Kamala Harris becoming the next President of the United States has ignited discussions across political and social spectrums. Many see her as a beacon of progress, a candidate capable of advancing gender empowerment, racial equality, and steering US foreign policy in a more rational direction. Prominent voices like Mehdi Hasan have even suggested that Harris might handle the Israeli-Palestinian conflict “marginally better” than her predecessor, Joe Biden. Famed election forecaster Allan Lichtman has also tipped Harris to win in the upcoming November elections. However, a closer examination reveals that these high hopes may be misplaced, particularly concerning the Black community in America.
Kamala Harris, who ascended to the Democratic Party’s presidential candidacy after President Biden’s decision not to seek re-election, has been portrayed by some as a new symbol of gender and racial equality. As a Black Asian woman, her candidacy has been lauded as a breakthrough in the highest echelons of American politics. Yet, this narrative eerily mirrors the one that surrounded Barack Obama, the first African American president, whose historic victory was similarly romanticized as a radical shift toward a more equitable society. But did Obama’s presidency deliver on these lofty promises? Did it significantly alter the harsh realities faced by ordinary Black Americans? And crucially, would a Harris presidency be any different?
Barack Obama’s presidency, from 2009 to 2017, was a milestone in American history. His election was heralded as the dawn of a new era, where the longstanding issues of racial inequality would finally be addressed. However, the reality was far more complex. Despite Obama’s best intentions, systemic racism and economic disparity persisted. Data from his time in office show that Black and Hispanic communities continued to experience higher rates of poverty, with nearly 17 percent of them living below the poverty line. Moreover, racial profiling, police brutality, and hate crimes against people of color remained prevalent, underscoring the deep-seated racial issues that Obama’s presidency failed to resolve.
The parallels between Obama and Harris are striking. Both were celebrated as symbols of progress and inclusivity. Yet, the question remains: can Harris succeed where Obama struggled? The evidence suggests that such expectations may be unrealistic.
Martin Luther King Jr.’s iconic “I Have a Dream” speech, delivered in 1963, envisioned an America where individuals would be judged by the content of their character rather than the color of their skin. Yet, six decades later, the dream remains unfulfilled. Black Americans continue to face systemic racism, with racial discrimination cited as a top concern by 82 percent of African Americans in a Pew Research Center report. This study, conducted nearly 18 months after George Floyd’s tragic death at the hands of Minneapolis police, revealed that a majority of Black adults felt that the nationwide reckoning on racial inequality had failed to bring about significant change. Only 13 percent believed that Black people would achieve equality in the United States.
The stark reality is that, regardless of whether Democrats or Republicans hold power, the underlying issues of racial inequality in America remain largely unaddressed. The election of Harris, despite her ethnic background, is unlikely to alter this status quo significantly.
The case of George Floyd serves as a grim reminder of the persistent racial injustice in America. Floyd’s death in May 2020, under the knee of a white police officer, sparked global outrage and reignited the Black Lives Matter movement. Yet, despite the widespread protests and calls for reform, racial violence against Black Americans continues. The Buffalo shooting in May 2022, where an 18-year-old white man targeted and killed 11 Black individuals, is just one of many examples of racially motivated hate crimes that plague the nation.
Kamala Harris, like Obama before her, is being positioned as a symbol of hope and change. But symbolism alone cannot dismantle systemic racism. While Harris’s mixed-race background and identification as Black may resonate with some voters, it does little to address the deep-rooted issues that continue to oppress Black communities.
Harris’s stance on international issues further complicates her image as a progressive leader. Despite skipping Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to the US Congress, Harris was quick to affirm her unwavering support for Israel in a subsequent meeting with the Prime Minister. She emphasized her commitment to Israel’s security, including its defense against Iran and its affiliates. While she briefly mentioned the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the need for a two-state solution, these statements appeared more as perfunctory remarks than a genuine commitment to addressing the plight of Palestinians.
This raises the question of whether Harris’s foreign policy would be any different from the status quo. Her rhetoric suggests that she is unlikely to deviate from the traditional US stance of supporting Israel while offering only token gestures toward the Palestinian cause. This approach reflects the broader issue of American symbolic gestures that often lack sincerity and fail to produce meaningful change.
The narrative surrounding Kamala Harris is part of a broader strategy by the American political establishment to manufacture consent and create the illusion of progress. Just as Obama’s presidency was romanticized as a turning point in American history, Harris is being marketed as the next hope for racial and gender equality. However, this narrative serves more to placate and distract the electorate than to address the real issues at hand.
Harris’s background, while unique, should not be mistaken for a guarantee of progress. Her ethnicity and gender are being used as tools to portray her as a champion of the marginalized, but the reality is that her policies and positions have not demonstrated a commitment to substantive change.
For Black Americans, the prospect of Kamala Harris as president may seem like a continuation of the same empty promises that characterized the Obama era. While her candidacy is historic, it is unlikely to result in the significant changes needed to address the systemic racism and economic inequality that plague the Black community. The harsh reality is that voting for Harris may be more of a symbolic gesture than a step toward real progress.
In the end, Black votes for Kamala Harris may be wasted if they are cast in the hope that her presidency will bring about the transformative change that has long been promised but seldom delivered. The challenges faced by Black Americans are deeply entrenched, and it will take more than a symbolic victory to overcome them. As history has shown, true progress requires not just representation, but also a genuine commitment to addressing the underlying issues that continue to oppress marginalized communities.
