Vice-president brushes off remarks by Donald Trump in which he said Harris ‘happened to turn Black’ a number of years ago

Kamala Harris has shrugged off Donald Trump’s questioning of her racial identity, saying that it was “the same old show” and that “America deserves better”, at a rally in Texas.

On Wednesday, in an appearance at the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), Trump antagonised senior Black journalists and questioned Harris’s race, saying, “She was always of Indian heritage, and she was only promoting Indian heritage. I didn’t know she was Black until a number of years ago, when she happened to turn Black.”

His interview, which was meant to last an hour, according to Axios, was cut short after 34 minutes.

  • givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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    4 months ago

    I think a big part of this is a lot of people still go by the “one drop” rule.

    Which leads to people saying Kamala is the first Indian and Black VP for example.

    Like, we call Obama the first Black president, but it’s more accurate to say the first mixed race president. And even then, we’re all “mixed race” to some degree.

    But someone with parents of different races/cultures often deal with a lot of baggage because they can feel they’re not accepted by either side. Which is why I don’t see why we make a big deal about it on the left.

    Just leave race out of it and when Republicans get racist (or any kind of bigotry) dismiss it just like Kamala did here.

    • criitz@reddthat.com
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      4 months ago

      Obama is black, and Harris is black (in addition to their other racial identities). They have non-black parents or ancestors but so do basically all black Americans. You don’t have to be purebred to count. Black Americans with some white ancestors certainly don’t get exempted from racism and hatred.

      • givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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        4 months ago

        But people mix up genetics and culture.

        Drake might have one Black parent, but he didn’t grow up in that culture.

        Obama had one Black parent, but growing up in Hawaii back then isn’t anything like being Black anywhere else in America. That’s not my opinion, Obama spoke about how shocked he was coming to the mainland for college.

        It makes no sense to talk about it genetically, because there are shockingly few differences between what we consider races in a genetic level.

        The difference is the culture, not skin color, eye shape, or hair texture.

        It’s just for the vast amount of human existence, the two went hand in hand. That’s not always true these days.

        • zaph@sh.itjust.works
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          4 months ago

          Congrats, you’ve discovered race is a social construct and doesn’t matter. If only the racists would come to the same conclusion we could stop talking about it.

      • givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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        4 months ago

        now I’m just “white” and racists wouldn’t have a problem with me.

        It won’t stay that way tho.

        Pretty much the only time “slippery slope” is valid is when talking about fascists. They always lie about what they want and nothing will ever appease them.

        You’re still “other” to them, just not the most vulnerable “other” which is who their target always is.

        • TimeSquirrel@kbin.melroy.org
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          4 months ago

          I accidentally deleted my response so I’m posting it under yours.

          That’s why “race” is a bullshit unscientific term, it changes all the time, at one time both my Irish and Slavic background would have been rejected in American society, now I’m just “white” and racists wouldn’t have a problem with me.