Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) announced her run for president today. Major news outlets such as The New York Times, AP and CNN all referred to her immediately as the first African American woman to run. She is the daughter of a Jamaican father and an Indian mother. Harris is biracial. That she announced her intent on MLK Day is significant and shows that she has fought for human rights and equality. It does not indicate that she is black.

I don’t know how Kamala Harris self-identifies racially and she may well define herself as black, as did Barack Obama when he was president. She absolutely has that right, but it would mean a lot to the multiracial community if she acknowledged her biracial heritage and identity, however it’s not likely. Here we go again.

by Susan Graham for Project RACE

 

Photo Credit: AP