On Tuesday, Joe Biden announced that his vice-presidential running mate would be California Senator Kamala Harris. Although she is a former rival who offered frequent criticisms of Biden’s proposed legislation during the Democratic primaries, Harris declared her support for Biden shortly after the end of her own campaign.
As a Black woman and fellow Howard University student aspiring to have a career in law and politics, I can’t help but feel that the Harris nomination is bittersweet. On one hand, I am overjoyed to see a Black woman laying the groundwork and creating a space for minorities to follow suit and her nomination is nothing short of an inspiration- especially for people who look like me. Harris would also be the first HBCU graduate in the White House, which will completely redefine the perceived value of my education.
There is no doubt that as Harris runs her campaign, her opponents will use her race and gender to disparage her. Harris’ historic candidacy as the first Black and Indian-American woman to be selected as a nominee for national office, as well as a Howard University alumna, means she is in uncharted territory. For that reason alone, I feel an urge to defend her.
However, I am also keenly aware of Harris’ controversial policies and she is definitely not my first choice.
As the daughter of Jamaican and Indian immigrants, @KamalaHarris grew up believing in the promise of America because she saw it firsthand.
Together, Kamala and I are going to fight every single day in the White House to make sure that promise is fulfilled for all Americans.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) August 12, 2020
My main concern is that during her time as a prosecutor and District Attorney, Harris was largely responsible for disproportionately prosecuting and incarcerating of Black people. While Harris acknowledges that legislation systemically targets disenfranchised communities, she also chose to sit on the sidelines in the face of opposition and played it safe during her time as a prosecutor.
Harris has a reputation of placing the law over her own morals. While she publicly condemned the use of the death penalty and its discrimatory nature (people of color are far more likely to be executed than white people for the same crimes), she later appealed a judge’s decision that would have deemed the death penalty unconstitutional in California. When asked for her reasoning, Harris maintained that it was simply a matter of upholding the law.
I wish I had a dollar for every time Kamala Harris put someone in prison for smoking pot.
— Catturd ™ (@catturd2) August 12, 2020
Later, Harris implemented an anti-truancy program in which she threatened to prosecute parents of children who skipped school, but failed to acknowledge and be receptive of those parents’ financial struggles.
The implementation of that program is a perfect example of how Harris operates. Her tunnel-focus vision aims to eradicate one problem, while simultaneously creating a dozen others.
To be frank, Harris’ literal interpretation of the law terrifies me. I am concerned that she lacks the general empathy required for a position of this nature and when I reflect on recent news, I can’t help but to think about Grace, a Black high school student with ADHD, who was arrested and detained after she was accused of falling behind in school. When I think of similar cases, I am not confident that Harris would have stopped officers from dragging Black girls like Grace in handcuffs. I also wonder whether the 1,900 people who were convicted for marijuana possession while Harris was DA would agree.
Consequently, she is considered amongst members of the Black community as the face of law enforcement who might as well be handcuffing Black and brown people herself.
However, although I take many issues with Harris’ past, it is more important to put my pride aside for the greater good: choosing not to vote is a vote for Donald Trump. I’d rather not re-elect a man who has not acknowledged that police brutality disproportionately kills Black people or who has allowed the deaths of thousands of people of color because of his colossal failure to deal with the pandemic. By not voting, I am allowing racism, sexism, transphobia and Islamophobia to continue unchecked in the White House.
It’s 2020 and I’ll take my wins where I can. I’ll take Kamala, however imperfect, because she is the last and only choice.
