In a historic decision, Biden tabs Harris as running mate

 

Houston, Texas-Kamala Harris is a 55 year old African American female from Oakland, California. Today she was nominated by Joe Biden to become the Vice-Presidential candidate in his quest to become the 46^th President of the United States of America. Harris is the first African American to be nominated for the office of Vice President by a major political party in the 244 years since the Declaration of Independence. African Americans who have been on the fence about their vote in November now have to ask themselves some tough questions about their alliance on Election Day 2020.

Undoubtedly, having an African American on the ticket will cause African American voters who are undecided to give Biden-Harris a deep look. Even those who have said they would sit this election out, may now at least peek into the debates, news feeds, and social media banter with an eye on possibly rethinking their position. Truth is that these undecided voters number in much larger quantities than those who are staunch Biden or Trump supporters would have you believe. Recently I have gotten a vibe that many African Americans were fine with letting America have its way this election season while they sort through making their dreams and goals a reality without even a wink of political affiliation.

Similarly, part of me says there is zero obligation to be loyal to the Democratic Party simply because it was all but forced to name an African American woman as it’s VP candidate. Biden made it clear he would only consider females for the role. Does Biden nominating Harris exonerate him from the defiling comments he made in recent months related to the diversity and consciousness of African Americans?

Harris, a graduate of Historically Black College and University, Howard in Washington, DC and member of the illustrious Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority is married to a white man. It begs the question of when African Americans will get a ‘pure’ African American in the White House. Our beloved President Obama came out of the womb of a white woman, and Harris' chosen life partner is a man of European descent. Some may say, why does this matter, but in politics, everything matters.

Then there’s Donald Trump, the 45^th President of these United States. He will do his best to add Harris to his destroy list by highlighting her record as a prosecutor and or he will give light to any perceived mistreatment of Brett Kavanaugh during his Supreme Court Justice nomination and hearing process. In a funny way, it will be strange seeing Trump smash Harris’ record when she indeed was brutal to African Americans during her time as a prosecutor in California.

I predict for some, voting for a ticket which includes an African American woman will be enough to overlook her record as a prosecutor and the tactless words of Biden. African Americans have worked for generations to see days such as these where black lives mattering is plastered all over the streets, t-shirts, and conversations. We have waited patiently while our ancestors and grandparents were mauled, hanged, and disenfranchised. Now we have an opportunity to set in place a path to the Presidency for an African American woman. For some once undecided voters this will be enough. Yet other may not be so convinced.

Many African Americans in the South grew up in very conservative households. This is for the most part what makes up a silent majority of African Americans who have either sided with Trump or tolerated Trump in the name of conservative values. Putting a black face on an otherwise senile campaign may not be enough for these folks. Is it blasphemous to cast support behind a guy who the vast majority of citizens, Caucasian or of African descent believe is a noted racist? Or is it noble to stand by your cornerstone values i.e. marriage between a man and a woman, limited government, and pro-life? These are questions a segment of the population will be faced with in the coming months.

You can never really tell what will happen when a candidate is elected to public office, so what Harris says in the debates will not make or break many undecided voters. I believe the decision will come down to what this subset of African Americans value most: pride in the culture, the history, and the imagery of Black Excellence or those values that have led them to either support Trump or not support Biden up until this point.

These decisions will play out and ultimately be examined again and again as the results come in in November. On this day though, August 11, 2020 an African American female became the nominee for Vice President of the United States. No matter where you stand. No matter your skin color. No matter your politics this is a historical day. Congratulations Ms. Harris. May God be with you as you work to bring justice for all.