Life Or Death

A lot of mixed feelings crossed my mind when Joe Biden announced Kamala Harris as his vice president. "Like damn, Joe. You already have the Black vote. You didn’t have to pick her; because we don’t even like her.” I already felt Biden was doing the most to win the Black vote [as most white democrats do] but this was peak annoyance. 

Kamala had wronged the Black community in the past and I never saw her as anything but fake. I didn’t rush to write this post because it felt controversial. During my wait, I discovered a new perspective.

I am not excusing Kamala’s past actions, but I am letting them go for the sake of all. I have unfairly held her to a higher standard for the same aspects society holds against me. Being a Black woman.  Harris needs our vote and support as the media tries to break her.

Kamala has never had the privilege of refined ideology, like Bernie Sanders or known forgiveness, like Hillary Clinton. She’s the literal minority in national politics and did what she could when she could. 

I may never understand why certain injustices were allowed under her, but I do understand being a Black woman in a space never created for you. You do things you don’t 100% agree with to get to positions where you can be heard and make the decisions you want. I call Kamala Harris a Black woman not to expunge her Indian heritage, but highlight what America sees. News has already begun to pull the race card and they don’t use Black women in a positive light.

So I can’t be mad at Kamala Harris. I should be made at the policies that forced her into compromising positions then pointed blame. Politics and media have always scrutinized anyone different and I [we] need to re-evaluate how we judge. 

Joe Biden’s decision to pick Kamala Harris never changed my voting decision and it shouldn’t have effected yours. You need to vote! If you haven’t voted before because it hasn’t effected you or you think you’ll be fine another 4 years, you are foolish. When I turned 18 my parents stressed the importance of me voting in all elections. My voice matters and makes a difference. They told me to vote for the benefit of everyone and not just myself. This is life or death for many groups of people.

Cover art by the beautiful, Monica Ahanonu.