Kamala Harris is stirring controversy with her commitment to enact “special laws” aimed at addressing the unique challenges faced by Black Americans if elected president. In a 2019 conversation at a South Carolina barbershop, Harris responded enthusiastically to a suggestion that legislation should target the specific needs of the Black community, acknowledging the historical injustices they face, such as redlining. However, her stance has drawn sharp criticism, with many questioning the implications of creating laws that favor one racial group over others. The conversation has reignited debates over identity and representation, especially in light of Harris's own complex heritage.
In a clip posted to her YouTube account in November 2019, Harris can be seen sitting down with a panel of black voters in a South Carolina barbershop. During the conversation, one of the participants suggested that Harris should focus on passing laws that specifically address the issues of the black community.
Infowars.com reports: “We have to be specifically targeting to help those people,” the man said, adding that “America, you did this to these people. You should write laws for these people.”
“Don’t group us in with everybody because everybody… it didn’t happen to everybody,” he said.
"You should write laws for black people. Don't group us in with everybody else."
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) September 5, 2024
Kamala Harris, nodding: "That's right" pic.twitter.com/qJkf6i23r0
Harris smiled and eagerly nodded throughout the man’s remarks. “That’s right,” she said before going on to talk about how black families and black neighborhoods had been “redlined” – a practice when people are denied financial services based on where they live.
Many in the comments to the video ridiculed Harris, calling it “crazy” to even consider enacting special laws for a particular race.
Some also pointed to the Democratic presidential candidate’s own history of contradictory statements regarding her ethnicity. Harris, who was born in California to an Indian mother and Jamaican father, is often described as the first African-American and first Asian-American vice president in US history. However, before being elected to the US Senate in 2016, she was also often described as Indian-American.
Last month, former US President Donald Trump also suggested that he was unsure of Harris’ racial identity. “She was always of Indian heritage, and she was only promoting Indian heritage,” he said at a panel interview.
“I didn’t know she was black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn black and now she wants to be known as black. So I don’t know, is she Indian or is she black?” he said, going on to accuse her of respecting neither race.
Harris responded to Trump at the time by accusing her opponent of peddling “divisiveness and disrespect,” while White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called Trump’s remarks “repulsive and insulting.”
Watch the full discussion:
