Ladies and Gentlemen, let’s address the elephant in the room. Let’s deal squarely with Kamala Harris, not as a politician, but as a type of person we don’t want anywhere near any kind of leadership. A person that no one should ever emulate. Let’s start by talking about the Black race, as I warm up this toasty roast.
Black People
In previous generations, being Black had only two qualifiers: 1) their skin had to be Black and 2) have a direct experience with slavery, colonization or racism. Now, in today’s generation of multi-ethnicity, immigration, affluence, and diversity of life experiences, being Black is a much more complex label that’s continually morphing with every new generation. Today, the question isn’t if a person is Black but what kind of Black he or she is. Let’s take a look at this table,
Important observations we need to make is: there is no one type of Black person, being Black doesn’t require you to have Black skin, or have Black parents, or marry a Black person, or have Black children. In fact, being Black doesn’t require you to speak broken English, wear African clothing, or have a predisposition to smoking marijuana, or listen to rap music. These are caricatures and not the reality about Black people. The reality is that Black people are not monolithic and they don’t act, speak, behave, or live their lives the same way, or share the same values, or make the same life or love choices. The only common denominator to what makes a Black person Black is that they have the Black card.
The Black Card (and how to get it)
What is the Black Card? First it’s not a real thing it a perceived element. The Black card gives you access into the Black community: Black people’s lives, thoughts, emotions and hearts, as well as: social capital, political capital and financial capital. The perks of having a Black card is it will give you legal, physical, verbal or emotional protection from any real or imagined injustice of any kind in any location worldwide. This is a cultural marker to identify someone as a member of the Black community either by birth, parentage, or obtained in another way such as interracial marriage, interracial adoption or cultural attainment, acculturation or life service which we’ll end the article with. The assumption is that unless a person does not appear visibly to be Black they already have the Black card until it’s challenged. The last category of cultural attainment is the broadest and most nebulous that involves significant contributions to Black industries such as sports, music, arts, media, politics, or causes that Black people care about such as: the church, welfare, education, housing and poverty. This is how White or non-Black people have a Black card; they gain acceptance by the Black community by paying whatever nebulous price at the risk of denying their own actual racial heritage. Then there’s the sad truth that a Black person can exist without a Black card or have it revoked. See both examples in the table above. These three criteria are used to qualify and ascertain if a person may attain and retain a Black card.
1. Authenticity
2. Consistency
3. Helping the Community
Let’s discuss.
Authenticity means that they are true to themselves and whatever category they identify with, see the table above. As an example, is code-switching where Black people switch languages, accents or manner of speaking depending on who is around. Black people have no problem with code-switching as long as their original code isn’t lost. For me, as an African expatriate, it is incumbent for me to be able speak my native tongue and that is how I maintain my Black card.
Consistency means you maintain your Black identifier throughout your life. Let’s take another example, if a lower-class Black becomes wealthy, like most athletes and musicians, they are required to demonstrate their identifier by their values or behavior throughout their public life. Most importantly, their behavior should never betray their identity otherwise they’ll get called out by the Black community.
Being called out is a process when a member of the Black community publicly reviews a person’s Black card membership to begin the process of revocation by public shaming, disowning, correctional action or verbal abuse, or excommunication. Loyalty is very inbred in Black culture and is by far the most important criterion of Black card membership. A person may fail to be authentically Black, may fail to behave consistently Black throughout their life, but their only saving grace to retain their Black card is to help the Black community. This is why Black people are perceived to be community-minded, acting as a group, monolithic, or looking out for their own, it is how they are retaining their cultural identity. Now, how do you get a Black person to be loyal to you? This is ascertained by how much investment emotionally, financially or socially given to Black people or causes.
If you remember the incident when rapper Kanye West accused President Bush of being racist. It wasn’t what he said or how he behaved, it was the perceived lack of care or investment shown when Hurricane Katrina destroyed Southern states where many Black people live while he was still in office; the amount of investment he gave was deemed inequivalent to the amount of support he was asking for, and it followed: his Black card was revoked, he never recovered politically from that moment of perceived disloyalty, and his political career was over period, no matter of how many times he apologized. Remember this, anyone can check anyone’s Black card at any point in present or past history, and only a person with a Black card can give or revoke a Black card. The key is not to lose the Black card, as there is no easy pass.
The Kamala Catastrophe
What’s the problem with Kamala Harris? She has failed on all three accounts. To make my point, let’s compare her with her predecessor another mixed-race politician. How did Barack Obama get almost 90 percent of the Black vote and retain his Black card membership, while Kamala Harris struggles to connect with Black voters and has already been publicly disowned being called Indian? One, Obama never hid the truth about his parentage, he publicly shared his mixed-race heritage, broken home, being raised by White grandparents in a White culture, attending privileged schools and dating White women; in other words, he owned his life story. Two, when Obama became of age during his graduate years, he chose to be Black. As a mixed-race person, it was his prerogative to choose how to identify himself as any mixed race person would, but he stuck to his choice. This is where Kamala has failed. Race to Kamala is like wearing different hats that she switches whenever it’s convenient to her, and while it may have been for a time to serve her political purpose, it fails now because people can see right through her, especially Black people. To the Black community this is seen as fake, disingenuous, cultural appropriation or condescension, or being a phony, and disqualifies her Black card membership on grounds of lack of authenticity. Being authentic isn’t about speaking broken English, smoking marijuana or enjoying rap music, it is about owning your life story no matter how painful it may be.
Remember this, cultural identity is a conscientious choice and there’s nothing wrong in choosing to be Black, mixed-race or anything else, see the table above. Just be consistent! Lastly, I don’t need to go through Kamala’s record with helping the Black community because it’s non-existent. Obama on the other hand, though I believe was inherently a socialist/statist that betrayed this country, not only immersed himself in the Black community, but hired them, promoted them, acknowledged them, and committed his personal and political life to his Black supporters, that’s how he has a Black card. The main point is this, being Black is not what you are but what you conscientiously maintain. My position is clear about Kamala Harris: She ain’t Black!
She Ain’t Black!
Do you have ‘Kamala Harris Issues’? Do you struggle with racial integrity? Do you struggle being authentic, honest, consistent or empathetic? Unless you learn to be secure in who you are people will never trust, respect or like you. Unless you own your own story however painful it may be, people won’t listen to what you have to say. This is important for leaders, businesses owners, clergy, celebrities, influencers, parents and teachers. When you are in a position of authority and power, people look up to you to learn how to be themselves. Here’s an excellent Biblical example.
“By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward. By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.” ~ Hebrews 11:24-27
Moses chose his racial identity, he traded his Egyptian card for an Israelite card; he made a conscientious choice and endured the consequences with risks and rewards. Does the Black card have its perks? Yes, but it has it’s pains too, you can’t have one without the other and you can’t cheat the game of life. If Kamala Harris believed that being Black was only convenient for her when she needed Black people to vote for her, if she can’t own all of who she is by being consistently Black, then why should she receive the respect, acceptance or support of anyone? If you want to rise with Black people you must be willing to suffer their plight with them. You don’t get the crown without carrying the cross.
“Before honour is humility.” ~Proverbs 18:12
“Nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.” James 1:6-8
If a person lacks racial integrity what other aspects of their life lacks integrity? Moses was willing to go through the dusty wilderness for forty years because he loved the children of Israel so much he identified with them not just in lip service but in life service. Can we say the same for Kamala Harris? Where’s the evidence? Her feet should be as blistered as mine and the billions of Black people across the globe who’ve walked through life’s path of Blackness. Black people know better than to vote this phony into office because they deserve a much better person than she is. We deserve a world of authenticity, lead and governed by people with racial integrity and for this we should earnestly pray. It’s not enough to see, hear or be around Black people, it is about living their lives. As always, we refer our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who gave up the glory of heaven to walk the dirty streets of Galilee. Jesus is Jewish and Arab, White, Asian, Latino, Mixed Race, and Black. Jesus retains His Black card forever because He remains authentic, consistent and committed to helping mankind. Jesus is one of us because He chose to live as one of us.
“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” ~ Philippians 2:5-8
“Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” ~Hebrews 4:14-16
Dear Kamala Harris, your Black card has been revoked!
Until next time folks, see you at the rodeo.
Liza Ngenye is a third generation Adventist living in Southern California. Her personal writing ministry primarily focuses on issues of racism and sexuality. You can contact her by email: lizangenye@gmail.com