To Harris or not to Harris
*Props once again to Kit Nicholson who digs deep and gets the good stuff!
It’s been a week. Well, it’s been a year, actually. But let’s not go there right now.
In the last week, President Biden stepped out of the race, endorsing his Vice President Kamala Harris. And in the last few days, there’s been a flurry of commentary–from global leaders to childfree cat (or dog) ladies. I’ve been quiet, still processing, not sure how to feel.
I’ve got many identities, perhaps many personalities. I’m a woman, a feminist, an activist. But I’m also a humanitarian, an aid worker, and an academic. And I’m also an Arab, an Arab-American, a “woman of color” (in America), a Lebanese, and a Palestinian. Damn, that’s a lot of things, I hear you say. You’re right. With which of these identities should I vote?! Am I supposed to chop myself up into tiny bits in order to decide who I like, and, harder still, who likes me?!
So this piece is purely selfish, helping me unpack my views on Harris, one piece (of me) at a time.
As an Arab, and specifically as a Palestinian, I worry that as president, Harris is likely to continue providing both military and financial support to Israel. While she was one of the first high-profile members of the Biden administration to call for an immediate (albeit temporary) ceasefire, she has received at least $182,513 from pro-Israel lobbyist groups like AIPAC. Harris has called the ongoing in genocide a “humanitarian catastrophe” while calling Hamas a “barbaric terrorist organization.” It should also be noted that Harris declined to preside over Natanyahu’s address to the US Congress on July 24th. She did, however, make separate plans to meet with him individually. Immediately after which, she decried the immense and large-scale protests happening in front of Congress for their divisiveness, anti-American behavior, and — you guessed it — anti-semitism. Same same but different…
As a Brown person, and as a woman of color living in America, I know that Harris has been pushing hard for our vote. Representation matters (duh) and the momentum we’re seeing in support of a woman is the strongest ever. Harris has raised millions in an incredibly short time–mostly from Black women. But on the other hand, many believe that she destroyed Black and Brown communities by overly incarcerating Black and Brown men during her time as prosecutor in California.
Harris has taken the lead in highlighting the US maternal mortality crisis which remains one of the highest in the Global North. While other candidates usually avoid the topic, she released a statement addressing the disproportionate effects of this crisis on poor communities and on communities of color. So, as a feminist and a woman of color, I’m happy with that, at least.
As an immigrant, I am concerned about the fact that Harris supported a bi-partisan bill that allocated tens of billions of dollars to funding border security and which would close the US-Mexico border crossing should more than 8,500 people cross in a single day.
And who knows how she feels about Arabs in America?! As a person from multiple (Arab) warzones who sought refuge in America, I worry for myself and my family. We don’t know where we belong anymore. And it doesn’t feel like we belong here.
Most importantly, as a feminist, an activist, an advocate for rights and equality, I want to see a strong feminist in power. A woman in the highest office in the country. It’s about time!
But she faces an uphill battle as a woman in power, and her bid to become the first woman president in the US opens her up to all sorts of discrimination. As of June 2024, there are only 18 countries around the globe that currently have a female Head of State and only 15 where they are Head of Government. In addition to adequately representing half of the world’s population, having women sit at the head of the table influences which issues and laws are discussed. While not all women are feminists, women still tend to place greater priority on women’s rights than their male counterparts.
Harris has been vocal in her support for abortion access. Earlier in 2024, she went on a Reproductive Freedoms Tour and has expressed her support for the Planned Parenthood Foundation. During her 2019 presidential campaign, she stated that she planned to force states who were trying to limit reproductive healthcare access to submit their proposals to the Department of Justice in order to ensure that they were constitutional. Experts claim she is likely to be the most vocal pro-choice candidate in American history. This works for me!
As a woman who is childfree by choice, the vitriol against Harris by the opposition doesn’t surprise. In an interview in 2021, JD Vance — Trump’s vice presidential candidate — said the US was run by “childless cat ladies.” (Great news for me, as long as it includes childfree dog ladies!)
Amazing how we’re still judged by our ability–and supposed desire–to reproduce. As if this were our only function. Even Taylor Swift wasn’t immune to this, with an exhaustingly obtuse article from Newsweek arguing that she’s “not a good role model” because–brace yourselves, friends–she has reached the ancient age of 34 and remains “unmarried and childless.”
It seems that JD Vance issued a formal apology to cats, but his sentiments remain. If there’s one silver lining to this stupidity, it’s feminist humor pushing back. Purr.
During her run for president in 2019, Harris announced that, in order to tackle the country’s gender pay gap, she would implement a fine for companies that pay men more than women. Likewise, during her time as vice president, the White House released this statement stating that freedom from sexual assault is a basic human right. Her background as a prosecutor in California before becoming a senator has been lauded as a particularly strong point by her allies — especially in comparison to Trump’s myriad sexual assault allegations. Her “tough on crime” stance includes zero tolerance for sexual and domestic violence, it seems. As someone who has worked on ending violence against women for over three decades, I find relief in knowing that we might have a strong ally in office.
Black women on the Internet have been raising alarms about the waves of misogynoir that are headed Harris’ way. Misogynoir, a term coined by Moya Bailey, refers to the intersection of anti-Black racism and general sexism that Black women face on a day-to-day basis. That is, discrimination Black women face BECAUSE they are Black women. Whether we vote for Harris or not, listening to Black women and acknowledging their experience should be a critical prerequisite to being a decent human.
Let’s also address why we all think we can call her “Kamala.” We don’t call Biden “Joe” — unless it is to insult. The media flurry around her first name — and its inappropriate informalization — reeks of gender discrimination to me. In the entire history of the United States, we have called our presidents and presidential nominees by their surnames — from Washington to Lincoln to Biden. Why is it that Kamala Harris is being referred to solely as Kamala? This is not a new phenomenon; it has plagued women in power for a very long time.
Harris is expected to recieve the official party nomination by the start of the Democratic National Convention taking place between 19 and 22 August. When that happens, I’d like to hear what she really has to say on the issues. Let her state her position and stake her claim–independently. I’d like to hear her strengthen her feminist principles and distance herself from Biden’s bellicose policies. It’s time to get out of bed with Israel and to start thinking for ourselves. Otherwise Harris will replicate pre-existing policies, making her nothing more than Biden-with-boobs. Not good enough.
In the cacophony of (ill-informed) opinion, I turn to the voices I trust, those whose convictions remain firm and whose actions always match their words.
My friend, colleague, and feminist guru April Pham asks if we should “wait for the perfect female candidate or candidate of color to meet all the highest thresholds of progressive intersectional feminist principles?”
She goes on: “Do we keep electing* the white/male folks because the ‘others’ just don’t meet the criteria? (*I’m not sure we really ever ‘elect’ when the choices are not real choices?) Is the lesser of two evils ever good enough?”
She says she has no answers. Nor do I.
April and I agree that we want a feminist woman in power, one who holds herself to account on all our human rights standards. Yes, all of them.
And the politically-savvy action-oriented activist Yasmina Benslimane gives us the reality check we need:
Both political parties have histories filled with war crimes, colonialism, and racism that continue to affect millions domestically and globally. Let’s talk about Biden’s real legacy… complicit in the ongoing genocide in Gaza, and full financing of an apartheid state. This, at the expense of investing in critical areas such as education and healthcare in the US–critical areas of great need.
Sure, Biden’s endorsement of Harris as his successor can be seen as historic potential: the first woman of Black and South Asian descent as president. But, let’s not forget Harris’s track record, a lack of consistent human-centered policies, and her unwavering support for Israel and AIPAC.
So let’s move past performative feminism and acknowledge that representation does not mean progress. Celebrating Harris solely for her gender and identity without considering her policies and actions overlooks the necessity for truly intersectional and decolonial leadership.
Instead, it is time to dismantle oppressive systems with leaders who are accountable, who challenge oppressions and discriminations, rather than perpetuating them under the guise of progress. Celebrating symbolic victories will not lead to meaningful progress, but rather greater regress.
Journalist and professor Afeef Nsouli gives us this full list of demands. Yes, long and extensive, but no, not impossible.
In the end, I’m in watch-wait mode. Eyes wide open as if I’m watching a horror movie and waiting for the real terror to unfold, hand ready to cover my eyes. Sure, part of my identities feel vindicated, but is that enough?! I’m not convinced. And I’m not willing to chop up my politics into digestible bits, discarding some. No, I will vote with my whole self–for the candidate who deserves it most. Or none.
If Harris wins the presidency, she’d be the first in a lot of categories–first woman, first Black woman, first person of Indian descent, and so on. Being the first matters. As long as those firsts are good ones! These firsts mean nothing if she is the first woman (of color) to bomb Palestine. There are a lot of firsts to think about, for sure. It’s our duty to ensure that these firsts are actually worth celebrating.
And in the end, I don’t just want a candidate that looks like me chilling in the most powerful seat in the country. I want someone who aligns with my values for creating a better, more peaceful world right now. For all of us. And I know I’m not alone.
