Janet Jackson, in a seemingly inadvertent manner, raised questions surrounding the racial identity of Vice President Kamala Harris. During a lively chat with The Guardian's Weekend podcast, the esteemed singer-songwriter delved into the depths of her ongoing Together Again tour, whose final destination is Glasgow, Scotland, on October 13th. As the conversation flowed, it inevitably steered towards the anticipated 2024 United States presidential election.
When the interviewer mentioned the possibility of America electing its first Black, female president, Jackson momentarily halted the flow and offered her candid perspective. "You know what some people have supposedly said, don't you?" she inquired, her tone tinged with curiosity. "They claim she's not Black; I've heard whispers that she's Indian." She further elaborated, "I was informed that her father is white. It's been a few days since I've tuned into the news, but apparently, they discovered her father's ancestry."
The mention of Harris' father, Donald J. Harris, a renowned Jamaican-American economist and professor at Stanford University, who parted ways with her Indian mother early in Harris' life, added another layer to the discussion.
Pressed once more on whether America was poised to embrace a woman of color as its president, Jackson hesitated, her uncertainty palpable. "I honestly can't say for sure," she admitted, her voice laced with caution. "I don't feel comfortable answering that question because I genuinely don't know. I fear that whichever way it goes, chaos might ensue."
Jackson's remarks about Harris' racial identity echoed a similar sentiment expressed by Donald Trump earlier this year, who at the National Association of Black Journalists convention in July, questioned Harris' very identity as a Black woman. "She has always been proud of her Indian heritage, and that's all she ever promoted," Trump declared in Chicago. "I was unaware she was Black until quite recently, as if she suddenly decided to embrace that identity. Now, she wants to be recognized solely as Black. I'm confused—is she Indian or is she Black?" He added, "I hold respect for both identities, but it seems she doesn't, having been Indian all along before making a sudden switch. I think someone ought to investigate this matter further."
