Trump's remarks on Harris' race highlight the need to praise diversity

As the 2024 campaign for the White House between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris continues to rev up with traded barbs and personal attacks, one particular jab that Trump took at Harris during a panel interview at the National Association for Black Journalists Convention in Chicago will certainly be readdressed whenever they get to a debate stage.

First, Trump questioned Harris' racial identity, claiming that he “didn't know she was Black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn Black.” He then asked, “ … is she Indian or is she Black?” This brought loud jeers from the journalists in attendance.

When I watched this snippet of Trump's interview, I honestly chuckled a bit to myself as I thought about how race has been historically viewed in the South. Growing up in Georgia during the '70s and '80s as part of the first post-civil rights generation, I was very familiar with what was known as the “one-drop” rule as a youngster. In the South, it was a commonly held belief that if a person had one drop of “Black blood,” they were Black.

Black people who happened to be biracial in the South during slavery or the early years of the Jim Crow era, which would have been the result of either consensual relations or rape of Black women, were not allowed to identify with other parts of their heritage due to the racial constructs of these historical periods.

Harris' Jamaican father, Dr. Donald J. Harris, would have been perceived as a Black man in the Jim Crow South solely based on his physical appearance. The racial rigidness of this time would not allow for consideration of the differences between Jamaican and African American culture. While we are in a different era now where diversity in bloodlines is embraced more, Harris has said that her Indian immigrant mother, Dr. Shyamala Gopalan Harris, knew that America would view her daughters as Black. Thus, in many ways, the deep-rooted tenets of construed racial identity from the South still remain.

Race will continue to be a contentious talking point in this election as the “DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) hire” label has been used by some Republicans to criticize Harris' credentials. When Trump was asked by ABC correspondent Rachel Scott if he thought that Harris was only on the Democratic ticket due to being a Black woman, he responded, “I really don't know, could be.” The NABJ audience wasn't pleased with that answer either.

The current DEI dispute is a combative back-and-forth argument regarding fairness and inclusion in companies and higher education. DEI's harshest critics often compare inclusion policies to affirmative action programs that began under President John F. Kennedy's administration, although DEI does not deal with federal contracts as affirmative action did. The tone for the present DEI backlash was set last year when the Supreme Court ended race-conscious admissions for colleges and universities. This has resulted in schools gutting their DEI offices in states that have pushed through legislation against these initiatives.

My outlook on DEI and how it relates to me is a little different. I do believe that diversity is very important and that everyone should have an equal opportunity for a seat at the table. As a Black woman, I know that in the workplace I am valued for not just my scholarly expertise but also for my cultural experiences that I can incorporate in my teaching. However, I'm looking at my place at the table as a purpose that has much more significance than my professional accomplishments.

My pastor always reminds me that God placed me where I am for a specific reason and there is a greater divine plan in motion. So, I'm constantly thinking how can I use my God-given talents and abilities to not only represent my school well but to also inspire or minister to someone? How can what my faith in Christ has enabled me to overcome in a world still plagued with racism and sexism be a great testimony and example to my students and colleagues that they can make it? This is the unique diverse perspective that I bring.

I am not looking forward to how the race narrative will play out as Trump and Harris continue to campaign because so far, we have not had any meaningful discussions. Yet, I am grateful that the platform I have during this election season enables me to speak on racial issues with grace and humility.

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