by Saawan Duvvuri ’26
October 31, 2024
Kamala Harris has long been a politician of many “firsts.” In 2010, Harris became the first African-American and first woman to serve as California’s attorney general. In 2017, Harris was sworn in as a United States senator for the state of California, making her the first South Asian-American female senator in history. This August, Harris became the first African-American woman and person of South Asian descent to lead a major party ticket. In November, Harris may become America’s first female and first South Asian President.
Many of Harris’ “firsts” revolve around her racial identity and gender. Americans identifying with various underrepresented communities, including Black, Asian, female, and immigrant backgrounds, feel a sense of solidarity with Harris due to her complex identity.
“Her racial identity has changed the way I think about her. I believe that she has stayed consistent with her beliefs throughout her vice presidential and presidential campaign,” said Victoria White ‘26, a Black USN student.
“I connect with her because she is a Black woman in a very high position. Although it is not that rare, it is still uncommon to see someone with her background in such a high position. She would be a role model for the entire Black community if she wins. She would represent communities that are not traditionally in power—not just as Joe Biden’s sidekick, but as the main character,” White added.
Identity will probably play a role within voters who are voting within this election, according to White.
“A lot of values are affected by identity. A lot of liberal women and liberal people of color will probably vote for Kamala Harris because of her policies relating to racial justice and gender rights,” White said.
White also believes a second Trump presidency could have significant ramifications for her communities.
“Project 2025 will affect women, Black, and minority people in general. Book bans, the overturning of Roe v. Wade, and ‘hyper-Christianity’ have all affected minority groups,” White commented.
Project 2025, a conservative policy initiative developed by the Heritage Foundation, a prominent Republican think tank, has garnered significant criticism from the Democratic Party for its infringement on women’s, LGBTQ+, and race-based civil rights. The initiative has been strongly linked to Donald Trump, despite his campaign’s attempts to distance Trump from the initiative.
While Harris’ identity is an important factor for White, not all students are of the same mind. Ruchika Ramachandran ‘27, an Indian-identifying USN sophomore, doesn’t see Harris’ South Asian background as important to her view of Harris as a politician.
“[Her race] has not had much of an impact on me. I do not think of Kamala Harris as Indian. Being Indian is more than just your ethnicity—it is about your culture. I have never really seen [Harris] embrace her Indian culture and her Indian roots,” Ramachandran said.
Furthermore, Ramachandran does not believe Harris accurately represents her Indian heritage in her campaign.
“For me, Kamala Harris is just another politician. Not an Indian politician. With the marketing she has done, she has tapped a lot more into her Black half than her Indian half. Because of the way she is presenting herself, I have pretty much lost all connection to her.
The way she paints herself is not very Indian.I feel like she is trying to appeal to her Black audience more,” Ramachandran adds.
Ramachandran further elaborated on her disappointment with Harris’ representation of her South Asian heritage, specifically in comparison to how Ramachandran believes Harris is focusing on her Black ethnicity in her campaign.
“She used to be on my radar, but I feel like she is not connecting authentically to her Indian culture. I feel like she is embracing more of her Black roots because that is what will benefit her more in this presidential race. The first thing that comes to mind when most people think of Kamala Harris is Black first, and South Asian second,” Ramachandran commented.
Although Ramachandran expresses disappointment with Harris’ limited acknowledgement of her South Asian identity, she recognizes many benefits of Harris’ potential selection as President.
“I do think that if she becomes selected as president, it will be a massive milestone for the Indian community. Despite her identifying more with her Black heritage, Kamala cannot deny that she is Indian. While she might not embrace it as much as other South Asians, it will be a tremendous honor and milestone for the South Asian community to have Harris as President,” Ramachandran said.
Although Ramachandran ultimately supports Harris’ candidacy, she does not see major downsides for the Indian community in a potential second Trump presidency.
“I feel like Donald Trump does not have a problem with Indian people specifically. We already lived through one Trump Presidency, and I did not feel any major issues with him targeting the Indian community,” Ramachandran said.
However, Erin Joyce ‘25, Founder of the Tennessee Student Union, a student-led state-wide political advocacy coalition, believes Trump’s presidency will have significant negative impacts on America.
“Project 2025 is an example of how Trump’s presidency would be disastrous, and although he denies involvement with Project 2025, his fingerprints are written all over it. [His presidency] means restricting people with uteruses, LGBTQ+ people, low-income people, minorities, immigrants, especially people coming across the border in Texas,” Joyce said.
Like White, Joyce focuses on Trump’s potential negative impacts on historically marginalized groups, specifically on women and racial minorities.
Joyce also calls Trump’s commentary on Harris’ racial identity “disgusting,” specifically when Trump repeatedly stated that “Harris turned Black” in an effort to appeal to African-American voters.
“I think it is abhorrent that he would say such ignorant things about her race. His behavior is concerning, unprofessional, and childish. It also has no basis; she has always identified as a mixed-race and Black woman throughout her political career,” Joyce said.
For many white students like Brendan West ‘25, President of Students For Education, a student-led political education non-profit, Harris’ identity is not a huge factor in influencing who they will vote for.
“Harris’ racial and gender identity has not impacted me as much. Harris will be the second woman on a major party ticket and the first woman of South Asian and Black descent, and it’s inspiring. I don’t connect to that as much as some people, but it’s great,” West said.
However, West touches on a lot of other strengths Harris has as a politician, beyond her racial or gender identities.
“I am really attracted to well-versed and well-regarded public speakers. I think Harris is a great speaker and very motivating. I think a potential Kamala Harris presidency will impact my community and everyone’s community in a way that people are not seeing. I think the conversation right now is more anti-Trump then pro-Kamala. If she wins two terms, then I can have so many benefits including student-loan forgiveness and buying my own home. There is a lot of stuff that is more broad-scale natural issues. National issues never really impact people as much as [people] think they do,” West said.
While Harris’ race and gender are central aspects of her campaign appealing to to historically marginalized voter communities across the country, her policies are equally important to her political potential and should be taken into account.
