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If the Biden-Harris ticket does not win in November of 2020, it will spell doom for all African American and Asian American women working on high profile projects around the world. The success of one affects the success of the many. This is the reason I am excited and leery of Joe Biden choosing Kamala Harris as his running mate.

Many see the 2020 election year as crucial, but the awful truth is that there are so many things that need attention, such as the economy, race relations, institutional overhauls — the list goes on. The only short-term solution for these things are miracles. We need people who are willing to spend their lives correcting a system it took centuries to create.

I am excited Kamala Harris was chosen because she could be the first woman of color to be Vice President of the United States. She could bring issues that African Americans and other marginalized communities face to the forefront, such as voting rights, economic disparities and the justice system. This is the opportunity for her to reverse her previous stance on the criminal justice system that has tainted her, and do work that redesigns a fair and just system for all people.

I am leery of Harris being Vice President because, for centuries, African American women have been used as a fetish to bring forth some magical purpose, which usually results in the prosperity of their oppressors. There is a fear that her face will be used to represent a new movement, but once the votes are cast and they win, it will return to business as usual.

For instance, in 1890 some caucasian men wanted to sell pancake mix, so they put an African American’s face on their product. They hired a spokesperson and put her out front so that people would think she created it, which meant it had to be good. Nancy Green’s face sold pancakes for decades to benefit the owners. Her family and people were left out. Think about this. A phenomenon was created by putting an African American face on a product in a land that despised dark faces.

I don’t want Harris to stand for something that gets them the win, but leaving her people out for generations to come. It would be an amazing experience for her to hold this seat of power, but if it does not benefit future generations, it is a waste. Like Nancy Green, who had a quick benefit from being the spokesperson for Aunt Jemima, but once she was dead from a accident in 1923, her family and people no longer benefited. The owners of the brand made millions and created a legacy that lasted a century. They still benefit from it.

Historically, the work of African American women has been seen as something magical. If it is ordinary or average, it is considered worthless. To be acceptable to mainstream society, an African American woman’s work has to be exceptional or extraordinary. It has to rise above everyone else’s.

The labor from the women of African descent takes on its own character, creating something that can exist on its own. For example, good cooking from an African American woman is something that can stand on its own, separate from her labor. One doesn’t have to put a name to the food, just the fact that someone African American cooked it is enough to stand on its own. If the food is ordinary or average, one wonders what is wrong with the woman. That is a fetish and it highlights that Africans were seen more for the objects they produced than their humanity.

If that one individual fails at the task, then it is something no African American woman can achieve, or at least it will feel that way for others. Even though it is unfair, we will all bear the mark for Kamala’s failure or success.

It is idealist to think that the hard work I do is a reflection of me. But I have spent many years being the only person of color in the room. I know the deeds I have done have determined if they would bring another person of color in. Let me just laugh right there. You don’t want to be the only one in the room. Fight to make sure more people in the room look like you.

Now that Harris has Biden’s ear, I hope she is fighting to make sure she is not the only one in the room.

Karen Anderson

Writing since February 2022 · 2 stories contributed