In the days after Kamala Harris was chosen to be Joe Biden’s running mate – making her the first Black woman to get a VP nomination for a major party – Conservatives initially seemed to be scrambling for things to criticise her about. But as Trevor Noah points out, a disturbing pattern has now emerged.
“According to Conservative media, she may not be Black enough,” says Noah in the clip above, playing a montage of right wing media commentators arguing about Harris’ heritage.
“Look man, you can dissect Kamala Harris’ heritage however you want,” Noah continues. “But to say she’s not Black? Ask yourself this question: Is she Black enough to get kicked out of a restaurant back in the day in the Jim Crow South? Would she have been Black enough to get redlined? Is she Black enough to get kicked out of a whites-only school as a little girl? Then she’s Black.”
Noah goes on to explain that a Black person is never questioned in failure. But if they succeed, their race gets put under the microscope.”As soon as Blackness is being considered for excellence and perfection – what has often been considered the domain of whiteness – that’s when white people will start questioning someone’s Black credentials,” Noah says.
“So I guess, that’s the silver lining for you, Kamala. Fox News may be questioning your Blackness now, but best believe the second you step foot into that White House with Joe Biden, and you make a few decisions they don’t like, trust me —you’ll be Black as can be.”