Harris, Obama share family stories different from millions of African Americans

As Kamala Harris took the stage Thursday night for the biggest speech of her political life, she addressed the nation as an African American woman, despite the fact that one of her parents isn’t Black and both of them are immigrants. But while her identity has been clear since she chose a historically Black college and joined a famed Black sorority, those complexifying facts deserve some consideration because they reveal what barriers Harris will forever shatter while outlining those that will remain. If — I hope when — she becomes president, Harris will be only the second Black person in American history to hold the office. Neither had a Black ancestor scarred by slavery on American soil. Barack Obama, too, is biracial with an immigrant father from Kenya, while Harris’ parents hail from Jamaica and India. Obama was raised primarily by his white mother and Harris, as she said in her speech Thursday night, was raised primarily by her Indian mother. Obama touched on his ancestry in Tuesday’s speech, joking about how he and President Joe Biden shared “common Irish blood.” But I wonder whether the fact that two of America’s most prominent national leaders are the children of immigrants...