What are Kamala Harris’ race and identity? ‘DEI’ attacks show what Black women face in politics

VP Kamala Harris may face allegations from internet trolls that she isn’t Black, but Barack Obama faced the same when he ran for President, revealing that some aspects of being Black in American politics are universal. One of the oddest criticisms of Vice President Kamala Harris floating around on the internet is that she’s not a Black woman — or as one internet commenter wrote, “only wants to be Black when it’s convenient.” It’s a criticism we’ve seen before in politics, steeped in the complexities of identity politics and concerns about lineage in America. For some, the term “Black” only equates to African American or a generational Black American, descended from ancestors who survived chattel slavery. However, “Black” has also been used as a racial and cultural umbrella term, embracing all Black people who live in the United States, including those whose parents immigrated from other countries. Here are the facts about VP Kamala Harris and what she’s experiencing as she becomes the Democratic party’s presumptive presidential nominee: Harris is literally being called a “DEI hire” at the most inconvenient time by Republicans such as Congressman Tim Burchett (R-TN) and Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-WY), who said VP Harris was “intellectually,...