Kamala's Adventures In One Drop Rule Land

I learned long ago that identity is a touchy subject for a lot of people so I tend to avoid the issue unless it is brought up in a scientific manner. The recent "outrage" about Kamala Harris not being an 'American Black" is of interest to me only because it highlights the current trends in identity politics.

The original commentary (made by a black person) was that since Kamala's parents were an at least 1/2 black Jamaican and a "full" [apparenty Dravidian as opposed to Aryan] Indian, she was not an "American Black". "American Black" being those descended directly from the mostly (but not exclusively) West-Africans brought to America via the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. The original poster is absolutely correct in that observation. Whether it should matter is an entirely different conversation. I don't think it does, at least as it relates to qualifications for office.

Some are saying this is like the 'birther" conspiracy lodged at Obama. I don't agree with that analysis. Obama had a Kenyan father and a without a doubt American mother. The "questions" regarding his citizenship was based on his being born in Hawaii and it's alleged 'interesting" practices in determining the citizenship of those born there who may not be citizens. It also was about his ties to Indonesia and Islam. So the issue there was whether Obama was a citizen due to place of birth rather than his not having "American" parents. I can see someone saying that's 6 of one and half a dozen of the other. Sure. Again, not my particular interest.

What is interesting, particularly in Kamala's case is that there was a time when a person of African descent in America would welcome the opportunity to be able to "exit blackness". The phrase "passing for white" is common in America. In the past if one could "breed up" and produce lighter and lighter children, they could eventually pass for white and avoid the negatives of being black in America. Almost every time you hear about a white person who "discovers" the proverbial "Negro in the family tree" that they didn't know about, you have a likely incident of some recent ancestor who saw themselves "out of the race".

W.E.B. DuBois mentioned that there may become a time when African-Americans would be full of people who were not black at all. How would they identify. Indeed there are many people who are classified as African-American who are not black. I'm not talking about Rachel either. But Rachel D also illustrates a point. How did a white person with absolutely no black ancestors manage to "pass as black" for the length of time she did?

Remember that the one drop rule only applies in America and more broadly in the Anglosphere. Outside of the Anglosphere, people who are not black by what I call the "across the street test"* are NOT considered black. There are all kinds of terms used for them. So if Rachel or Kamala OR Obama left America and was seen on the streets of Venezuela or Uganda, it is highly unlikely that they would be considered "black". Kamala would likely be identified as an Indian, Obama likely an Arab and Rachel, the white woman that she is. And it is likely that each one of them would gladly accept the non-black identities and the benefits that accrue to that.

But turning back to Kamala, and Obama to an extent, they had political (and perhaps social) success because they chose to identify as black (using the USA One Drop Rule). So I think it interesting that was have this historical swing where blackness (or non-whiteness) is now a benefit rather than a hindrance; at least in politics. Indeed socially, being anything other than straight, male and white can accrue quite a few benefits and immunities. I know that's hard for some people to swallow but it's true.

Personally, I'm hoping for the day that we can evaluate candidates on their records and positions rather than what they look like. I think there was someone else who had that idea. I'm sure there's a statue of him in DC. * The Across The Street test is the idea that if you can't tell a person is black from across the street then they aren't. This isn't a matter of mannerisms, clothes or hairstyles. All black people can be readily identified from a distance. In daylight, they contrast sharply with the light and at night they tend to "blend in" (this is where the whole can only see the eyes at night "joke" comes from). A corollary to that is the paper bag test that was used to exclude black persons from so-called "blue vein" societies.

This test doesn't mean that the person is "white". That is an assumption made by many who adhere to the One Drop Rule where one is either black or white. "Failure" to pass the test simply means that one is at least a hybrid (mixed in common parlance). There is absolutely nothing at all wrong with being mixed. This is not a value judgment. Also, One can be "mixed" and still "pass" the Across The Street Test.