While the debates about Kamala Harris’ multiraciality may seem new, they are similar to the commentary other high-profile mixed-race people in the US have received about their racial identities.
Chrystia Freeland became the Finance Minister after Bill Morneau resigned in the wake of the WE scandal.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
Women are increasingly taking more visible senior roles in leadership. This reflects their ability to effectively manage difficult situations, as demonstrated by Chrystia Freeland and Kamala Harris.
Biden accepts the Democratic nomination on Aug. 20, 2020.
AP Photo/Andrew Harnik
Two scholars react to Biden’s acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention.
Democratic vice-presidential candidate Kamala Harris, D-Calif., speaks during a virtual grassroots fundraiser in Wilmington, Del., on Aug. 12.
(AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Kamala Harris has always had to deal with people mispronouncing her name. It’s an example of microaggressions that members of minority groups face on a regular basis.
Harris is the first woman of colour on a major party presidential ticket. She also brings a wealth of experience to the campaign, and could help energise non-voters to support the Democrats.
Kamala Harris, a U.S. senator from California, endorsed Joe Biden for president in March. Now she is his vice presidential nominee.
Jeff Kowalsky/AFP via Getty Images
Many African American women have run for president of the US, despite the enormous barriers facing both Black and female candidates. Biden’s pick puts a Black woman much closer to the Oval Office.
Will young, Black Americans turn out to vote in November?
Stephen Maturen/Getty Images
By picking Kamala Harris, a Black running mate, Biden may have brought younger Black Americans, who now comprise a critical set of swing voters, over to his side.
This is what matters to Biden: his VP must be able to lead from day one, be a true partner in governance and have great chemistry with him. There’s one clear choice who fits the bill.
A protester raises a fist in New York’s Washington Square Park during a June 2, 2020 demonstration.
Ira L. Black/Corbis via Getty Images
Since 2000, 89 new women have come to power in countries around the world – but the US still lags behind.
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton arrives onstage during a primary night rally at the Duggal Greenhouse in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, June 7, 2016.
Getty/ Drew Angerer
Predictions about how a woman presidential candidate might fare in 2020 are largely speculation, writes a political scientist, because there isn’t enough experience to base those predictions on.
Kamala Harris’ campaign fizzled as her past as a prosecutor haunted her candidacy.
AP Photo/Jeff Chiu
More and more district attorney candidates are running on reversing the government’s traditional approach to crime and punishment. And they’re winning.
There’s power in numbers.
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Scholars say a ‘critical mass’ of representation is necessary to overcome ‘token’ status. That’s exactly what we saw at the Democratic debate in Atlanta.
An all-women moderating team directed the debate.
AP Photo/John Bazemore
Americans want government to serve them, but don’t have confidence that it actually can.
She’s sitting third on the list of Democratic nomination contenders, but might Elizabeth Warren ultimately be the person to beat Donald Trump?
EPA/AAP/Craig Lassig
She’s sitting third on the list of Democratic candidates at the moment, but the Massachusetts Senator’s growing popularity may catapult her to the nomination.
The U.K.‘s Tony Blair, left, campaigned on 'modernizing’ the welfare system. Bill Clinton, right, campaigned on reducing welfare in the U.S.
REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne